In Path of Exile 2, a player defeated the final boss of the game without any gear or weapons and did it in under a minute. The community is astonished, but the player himself sees it differently.
Who is it about? The YouTuber “isfooPoE” has recently been taking down the bosses of the ARPG one by one without any gear or weapons. His latest victim is the final boss of the game, the Arbiter of Ash.
The boss is known to be particularly stubborn, and it seems almost unimaginable to defeat the opponent in just one minute without any weapons or gear. However, the YouTuber has demonstrated this in a video.
Here you can watch the video:
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How is this possible? In Path of Exile 2, it is indeed possible as a Monk to go into battle without any weapons. While this may not be the best way to equip your character, it has been taken into account by the developers.
So the YouTuber has also created a build that is designed to survive the fight against the strongest bosses in the game without any gear. He uses a skill that conjures ice blocks, which he then destroys with a dash to deal damage to the enemy.
The fight lasts only one minute in the video, but is only successful because the player is a professional who skillfully dodges most abilities. At one point, it shows how much damage the boss deals, making the build a glass cannon build.
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Path of Exile 2 zeigt Gameplay zur neuen Druiden-Klasse
How does the community react? The community is beside itself. Players find it quite incredible that someone has managed to defeat this challenging boss fight naked. For many, the Arbiter of Ash is already a good challenge with all tools available, where many have already failed.
There are also comments about the budget of the build, which is practically free of charge without any equipment, making it attractive for other players.
On Reddit, one player explains that the video only proves how bad he really is in Path of Exile 2, perhaps because he would never face this boss challenge himself.
The player describes his performance in the video description rather modestly: “I didn’t think I would be able to do this OP with zero gear. In general, this fight is not hard even with zero DPS and zero defense, but of course, it is fun to complete it as quickly as possible.”
Manuel “Grubby” Schenkhuizen is a former e-sports player from the Netherlands who has made a name for himself primarily with the strategy game Warcraft III. He is now 39 and streams on Twitch. He has currently joined the German WoW project Sauercrowd.
Who is it about? Grubby is a former strategy pro who has been considered one of the best players in Warcraft 3 since 2004. With his former clan 4Kings, he set a record for the most wins in the WC3L, the most important team league of the strategy game. He is also among the top players in the player statistics there.
His most significant victories include the World Cyber Games 2004 and 2008, the Electronic Sports World Cup 2005, and the World Series of Video Games 2006. In total, Grubby earned more than $363,500 in prize money, of which about $58,000 was from Starcraft 2.
Currently, however, Grubby is showcasing another Blizzard game: He has joined the German WoW project Sauercrowd, organized by the streamers HandOfBlood, Metashi12, and Papaplatte.
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HandOfBlood: The most important thing about the YouTuber and Twitch streamer in under a minute
Twitch streamer is “naturalized” by HandOfBlood
How did it come about? Grubby came to Sauercrowd via sunglitters, a German Twitch streamer who appears as a potato and streams in English. sunglitters and Grubby had already participated together in OnlyFangs, the American counterpart of the WoW project.
To participate, Grubby had to go through a strict application process, including a “naturalization test” with HandOfBlood. The Dutchman was also required to install the WoW client in German to promote immersion.
You can see a snippet from the test here:
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This is how it is going for him now: So far, Grubby is doing quite well, both in terms of WoW and playing in German. Even if some subtleties may be lost in translation, like in this clip on Twitch.
Moreover, the Dutchman has already expanded his vocabulary with important phrases, such as “Order is half of life” and of course “Speak German you…” (Source: Twitch).
In contrast to many other participants, Grubby has considerable experience with WoW, as many of the Twitch streamers are attempting the MMORPG for the first time.
At least the Dutchman looks most of the time as if he could vaguely remember having seen all this before. However, Grubby not only has to remember how it works, but also explain his knowledge to his clueless companions in German, as in this Twitch clip.
Grubby has also already experienced his first death. He lost his priest at level 12 and reacted, as always, with a heartfelt “Oh shit.” The clip has received over 36,000 views, and you can watch it here:
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For the event, Grubby, with his charming personality and sympathetic grammar blunders, is a real asset. But it could also turn out to be a success for him to participate. For with OnlyFangs, the Dutchman had already succeeded in attracting a much larger audience on Twitch than with his usual streams. Now it remains to be seen whether he can repeat that.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In ARC Raiders you can strictly fight against other players or be friendly. However, some players are often in peaceful lobbies more than others. Now the community believes there is a way for PvP players to also access the peaceful lobbies.
What is the community convinced of? A few days ago, Reddit user “WG_Envoy” addressed the community and vented his frustration. He complained about the lobbies where he plays the extraction shooter. Everyone would immediately start shooting upon sight and no one speaks in voice chat. He asks the community how he can return to the peaceful lobbies of ARC Raiders.
And he got a response.
Some players wrote that he should behave friendly, especially near other raiders, and signal to the matchmaking that he has friendly interactions. Other players were sure that the lobbies are simply random and that there are no friendly lobbies and separate PvP lobbies.
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ARC Raiders zeigt im Launch-Trailer, wie der Kampf Mensch gegen Maschine aussieht
Raider back on the straight path
This is now his gaming experience: Four days later, “WG_Envoy” returned to the community on Reddit and reported that his way back to peace was successful. He has now been in friendly, peaceful lobbies for two days straight.
“In my current lobbies, everyone is running around carelessly and just greeting people they pass by. They loot openly, walk past others without drawing their weapons… I hardly ever see PvP.”
He even successfully participated in a fight against the queen in solo lobbies, where several random raiders helped each other. No one shot another sneakily in the back.
How exactly did he return to the peaceful lobbies? “WG_Envoy” says he played several matches without shooting a single raider – not even to defend himself.
This is what the community says: A Reddit user explained with a Fight Club reference that the first rule of peaceful lobbies is not to talk about peaceful lobbies. But he added a somewhat “more serious” note: “Welcome to the oasis. Please help keep it that way.”
Another user added that the beauty of the “PvE lobbies” is that it only takes 2-3 matches to get back into the “PvP lobbies” when one suddenly starts playing PvP. However, many agree that it also requires “the rats” who occasionally stir up a fight in peaceful rounds to maintain the excitement of an extraction shooter.
Today, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney Plus dominate home cinema. It wasn’t always like this, and the much better alternative was video rental stores, as MeinMMO author Christoph Waldboth points out.
I will never forget the smell in my favorite video rental store. Somewhat musty. It was accompanied by warm, dry air and quiet voices in the background. I fondly remember how I used to visit the video store near my parents’ house after school and take my time choosing a movie. It had a meditative quality and brought me great joy.
Today, those days are long gone. Video rental stores are now a rare occurrence, and most of us stream movies and series comfortably from home. Services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and similar options seem to make it easy for us to decide what plays on the screen right from the sofa.
While that may seem convenient, I still believe that something is missing in this way of watching movies. Video rental stores had a significant advantage that is hard to find in the digital age.
A famous director worked in a video store before his career: Quentin Tarantino:
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Pulp Fiction – Trailer for the cult film by Quentin Tarantino
Every film was a conscious decision
In a video store, I made a conscious choice for a movie. I patiently strolled through the aisles, was lured by the covers of the VHS and DVD cases, read titles and descriptions, and then made a choice.
Afterward, I carried the movie home, where it waited for its moment to be watched. Until that moment arrived, my anticipation grew, and my expectations increased.
And here I see a big difference compared to Netflix: With streaming services, I often find myself opening the page just before the deadline, scrolling aimlessly through the offerings, and after half an hour, frustrated – the evening is already progressing – deciding on something that ultimately appeals to me the LEAST.
Rarely does my choice fall on a film I truly wanted to see and that genuinely interests me. Anticipation cannot build because I immediately press the start button after the decision.
What is also missing in streaming: recommendations from knowledgeable staff that were often found in video rental stores. Sure, the Netflix algorithm BELIEVES it knows what I like, but most of the time I sit there shaking my head as I go through the recommendations.
All of this may seem unimportant to some of you, but as a big film lover, I love to make the movie experience a ritual. Including conscious selection, anticipation, screening, returning the film to the video store, and subsequent exchange of opinions.
Since I don’t want to end on this sour note, I have an alternative to video rental stores that you all know: libraries. Since they emerged thousands of years ago, they have developed significantly and today often house not only books but also other media such as films.
I can only advise you to visit a library with a well-stocked film collection. The experience that a video rental store provides can surprisingly be recreated well there. The selection is often broader and includes older titles that are not available on streaming services.
Moreover, libraries are often significantly cheaper, even compared to streaming services. In my case, I paid around 30 euros annually for membership in a German-speaking city. That is roughly equivalent to two months of Netflix in the standard subscription without ads (13.99 €).
To be honest: Sitting on the sofa is comfortable, but for a more rounded film experience, I am happy to take the trip to the library. But now I would like to hear your opinion. Have you experienced video rental stores and miss this way of choosing films? Feel free to write it in the comments. In any case, more and more people are streaming, which leads to lists like this: The 10 most-watched films of all time on Netflix in ranking
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There are different types of horror, but they all share a common goal – to provoke discomfort. But why does the genre split its audience so much, and how can it, despite this uncomfortable feeling, captivate so many people? MeinMMO editor Caro also loves the genre because there is hardly another that can move her so much.
You get scared, feel creeped out, are tense and can hardly look or listen at times. You are confronted with things that definitely shouldn’t evoke a cozy feeling – and yet many horror fans regularly choose to seek out just this feeling.
Some do this with books, others watch horror movies, and others immerse themselves in games to get even closer to these horrific situations. But why is that?
Some might suspect that it’s a fondness for the morbid, that people revel in the suffering of others, and that horror fans are just masochists. Yes, perhaps some of that is true in certain cases, but there are psychological reasons why people willingly place themselves in these uncomfortable situations, and they are not as macabre as one might think.
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The Substance – Trailer for the Extraordinary Body Horror Film
Despite fear and disgust, fans feel particularly at home in the genre
Although horror movies and games evoke negative feelings, they are still very popular. Similar to actual threats, a horror movie activates the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the involuntary control of organ activity (source: B. L. Kiss on Springer Nature): Breathing becomes shallow, you are more alert, and your heart beats faster. You are on high alert.
Behavioral researchers and professor Haiyang Yang and his colleague Kuangjie Zhang studied the reasons many people eagerly seek out such feelings voluntarily (source: carey.jhu.edu).
In addition to the physical stimulation caused by fear and coping, horror entertainment offers the opportunity for new experiences that one would hesitantly make in reality. The medium acts like a safety net, allowing viewers to satiate their curiosity about the darkest abysses of humanity while also daring to experience and cope with borderline stress situations.
Movies and games are not real, you as a viewer or player are completely safe and have control and the freedom to decide when to engage with these dangers and thrills. A controlled danger that you voluntarily confront and can overcome.
Even Lauri Nummenmaa, head of a laboratory for human emotion systems and neuroscience, supports this thesis but explains that the feeling of fear alone does not account for the popularity of horror. “Part of the pleasure of horror films comes from the relief after the tension,” Nummenmaa says (via The Scientist). The adrenaline rush following such a physical and emotional experience after a horror movie stimulates the brain’s reward center, triggering the desire to experience the thrill again. “The enjoyment often results from the fact that we can actually experience these strong emotions in a safe environment.”
More emotional than expected – why horror can resonate with me more than other genres
Warning! Mild spoiler alert for P.T. and a fairly explicit spoiler alert for the ending of The Substance.
I love horror; I can leave that as a statement, even though – or perhaps especially because – I can confront various uncomfortable contents in a self-chosen setting.
With uncomfortable contents, I do not always mean just brutal slaughter or grotesque monsters (don’t get me wrong, both have their rightful place, and fun slashers as well as intense monster designs can also really resonate with me). It’s about unspoken taboos, societal dangers, and simply themes that evoke existential fears – and I thank all horror projects for giving me the opportunity to engage with them.
“P.T.”, the interactive teaser for the canceled but never forgotten Silent Hills, was a true boundary experience for me, which fascinated me from beginning to end. I hate jump scares; I am quite jumpy despite my love for the genre, but P.T. plays with the far worse aspect of suspense that slowly but surely emotionally and physically shredded me.
And suddenly you find yourself together in a hallway – and just want to disappear (source: Nerds with Mics)
When I get scared, the moment of fear passes quickly. But as I looked at this baby and heard something moving behind me when a door opened but nothing came out, or when Lisa just stood there and we stared at each other: In those moments, I held my breath and could hardly move from suspense and fear – and I love P.T. for that.
Internally, I know: It’s a game, just a game, I can stop this uncomfortable feeling anytime if I want. But I don’t want to.
A horror film gave me the most emotional cinematic experience that still occupies me today
The aforementioned feeling of catharsis, the sense of release and relief in the horror genre, created an emotional cinema experience that could make cinephiles envious – and I felt that precisely in Coralie Fargeat’s body horror film “The Substance” from 2024.
The film roughly portrays the experiences of a 50-year-old former actress who struggles with her appearance due to the reactions of her environment, the industry, and her self-perception. To feel better, she subjects herself to an experimental substance that brings severe side effects if the rules are disregarded, which thoroughly “mixes up” the body but also one’s identity.
The protagonist, Elisabeth Sparkle (played by Demi Moore, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film), suffers increasingly from the influence of the substance and the expectations and reactions of a society where the value of women is reduced to their appearance.
As she reaps the fruits of her decisions at the end of the film and is attacked during a live broadcast as an absolute body horror monstrosity in front of an assembled audience, I couldn’t look away despite the disgusting image.
Insight into the storyboard from The Substance (source: YouTube)
The scene where “Monstro Elisasue” (the name of the mutated Elisabeth) begins to drench all viewers with a fountain of blood from a severed arm elicited – as absurd as it sounds – one of the most intense emotional reactions I have ever experienced through a film.
The adrenaline, the catharsis, the absolute escalation, mixed with all the impressions and feelings that had built up to that moment, all burst forth at that moment. You are wrapped in brutality, rage, and so much blood that one might think a red filter lay over the image. I felt like I was at the finale of a concert; it swept me away so intensely. No other film or genre has managed to evoke that yet.
(However, my girlfriend was living proof that this does not apply to all viewers, as she would have preferred to hide under her cinema seat.)
In the making-of of The Substance, you can see how this scene was created – if you start the video here, you will be directed to the relevant part without seeing other spoilers:
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Even though feelings like alertness, fear, and adrenaline are not directly associated with “relaxation”, horror films and games are the type of entertainment I look forward to when I want to enjoy a nice evening. Because even though they challenge me emotionally, I feel that in the quieter moments, I can finally switch off properly.
Do you feel the same way? Or should horror be kept far away from you? Feel free to share it with us in the comments – suggestions for your favorite horror pieces are explicitly welcome!
MrBeast is known for viral videos on YouTube. He often has various participants compete against each other. Now, participants are revealing how poorly things went behind the scenes at the Minecraft event.
What kind of video was it? In a new video on MrBeast’s gaming channel on YouTube, 500 “girls” compete against 500 “boys” in a Minecraft competition. The winning team receives $50,000 (approximately €42,500), which will be split among the participants.
The team that has the last remaining players wins. The video has now amassed over 12 million views and went viral. In the video, the boys’ team wins overwhelmingly, but a participant is now clarifying that the competition was not fair at all.
Here you can watch MrBeast’s video:
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What does the participant explain? Participant Shekai reports in a post on X.com about her participation in the event. She explains that the initial plan to find 500 female streamers was not achieved, and the additional spots were filled with “normal” players.
As a result, she estimates that 30% of the players were actually guys who deliberately sabotaged the girls’ team to give the boys’ team an advantage. However, the term “fake-girls” does not refer to transgender women, but rather to men who used tools to fake being women in order to sabotage the team.
According to her, the guys used artificial intelligence to convince MrBeast’s team that they were female. Once they were in the girls’ team, they allegedly set traps and strongly sabotaged the team, causing many of the women to die. A similar account comes from another participant.
What does the other participant say? Gamer Zavvy also expressed herself in a lengthy post on X.com regarding the event. She also sharply criticizes the event and confirms the participation of fake-girls in the event.
Additionally, besides the traps that sabotaged the event in a playful manner, swastikas and sexist messages were reportedly written and constructed, as she shows on X.com.
She further explains that the event was marketed as a civilization event and not a PvP event, and many of the girls from the girls’ team were playing Minecraft for the first time. Compared to the boys’ team, the balance was therefore not given, especially since many Minecraft professionals were in that team.
A Minecraft professional was even honored in the Minecraft movie:
Thousands of players wanted to participate in our first major, multi-day Civilization competition, which was based on the principle of “first come, first served”. We accepted the first 500 boys and 500 girls who registered chronologically on the Minecraft server when it went live. If a player violated the agreed-upon rules in any way or provided false information in their registration to sabotage other players, they were banned after an investigation by the staff who monitored around the clock, their actions were reversed, the players they killed were resurrected, and they were replaced by the next boy or girl who had registered for the server earlier in chronological order.
For gamer Zavvy, this statement is too vague and insufficient for the event where the women clearly hardly had a real chance. For her, MrBeast’s team should have performed better. MrBeast himself was reportedly not present, according to the participants. How his life is going, he reveals here: He became a billionaire through YouTube, now he says: Nobody wants the life he leads
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
South Park has been immortalized once again in World of Warcraft. This time, however, more distinctly than ever before – and extremely creatively.
There are combinations of words that immediately bring something very specific to mind. For WoW fans, “Mama, Schüssel!” or “Mom, Bathroom!” would immediately evoke a vivid image of Cartman from South Park. It refers to an episode that aired almost 20 years ago and is still well-known today. For a player, this was evidently reason enough to place the characters from South Park in their own house – and with astonishing detail accuracy.
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WoW: Early access to housing has started
Rugs are created by Cartman, Kyle, and Co in WoW
How were the characters recreated? Anyone looking at the image from the player Atlaslock for a while will immediately recognize how he must have gone about creating it. The advantage of the characters is that they are mostly made up of many round individual parts – and these can be represented with the rug, which can be dyed. The rug is one of the most powerful housing items anyway.
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Smaller details, like Cartman’s chin or the eyebrows, were apparently recreated with cobblestones, and the eyes are night elven lamps, which also bring a lovely glow to the room.
What is the image referring to? South Park has essentially been making fun of all sorts of topics that are somehow relevant in society “forever”. This has also been the case with World of Warcraft. Because back in 2006 (Season 10, Episode 8), the episode titled “Make Love, Not Warcraft” aired. The episode was a mix of typical South Park style and machinima in World of Warcraft, where boys try to enjoy WoW while simultaneously having to defeat someone who is infinitely strong because he “has no life”.
The episode, like all others from South Park, is available for free on the South Park website.
The community shows a lot of creativity in housing: Since housing started about a month ago, the player base has been extremely creative. Although only a small part of the housing features has been unlocked and many more furniture, decorations, and house levels are yet to come, we’ve already seen some masterpieces. One of our highlights was, for instance, the house from player Ticks, who has invested many creative ideas into his home.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
When Steven Spielberg first heard the film score for one of his movies 50 years ago, he didn’t immediately understand how brilliant it was.
What did Spielberg not understand? Steven Spielberg is considered one of the greatest and best film directors of all time, but when he first heard the score for “Jaws” 50 years ago, he thought it was a joke.
The soundtrack of the horror film was composed by American composer John Williams and features two repeating notes (E and F) that change in volume and intensity to announce the approach of the dangerous great white shark.
Start video
Trailer for the animal horror movie ‘Jaws’ by Steven Spielberg
What exactly does Spielberg say about the music? In the documentary “The Music by John Williams,” which focuses on the composer’s life work, Spielberg plays a significant role since the two collaborated on 29 films. There, the award-winning director also shares how his initial, very honest thoughts about the music of “Jaws” were:
“At first, I thought he was joking. […] I just thought: ‘Oh my God, we won’t have an orchestra. We’ll only have a piano, and Johnny will just play a few things in the lower registers.'”
Yet despite Spielberg’s initial concerns, Williams’ musical proposal made it into the film and became a legendary soundtrack that every film lover knows.
Why did Spielberg still use the music? Spielberg explained in the documentary that Williams kept saying he should listen to the film’s music again – and he did. At some point, the spark then jumped over, the director reports: “Then I started to understand the genius of what you had created.”
Williams himself explains the thought behind the soundtrack in the documentary with these words: “Imagine you are completely alone in a dark place where you can hardly see anything. It is absolutely silent. And the first thing you hear is [imitates the theme from ‘Jaws’]. You feel that something dangerous is coming towards you. Just through those deep tones in an atmosphere that they actually don’t belong in at all.”
The LoL professional Faker is considered by many to be the best player of the MOBA. However, the Korean professional recently had to admit defeat, and that was against a fan.
What was that event? At a Red Bull branded event, the Korean professionals from T1 faced various opponents. Among them were some streamers, but also fans who got to compete with the professional team in different modes.
As part of the event, fans were allowed to show their skills in a duel with the LoL legend Faker. One player demonstrated that rank really does not matter.
Learn more about Faker here:
Select a MMO video…
Faker loses to a “noob”
What was that duel like? The fans who were allowed to face Faker did not play a whole match against each other. Instead, the 1-on-1 duel took place as a skillshot duel in “Dr. Mundo Dodgeball”.
Both players played the character “Doctor Mundo” and threw the unchanneled ability “Infected Bone Saw (Q)” at each other. Due to the short distance separating the two opponents, the duel was mainly focused on reaction speed and precision.
For example, one had to predict where the opponent would run next and when to dodge oneself.
How did Faker lose? The duel was extremely chaotic. Both the fan and Faker missed their abilities multiple times and did not hit each other. In the end, the fan barely survived after Faker had misused his ability.
The player facing Faker was by no means a professional; on the contrary: before the match, he stated that he was “Unranked” and therefore had no rank in the competitive mode of League of Legends. Faker was shocked as well when he learned his opponent’s rank, as can be seen at around minute 01:01:30 on sooplive.co.kr.
This could also be the reason for Faker’s defeat. The player moved in an unpredictable manner, causing difficulties for Faker. At the same time, the fan missed several shots and also felt nervous when the supposedly best player in LoL was just barely hanging on to life. In the end, it was not a glorious duel.
For Faker to lose is rather atypical, as the T1 midlaner usually belongs to the winning team, no matter how strong and experienced the opponents are. Faker’s performance in the duel is being mocked in the community. There are already many stories around his persona: Faker often seems cold and distant, but fans say he is a huge troll
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 conquered the hearts of many in 2025, leaving players wanting more. This desire could be fulfilled by an upcoming role-playing game, though it may not be in the way fans envisioned.
What is the Void all about? Few could pass by Clair Obscur in spring 2025. The combination of turn-based combat with real-time elements in realistic UE5 graphics provided precisely the fresh breeze the genre needed. Combined with a captivating story and a great soundtrack, it created a role-playing experience that rightfully received award after award.
An upcoming role-playing game shows strong parallels to Clair Obscur, but it remains to be seen whether it can truly fill the gap left by the surprise hit.
Start video
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hinterlässt bei den Spielern eine Leere
Cheap knockoff or the beginning of a new sub-genre?
Which game is it about? The Legend of Sword and Fairy, also known as Sword and Fairy, is a Chinese role-playing series, now with 9 mainline games and countless spin-offs, including several comics and adaptations.
On December 29, the trailer for the official remake of Sword and Fairy 4 was released. And it bears a strong resemblance to the role-playing hit of 2025. Some players already believe a new era of “Ex33-Likes” has begun, while others cynically refer to it as “Parry-Slop” – essentially, “trash, but with parrying.”
Here you can make your own picture of the trailer in the original Chinese:
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Can the game fill the gap? Fans currently don’t seem to believe that. In the comments on YouTube, Sword and Fairy 4 is dismissed as a “cheap copy” rather than a worthy alternative.
They claim that camera angles, combat menus, and the entire user interface have been basically taken 1 to 1 from the role-playing hit. It also appears in the trailer that characters could parry enemy attacks in real-time – something not present in the original from 2007. Some believe that the parry system was forced into the existing turn-based combat to capitalize on the success of Clair Obscur.
Other users point out, however, that the hit role-playing game didn’t invent the wheel anew either, and was strongly inspired by JRPGs like Persona – and indeed Super Mario.
It remains to be seen whether the remake can distinguish itself with enough original ideas from Clair Obscur, without straying too far from its own original, and alienating the old fans. So far, little is known about the game, except that it is supposed to be released for PC. There is no release date yet.
Given the immense success of Clair Obscur, it is indeed probably just a matter of time before the first “Ex33-Likes” try to get a piece of the pie.
Even if there probably won’t be another game like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 anytime soon, we have put together 5 strong alternatives for you to somewhat satisfy your craving. And who knows, maybe the first truly good Ex33-Like will surprise us sooner than expected.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Starfield has received a free mod that fundamentally changes the game. However, it may be that you cannot play it.
In September 2023, Bethesda released Starfield, their latest role-playing game. Player expectations were high beforehand, but bugs, mixed performance, numerous loading screens, long running times and other criticisms disappointed the first testers – although the game is also enjoyable for many gamers.
Around 1 year after release, the first major DLC for Starfield was released, and despite weak reviews on Steam, some players consider Shattered Space to be the best Bethesda DLC. Now, in 2025, a comprehensive mod for the role-playing game has been released that fundamentally changes the game, making it something that fans have always desired.
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Starfield Reveals Its First Story Expansion Shattered Space in Launch Trailer
Mod turns Starfield into a Star Wars game
What kind of mod is this? The free mod is a so-called “Total Conversion Project”, in which the respective game, in this case Starfield, is fundamentally changed. Bethesda’s role-playing game serves as merely a foundation; Starfield is transformed into “Star Wars Genesis”.
In Star Wars Genesis, not only are assets from Starfield replaced with new assets in Star Wars style and repainted, but entirely new content is also added, including new weapons, armor, and planets like Tatooine and Mos Eisley, cities like Kestro City, a new main story, and faction quests. There are also new enemies.
Because it would exceed the scope to list all changes and new features of the mod, we link you here to the overview on the mod’s website at genesismodlist.com
In addition to the new content and gameplay elements, the mod also addresses various issues of the base game, fixing bugs and improving certain aspects of the base game, including loading screens.
On YouTube, you can get an overview of Star Wars Genesis:
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What the community says about the mod: For some players, Star Wars Genesis fulfills a great wish. Not only because the project delivers new content for Starfield and addresses some problems of the role-playing game, but primarily because it creates an almost unparalleled Star Wars experience. One player raves on Reddit: “This is the Star Wars game I have always wanted.”
Another user writes on Reddit: “Starfield with Star Wars Genesis mods is the Star Wars game we all deserve.” He then explains that he is having a lot of fun with the project.
Why can’t everyone play the mod? Star Wars Genesis has 2 limiting factors: On the one hand, the mod is only available on PC and not for the console versions of Starfield. Furthermore, the Steam version is required on PC.
The other, highly limiting factor is the required hardware. Star Wars Genesis has relatively high minimum requirements. The developers recommend, for example, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060Ti with 16 GB VRAM and 32 GB of RAM. You also need to free up sufficient storage space on your hard drive, as at least 250 GB is required, with the HD overhaul even 350 GB (the installation of the base game is already included with 140 GB).
As with Starfield, an SSD is also recommended for the installation of Star Wars Genesis. Already at the release of the role-playing game in 2023, a YouTuber demonstrated why this recommendation is sensible and you should adhere to it:Starfield recommends using an SSD – YouTuber shows why
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The “Sauercrowd” event is currently captivating all of Twitch Germany. But even before the start, Papaplatte wanted to cheat at his own event in WoW Classic and dug up a relic from his school days.
What kind of event is this? The “Sauercrowd” event in WoW Classic is currently the highlight on Twitch. Hundreds of major streamers are simultaneously exploring World of Warcraft Classic to reach the endgame without dying.
However, a death meaning the end of one’s character is not the only rule of the project. Streamers are not allowed to consciously interact with non-streamers or receive help from viewers. This already caused disputes on day 1.
It is also prohibited to rely on optimized leveling routes. Addons like “RestedXP” and “Guidelime” are explicitly banned in the rules. However, the interpretation of the rules was already put to the test before the event.
Start video
This is how challenges for Papaplatte became a livelihood
Bypassing the rules with an overhead projector
How were the rules circumvented? In a clip on YouTube, Papaplatte is seen alongside streamer Rumathra. The two explain how they plan to trick the rules.
While addons and leveling routes are actually prohibited, the two want to project their own leveling route onto the wall using an overhead projector. The device, which is probably only known from school, was not explicitly banned in the rules.
Following the motto: “What is not forbidden is allowed,” the two attempted to take advantage of this creative interpretation of the rules to gain an advantage in leveling. However, the other organizers were not pleased.
Here you can see the clip:
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What do the other organizers say? The other organizers of the Sauercrowd project were not happy about the creative interpretation of the rules. In a clip on Twitch, you can see the reaction of HandOfBlood and Metashi12, the other two organizers of the event.
In the video, they explain to Papaplatte that even an overhead projector with a leveling route is still an optimized leveling route, which is prohibited by the rules. Furthermore, they believe that as guild leadership, one should ideally set a good example.
As a penalty for the action, HandOfBlood proposes in the video a time penalty of 10 minutes, which Papaplatte would have to start later into the event. However, the penalty was not enforced, and everyone started the event at the same time. Thus, the streamer got away without a penalty, but he was not allowed to use his overhead projector cheat.
On December 30, the last Spotlight Hour of the year kicks off in Pokémon GO. What is in store?
When does the Spotlight Hour start? The Spotlight Hour begins on December 30 at 6:00 PM. From then on, you have until 7:00 PM to secure the Pokémon of the day.
Which Pokémon will appear? The featured Pokémon is Botogel. The Messenger Bird is an Ice and Flying type and does not have an evolution.
What bonus does the hour bring? You receive double Stardust for each Pokémon you catch.
Can Botogel be shiny? Yes, there is also a shiny Botogel. However, the rate for that is not increased.
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Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
Is Botogel worth it during the Spotlight Hour?
How strong is Botogel? Unfortunately, not strong at all. The little bird loves to give gifts, but regrettably, it also does so in battle. You shouldn’t rely on Botogel as an attacker, neither in the PvP League nor in Raids or Gyms. There are much better candidates in the list of strongest Pokémon in Pokémon GO.
Is it worth it anyway? For shiny hunters, Botogel might still be interesting, as it has a very striking color pattern as a shiny Pokémon. The shiny rate is not increased, but many Botogel will appear – maybe you will get lucky!
Botogel and its shiny
Is the bonus worth it? The Stardust bonus per catch is always useful, as you can always use this resource in Pokémon GO, whether for leveling or learning moves. If you use a Star Piece, you get an additional half of the Stardust on top.
What’s next in Pokémon GO? December is coming to an end, and there is really only one more event this month: the New Year’s Event. What awaits you there can be read here. Otherwise, it’s time to wait for January and start the year 2026 with new events! Here you can find all events in January 2026 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Actually, MeinMMO editor Jasmin just wanted to give her mother-in-law a nice gift. However, the package containing the Nintendo Switch Lite, which arrived at her, was not the gift she had hoped for.
Note: My experience should not serve as a guide to falsely report buyers. It does not apply to all purchases you make on eBay. Please check beforehand when buyer protection applies on eBay.
Since I wanted to lure my mother-in-law back into gaming, I thought about giving her a Nintendo Switch Lite as a gift along with my partner. As a mobile gamer, the Switch Lite is the perfect alternative for her:
The console is smaller and can be taken anywhere due to its lighter weight.
The console comes in beautiful, vibrant colors.
The operation is easier than with other handhelds.
Since she never has to detach the Joy-Cons, she saves herself the hassle of fiddling and wiggling with the controllers on the Lite.
Therefore, I was even more pleased when I could bid on a Nintendo Switch Lite along with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the sales platform eBay. The package only cost me 120 €, which is a great bargain for the console plus a price-stable first-party title.
But as soon as I saw the shoebox in which the console was delivered, I had a bad feeling about the purchase.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 in the unboxing video
The auctioned Switch had more flaws than expected
Perhaps you have experienced that there can be a certain discrepancy between “like new” and “used” with the seller. In my case, the Switch itself was fine. There were no major scratches or flaws on the case itself.
However, I noticed immediately that the screen was slowly detaching from the console at one corner. This created an air bubble at the edge that could even be seen when the console was turned on. The product description on eBay did not mention the air bubble.
I could have lived with just that. With a little glue and pressing, the air bubble could be minimized to a small spot on the edge. The mini-air bubble was then no longer in the line of sight of the screen.
The top left corner doesn’t look good, but at least the Switch still works.
Much worse, however, was: The shoebox did not leave much space next to the console for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I thought that the module might already be inserted into the console or that the seller had made a mistake and that the game needed to be installed digitally or downloaded from the eShop. No such luck.
Thus, the Switch Lite for 120 € was no longer such a great bargain as it had initially seemed. The seller first responded to my messages with “It never said that Mario Kart was included,” and then eventually stopped responding altogether. Therefore, I had no choice but to find a way to turn the situation around.
eBay buyer protection was the best solution
The eBay buyer protection applies in cases where the item is damaged or does not match the description. In my case, both applied, as the screen was damaged and Mario Kart was completely missing.
Furthermore, the seller had not contacted me again. Therefore, I wrote to buyer protection and asked how the problem could be solved. At that time, I was really annoyed and hoped that eBay would somehow find a solution to the problem.
Of course, things could have been worse for me. After all, there are stories of people who received completely different items. But especially because this was supposed to be a gift for someone close, I was therefore frustrated.
And in fact, I received a better solution than I could have ever imagined. eBay simply refunded me the entire purchase price in this case. The problem with the damaged Switch Lite was not resolved, but as mentioned, we could solve it with a little glue and pressing.
Additionally, we were able to use the money received to buy a fresh version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Ultimately, this horror purchase turned out to be a fortunate coincidence after all.
What are your worst experiences on sales platforms? Have you ever been scammed like I was? Feel free to write it in the comments!
In WoW HC, you can lose your character in many ways – heroically in battle or stupidly distracted while afk. The latter is particularly amusing.
Part of a HC event in WoW Classic also always includes a little bit of schadenfreude. When a guildmate’s character dies, it’s always the right moment to make a nasty comment and analyze what the person could have done better. It’s just unfortunate when you do that while your own character is being cluelessly beaten up.
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WoW Classic: The Hardcore Servers Are Here!
What happened? The streamer KubaFPS is currently watching the stream of Niekbeats. Niek was fighting in the woods of Elwynn with his priestess and suddenly found himself facing two wolves at the same time. A situation that could already mean the end – and it did lead to the character’s death. As Niek’s character fell, Kuba commented:
He needs to heal. […] But dude, he just has shield absorb and everything. Bro… He died at level 8, Chat. Wow, that’s pain.
However, the slight smile fades from KubaFPS when he closes the stream, bringing his own WoW back to the forefront – because the news there looks quite similar: His character has died while he was watching a stream:
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Thus, he violated one fundamental rule of WoW Classic Hardcore: Always log out when you’re not playing and never go afk in dangerous areas.
Because while he was watching his colleague’s stream, the troggs in the Gol’bolar quarry respawned and quickly sent Kuba’s character to the great beyond – at level 10.
How many deaths have there been so far? Although the Sauercrowd event has only been running for about 2 days, many WoW characters have already bitten the digital dust. Several streamers have had to start over multiple times. So far, there have already been over 100 deaths and most of them can be viewed again directly on the Sauercrowd website.
Sauercrowd works similarly to the American model of “OnlyFangs” and seems to be developing a very similar dynamic. However, Sauercrowd has a significant advantage – a massive wave of nostalgia, especially in Germany, fueled in part by songs by Jan Hegenberg, whose music many may remember from their early days in World of Warcraft.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of Path of Exile 2 are also enjoying their winter holidays, and it’s for the benefit of players who can really rake it in with a new method.
Why are players locking themselves in the campaign? Players of Path of Exile 2 have been able to enjoy a new season system since the last expansion “The Last of the Druids.” Here, players can build their own temples in a “Build your Dungeon” style, which can then be very lucrative for their characters when properly placed.
However, even though the developers have recently buffed the season mechanics, there is a bottleneck that is supposed to prevent players from progressing too quickly. The individual map pieces of the temples are rather sparsely distributed. It is intended that it takes some time for players to fully build their temples.
A new method, however, bypasses this bottleneck. Players lock themselves in a certain part of the campaign that guarantees a map piece for the temple to drop. They specifically farm a low-level area to get the temple pieces, but this does not come without costs.
You can watch the trailer for the temple mechanics here:
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Trailer zu Path of Exile 2: Fate of the Vaal zeigt die Königin der Vaal
No method for OP characters
What are the costs? To obtain loot in the low-level area of the Path of Exile 2 campaign, players must also have a low character level. For most players, this means: a second character is needed. This character is specifically adjusted to farm the corresponding map.
Furthermore, the new character should stay in the required level range for as long as possible. If he levels up too much from farming, there will also come a time when there is no more loot, which will require a new character.
How good is the method? Players circumvent the bottleneck intentionally implemented by the developers with this trick, and thus quickly acquire built temples and consequently much loot. Therefore, the method is indeed very good.
The players are also quite lucky that it is currently winter vacation for the developers of Path of Exile 2. So, while there have been some important hotfixes, the method for quick temple building has not yet been fixed.
Deadlock is currently in a testing phase. The new game from Valve on Steam has excited MeinMMO author Nico so much that he has already played over 1,000 hours before release. Now he wants to show you why Deadlock will be a masterpiece.
What is Deadlock anyway? Deadlock is a new MOBA from Valve and mixes well-known representatives of the genre like Dota 2 or LoL with hero shooters like Overwatch or Marvel Rivals.
In the streets of New York, you fight for your life in a ritual. Six heroes or mystics, as they are called in Deadlock, battle each other and must destroy the main building, the Patron, to win the round.
Who is writing here? 13 years ago, MeinMMO author Nico stepped into the world of MOBAs for the first time. His career started with Dota 2, and since then he has accumulated over 10,000 hours in various representatives of the genre.
Start video
This is Deadlock – The new MOBA shooter from Valve
A new MOBA from Valve – can it become something?
When I first heard about Deadlock, I doubted whether it could actually become something. Can a MOBA establish itself among the big competitors nowadays, and will Valve stick with it? In the past, Valve has shown that they can quickly shelve a project, as happened with the card game “Artifact” or “Dota Underlords”.
However, the first information about Deadlock had a special feature: “Icefrog” is one of the main developers. This name is very meaningful for many players, and especially for me. Because Icefrog is one of the original developers of Dota and was later hired by Valve to create Dota 2.
After this info, my interest was awakened. When the day of my invitation to Deadlock finally came, I played my first rounds and realized that this game is something special. In the directory, there is a small overview of the key points why I say that Deadlock will be a masterpiece:
[toc]
The incredible depth of MOBAs and fun action of hero shooters combined
Games like Dota 2 or League of Legends are so popular because they offer incredible complexity and are regularly updated. Each character has different abilities that you can level up, and from a huge selection of items, you buy the best for your heroes.
Hero shooters like Overwatch or Marvel Rivals, on the other hand, have relatively less complexity. There are no items to buy and your character cannot level up, but the fast shooter gameplay is really fun and the abilities of the heroes provide a certain learning curve.
Deadlock combines both strengths of the genres – and that’s precisely one of the main reasons why it is so much fun.
After the download was finished, I excitedly started my first round. After about 40 minutes, I was thrilled with Deadlock and found many parallels to Dota 2. The handwriting of developer Icefrog was clearly noticeable. Familiar items, abilities, or game elements made me feel immediately at home.
However, the mentioned things are by no means an easy copy. They have been perfectly adapted to the gameplay of a hero shooter. Since I enjoyed playing Overwatch very much, but missed the complexity there, Deadlock just felt right to me and I knew this game would be something special.
In the first rounds, I immediately noticed the movement in Deadlock, with which the heroes navigate through New York. This is not just WASD, jumping, and dodging, but has a steep learning curve.
New York is a parkour for the characters
Besides the major mechanics of MOBAs and hero shooters, Deadlock introduces a novelty that I have not experienced in any other game of this genre. The movement mechanics are so complex that even after many hundreds of hours, I am still learning new tricks to navigate faster through the streets of New York.
In addition to simple dodging and a double jump, there are many other means to traverse the map. The gondola, which characters use to move to the lanes, can be used with the right timing for a quick speed boost. Then you fly a few meters through the air, execute a wall jump, and use the double jump to cover the last meters to the skyscraper.
This route normally takes many important seconds but can be crossed in a fraction of the time with some training. Learning the movement in Deadlock is incredibly fun and rewards you regularly the better you get at it. Here is an example of what the movement in Deadlock looks like with some training.
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In Deadlock, many items are not just stats for your hero or a passive ability that hardly matters. They determine how your character is played in a round, and at the same time, you can stretch the limits of the heroes.
The items are classified into three categories – weapon, magic, and vitality. Each category has its own density of items. Besides those that merely increase the fire rate or health, there are also many special features to discover.
There are items to extend the range, duration, or number of charges of your abilities. Additionally, you can choose from interesting support items, such as a rescue beam that can pull your teammates out of tricky situations.
Through upgrades and items, your abilities can take on new dimensions
That was just a very small selection of examples with which the heroes can be expanded beyond their abilities. Additionally, there are flying carpets, an anvil that falls on your opponents, and the ability to bounce your shots off multiple enemies.
The item system of Deadlock is probably the best and most interesting I have seen in a MOBA and often drives me to try different and fun builds.
Many characters have multiple playstyles
In Deadlock, there are no officially defined roles, such as support or carry. However, some heroes have strong support abilities or are more intended to use their weapon. In the end, the items determine which role you take in the team, and thus most heroes have multiple playstyles that differ significantly.
One of my favorite heroes is Paradox. Paradox has a pulsating bomb that becomes huge with the right build and can be used a second time with a special item. Additionally, the item alchemist fire is placed, and you have a strong team fighter who can control large areas.
Another ability is to charge her weapon to fire a devastating shot that briefly freezes the affected enemies in time. With the right items, this shot becomes deadly and often wipes out a large chunk of health bar. This build focuses on the weapon and the chargeable shot, allowing Paradox to transform from a strong team fighter to a deadly hunter.
The huge bombs (left) and the devastating shot (right) from Paradox with various item builds
Finally, let’s look at her ultimate. Paradox throws a projectile and swaps positions with the affected opponent. If you build around this ability, Paradox becomes a support who prepares important kills and generally supports the team strongly.
Valve puts an incredible amount of love into Deadlock
During my time in Deadlock, I have repeatedly noticed the quality of the game. Of course, there are many things that are not finished, and some models still come from an early version of Deadlock called Neon-Prime. Nevertheless, Valve puts a lot of love into their new project.
The sound design of Deadlock is phenomenal. Each character has unique sound effects for their abilities and the items also come with their own sounds. Particularly in heated battles, where 12 characters shoot around with weapons and abilities, I recognize the quality of the game and know exactly when something happens as soon as I hear a certain sound.
Speaking of sound, let’s talk about the voice acting. In Deadlock, every character has multiple voicelines that adapt to the gameplay. If two heroes go to a lane together at the beginning of the round, they talk to each other along the way if their characters are lore connected. Entire conversations are also held between some heroes and contribute to an immersive world.
In addition to the many voicelines that refer to one’s own money, items, killstreaks, and killing specific enemies, the excellent ping system comes into play. By holding the mouse wheel, a chat wheel is called up where you can choose from pre-prepared commands. These are classic such as “Retreat”, “Yes”, or “No”, but have different ways in which your character says them.
This has led to many conversations being conducted entirely via the chat wheel, which has greatly improved the often dull communication in other games.
Deadlock has the most interesting characters of all MOBAs
The 32 characters of Deadlock are a delightful change after many thousands of hours in MOBAs and offer many interesting ideas. The vertical gameplay principle of Deadlock also helps to create unique and iconic heroes.
The characters of Deadlock in the selection screen
In Deadlock, a robot with a huge laser, a hotel staff member with doors like a portal gun, or a wrestler who rushes down on you from the air at almost light speed is just part of the daily routine.
Admittedly, it took me some time to warm up to the characters, as many are simple in theory but require a certain training. The more rounds I played with a character, the more interesting it became for me. At the same time, it was also increasingly fun to test various builds.
After over 300 characters that I got to know in Dota 2 and League of Legends, Deadlock has by far the most unique heroes for me.
The next update was supposed to come in December and before Christmas. However, Valve developer Yoshi announced in the official Discord that it will very likely be released in January 2026.
For the holidays, there is instead a Holiday Challenge. If you win a round with one of the 32 heroes, a Christmas ornament will be placed on the tree in the hideout. Additionally, there is a new snowball ability that improves with each decoration hung.
The Christmas tree in the cozy hideout
Final words on one of the best competitive games that has not yet been released
Deadlock has quickly become one of, if not the best competitive game for me. The unique characters, the item system, the setting, the map, and the quality of Deadlock are already excellent and improve with every update. The last time I was this excited about a game was when I discovered Dota 2 13 years ago.
Every update of Deadlock feels like Christmas to me and I am extremely excited to see what else Valve will come up with. Of course, there is the classic entry hurdle of a MOBA, but Deadlock rewards the player with an unforgettable competitive experience.
If you want to try Deadlock yourself, don’t be discouraged as it has a very steep learning curve and can often be overwhelming at first. With each round and each item bought, you will improve and learn. We have already put together some beginner tips to help you find a better start in Deadlock: Deadlock Beginner’s Guide: 9 tips to make you better right away
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MeinMMO editor and MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz continued a beloved tradition at the beginning of 2025 and took a look at the online role-playing games that will not experience the end of the year live.Now … his hit rate is as high as that of a level 10 rogue with two one-handed weapons.
I’ll keep it brief: None of my 5 predictions hit the mark. I only earned at least half a point on one title because it is currently unplayable. Let’s briefly go through the 5 MMORPGs. After that, we will take a look at the games that were actually affected. You can jump directly to the games that interest you through our table of contents:
[toc]
One of the gameplay trailers for Corepunk:
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Corepunk – 15 Minutes Gameplay
What is happening with Corepunk?
Corepunk is still in an early access phase despite serious problems in the past and is receiving regular updates, which are mainly communicated via the official Discord channel (the last message was on November 10 and concerned adjustments to the MMORPG’s technical infrastructure, via Discord).
Considering that the official FAQ on corepunk.com still speaks of an end to Early Access by the end of 2025, it is surprisingly quiet around the game. Looking at the calendar, I predict that the developers will have to postpone this plan.
The servers are offline, I was right! At least halfway. The MMORPG is supposed to be returning. The new owner wants to perform a sort of “A Realm Reborn” trick like in Final Fantasy XIV. The relaunch is supposed to take place in the first quarter of 2026. A concrete roadmap is planned for December.
Will the plan work and can Fractured Online ultimately be a significantly better online role-playing game? Time will tell. It is also possible that the game stays offline. A game called Crowfall did exactly that in 2022, with similar promises. Maybe I’ll earn a full point here after all.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Gabe Newell suggested to a developer that his shooter be among the first games on Steam – but nothing came of it.
Which game is it? As the Polish developer Adrian Chmielarz recounts in an interview with PCGamesN, he once received an email from Gabe Newell, even before he launched Steam.
Chmielarz is the creator of the first-person shooter Painkiller, which was released in 2004 and has since gained cult status among many gamers.
The gameplay of Painkiller follows the premise of titles like Doom and Serious Sam: You slaughter your way through the armies of Lucifer as a solo fighter in purgatory to stop the ruler of Hell from advancing to Heaven and to gain entry to Heaven to reunite with your deceased partner.
Throughout the game, you complete several levels per chapter, with a boss battle against one of Lucifer’s generals waiting at the end of each chapter.
Painkiller also featured a multiplayer mode with modes like Deathmatch and Capture-The-Flag, which closely resembled Quake and even had its own e-sports scene.
Start video
Valve presents the Steam Machine in the new trailer
That was Newell’s request: According to Chmielarz, Newell suggested in an email at the time to offer Painkiller as one of the first games on Steam:
“I remember receiving an email from Gabe [Newell] – I don’t remember exactly when, but it was before the launch of Steam. He wrote: ‘Hey guys! We’re going to start this really small shop and we’d like to offer some games there, and we are fans of Painkiller. What do you think? Do you want to join us?'”
However, Chmielarz was not very convinced about the idea at the time, as he explains: “I thought to myself: ‘Uh, I don’t know…'”
That’s why Painkiller didn’t end up on Steam: The developer reports that he didn’t even have the decision-making power, even though he was unsure about it:
“Imagine: We had the opportunity to be among the very first games [on Steam], but we didn’t have the rights to Painkiller, so that was out of the question anyway. But I remember my honest reaction was something like ‘haha’. I was really indecisive!”
The rights to Painkiller were not with Chmielarz and the developer studio “People Can Fly” at the time of the shooter’s release, but with the publisher “DreamCatcher Interactive.” Since then, the rights to the brand have changed hands multiple times.
Aside from video games, drawing and Dungeons & Dragons, MeinMMO editor Caro came across a new hobby that combined all her preferences. What initially seems a bit intimidating is actually very beginner-friendly, as she found out herself – and now she wants to convince you too.
Have you ever thought about starting to paint miniatures? But are you still unsure if this hobby is for you? Then please give me 10 minutes of your time to tell you how self-painted little colorful plastic figures can enrich your life.
When I started to become interested in D&D and our first campaign came about (shoutout to the Barden Bellas), I crafted our first homemade minis from cardboard. However, I slowly began to take an interest in how to make our heroes look even cooler.
One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was looking at a bunch of small gray plastic figures in my local tabletop and role-playing game store. I knew: Damn, this is going to be my new personality.
I could see the employee’s face light up when I told him that I was a newbie and needed help. And I want to be that enthusiastic helper for you now.
Here are my tips for other beginners who need that last push to start with this truly wonderful hobby.
In the trailer for the fourth campaign of Critical Role, you can see some miniatures of the heroes:
Start video
The 4th Campaign of Critical Role starts now and is bigger than ever
What do you need to get started?
To get into the hobby, you need a few things to get started:
Miniatures: whether from WizKidz, Warhammer or Etsy, whether adventurers or monsters, you can have fun here.
Paints: There are different types you will need, including:
a primer as a base so that the paint adheres to the miniature
colorful paint for coloring (there are also metallic paints that are great for armor and weapons)
effect paints as a nice nice-to-have
washes for more details, shadows, depth, and wear
A top-coat to better seal the paint (available in matte or glossy)
Brushes: If you want to use different techniques, it makes sense to have different brushes. I personally use a pretty cheap set that includes everything I need and has served me well to this day. It doesn’t have to be high-end or expensive right away.
Household items like a cup of water, paper towels to dry the brushes, and a palette for paints (it can also be cardboard or a box)
Further nice-to-haves, but really not urgently needed:
Mat like a cutting mat, a newspaper, or something similar will do just fine
Plastic glue, if you need to glue larger miniatures together
wet palette, which prevents your paint drops from drying out too quickly
miniature holder where you can clamp the base of your miniature
Some of the products you buy once and can use for years or, with good care, forever. Other items like paints will be used up after a while. However, the minis that you generally paint are so small that you can be very sparing with the paints.
My painting space
Probably the most important tip: There is a huge community – use it!
I quickly realized: Those who speak up can be helped. And it doesn’t have to be an employee at a tabletop store. You can also find a lot of artists online who share their tips and tricks, including Bubblegum Angels, whom I already interviewed for MeinMMO.
In the store, I was directly informed that you don’t need to invest so much money at the start. I was recommended a “Warpaints Fanatic” starter set from The Army Painter for about 30 euros. It provided everything for the first miniature to find out if I enjoy it. The set included a few paints, a primer, the wash, a brush, and of course a small miniature.
I still use the contents of this starter set today and therefore use products from the same company because I am A) simply satisfied and B) can buy the paints in the local store. Of course, a wide range of brands is available to you, perhaps even higher-quality paints. However, I just stuck with the products I started with and get along well.
You can also get started with Citadel paints, which are mainly associated with Warhammer, through a starter set at a similar price. But I am very satisfied with the paints I was recommended so far.
Since the first starter set, my hobby box has become significantly fuller. This also applies to my selection of miniatures, which are still eagerly waiting to be painted, while I have already ordered the next ones.
How does a gray figure become a stylish hero or a nasty monster?
When you buy miniatures they are usually not primed or painted.
First, there is an important note: I am absolutely still not a professional and have only just started less than a year ago, but with my methods I have already been able to achieve some nice results. There are different types and ways to paint minis. Speedpainting, for example, which produces appealing results particularly quickly.
This is how I learned to paint minis:
Priming
With a primer, you create a base on your miniature so that the paints adhere better to the figure. Therefore, the primer must cover the entire figure – or at least everything you want to paint.
You can either spray it on or apply it with a brush. I use the brush as I don’t have a hobby room and don’t want to ruin my kitchen. If you want to use spray primer, it is best to do this outside in the air.
A tip: If you apply the primer with a brush, it’s better to use thinner layers rather than a fat load of primer. If you prime too much, small details could get lost under the layer.
Base colors
When your primed (and dried!) miniature is ready, you can apply the first colors. It is also advisable to work with several thin layers here. Even if it doesn’t cover immediately and takes longer with more layers, this way you will retain more details. The result will also be more even.
You can dilute your paints with a drop of water and mix several colors, or make them lighter and darker if you’re missing a certain shade.
First, paint the areas that are the hardest to reach. Here you can be a bit “messier” as the next colors will cover these areas. This way, you work your way until the entire miniature is painted.
Here I want to point out how to handle your brushes to avoid ruining them on the first try, because: Dried paints ruin your brushes!
Clean your brushes after each use and with each color change in a cup of cold water, but do not soak the bristles too long. You clean them, wipe the tip on your paper towel, and let them drain or dry there.
Another tip from me: Choose slightly lighter colors than what you want to see on your miniature at the end. With the next step, the washes, they will look a bit “fuller” and also perceive as a bit darker.
Here you can see how the different steps influence the miniature.
Washes
Here I had my first “Oh … okay, it’s all coming together” moment when I could see how much depth the initially somewhat bland-looking miniature could get.
Washes are very thin paints that bring a lot of life to a miniature. They bring out detail, create shadows, and make your heroes, armors, and weapons look like they are really alive:
You dip the brush in the colored liquid and apply it to your miniature. The watery paint then collects in the deeper crevices and corners, making details pop out, creating shadows and “controlled imperfections”.
If you don’t have much experience with washes, you can simply apply them to the entire miniature and still achieve a solid result. However, with some practice, you’ll find you can also control the liquid. Depending on where you place your brush, the most liquid will stay, and the effect will be stronger. However, this is best discovered through your own experimentation.
And if you made a mistake? Then that’s no problem at all. As long as the wash paint isn’t dry, you can simply “suck it up” with a brush as well.
Highlights and details
If you are already satisfied with the current state of your miniature but want to add a little “flair” and light accents, now is the right time.
Especially in the areas where most light should hit (head, shoulders, generally the places facing the sky) you can create an even nicer result with bright details.
You can add highlights with your brush by mixing your waiting color with a little water and carefully applying the diluted color. This creates beautiful accents and a painterly style.
However, there is another method to create a similar effect while emphasizing small details: the so-called dry brushing. This is a bit faster, a bit less intentional, but very effective with a little practice!
For this, you take a dry brush. It is much coarser and rounder, as it will only gently touch the surface of your miniature.
You apply only a little light color to the bristles and wipe most of it directly on a cloth until just a hint remains. This hint of color is gently brushed along the miniature, more as if you were dusting it off rather than painting it. Go especially along the edges and areas you want to highlight. The color will only be visible at the highest points of the desired area. Feel free to use a lighter tone of the base color for this.
The finishing touch
At this point, you should now have a fully painted miniature, Let’s go! I recommend using a top coat at the end so that you can enjoy your miniature for longer. There are matte and glossy effects available. The latter is particularly fitting for shiny armors, as well as moist maws or tentacle-like creatures.
My tiefling is ready for adventure
My personal tips – from one beginner to another
In the months I have been painting minis, I have noticed a few things for myself and received tips from others that have helped me a lot. Even if I don’t implement them perfectly yet, I don’t want to withhold them from you:
Don’t be held back by your level of practice and dare to take on the little detail. Even if your little figures aren’t perfect, they still look great when you take on details like rivets, highlights, and maybe even faces. They don’t have to be perfect to make your minis look more impressive.
Even millimeters of a figure make a big difference! When ordering on Etsy, a really helpful seller explained to me that even the minimal difference between a 28mm miniature and a 32mm one makes a significant difference in detail and painting. I quickly noticed this myself. And don’t worry, the size difference is visible, but it can be easily used in the game due to the base.
You don’t start as an absolute pro. This applies to many hobbies, but I want to emphasize it again. Your first minis will not be perfect, mine were and still are not. But being able to observe your progress is not only motivating but also rewarding.
I hope that I have been able to give those interested in the hobby the final push to give it a chance. If you have already started or have been hovering over your miniatures for years (hopefully with perfect posture), I would very much appreciate further tips and suggestions in the comments!
