Associate Game Director Joe Piepiora and Production Director Tiffany Wat were available to answer questions from MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus about Diablo 4. They provided some hints about what many are currently wondering.
At BlizzCon 2023, I was able to speak live with Joe Piepiora and Tiffany Wat, two of the heads of Diablo 4. They discussed, among other things, the development of the classes and the brand-new class.
With the first expansion Vessel of Hatred, Diablo 4 is set to receive a playable class that has never been seen in a Diablo game before. Additionally, each of the existing 5 classes will undergo an overhaul.
According to a leak, the class will be called “Spiritborn”, but further details are not yet known. When I asked if I could at least get a hint about the “class fantasy,” Joe Piepiora surprisingly replied with a cheerful, “No.” Tiffany Wat, on the other hand, was much more open.
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We asked the heads of Diablo 4 about the new class and they answered
“Well, we are visiting this new region of Nahantu…”
In the response from Production Director Wat, she gives some hints about what the new class could entail. She says:
“Well, we are visiting the new region of Nahantu – or at least new to Diablo 4. We already know this region from Diablo 2. […] We now know that the inhabitants call the area Nahantu. As you know from the teaser, it is deep in the jungle, where Kurast is located […] This gives us the opportunity to tie the theme of the class, as Joe called it, to the region itself.”
While it is still not entirely clear what the new class will be, the answer does rule out a light class like the Paladin or Crusader. Now it’s more likely that something working with dark magic or voodoo, like the Witch Doctor from Diablo 3, will emerge.
You can read the full interview here on MeinMMO in the coming days.
As the class will be completely new, some ideas that would fit both the narrative of Blizzard games and Diablo as well as a jungle region would be things like:
Head Hunter
Occultist
Snake Charmer
Shaman
or something “Alien” like a Missionary or Explorer
What exactly you can ultimately play in Vessel of Hatred will only be revealed at a later time. The information about Diablo 4 was quite sparse at BlizzCon 2023, but the expansion won’t be released until late 2024. However, we already know more about what’s next for Season 2:
In the survival MMO Path of Titans, we play as dinosaurs fighting for survival. The team at Alderon Games has now released a new update for the game. MeinMMO lists what fresh content has been added with the patch.
Path of Titans aims to convey a sense of the prehistoric world. It is possible to play as both carnivores and herbivores. With tools that are freely available, players can also create their own experiences.
The development team has now released the Pounce Update. Interested players can now see what new content comes with the patch.
The accompanying brutal video is embedded here:
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Path of Titans receives Pounce Update – The innovations in the trailer
These new contents are in the update for Path of Titans
What’s coming with the new update? The current patch mainly features new attacking options for certain dinosaur species. Raptors, for instance, can jump on their opponents, latch onto them, and drive their sharp claws into the flesh of the enemies.
The Sarcosuchus, a crocodile-like dinosaur, will also learn a new attack with the update. The Sarcosuchus Grip allows players to snag their prey with their jaws and drag them into the water where they will drown.
That’s not all: There is a new dinosaur species. The Eurhinosaurus feels at home in the water and hunts other dinosaurs there. It impresses mainly with its speed and has 11 abilities in its repertoire.
Besides that, there are even more innovations like area attacks, quality-of-life improvements, and additional abilities. The team has also worked on graphics, performance, and sound playback.
Although the game is available on all platforms, it is still in an early access phase. On PC, the title is available through its own launcher. The title starts from 25 Euro, and especially loyal fans can even buy an edition for 42 Euro with additional skins.
If you are big fans of dinosaurs, ARK: Survival Ascend might also be something for you:
WoW Classic is taking a peculiar path. It brings back exactly the expansion that made “Classic” necessary.
No matter how you look at it, it’s somehow an absurd situation in World of Warcraft Classic. After Blizzard had refused for many years to offer official Classic servers for World of Warcraft, and after a “You think you do, but you don’t” debacle, they changed their minds. The community was ecstatic, and Classic was a huge success.
Following Classic came The Burning Crusade Classic, and most recently Wrath of the Lich King Classic.
Now the next expansion “Cataclysm” is coming, and this is quite a controversial decision.
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WoW: Announcement Trailer for Cataclysm Classic
What was the problem with Cataclysm? With Cataclysm, Blizzard made significant changes to World of Warcraft. These were not just comfort improvements like the transmog system (which was also viewed critically at the time), but primarily the destruction of the old world. Almost all quests from the “Classic” era have completely disappeared or been reworked.
Additionally, Cataclysm altered the quest flow and provided most areas with small “quest hubs.” You could now always accept quests bundled together and travel back after completing them. It was also less common to have to travel to the same place for multiple quests in a row.
For many, this caused the flair and feeling of the old world to be lost. For many years, players had gotten to know Azeroth and could navigate the game almost by heart – knowledge that is now lost and useless.
That Classic will now bring back exactly this expansion may seem strange when considering these problems. However, there are also many who have fond memories of Cataclysm. Above all, the heroic dungeons were popular, and flying in the old world was well received by many.
After all, this time there is the option to completely close yourself off to it and simply switch to “Classic Era” servers or to see what “WoW Classic+” has in store.
At the latest with “Shadowlands Classic,” the idea may have run its course. But who knows, maybe there will be some old players who nostalgically remember the “good old days in Shadowlands.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Raph Koster, Lead Designer of Ultima Online and Head of EverQuest 2, spoke at a conference about the future of gaming. He himself has compiled data on development costs and is also looking at the general situation in the world. He fears less innovation and yet higher costs.
How does Koster justify his concerns? For the 30th anniversary of Edge, an international video magazine, some developers commented on how gaming will evolve over the next 30 years. While the topic of AI was a significant point for many speakers, Raph Koster expressed a different view.
He asked colleagues from the industry in 2018 what the budget for development looks like and compared the data with old figures:
I compiled all the data, adjusted for inflation, and plotted it in a chart. This way, I found out that budgets for game development are increasing exponentially by a factor of ten per decade.
These high costs would simultaneously ensure that game developers are hindered in their creativity. The “Return on Investment” is supposed to be particularly difficult for new ideas, as there is always a risk of burning a lot of money. That’s why many large studios rely on tried-and-true methods or try to copy and improve successful indie concepts.
However, Koster hopes that within the next 10 years there will be a “platform breakthrough” that will put everything back on track. What exactly he means by that is, however, unknown.
It fits, however, that currently, especially old titles are still very much in demand. Games like Minecraft, Fortnite, or even MMORPGs like WoW or FFXIV remain among the most popular titles, even though they are already over 10 years old.
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5 old MMORPGs that are still actively played
Service games remain, but displace story-driven games
However, the service model is critical for games that have a strong focus on storytelling:
I prefer to play narrative games – regardless of what I do for a living. But that doesn’t matter. I think they are disadvantaged in such a market.
But not only the industry itself, but also economic and environmental factors are part of his presentation. He fears high energy costs, both for developers and servers as well as consumers.
We will enter an energy crisis, and then we won’t be able to afford video games as energy consumers anymore.
Does Koster view everything negatively? No. He can imagine that MMOs are used to implement real things that help humanity. As an example, he mentions planting a tree, where technology could track the “stats” and thus encourage people to take care of it.
Much of what people will play in 10 years is already in development
Is Koster alone with his negative opinion? No. At the same event, Jade Raymond, who previously worked on Assassin’s Creed at Ubisoft, spoke. She assumes that there won’t be any major innovations anytime soon and explains:
History has shown that people tend to overestimate the speed of change. The likelihood is high that many of the games we will be playing in ten years are already in development today.
It remains to be seen whether the video games of the coming years can actually deliver innovations or whether we will first experience a “business as usual” phase.
What do you think about Raph Koster’s statements? And how do you see the recent developments in the gaming industry?
The dates for the Community Days in December 2023, January 2024, and February 2024 in Pokémon GO have now been revealed. We will show you which dates you should remember.
In Pokémon GO, Community Days start monthly. During these events, a specific Pokémon is the focus for a few hours on one day along with some bonuses.
The dates are often popular among players, which is why some are already keeping the days free on the corresponding weekends.
Niantic revealed when the next C-Days will take place and simultaneously named dates for themed events. We will show you the data in the overview.
Community Days in December 2023
When do the C-Days take place? On Saturday, December 16, and Sunday, December 17. Usually, all the Pokémon from past C-Day events will be highlighted at the same time. Details are still awaited from Niantic.
When will the C-Day Classic take place? A Community Day in Classic format will not take place in December.
Community Days in January 2024
When will the regular C-Day take place? On Saturday, January 6, 2024.
When will the C-Day Classic take place? The classic Community Day will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2024.
Community Day in February 2024
When will the Community Day take place? The C-Day will take place on February 4, 2024. That is a Sunday.
What are these dates? In the blog post from Niantic, the team only mentions that the dates are about “further in-game events in the next season.”
What kind of events you can expect is still unclear. However, you can already mark a note in your calendar if you like to participate in Pokémon GO events.
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Saturday, December 9, 2023
Saturday, December 23, 2023
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Saturday and Sunday, January 27 and 28, 2024
Sunday, February 11, 2024
Niantic will soon share more information about the Community Day in December and other events of the new season. You can read about it soon with us on MeinMMO.
Will you play the Community Days anyway, or does it always depend on the Pokémon and bonuses? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
The German miniseries “Liebes Kind” (also “Dear Child”) quickly became an absolute thriller hit on the platform shortly after its release. Due to its compact runtime, it is perfect for an engaging series marathon on the weekend.
Liebes Kind is a German Netflix production that premiered on September 7, 2023. The thriller series quickly captivated fans:
Right in its first week, it landed at number 1 among the most-watched non-English Netflix series and stayed there for 4 weeks (via Moviepilot and Filmstarts).
Currently, it still ranks number 10 among the most popular series in the “non-English” category with 47.9 million views (as of October 29, 2023, via Netflix).
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German trailer for the Netflix miniseries ‘Liebes Kind’
A thriller that shakes you to the core
What is Liebes Kind about? The story revolves around young mother Lena and her two children, Hannah and Jonathan, who live isolated in a house in the woods.
There, they must obey a strict father who dictates every aspect of their daily life and harshly punishes disobedience.
One day, the mother and her children escape captivity. An investigative team then attempts to solve the mystery surrounding a missing person case that happened 13 years ago.
The German miniseries shocked viewers with intense imagery but simultaneously captivated them with its gripping story, robbing some thriller fans of their sleep (via Moviepilot).
The story of Liebes Kind is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Romy Hausmann. The author has also written 2 other books that Netflix could theoretically pick up. You can read more about it here with our colleagues at Moviepilot.
How long does Liebes Kind take? The miniseries offers you 6 episodes, each with a runtime of 46 to 51 minutes. So, you only need around 5 hours to binge through the entire series.
If you’re a fan of dark and thrilling movies and series, you might also be interested in this list:
The Twitch streamer Carsten aka “ELoTRiX” (31) wants to leave Germany. He is drawn to the streamer paradise Madeira, but there are problems with the relevant authorities.
What is the streamer paradise? The island of Madeira is part of an autonomous region in Portugal and a popular emigration destination for German content creators. Famous streamers already live there. Many rave about the pleasant subtropical weather, and it is rumored that they benefit from a lower tax rate.
The Twitch streamer Carsten “ELoTRiX” also seems to have fallen in love with Madeira. Just recently, he spoke about his emigration plans during a stream. However, the Portuguese authorities have temporarily thrown a wrench into his plans.
The German Twitch streamer Simon “Unge” Wiefels, now “Raik”, was one of the first to make Madeira a popular emigration destination for content creators:
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Minecraft, longboards and vegan food made him famous – The career of Unge
Emigration must wait
What problems are there? In a stream on November 4, 2023, he gave an update on his plans. As ELoTRiX reports, he received a message from his contact in Madeira the night before. According to that, the authority responsible for validating ID cards has unexpectedly been dissolved.
Immigration is therefore not possible until the authority is re-established. The Twitch streamer had actually planned to fly to Madeira on November 5 to sign a rental contract and take care of the bureaucratic aspects.
ELoTRiX has already ordered a temporary streaming setup to the island. His home setup is supposed to remain intact for now until he moves out permanently. We have embedded the corresponding clip for you here:
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What happens now? The Twitch streamer does not take the news too hard. He seems to find it amusing that an authority can just be dissolved like that.
According to ELoTRiX, the matter should be clarified within two weeks anyway. He has therefore postponed his trip. This is also advantageous because his new equipment would have arrived just a few days after his arrival, so he would not have been able to stream during that time.
According to the new schedule, streams on-site will continue without pause. Now it remains to be seen whether ELoTRiX can soon put his plans into action. However, it seems that the first stream in Madeira will still take a little while.
Besides his emigration plans, ELoTRiX is also occupied with the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. He became known with shooters like CoD on YouTube and therefore is eager to dive back into the fray. However, he wants to boycott MW3:
In June 2022, CROWZ launched on Steam, a military shooter with high ambitions: The developers wanted to create a massive free-to-play game that mixes gameplay from Battlefield and CoD: Warzone. A year later, in August 2023, the team faced the ruins of their game and an upset player community.
What was CROWZ? We introduced “CROWZ” in August 2021 on MeinMMO, back then the game had just appeared on the radar and wanted to start a beta in December 2021:
CROWZ was a military shooter from South Korea developed with the Unreal Engine 4. In South Korea, the team had already seen success with “Sudden Attack”
The shooter focused on vehicles like tanks, helicopters, and armed jeeps
You could control mercenaries and fight on a large battlefield for resources like Q-on in an open world
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Official Cinematic Trailer for the Shooter CROWZ
Shooter CROWZ dies on Steam in a few months
How did it go on Steam? Not well at all.
At the release of the game in June 2022, the shooter had 571 players. But they disappeared quickly
By September 2022, there were only about 200 players online on average, and the South Korean team could not retain them
Starting from December 2022, CROWZ had already dropped below 100 players and never managed to recover from that
Developers end CROWZ: We will return with better games
This was the decision of the devs: Already in May 2023, the team decided to end the shooter CROWZ (via steam). On August 29, it was supposed to be over.
The team explained that they had tried to develop CROWZ “for the love and interest of our mercenaries” since the beta test in November 2021. But they decided that it was better to end the game. They could not provide a “better service” anymore.
They said goodbye with “We will return with better games at a later time. Thank you.”
These are the reactions: The comments on Steam are merciless.
There are some who really liked the game: They are angry at the developers for crashing a “so beautiful battle royale” game. They accuse the developers of providing “one of the worst developer performances ever” and having led one of the “best battle royale games” to its demise in just a few weeks.
Others react in rage, calling the developers “frauds” and wishing them bankruptcy: “Never make a game again, good luck and never come back.”
Others congratulate themselves for never having invested money in the game: CROWZ was “pay to win,” they say. An “aggressively monetized game with an endless amount of bugs.”
“The best day of my life when I got the skin with a 1% chance”
The Steam reviews of CROWZ turned deep red after the announcement of its end. But among all the angry comments, there are a few voices saying they loved the game and spent many hours on it. They always looked forward to news about the game.
One player writes about the game that many consider a pure attempt to make quick money: He spent all his money to make his dream come true and get a skin that had only a 1% chance: That was the best day of his life when he got the skin.
He urges the developers not to delete their beautiful game. It would surely still be popular. And if they have to delete it, then please not the player accounts.
The relationship of Steam players to games is quite peculiar:
Gaming in a household with siblings or children can often be a challenge. If you share a console, it’s not uncommon for save files to get corrupted or even deleted. This happened to a father in Starfield, but he was lucky.
What happened? The user PhonedZero explained in a Reddit post that he lost his Starfield save file with over 100 hours of gameplay. He was close to the main quest, had completed 90% of his side quests, and had almost finished all factions.
When his 13-year-old son wanted to start his own save on the father’s account, the father thought nothing of it and let him play. But when the game was started again, the father’s save was suddenly gone. Apparently only because the son had started a new save. After over 100 hours, it was a shock, but the community was able to help.
This Starfield player was disappointed by something completely different:
How does it continue after Starfield with The Elder Scrolls 6? – This is what GameStar Talk is discussing
It only takes a single button
The father didn’t even write the post primarily to seek help, but to ask if this had happened to anyone else. He would now be happy to play the game again with a better understanding.
However, as it turns out, the save file and character were never gone. You just need to switch to the current character, and a simple button press is enough. The father thanks the user KaylaSarahMC:
Bless your heart, dear stranger. 4 days 20 hours 25 minutes … it is still there. Now I feel like an idiot, I spent 3 hours in my “New Game” last night!
Apart from the saved game, the community is positively reacting to the father’s response, aside from ironic adoption ideas, remaining calm despite the frustrating situation and handling it relaxed:
Your-mums-chesthair: I love your energy.
NorswegianFrog: That’s good parenting
Rith_Reddit: I’m glad you fixed it, but I want to say what a wonderfully positive attitude you have. I hope your son takes that from you.
Luckily, the situation turned out positively for the father. His positive and calm attitude is definitely something to take inspiration from.
Have you ever accidentally deleted a save file? And how did you react? Share it in the comments.
For those starting Starfield for the first time, these tips might help:
Since the release of Fortnite: OG, many players have been reminiscing and feeling the nostalgic vibe that once surrounded Chapter 1, and although the map from Chapter 1 has returned, a feature that many long-time fans have surely noticed is missing.
What feature is it? It is the feature of team shooting, also known as “Friendly Fire.” Today unimaginable, but at the release of Chapter 1, players could deal damage to and even kill each other within the same team. A controversial feature, considering how chaotic and explosive it can get in Fortnite if one ends up in a real battle.
However, the feature was disabled on January 13, 2018, as many players exploited it and intentionally annoyed their teammates. Nevertheless, team shooting had a practical advantage.
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Fortnite: Gameplay Trailer for Chapter 4 Season 5 – Back to OG
Greedy and evil teammates were punished
In Fortnite, at the beginning of Chapter 1, many things were rare. Epic and legendary weapons and items were a rarity. Players had to open many chests to obtain, for example, an epic SCAR, and if one had found one, the likelihood of winning the match was much higher, if it weren’t for greedy teammates stealing the weapon from the chest.
A clip on X (formerly Twitter) shows a scenario of how thieves were dealt with at that time:
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In the clip, a player who had found the SCAR shoots at his teammate who had stolen his SCAR. The thief goes down, and a heated negotiation begins about whether the thief will drop the SCAR. If not, the victim will eliminate him and fish his rightful weapon from the thief’s remains.
Two minutes of delays and chances pass until the victim loses his temper and eliminates his teammate. He takes the weapon while his dead teammate goes silent in horror in the background.
A situation that no longer exists in Fortnite, yet many fans miss the feature from back then, as it allowed for good accountability against thieves and rascals.
What do fans say about the feature? The video shared by a leaker received 20,000 likes on X.com, and many fans of the franchise gathered to remember the times back then. Many expressed that team shooting would have fit well with Fortnite: OG:
“The season would be great if they had brought back team fire” – Emi
“This feature must be available for at least one day” – TheWalkthroughKing
“They need to bring back Friendly Fire. My friend stole my SCAR yesterday” – TCDBARDI
Did you also have to often lecture your friends back then not to mess with the weapons and items that did not belong to them, or would you like to have the feature back? Let us know in the comments!
New boxes are currently appearing in the shop in Pokémon GO. Some trainers found a special box that costs a lot of coins.
Here’s what’s happening in Pokémon GO: The boxes in the shop are periodically exchanged. This seems to be the case again now.
Not all trainers are shown the same boxes, but rather different ones.
Now a box appeared that caught the attention of the community. Because with 7,000 coins, it is one of the most expensive boxes that Pokémon GO has ever offered.
What’s in the 7,000-coin box?
A trainer shows: In the subreddit for Pokémon GO named TheSilphRoad, trainer “oppabadboy” shared a screenshot of the new box. It is a version of the “Explorer Box”. It includes:
50 Super Incubators
50 regular Incubators
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Is the offer worth it? It is one of the most expensive boxes that can be purchased in Pokémon GO. When comparing it to the 100-coin price of 0.99 cents, it comes to a value of 69.30 Euros. Considering the slightly cheaper bundle prices, the value is about between 60 and 70 Euros.
That’s a lot of money compared to other “microtransactions”, when you think about the fact that you could also buy a full-price game for that.
At the same time, regular incubators cost 150 coins, and super incubators 200 coins. With 50 units each, the box comes to a value of about 17,500 coins, which is significantly higher than the purchase price.
Accordingly, the feedback from some trainers is also as follows:
“Good for Pokétubers and mega-whales, I assume,” writes user Fr00stee (via reddit).
“For the price of an actual AAA game […] you get: 100 3-timer keys for your loot boxes,” writes user Peper_of_Kruidnoot (via reddit).
“It’s a good deal, but do I really want to spend the coins on it? Not really,” writes “skelement” (via reddit).
Others say that they are indeed considering it because they have saved the necessary coins over a long time. However, some others comment that the eggs are generally not worth it, as in the end, you don’t know what hatches from them.
Start video
Pokémon GO: Finding Rocket Bosses – How to Collect the Rocket Radar and Track Them Down
What do you think of the new box? Would you consider it if you had collected the necessary coins for it? Or is it generally not for you? Let us know in the comments.
In Warcraft Rumble, there is a simple trick that allows you to stop losing honor in PvP. This is not a cheat – it’s just simple math.
An amazingly complex feature in Warcraft Rumble is the PvP. It is highly tactical, and only a well-balanced team – or a really nasty combo – reliably leads to success. PvP offers very interesting rewards. From gold and bow light energy to big XP boosts and even a very special mini.
To unlock this, however, you need to gather enough honor. However, honor is not permanent – if you lose matches, your honor will decrease as well.
This can be quite frustrating, as you see on a filling display how much honor you have and how close you are to the next milestone. When this value decreases, you also move further away from the reward – not a nice feeling.
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Warcraft Rumble: Cinematic for the Game Launch
However, with a small mental trick, you can bypass this problem. To do this, you need to make use of a mechanic in Warcraft Rumble.
Your total honor value is calculated from your best 3 troops. The values are added up here.
An example to illustrate this:
You have 4 leader minis: Jaina Proudmoore, Grommash Hellscream, Ancient Trübauge, and Bloodmage Thalnos.
Jaina Proudmoore has 700 honor
Grommash Hellscream has 600 honor
Ancient Trübauge has 500 honor
Bloodmage Thalnos has 490 honor
Your total honor value in PvP is calculated from the achievements of your top 3 leaders. In this example, that would be 1,800 honor (700+600+500).
The 490 honor from Bloodmage Thalnos is not counted, as he is not among the top 3 leaders in your collection.
You can, however, take perfect advantage of this!
Always use the leader in 4th place to guarantee victories
From now on, only play with leaders that are in 4th place on your list, so in this example, Bloodmage Thalnos.
If you lose with Thalnos, then his personal honor value decreases – from 490 to about 400. However, your total ranked honor remains unchanged, as only the best 3 leaders are counted there – you will still have 1,800 honor.
But if you win with Thalnos, then his honor value increases – from 490 to about 600. In this case, your account honor also increases, as Thalnos is now one of the top 3 leaders – you would then have 1,900 honor: 700 from Jaina, 600 from Grommash, 600 from Thalnos, and Ancient Trübauge is excluded from the calculation since he is now in 4th place.
If you follow this strategy and always use your fourth-best troop until it moves up to 3rd place, you can only increase your honor.
Another advantage of this is that you learn to handle multiple leaders, thus building a larger repertoire of troops and strategies and increasing your overall understanding of the game surrounding the minis.
Of course, this is also a small psychological trick – but it can definitely reduce a lot of frustration, as your honor value can only increase, no matter what you do.
How is it going for you in PvP? Have you been able to achieve any early successes?
2023 was rather disappointing from the perspective of MMORPGs. Major titles were postponed, smaller titles failed to impress, and the expansions also looked a bit weak this year. But 2024 is going to be exciting. In addition to two major releases, five expansions are set to launch.
What can we expect in 2024? Next year, both fans of the big MMORPGs and players desperately searching for new titles will get their money’s worth – assuming there are no unexpected delays again.
Highlights include the releases of Blue Protocol and Throne and Liberty, but also the expansions Dawntrail for Final Fantasy XIV and The War Within for WoW.
We will summarize everything for you.
[toc]
The Release of Blue Protocol
What kind of game is this? Blue Protocol is being developed by Bandai Namco and promises an engaging and fully voiced story. In it, you travel about 1,000 years into the past to prevent a great disaster and save the world.
It offers you 5 (already 6 in Japan) classes, with which you can explore the game world, which is divided into many instanced areas, similar to Guild Wars 2. There you can complete quests, defeat bosses, collect materials, and regularly find entrances to instances. If you want, you can switch your class during gameplay, similar to Final Fantasy XIV. But you can also simply create several characters.
The combat system is very action-oriented, with you only having 4 weapon skills, 2 pet skills, the 2 mouse buttons, and an ultimate. However, there is a lot of dynamics with jumps and dodges, even attacks from the air are possible.
However, it is unclear which version of the game we will get at release. Work is currently being done on this in the background. The goal is to offer players as much of the new content as possible. Whether the content of the first patches – for example, the new class Blitz Lancer – will be included, will be announced later.
What kind of expansion is this? Final Fantasy XIV is one of the largest MMORPGs ever, but it is currently struggling a bit with a content drought. However, this should end in 2024 when the new expansion Dawntrail is released in summer.
The expansion brings:
An increase in the level cap from 90 to 100
The new continent Tural, also known as The New World. There you will find at least two new areas – Urqopacha and Yak T’el.
Two new jobs – a melee DPS named Viper and a magical ranged DPS that will be detailed later.
A new lifestyle content, similar to the island from Endwalker
New dungeons and raids, including the alliance raid Echoes of Vana’diel
New armors and recipes
An update to the Trust system
A major graphics update
Recently, the fan festival in London in October provided some new insights into the expansion. The last festival will take place in Tokyo in January 2024, where further details will be revealed.
Start video
Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail – Trailer for the new expansion
How likely is the release? Almost 100%. Of course, something can always come up, but for Square Enix, FFXIV is the most important game and director Naoki Yoshida is known for delivering quality. Since the re-release in 2013, there have been no major delays.
Although the time until the release may be a bit boring for fans since the last major patch of Endwalker – Update 6.5 – has already been released, there will be a lot to do for fans again starting summer.
WoW: Cataclysm Classic
What kind of expansion is this? In WoW Classic, you can relive the old content of World of Warcraft again. You can either play on a vanilla server, reminiscent of 2004/05, or currently on a server to Wrath of the Lich King.
Most areas were revamped and general changes were made, which according to some fans caused WoW to become too easy and too boring. Blizzard wants to listen to the community feedback and make some changes, although there were no specific statements on this.
The classic version of Cataclysm is expected to be released in the first half of 2024.
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WoW: Announcement Trailer for Cataclysm Classic
How likely is the release? Almost 100%. Similar to Final Fantasy XIV, there are also no indications that a delay should occur. Blizzard has been very reliable with Classic and has kept to the planned dates.
More exciting than Cataclysm, however, could be the upcoming Season of Discovery. It is said to overhaul the leveling phase of Classic and even bring new bosses and new class abilities. You can find out everything about it here:
What kind of expansion is this? The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG with a large focus on casual players and story fans. The game offers hundreds of hours of voiced content and quests that you can follow to immerse yourself in the world of the game.
Additionally, your character scales across the entire game world, allowing you to dive directly into new expansions and endgame content, even if you have only spent a few hours in the MMORPG.
Otherwise, you can expect:
Diverse dungeons and raids
Server-vs-server PvP in the large area of Cyrodiil
An extensive housing system
Regular updates, at least one each quarter
For summer 2024, another expansion is planned, although there is currently no information about it.
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Everything you need to know about The Elder Scrolls Online – in 2 minutes
How likely is the release? Almost 100%. ESO has delivered a new expansion every summer since 2018. Therefore, there is no doubt that this year will proceed in the same manner.
A major announcement is expected in January. Usually, a patch that sets the stage for the expansion is released in the first quarter.
“The Devil’s Plan” has launched a reality show on Netflix. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann has seen the series and is enthusiastic. This is mainly due to the clever mix of competition and human relationships.
What kind of series is it anyway? In “The Devil’s Plan”, 12 people compete against each other in various games for 7 days and collect points here. Anyone who has no points left at the end of a round is immediately eliminated from the game and has to pack their things. The two losers of a round end up in a “prison” and only receive bread and water.
Honestly, the show put me off a bit at first. Because only people participate in the reality show who I, as a German, don’t know at all: all stars, starlets, and personalities from Korean life.
But in the end, I watched the series with my partner in a few days. Because what makes the series so brilliant is not only the really well-staged competitions, but also the interactions around them.
The Devil’s Plan has been running since September 26 on Netflix. Currently, there is one season with 12 episodes, each about 70 minutes long. A second season has already been announced (via Netflix).
You never know if my friend might not be my next enemy
What makes this series so brilliant? What makes this series so clever and brilliant is the combination of competition and social interaction. Because the special thing is that the contestants live together in a house all the time between competitions: They eat and drink together and sleep in the same rooms. This brings the participants closer together – for 7 days straight.
Here, friendships and alliances are forged, and in the end, no one really knows who is friend or enemy anymore.
The next morning, it goes back to the next competition, which takes place in the same building. And then the heated discussions between the players start again:
Who could be eliminated in the next round?
Who should I or we support? Am I fighting only for myself or supporting a player who is in worse shape?
Do I prefer to play alone or join the strongest player to possibly survive another round?
Quickly, cliques form just like many know from the playground. The loss and elimination of a fellow player is much harder because, in the end, everyone has gotten to know each other. Even the toughest player has tears in their eyes because they have to say goodbye to their buddy who stood behind them in the last three competitions.
Because the devilish thing about The Devil’s Plan is having to betray a valued teammate at the end to stay in the game yourself. And this affects almost all players psychologically, because everyone knows: In the end, only one player can win.
Also nasty: After the competition, the next step is a prize game: Here, the participants have to collaborate to increase the final prize money. Because suddenly, the players who were previously actively competing against each other have to play together again.
What I also really like: The series completely avoids physical violence. No one gets beaten up, hurt with weapons, or killed. The series relies primarily on brain work and the interactions between the players.
Perhaps that’s why I am also looking forward to a sequel and waiting for the second season. Because rarely has a series captivated me so much.
More on Netflix: You can find more good series on Netflix directly on MeinMMO in the following top list:
We are looking for freelance writers who can support us from home.
With MeinMMO, we reach over three million people every month who share our enthusiasm for gaming. Here you will find articles and videos with stories, guides, opinions, recommendations, or interviews.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for freelance writers who can assist us with daily reporting on Pokémon GO and who enjoy sharing their knowledge in the mobile gaming sector. Here’s what you should bring:
a feeling for exciting stories
a great passion for Pokémon GO and everything related to the franchise
a willingness to dive deep into topics and research
you use social platforms like Twitter (X), Reddit, and TikTok
you enjoy writing
a willingness to work on weekends to write current news
This is a plus, but not a requirement: You already have experience in the media field. This may include: a personal blog, work for another website, your own channel on Twitch, TikTok, or YouTube.
What is this about?
You have been playing Pokémon GO for a long time? You eagerly follow events like the GO Fest and may have even been there in person? You are active on Reddit, Discord, and Twitter (X) to absorb discussions and information about the game? Do you want to work in a modern online editorial office?
Then the job at MeinMMO is made for you!
For this position, we are specifically looking for contributions to our Pokémon GO reporting. This includes:
Creating overview articles like monthly events
Covering live events such as the GO Fest
Writing guides for events or counters
Finding stories from the community
How do we work?
The working method: You independently research exciting stories in gaming communities and on the official channels of the publishers. Together with the editorial team, you plan the topics you will report on. You work with analysis tools like Google Trends to find the most urgent topics for our readers. You write articles that fit MeinMMO and our community.
The hours: You can work for MeinMMO for a few hours at least three days a week. Up to 20 hours per week are possible.
The payment: The fee is calculated on an hourly basis in the news room, not per article or based on character count.
What do we offer?
Access to a successful gaming editorial team
Practical experience and training in game journalism
Access to editorial tools comfortably from home
An environment that is passionate about gaming
Regular coaching in data analysis and storytelling
Connection to the Webedia network, which includes GameStar, GamePro, MeinMMO, Moviepilot, and Filmstarts.
Does all this sound exciting to you?If we have piqued your interest and you would like to write for MeinMMO, please send us your application with the following contents:
Who you are: A short cover letter with a resume
Where you are knowledgeable: Show us how long you have been playing Pokémon GO and what you have achieved. Where do you have particular expertise?
When you are available: How often and how regularly you could write for us
Optional: Work samples
Where should I send my application? Please send your application to:
Games on Kickstarter have a tough reputation. While great games like Chained Echoes emerge, many crowdfunding games fail due to their overly ambitious goals. ENDS also has great ambitions, being heavily inspired by GTA 5.
What is ENDS?
It is supposed to be a dark action-adventure with role-playing elements
It takes place in the slums of London
You play as Rahim, who wants to survive and improve his difficult situation with his two friends, Sonny and Reece
Additionally, the game aims to offer difficult decisions that significantly influence the course of the story
The Kickstarter campaign is run by the new studio Concrete Realms, and ENDS represents their debut work.
But Kickstarter should be approached with caution, as there have also been flops:
In GTA Online you can finally get to the bottom of the most annoying crew in the game starting next week
High ambitions in an immersive world
ENDS aims to offer a lot. The underdog story set in London, where the protagonist has to struggle, sounds exciting, especially with the setting. Important decisions and partnerships with influencers and clothing brands also sound like a clever idea to authentically represent the city.
The world is supposed to be immersive, with many opportunities to earn money and take care of people who stand in your way. Small hints in interactions and the environment are meant to provide great opportunities to achieve your goals.
Technically, Concrete Realm boasts the use of innovative technology with buzzwords like Unreal Engine, Metahuman Animator, or Blender. However, besides a short teaser on the Kickstarter page of ENDS, there is no gameplay or story shown.
In principle, all of this sounds very good, but also incredibly ambitious, especially for a debut work from a new development studio.
Before supporting the project, it’s essential to get informed and realize that it can happen that the game never gets released and you won’t get your money back.
Concrete Realm aims to raise €11,541 and has currently raised €1,677. (As of 07.11.2023)
In contrast to other Kickstarter projects, the release date appears modest. The game is supposed to be released in December 2025 on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series. A beta is expected to come out in the first quarter of 2025 according to the Kickstarter page.
Besides many failed Kickstarter campaigns, there are also some that seem to hit the mark:
A player has discovered a hint that a new mode for Baldur’s Gate 3 might be coming soon. The mode has appeared in previous games by developer Larian Studios and could make Baldur’s Gate 3 a whole new experience.
What kind of mode would that be?
A player discovered in the achievement list on GOG that there is an achievement for completing it in “Honour Mode”.
This mode has previously existed under the same name in Divinity Original Sin 2, which is also developed by Larian Studios.
It is not a direct additional difficulty level, but a new mode that can be selected after choosing the tactical difficulty level.
There is only one save file. This means it is not possible to create multiple save files in case we want to go back to a failed decision. Auto-saving, quick-saving, and manual saving share the same slot.
Once the entire party dies, the save file is deleted, and the adventure must be restarted from the beginning.
The mode increases the difficulty of Baldur’s Gate 3 even further. It is not possible to create multiple save files, which means players must live with the consequences of their actions.
This means that fans must proceed more carefully in their playthrough to avoid accidentally causing a death of group members. While it is possible to go back at ONE point, players are out of luck after multiple wrong decisions, as they have only the one save file.
The achievement “Foehammer” can only be completed if the game is finished in “Honour Mode”. Fans assume that this is the same mode as in Divinity Original Sin 2.
So far, the development team at Larian Studios has not disclosed that such a mode will exist and what it entails. Therefore, we must wait for Larian to release new information.
Is the mode something for me? The mode is especially worth it for you if you have already overcome the tactician difficulty level. With the “Honour Mode”, you will experience an even greater challenge if the game hasn’t tortured you enough yet.
In the comments of the reddit post, there are even some people who yearn for a new challenge and are looking for a reason to justify another 100-hour run. If you count among them, the new mode might be for you.
Larian Studios continues to work hard on Baldur’s Gate 3. Just recently, there was a new patch that made tons of bug fixes:
World of Warcraft wants so much money for a storyline like never before. Anyone who wants to experience the entire Worldsoul saga pays almost four figures.
The big announcement at BlizzCon 2023 was about the future of World of Warcraft. Not only was the next expansion “The War Within” revealed with a pretty emotional cinematic, but also the way for the next years was shown. There is a major storyline that includes several add-ons. This so-called “Worldsoul Saga” is likely to be the most ambitious project of the WoW developers in a long time.
However, for the players, it will also be the most expensive project. Because anyone who wants to experience the whole story pays over 800 euros.
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World of Warcraft: The War Within – Cinematic Trailer
How do you get to 810 euros? 810 euros is the price that results from the calculation of all available data. Because we know that the saga goes over 3 expansions, so each time (at least) 50 euros will be due – that makes already 150 euros.
It was revealed at BlizzCon that the saga should be completed “by no later than 2030” – so let’s optimistically assume the end of 2029.
This would then mean a continuous subscription from the end of 2024 to the end of 2029 – so for 5 years. At the cheapest rate, that would be 11 euros per month, which is 132 euros per year or 660 euros for 5 years.
The two values added (660 euros + 150 euros) result in the costs for the entire Worldsoul saga if you want to be there from the beginning and actively experience every patch.
Subscription costs make up the majority: Of course, one could now say that the WoW subscription would have cost 660 euros over the 5 years anyway – whether with Worldsoul saga or without.
The “catch” this time is, however, that Blizzard has announced quite precisely where the journey is going and what the focuses of the expansions are: The Titans, the Void, and Azeroth. Anyone who cannot make anything of this story now faces 5 years with a story they do not like – and an investment of almost 810 euros if they are a loyal WoW fan.
This makes the announcement of the Worldsoul saga on the one hand very brave, but also dangerous, as it could alienate part of the WoW player base for years.
If you are not particularly interested in the story, you can of course reduce your expenses. Either you subscribe only every few months to catch up on the story quests, or you simply wait until the respective “current” add-on is added to the base game and save a few euros in the process.
Active players who also plan to remain so, however, face a long time with a story that must first convince.
Are you ready to carry a story about Titans and the Void with so much money?
Pokémon GO is bringing a Community Day Classic with Voltilamm in November. We show you all the bonuses and content.
What kind of event is this? The Community Day Classic works similarly to the Community Day, only it highlights a monster that has had such an event before.
Players who missed the date back then can catch up and secure strong specimens or shiny variants of the Pokémon. Or simply participate again.
When is the Community Day Classic? It takes place on Saturday, November 25, 2023, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time.
What bonuses does the Community Day Classic with Voltilamm bring?
There are a number of bonuses you can take advantage of during the Community Day Classic.
All bonuses and content of the event:
Voltilamm spawns everywhere in the game
There is an increased shiny rate for Voltilamm
Ampharos learns the charged attack “Dragon Pulse” if you evolve it during the event or up to 2 hours afterward
Eggs only require a quarter of the hatching distance when activated during the event
Incense & smoke last for 3 hours during the event (not the adventure smoke)
Snapshot surprises
Field research around Voltilamm
Showcases with Voltilamm
There will be a special research for one euro in the shop
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Pokémon GO: The strongest attackers of all types in the video
Who is the Community Day with Voltilamm worth it for?
Basically, Voltilamm is a popular Pokémon and anyone who doesn’t have a shiny can secure it at this event. This is what it looks like:
In gameplay, Voltilamm also has its uses. Ampharos is not an absolute top choice in the PvP of the battle league, but fills a niche in the hyper league that can surprise opponents.
In raids, Mega Ampharos is particularly useful. The mega evolution is one of the best attackers of the electric type in Pokémon GO and also boosts attacks of the same type.
Thus, it can be worth it to join the event if you still need a strong Voltilamm. If you are already set in that regard, you can at least secure the quarter-hatching distance for eggs.
Special raids of level 4, which usually take place after the event during normal Community Days, will not occur during the Community Day Classic.
In 2013, Sony integrated the feature into its PS4 that allows users to easily post content directly from the console. Now, at least the Twitter feature will be disabled in just a few weeks. Especially the English-speaking colleagues are mourning the loss of this feature.
Sony regularly introduces new features for the PS4 and PS5. But now, Sony has surprisingly announced that it wants to disable a feature in a few weeks.
This concerns the integration of Twitter on the PS4 and PS5. Some are mourning its loss, as the feature has accompanied them for years. But there are likely various reasons for wanting to part ways with this feature.
Sony disables Twitter integration, which has been present on the PS4 for 10 years
When will Sony disable the feature? Sony itself mentions on Twitter:
As of November 13, 2023, interaction with X (formerly known as Twitter) on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles will no longer work. This includes the ability to view all content published on X on PS5/PS4, as well as the ability to post and view content, trophies, and other game-related activities on X directly from PS5/PS4 (or create an X account to do so).
Why was it something special? The colleagues from Kotaku explained in their article that this way of sharing content directly from games was completely new. As the colleagues explain:
“The ease with which secrets, spoilers, exploits, glitches, and all sorts of other gameplay discoveries could be shared instantly completely changed how people played games and talked about them.”
Even after the shutdown, “social” interaction is still possible, but Facebook and YouTube are really no competition that one would voluntarily want to use: YouTube keeps getting worse, and Facebook… is just Facebook.
Social interaction on PS4 and PS5 still possible, but times are changing
From our current perspective, and looking at Discord, Tiktok, Reddit, and other major networks, it may not seem so revolutionary anymore. However, the previous connection of the PS4 (and later the PS5) with social networks was something special. Because you could have never shared content with other users as quickly and easily – whether they wanted it or not.
But that is exactly what has been changing for several years now. Many players prefer to enjoy their games in peace. And a lot has changed at Sony as well: The company behind PlayStation is now even rigorously addressing spoilers and other features. For example, Sony has integrated a spoiler protection feature in the PS5.
Additionally, they are very keen to point out that the best way to get pictures from your PS5 and PS4 is the automatic synchronization with the official PlayStation app. Strengthening their own products is likely also in mind.
Further exciting features that you can still use on your PS5 can be found in the following article directly on MeinMMO:
