The Godfather of BioWare magic worked for years on the spiritual successor to Mass Effect, now leaving the studio

James Ohlen is regarded as the “Godfather of BioWare Design”. With a new studio, he wanted to create a sci-fi role-playing game in the spirit of Mass Effect. Now it’s clear: the release of Exodus will not celebrate the industry veteran as part of the team.

What’s going on with James Ohlen? According to a report from Bloomberg, the industry veteran has asked the officials at Hasbro to allow him to resign from his position at Archetype Entertainment in order to refocus his creative energy on tabletop role-playing games.

Abby Hodes, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Hasbro, explains: “At this stage, James felt that his work on the game was complete and that the fine-tuning and adjustments were in good hands with the team”.

James Ohlen’s team has been working on the sci-fi role-playing game Exodus since 2019, which has exuded strong Mass Effect vibes in all its previous trailers. Just a few days ago at the Game Awards, the developers revealed that the ambitious RPG is expected to be released in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store).

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New Sci-Fi Action-Adventure EXODUS in trailer, coming early 2027

The “Godfather of BioWare Design”

What do I need to know about James Ohlen? At a comic book store, Ohlen once developed several campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons that were so popular and well-crafted that he was recruited as a writer and designer by BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk.

Thanks to his experiences with D&D, he took on his first senior role at Baldur’s Gate. The success of the role-playing game made him Director of Design at BioWare. With Baldur’s Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins, he was able to celebrate further significant successes as Lead Designer.

He was also involved in games such as Jade Empire, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Mass Effect. Thus, James Ohlen has significantly shaped the most successful era of BioWare. He is now regarded as the “Godfather of BioWare Design”, akin to a godfather of the BioWare magic that many fans of the classics still celebrate today.

Who is taking the lead? With Paul Della Bitta, Hasbro has the next veteran on board to take over the leadership of Archetype Entertainment. Paul Della Bitta has been in the industry since 2002 and has worked for Turbine, Blizzard, and Riot Games over the past decades. His direct supervisor, Wizards President John Hight, also spent many years at Blizzard.

What do I need to know about Exodus? The action-adventure RPG lets you control Jun Aslan, who goes from an insignificant junk collector to the last hope of humanity. Humanity is threatened by the Celestials, which is an evolutionary stage of humanity 40,000 years in the future.

Exodus, like Mass Effect, focuses on building a crew of companions, making decisions that have consequences, strongly staged story sequences, and third-person shooting action against aliens. Among the special features is the factor of time, which is said to play a similar role in Exodus as in the film Interstellar. Additionally, Aslan can utilize the Celestials’ technology. More about the game: In the new sci-fi RPG from the creators of Mass Effect, you play Indiana Jones from the Jedi Order.

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There is something that a gasoline motorcycle can never achieve, but an electric motorcycle can: reaching the highest volcano in the world

A professional rode an electric motorcycle to the highest volcano in the world. With a gasoline bike, that wouldn’t have been so easy or would at least have come with significant challenges. The low oxygen content at high altitude is a problem for gasoline engines. An issue that electric motors do not have.

A team led by Swiss rider Jiri Zak rode a production Stark Varg EX to 6,721 meters at Ojos del Salado, the highest active volcano on Earth (via Enduro.de). The volcano is located in Chile (South America). According to the manufacturer’s website, the Stark Varg EX is the fastest electric off-road motorcycle in the world.

The remarkable thing about the record ride was the fact that the vehicle is a purely electric motorcycle. With a gasoline-powered motorcycle, the rider would likely never have made it this far. This is reported by the magazine Motorpassion.com

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Slate Auto presents new truck with electric motor

Electric motors work even at extreme heights, gasoline engines do not

What is the problem at high altitudes? As altitude increases, gasoline engines face a major issue: They need oxygen to function properly. For this reason, internal combustion engines lose significant power with increasing elevation. A conventional gasoline engine cannot operate without oxygen, as oxygen is essential for the chemical reaction of combustion: Gasoline needs oxygen from the air to release energy.

Electric motors, on the other hand, always deliver the same power, regardless of how high or low the air density is. Where gasoline engines fail to function properly, electric motors continue to operate because they do not require oxygen for combustion and consistently deliver torque.

The record demonstrates the power of the electric motor, but its everyday usefulness is limited

The record of Swiss rider Jiri Zak clearly shows the advantage of an electric bike at high altitudes. At the same time, it must be noted that this record has limited usefulness for most of us. After all, very few people ride at elevations of over 5,000 or 6,000 m, which is anyway impossible in Europe: The highest mountain in Europe is Mont Blanc (4,810 m).

For us, other factors play a more significant role in the purchasing decision, such as the availability of charging infrastructure, the overall range of the vehicle, or whether the engine will start in winter. A problem that electric vehicles face because lithium-ion batteries perform poorly in cold temperatures.

Therefore, the record is primarily a strong marketing and image project that showcases a real technical advantage, but only represents a very specific special case and does not determine the general everyday suitability of both concepts.

A user switched to an electric car after more than 15 years. He no longer wants to drive a gasoline vehicle for one simple reason: the gasoline car suddenly feels uncomfortable and old-fashioned. An experience shared by many other users who have changed cars: A user switches from gasoline to electric car after over 15 years and explains why he can never go back

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

For companies like Sony and Microsoft, 2025 was the worst gaming year in 30 years and a trend among players is to blame

For Sony and Microsoft, 2025 was a difficult year, and current statistics show why gamer behavior is crucial.

How was 2025 so bad for the companies? Circana is one of the leading market research companies in the world. The firm has now published current sales figures for the gaming industry from the U.S. This particularly shows a negative trend for hardware manufacturers:

  • The hardware sales figures in November 2025 were the worst since 1995.
  • Sales of the Xbox Series have decreased by 70% compared to the previous year.
  • Sales of PlayStation are 40% lower than the previous year.
  • The combined sales of the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 decreased by about 10%.

Overall, U.S. gaming spending has decreased by 4% year-over-year to $5.9 billion. This spending includes not only hardware and game purchases but also the acquisition of accessories.

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A trend among gamers is affecting the gaming industry

What kind of trend is this? Although 2025 was considered a strong gaming year with releases like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Hollow Knight Silksong, Battlefield 6, and ARC Raiders, gamers mainly bought and played older titles.

Circana reports that only 4% (!) of gamers buy one or more games per month. 33% of gamers buy fewer than one game per year. The recently released Steam retrospective for 2025 shows a similar trend: Only 14% of all Steam users’ playtime was spent on titles released in 2025.

This means that even in a year when a game like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 set a new record at the Game Awards for winning so many titles, gamers still spent most of the year playing old games.

How does this affect hardware sales? For Minecraft, League of Legends, Warframe, Fortnite, or World of Warcraft, there is no need to buy new hardware every year. If their favorite game runs on the console they currently have at home, they don’t need to purchase a successor—whether that’s the latest generation of PS5 or Xbox, or an upgraded “Pro” variant.

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hinterlässt bei den Spielern eine Leere

Why are gamers spending more time in older games? There are certainly various reasons for this. For one, games that have been regularly updated for years simply have more content than a game that has just been released.

Then there is the emotional attachment to a game. Gamers simply love to return to their favorite game. This is often further reinforced by the funding model. If someone has spent hundreds of euros on skins, DLCs, or in-game advantages, that can be additional motivation to play one game more than another, newer one.

Additionally, it should be noted that not every gamer likes the same games. If someone only plays dark action RPGs like Diablo, they probably have no interest in a new cozy farm game. A fan of real-time strategy, on the other hand, does not play the latest Call of Duty.

By the way, our colleagues at GameStar Talk have also dealt with this topic:

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This was also made clear through a discussion in November of this year. The Twitch streamer shroud, who is primarily known for shooters, wanted ARC Raiders to be game of the year and called on his community to fight against Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Although it is very popular with many gamers, it meets complete disinterest from shroud: “Don’t let Expedition 33 win” – Twitch streamer shroud calls on his community to fight against the RPG hit

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“This causes everything to get mixed up” – Exploding RAM prices force Larian to adjust their work on Divinity

Almost every gamer is affected by the currently skyrocketing RAM prices. Now the head of Larian, the developers behind Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Divinity announced at the Game Awards, has said they are also affected.

What exactly did the head of Larian say? Swen Vincke, the head of Larian, gave an interview for thegamer.com. There he talks about the developments of Divinity and how it is influenced by RAM and SSD prices.

Especially the work on the game now has to be adjusted by Larian. Vincke says the following: “It most likely means that we will have to do a lot of optimization work during Early Access that we actually didn’t want to do at this time. So it’s challenging, but they are video games.”

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Divinity: Original Sin 2 Trailer

How is Larian affected by the prices? Swen Vincke explains why RAM prices are throwing everything into chaos for Larian:

This basically disrupts all previous forecasts because normally you know the developments and can plan the hardware accordingly.

He further states that they would normally know the development of the hardware and plan accordingly. The situation is also new for Larian, and Vincke remarks on RAM prices:

Interestingly, another [problem] is actually the price of RAM and SSDs, and damn, man. It’s literally as if we’ve never experienced anything like this before.

Players hope that developers consider old hardware

How are players reacting to this news? In the PC gaming subreddit, the article from thegamer.com was shared.

The Reddit user QuinSanguine hopes that the developers realize that many gamers are still using older hardware. Over 2,300 other users agreed with him, and many pointed out that they too still use older hardware (as of 18.12.25, at 11:30 AM).

Reddit user ggRavingGamer has a clear opinion and claims that building PCs is currently dead, as no one would spend 400 – 500 euros for 32 gigabytes of RAM. Over 1,400 users also agreed with him (as of 18.12.25, at 11:30 AM).

How could the situation end? ggRavinGamer sees only two possibilities for how the situation can end and writes: “Either AI starts to make real money, and we are done for, or the AI bubble bursts, we get everything cheap next year, the stock market crashes, and we are done for too.”

He refers to one of the reasons why RAM prices have risen so drastically, as AI companies have bought large amounts of memory: After large companies have been buying up graphics cards for years and driving prices up, now another component is affected

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Player planned gaming PC with 32 GB RAM, but then bought double: 8 months later he does not regret the decision at all

RAM is getting more expensive. A user got lucky and upgraded months ago. For this reason, he thanks the community for the recommendation.

A user recounts on Reddit that he built a new PC in the summer and sought advice on Reddit. The old post from 8 months ago is still available on Reddit. Originally, he wanted to buy 32 GB of RAM, but someone recommended he go for 64 GB instead, as DDR5 performs better with two RAM sticks instead of four, making the system more future-proof. A user explained to him back then:

In my opinion, you should opt for 2×32 GB rather than 2×16 GB. Sure, that might be overkill right now, but you said you don’t want to upgrade often, and DDR5 tends to suffer significant clock loss when using more than two memory modules.

And although the upgrade was over his budget and cost him an additional 100 dollars, the user followed this advice – a decision he does not regret today, as the price of the same RAM has since risen to 1,250 dollars. In his detailed post, he thanks for this very decision, which would have cost him 6 times more today (via Reddit.com):

I paid $220 for these two sticks. Today, they cost $1,250.

Buddy, wherever you are now, may your core temperatures be low, your thermal paste always spread evenly like butter on a pancake, and your GPU connections un-meltable.

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Valve presents the Steam Machine in the new trailer

8 months later, the user is grateful for the tip

And the tip giver from back then actually responded under his thank you post with the words on Reddit: “You’re welcome, buddy, I’m glad it worked out so well for you.” His reply has now received more than 14,000 upvotes (as of 12/18/25, 10:30 AM).

The rising prices of RAM and SSDs have surprised some gamers looking to upgrade their systems. Since September 2025, prices for RAM have doubled and in some cases even tripled, if you can still buy modules at all. Many retailers often have RAM sold out.

Some are still lucky and get RAM at relatively low prices, like a user who exploited a seller’s pricing error. But the fair offer didn’t last long, as the seller quickly reacted: Player got lucky, got 64 GB of RAM very cheaply – the seller corrected his mistake the next day

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In WoW there is a pet for 9,999 $ in the shop, but that was probably a mistake – or?

It was probably the most expensive pet in the history of World of Warcraft that you saw in the shop. It cost more than some cars.

That World of Warcraft sometimes offers mounts in the in-game shop that come with a hefty price is something we’ve gotten used to. But what some fans of WoW saw in the shop yesterday probably surpassed even the worst expectations. Because a new pet cost a whopping $9,999, which is around €8,500.

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What kind of pet is this? The pet “Heartglow Listener” is a cute, golden owl with a glowing symbol above its head. According to wowhead, the pet was patched into the game through a hotfix.

In the description of the pet it says: “Kindness gives hope golden wings and the feathers of the Heartglow Listener provide comfort in every quiet night.”

WoW Heartglow Listener Pet Cash wowhead
A real bargain. Image source: wowhead

Price is a display error – still causes mockery and ridicule

What happened then? On the US realms, some players discovered the pet – as it suddenly appeared in the in-game shop. However, those who wanted to buy it were greeted with a rather curious sum: $9,999 for having this companion in their collection.

The attempt to actually buy the pet resulted in an error message.

Was that intentional? Although some comments cheekily claim that Blizzard is just “testing how far they can go with the prices,” it is probably quite certain that this is a mistake. The price of $9,999 is just a placeholder, and you can’t complete the purchase anyway – even if some particularly brave players tried just to click on “Buy.” This ends in an error message and the purchase is canceled.

This makes the Heartglow Listener – at least theoretically – the most expensive pet in the history of World of Warcraft, although only due to a temporary error. However, there are also animals in WoW that actually have a value of several hundred euros. We have introduced some of these exclusive, expensive mounts here.

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Former WoW Lead Explains the Failure of His MMORPG; the Quality of Ghost Was Probably Not the Issue

After the cancellation of the MMORPG project Ghost, lead developer Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street explains why the project was shut down and what problems the industry is currently facing.

What caused Ghost to fail? Essentially, we already know this: Publisher NetEase pulled the funding. The team at Fantastic Pixel Castle was unable to find a new investor afterward. The big question behind this is, of course: Why?

In an interview with 80.lv, industry veteran and studio head Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street (Age of Empires, World of Warcraft, League of Legends) explains that it wasn’t due to the quality of the MMORPG.

When asked how discussions with investors usually go, the developer revealed:

Usually, it starts with an introduction or a “cold call.” Investors want a brief pitch deck. They look at the team’s resume, the passion, and a strong “gameplay hook.” Worldbuilding, art style, or technical innovations are less interesting to them unless they directly support this hook.

After the pitch, they often want to play the game. Our game was already playable on Steam, so playtests were easy to arrange. Most discussions didn’t fail because of the game itself, but because the management didn’t approve any deals. We constantly heard: “We love the game, but we’re currently not writing checks.”

Greg Street in an interview with 80.lv

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Ghost: Gameplay from the Prototype of the New MMORPG by Ghostcrawler

A Burned Genre

Why is financing so difficult? Greg Street currently sees one main reason for this: the massive investment bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the interview, he says

The year 2025 has many great games, but there is an investment problem. COVID raised unrealistic expectations, many companies hired too many staff, interest rates made borrowing difficult, and development costs in the U.S. and Western Europe have become extremely high compared to regions like Eastern Europe or Asia. As the waves of layoffs began, fear spread, and no one wanted to be the first to take a major risk.

Greg Street in an interview with 80.lv

Street adds that “Ghost” as a project was built on a solid foundation. The team was relatively small with around 40 employees. He had only hired experienced developers at the senior level, who had many years of experience. And there was a playable prototype. In other years, this would have been a comparatively attractive investment.

Furthermore, venture capitalists (VCs) have realized in recent years that their desire for quick returns is incompatible with game development, Street continues.

Many large funds are completely avoiding games now. Those who are still interested often only offer small amounts that are insufficient for the scale of the project we were building.

Greg Street in an interview with 80.lv

The situation is exacerbated in this specific case because the MMORPG genre has had a bad reputation among many potential publishers and investors for years now. Many expensive projects have failed miserably in the years after WoW. In other genres, service models can now be implemented with much lower risk and cost.

Is there still hope for “Ghost”? The developer states that he has carefully archived everything related to the MMORPG. He believes that publishers may realize in two years that their portfolio is empty and they urgently need new projects: “Then they might go on a shopping spree – and every indie studio that survives until then will be in a strong position.”

Street also believes that game development with 500-person teams will not be the future. Game development is likely to become more decentralized, with smaller internal teams and extensive outsourcing – similar to what has already been done in Hollywood for film productions. You can find out which online role-playing games you can look forward to in the coming months here: MMORPGs 2026 – The 8 most promising online role-playing games set to be released next year

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An actor from One Piece on Netflix shows off his cooking skills, leaving fans amazed: “He’s really become a real-life Sanji.”

Chef Sanji is one of the most famous characters from One Piece and naturally appears in the Netflix live-action series as well. Its actor takes his role very seriously, as a new video now shows.

Sanji is the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates from One Piece, also known as Smut in sailor jargon, who has already caused discussions among fans in the past. When Netflix decided a few years ago to adapt the popular manga and anime One Piece with real actors, the choice for Sanji fell on actor Taz Skylar.

He was born in Spain in 1995 but primarily grew up in the United Kingdom due to his mother’s background. He took his role as Sanji seriously, training hard and likely also delving deeply into the character’s profession. A new video shows how he performs as a cook in the kitchen.

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A new sneak peek shows behind the scenes of One Piece season 2 and how some fight scenes were filmed

The right cut is a skill to learn

What kind of video is this? On the official One Piece Netflix account on x.com, a roughly 30-second video shows actor Taz Skylar visiting a professional chef as part of his work for the series.

This chef first explains basic things to the actor before Skylar engages with the various sharp knives available to him. He then focuses on a fish, which he carefully cuts under the chef’s guidance. This seems to go well for the actor, and he appears satisfied. In the end, he rolls individual fish pieces together, resembling a rose.

Here you can see the video in full length:

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What do fans think of it? One thing is for sure: users on x.com appreciate the actor’s commitment to his role:

  • „The actors are not just playing their roles anymore, they are literally the character,” writes Tales Of Sunset.
  • „He has really become Real-Life-Sanji,” adds Sakuraphoenix.
  • „The One-Piece-Gordon-Ramsay,” says Patrick Zalatoris referring to the famous TV chef.
  • „I am continually impressed by Taz’s commitment to learning these skills for Sanji,” shares alex.
  • „This is the kind of dedication I wish for the actor of my favorite live-action series. You’re doing great, keep it up and listen to Oda’s advice,” advises Blasphemous to the actor.

A critical note can be found under the post, however. User Daniel Bruno requests that rings be removed from hands while cooking. And some other users are wishing for a detailed, new trailer for Season 2 of One Piece on Netflix. There is already information about the subsequent season: Netflix shares news about Season 3 of One Piece, possibly revealing more backstory to a character

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These 5 protagonists from animes have become the hero of the series purely by chance

There are characters in animes who just want to live their lives. But due to certain coincidences, they suddenly became the hero of the story. We list some characters who fate coincidentally hasn’t been kind to.

In many animes, the protagonists usually have to prove themselves as heroes through training or a journey. They have only good in mind and want to contribute to the welfare of humanity.

However, there are also characters who randomly became the heroes of their stories. Their path could have happened to anyone else, as they didn’t particularly strive for it. Therefore, they also pursue other goals than helping humanity.

MeinMMO shows you 5 heroes who actually have their own minds and became the hero of the story purely by a silly coincidence.

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Kaiju No. 8 shows massive monster action in the trailer

Kafka Hibino

  • Anime: Kaiju No. 8

Who is he? Kafka is not a typical teenage hero, but rather 32 years old and is in the midst of life. He works at a cleanup squad as a cleaner, removing body parts of gigantic monsters known as Kaiju. After the radiant heroes have finished their work, Kafka basically cleans up after them.

Since childhood, he has dreamed of becoming part of the elite unit of the attack squad. However, he keeps failing the entrance exams and eventually gives up on his dream.

What coincidence happened with him? Kafka has the luck of a parasite flying into his mouth. Through the strange Kaiju, the character suddenly becomes a Kaiju himself and can help the elite unit in eliminating the malevolent monsters. 

If the parasite had never landed in him, Kafka would have continued doing his job as a cleaner. He has shown neither special talent nor strength to reach this position. His goal was never to help humanity, but to uphold a personal promise to his childhood friend.

Continue on page 2.

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The dispute between Sony and the makers of LoL is now over, has major consequences for the “Horizon clone”

One of the most well-known brands of Sony is Horizon from Guerrilla. In the video games, Aloy fights her way through a world full of machine creatures. Tencent, the owner of Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, had a similar setting in mind for a game on Steam. But this had consequences.

What was the problem? Tencent, together with developer Polaris, introduced the new game Light of Motiram.

If some of these points sound familiar, it’s no surprise. The title resembles the Horizon series from Guerrilla in description and appearance. Therefore, accusations quickly emerged that Light of Motiram had no shame in copying from the Horizon series.

Sony has also taken notice of the game, which was originally set to launch on Steam and in the Epic Games Store. Now there is an agreement that turns out to be rather negative for the creators behind Light of Motiram.

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Horizon Forbidden West – Gameplay Trailer

Sony and Tencent have reached an agreement regarding the Horizon clone

What are the consequences now? A recent court document reveals that there was a legal dispute over Light of Motiram. However, the case is now finally closed. 

The document indicates that there was a confidential out-of-court settlement. Tencent must cease marketing for their video game. There will be no more advertising or public tests for the title.

The game has also been removed from Steam and the Epic Games Store. According to SteamDB, the game no longer exists. The document itself never mentions an official cancellation, but the confidential settlement and immediate removal from sales platforms suggest that Light of Motiram in its current form will never be released.

What does this mean? Although the court documents do not clarify how Light of Motiram will proceed, there are really only two options:

  • Light of Motiram will be modified behind closed doors to ensure it no longer resembles Horizon
  • The game will be completely canceled and abandoned

What exactly will happen remains to be seen. But players can look forward to another title from the Horizon universe, one way or another.

NCsoft is working on an MMO set in Horizon. Here players can experience the gameplay from the main games, but together with friends. However, the appearance of the characters makes many players hesitant, as the characters are simply “too pretty”. The new MMORPG in Horizon looks damn good, but the characters are horrendous

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. The Verge

Pokémon GO introduces a new crab monster and a lot of shinies

In Pokémon GO you will soon be able to catch a new crab monster. And it also brings many Shinies that you can catch.

What kind of event is this? From Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM to Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 8:00 PM, “The Right Trick” will take place in Pokémon GO. This event will focus on crab monsters.

A crab will be making its way into the game for the first time. Additionally, there will be a shiny debut and a good chance for you to catch several Shinies at once.

Start video
Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer

What to expect in “The Right Trick”

Which monster is making its debut? Klibbe, the rock monster from Generation 9, will be available for the first time at the event. This monster has no evolutions, and you will receive it through field research and limited-time research that will take place during the event.

Which Shinies are there? With the start of the event, you can find Moruda as shiny for the first time. The monster is waiting for you in 3-star raids as well as in field research.

Additionally, there is an increased shiny chance for 3 monsters: Krebscorps, Lithomith, and Scampisto. You can receive all 3 Pokémon in the wild, in field research, and in limited-time research. The chances of encountering these Shinies are relatively high, as you have many opportunities to meet the monsters.

Furthermore, you can also obtain Galapaflos, Flapteryx, and Heerashai as shiny during the event. However, the chances for these are not additionally increased.

What bonuses are there? If you catch monsters during “The Right Trick”, you will receive double experience points for doing so. Additionally, there will be event-specific field research, as well as 3 limited-time research tasks that will be conducted sequentially during the event. The limited-time research will focus on catching monsters.

What monsters are there? The event brings you some monsters that you can receive. These are the following:

In the wild:

  • Krebscorps*
  • Lithomith*
  • Scampisto*
  • Galapaflos* (rare)
  • Flapteryx* (rare)

In 1-star raids:

  • Krebscorps*
  • Lithomith*
  • Scampisto*

In 3-star raids:

  • Moruda*
  • Heerashai*

In field research:

  • Krebscorps*
  • Lithomith*
  • Scampisto*
  • Moruda* (rare)
  • Klibbe

All monsters marked with an * can be caught as shiny.

Paid research: In addition to the 3 free limited-time research tasks, you can purchase a paid research task during the event for $1.99 (approximately €2.50). In this, you will receive among other things, 2 Premium Battle Passes and encounters with Krebscorps, Lithomith, Scampisto, Moruda, and Klibbe.

In addition to this event, several other contents of the upcoming year are already known. These include 2 Community Days and the New Year event, which not only brings you the chance for a rare shiny but also a permanent change through which you can receive more guaranteed lucky monsters.

In 3-star raids:

  • Moruda*
  • Heerashai*

In field research:

  • Krebscorps*
  • Lithomith*
  • Scampisto*
  • Moruda* (rare)
  • Klibbe

All monsters marked with an * can be caught as shiny.

Paid research: In addition to the 3 free limited-time research tasks, you can purchase a paid research task during the event for $1.99 (approximately €2.50). In this, you will receive among other things, 2 Premium Battle Passes and encounters with Krebscorps, Lithomith, Scampisto, Moruda, and Klibbe.

In addition to this event, several other contents of the upcoming year are already known. These include 2 Community Days and the New Year event, which not only brings you the chance for a rare shiny but also a permanent change through which you can receive more guaranteed lucky monsters.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

A tech CEO claims he will make people immortal by 2039: However, he still needs to solve a few problems beforehand

A tech CEO wants to make humanity immortal by 2039. He sees the rapid technological advancements of recent years, particularly through artificial intelligence, as a reason why this could actually succeed.

Who is he talking about? Bryan Johnson is a 47-year-old biotech entrepreneur who has been investing his money in various technology companies for many years.

However, Johnson gained the most notoriety for his active pursuit of eternal life. Starting in 2021, he began investing large sums of money into his “Project Blueprint.” For several years, he has been trying to slow down or even reverse his aging process. According to Business Insider, he reportedly spends around $2 million a year and takes 100 pills a day.

Select a MMO video…

Immortal by 2039, but how, Johnson doesn’t know exactly yet

What does he say about immortality? In a discussion that the English-speaking magazine Fortune quotes, Johnson now has a new goal in mind: He wants to make humans immortal by 2039. However, he still needs to address some errors, as current therapies are erroneously causing cancer. He writes about this in an extensive post on X.com:

I will try to achieve immortality by 2039. A year passes, and I remain biologically unchanged.

We do not currently know how immortality will be achieved by 2039. There are new, promising therapies that can potentially turn back the clock by decades, but they are flawed. Sometimes they erroneously cause cancer. We need to fix that.

But we know that immortality is possible because nature has already solved this problem. This is not a physical problem like trying to travel faster than light, but a biological engineering problem that evolution has already solved multiple times.

In his post, he also describes why he believes that this goal is realistic for the first time in history:

  • Thanks to the rapid technological advancements, particularly through artificial intelligence, it is for the first time possible to specifically combat aging.
  • AI is transforming from an assistant to a scientist, enabling much faster research through data analysis, process automation, and more precise measurement of biological markers.
  • The author argues that immortality is fundamentally biologically possible, as some organisms in nature have practically achieved this state.
  • Aging is not an insurmountable physical problem but a biological problem that has been solved evolutionarily multiple times.

He reports on his own experiments over the past six years: At 48 years old, his body is now at the level of an “elite fit 18-year-old,” if one overlooks his hearing loss in one ear.

The desire for immortality is not entirely new among wealthy people. Various billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, and Sam Altman, have been investing significant amounts of money in regenerative medicine for years. However, there is also criticism of the plans to develop life-extending drugs: Billionaires are developing life-extending pills – but a CEO warns that this could lead to a world full of “privileged zombies”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Titelbild (YouTube)

A 74-Year-Old Competes in the Final of a Tekken Tournament, His Opponent is 18 Years Older and Defeats Him

A Japanese organization regularly hosts an esports tournament for seniors. Now the winner is determined, and she is a whole 18 years older than the 74-year-old finalist.

What kind of tournament is it? The Care Esports Association from Japan organizes gaming events in senior homes. At the end of November 2025, the 12th tournament for older gamers took place, where participants eagerly fought in the fighting game Tekken 8.

Who faced each other in the final? The finalists were 74-year-old Goro Sugiyama, who played Armor King, and his opponent Hisako Sakai, who is a proud 92 years old.

In the end, the 92-year-old grandma won by playing the character Claudio and pressing as many buttons as quickly as possible, as can be seen in the recording on YouTube.

Start video
Tekken 8 shows roadmap and upcoming content in trailer

A real tournament with casters and livestream for seniors

The Care Esports Association not only organizes the tournament but also provides real casters who commentate on every game of the seniors and create a great atmosphere. In addition to the casters, there is also a livestream of the event on the YouTube channel.

What are the reactions of the viewers? On Reddit, the victory of Hisako Sakai was celebrated, and some viewers commented on the post.

The Reddit user peakzorro writes that it is impressive how the winner has no pain in her hands and wrists. According to him, fighting games like Tekken are particularly tough on these body parts.

Another user writes on Reddit simply: “The GOAT.” The term “GOAT” is often used for exceptionally talented players and stands for “Greatest Of All Time.” In that context, it would mean in German approximately: the greatest player of all time.

In the last round of the tournament, the winner was significantly younger. The 73-year-old Yoshie Murabe managed to defeat her opponent with the panda from Tekken 8. Her words after the victory were devastating, as she said it didn’t feel particularly difficult: 73-year-old wins Tekken tournament in the nursing home, says: “Did not feel particularly difficult”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Player discovers dark detail in World of Warcraft, awakens memories

There are many dark details in World of Warcraft. However, one dark detail has been overlooked for years, even though it is so obvious.

World of Warcraft has grown extremely large over more than 20 years. Knowing every single detail of the game is almost impossible for both developers and fans. Often, dark details can be discovered in seemingly harmless areas, which one only truly understands upon a second or third glance.

One example of this is currently circulating in the WoW subreddit and sparking a discussion about “hidden cruelties” in the game world.

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3 absurde Bugs, die in WoW passiert sind

What has been rediscovered? The player Snackolotl has noticed a tent of the Razortusk while wandering through Durotar. The tent is made of leather and appears to be constructed from various patches. However, upon closer inspection, one can see a gruesome detail in one of the patches: a face. It seems that an ogre has been processed here and incorporated into the tent.

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The discovery has led the community to talk about how they first encountered World of Warcraft and how some details have burned into their memory. For instance, Cakalacky describes under the post:

Funny story, I was still a child when Vanilla came out (about 10 or 11) and I remember my father coming into the living room and watching me level my first character. Vanilla was very brutal, and I still vividly remember seeing some body parts, skin tents, and such. My father then leaned over to me and quietly said, “Don’t tell your mother,” while patting me on the shoulder and then walking away.

WoW is full of evil, dark details

Are there more of these? Yes. World of Warcraft has many dark details that are not perceived as such at first glance until one thinks a little longer about them. A quite similar object can also be found with the gnomes, who have also set up their tents – for example, in the Elwynn Forest, Westfall, or Feralas. Looking at their tents, which are also made of leather, one can see here too that the skin of humanoids has been used – for example, a human (as seen in the title image).

Is this still the case in WoW today? Yes, but just like back then, one must keep an eye open and question environments or read quests carefully. Especially the expansion Legion, which is currently being revived through “Legion Remix,” had many dark details, such as melted dryads in blobs of flesh, the killing of innocents, or the sacrificing of defenseless refugees for the sake of one’s own power.

In the latest expansions, this cruel portrayal seems to have diminished somewhat, and the cruelty is mostly only implied in the quest texts.

If you enjoy secrets and mysterious places, we have already reported extensively on that too. Particularly impressive are the 5 secret places in World of Warcraft that you have probably never been to.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The bodycam shooter that shocked everyone with its realistic graphics now receives funding from a mega-corporation to become the “best possible game”.

In 2023, Unrecord made waves with its hyper-realistic graphics, and now the developer of the shooter has a big announcement: thanks to investor funding, including from a mega-corporation in gaming, they can now fully commence production of the game.

What kind of game is it? Unrecord is a first-person shooter, modeled after the camera perspective of a bodycam – much like those worn by American police officers. Combined with the mostly photorealistic graphics in Unreal Engine 5, the game has garnered significant attention.

For a long time, there was relatively little news about the project, until the developer of Unrecord resurfaced in 2025. Now there’s more big news, as the game is now – thanks to some strong financial partners – in full production.

Here you can see an official gameplay trailer for the shooter:

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Unrecord – Official Early Gameplay Trailer

Bodycam shooter starts production, receives funding from Tencent

The current status of Unrecord: The developer studio DRAMA announced in a X post that they finally have the budget to fully focus on the production of the game.

Today we are proud to announce that we finally have the budget to realize UNRECORD and develop the best possible game. […] We are now fully focused on production and are avoiding showing unfinished content in order to raise the bar even higher.

Developer studio DRAMA in a post on X

The team also thanks its investors in this post, who apparently have already had the chance to play the game. A look at the LinkedIn profile of Alexandre Spindler, co-founder of the studio and creative director of Unrecord, reveals: one of these investors is Tencent.

The mega-corporation from China has been heavily investing in gaming for years. Tencent owns Riot Games, the developers of League of Legends, as well as stakes in studios like Epic Games, Blizzard, and Ubisoft.

Now that funding is secured, they plan to share updates in 2026 that “reflect the actual final vision.” When exactly, the developers have not yet shared – nor have they indicated when to expect a release. However, it sounds like 2026 might be too early for that.

Especially fans of multiplayer shooters had a wide selection of games in the fall of 2025. With so many titles, it’s not easy to say which one is the best. We try anyway; you can see our ranking here: The biggest multiplayer shooters from fall 2025 ranked – Which game takes the top spot?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. GamePro

RPG hit with 15 million players builds a new mode around a meme, community celebrates: “This is so evil”

The geese from Where Winds Meet are seen by some as the ultimate evil and by others as a funny meme, which even reflects the strength of all characters. Part of the community will soon be able to transform into a goose to drive other players into sheer madness.

What kind of mode is this? To celebrate the 1st anniversary, the Chinese version of Where Winds Meet will soon receive a new limited-time mode called “The Phantom Thief Goose.” In this mode, the goal is to quack and peck like a goose to instill pure fear in all who cross your path while stealing various possessions.

Imagine an adult version of “Untitled Goose Game” (which you can find on Steam, it’s a lot of fun in co-op with the kids). Anyone who has ever angered a goose in Where Winds Meet knows what can happen when players control a kind of quacking death demon.

Something big is coming to Where Winds Meet at the end of 2026:

Start video
Where Winds Meet shows the first scenes of the new expansion “The Imperial Palace” in the trailer

“They are letting you transform into one of those demons!?”

When is the mode coming to us? Where Winds Meet is celebrating its 1st anniversary in the West around November 14, 2026. You can expect a similar event then. What is already specifically planned for the local version of the role-playing game can be found here: Where Winds Meet roadmap and upcoming content.

How is the community reacting to the event? The geese from Where Winds Meet have become a popular meme. They are not only tough opponents but also striking mounts, reliable companions, or linked to a useful martial arts skill. Accordingly, the comments are quite humorous.

  • Krystal Farr writes on X: “They are letting you transform into one of those demons!?”
  • Dany jokes on X: “That’s evil.”
  • iron wings draws the same comparison we do on X: “Welcome back, Untitled Goose Game.”
  • kitty_paw_punch writes on threads.com: “Okay, I need to play that.”

How do you know the player numbers? On December 14, 2025, there was an update from the developers on X. In one month, 15 million players are expected to have tried Where Winds Meet. According to steamdb.info, more than 115,000 players are still roaming in the world of Where Winds Meet during prime time.

Since an update in November, Where Winds Meet rates the strength of your character with a new metric that resembles the horsepower of cars, just in a funny way. The higher the goose value your fighter has, the harder he hits. You can find more information about it here: In Where Winds Meet, geese are so powerful that they now form the unit for the strength of your character.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Although popular hits like Expedition 33 were released in 2025, the Steam community mostly played old games

The year 2025 was anything but a bad year for gamers. However, the year-in-review from Steam reveals: Players mainly played older games again this year.

How do we know this? This information comes from the Steam year-in-review 2025. It is personalized – each account on Steam gets a very personal year-in-review. However, there are also some exciting statistics that provide insights into the gaming behavior of other gamers on Steam.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is for many the game of the year 2025 and is so good that it leaves them with a feeling of emptiness:

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hinterlässt bei den Spielern eine Leere

Despite new hits, old games dominate

This is shown by the Steam year-in-review 2025:

  • Most of the time (44%) Steam users spent in games released in the last 1 to 7 years
  • Almost as much time (40%) players invested in games that were released 8 or more years ago
  • New releases – meaning games released in 2025 – make up only 14% of Steam users’ playtime

This means, in short, that the Steam community also played primarily older games in 2025.

Steam year-in-review 2025
Steam users spent only 14% of their playtime on new games.

Many great games were released this year: One of them is of course Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which won multiple awards at the Game Awards. The long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong finally released in 2025 – and turned out to be really good.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is also an outstanding medieval RPG that was released in 2025 and, according to Twitch streamer HandofBlood, was completely overlooked at the Game Awards.

With ARC Raiders, a new extraction shooter has recently been released that even competes with Battlefield 6 – yet the new Battlefield itself is for many fans one of the best of the last years. And with Where Winds Meet, even a free RPG hit from China was released.

What was the reason?

There was no shortage of good games in 2025. So what is the reason that old games still take up so much space? In a Reddit post, these results are already being discussed, but one isn’t surprised:

  • “Kinda expected when most consistently top played steam games is the like of CS2, DOTA2 or PUBG,” says user rickreckt on Reddit.
  • “Well yeah, there’s a lot more old games than new games,” points out another Reddit user, another adds: “And older games are constantly on sale/available for cheaper than new releases.” (on Reddit)

If you haven’t seen your personal Steam year-in-review 2025 yet: You can find it in the Steam store. At the top, there’s a banner that will take you directly to your year-in-review. Alternatively, you can also find it through your profile.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 not only won numerous awards at the Game Awards but also announced new content. This is free for all owners of the game, but it leaves even the toughest players in despair. You can read more about it in this article: Expedition 33 gives players new bosses, pushes the difficulty to the limit, and leaves everyone in despair

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

NCSoft sues YouTuber who insultingly comments on Aion 2, has the police on his tail

According to Korean media, publisher NCsoft is taking strict action against a YouTuber who allegedly spread false information about the new MMORPG Aion 2.

What happened? According to the Korean news website zdnet.co.kr, the publisher and developer NCsoft has sued the YouTuber “Game Chang-hyun” for spreading false information about Aion 2. The report states:

We have filed a report at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul against the operator of the YouTube channel ‘Game Chang-hyun’ for spreading false information, etc. At the same time, we have submitted a claim for damages for defamation, insult, and business obstruction due to the spreading of false information to the Seoul District Court.

NCsoft to zdnet.co.kr

The launch trailer for Aion 2 for the start in Asia; the MMORPG is set to be released in the West in 2026:

Start video
Aion 2: New trailer prepares for the Korean launch of the MMORPG

“Psychological damage to affected developer”

What did the YouTuber do? NCsoft explains that the lawsuit is not about suppressing normal criticism. However, “Game Chang-hyun” has made false or insulting claims about Aion 2.

The YouTuber claimed that NCsoft only affected customers who do not invest money, that they use macros for in-game sales, or that a certain NCsoft employee is the CEO of the company.

The intentional and repeated actions of ‘Game Chang-Hyeon’ not only had negative impacts on our service but also caused psychological harm to the individual developer. […] However, the greatest damage is the harm caused to the users due to the false information.

NCsoft to zdnet.co.kr

They intend to continue this approach in the future and take action against repeatedly false and defamatory posts. Additionally, they want to consider countermeasures against posts that aim to attract attention with sensational titles and images that are not related to the content of the respective announcement.

And what happens now? What punishment awaits the YouTuber? And to what extent have the claims in the videos negatively affected the psyche of an employee? Unfortunately, the report from Korea leaves many questions unanswered. However, it is clear that the pressure on NCsoft is high. 2025 was a difficult year for the company. They have great hopes for Aion 2.

The good news for the MMORPG provider: The new MMORPG launches in its home market, although with problems and some criticism, but the revenue is rolling in. This is the crucial factor when it comes to a subsequent launch in the West. More about the financially very successful start can be found here: The new MMORPG Aion 2 starts with problems in Asia but is expected to generate more than 1 million euros every day

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New MMO shooter on Steam sounds like The Division with zombies, but players warn against buying: “Cannot recommend this game”

Fans of MMO shooters are getting a new one with Pioner now available on Steam. However, the game, reminiscent of The Division with zombies, is being received quite poorly by players.

What kind of game is this? Pioner is a first-person MMO shooter where you fight for survival on a post-apocalyptic island. The mix of RPG, MMO shooter, and survival is somewhat reminiscent of The Division, but with zombies.

The game from the Russian indie developer GFA Games launched in Early Access on December 16, 2025, on Steam – and this, although it was supposed to be released in 2021 or 2022. 

Here you can see the launch trailer for Pioner:

Start video
The MMO shooter Pioner will start in early access in 2025, showcasing its dark world in the launch trailer

Server issues and bugs hinder gaming enjoyment

How is the game performing at release? The reviews from the first players are likely to be rather disappointing for the developers – especially after such a long development period. Only 47% of the total 340 reviews on Steam (as of December 17, 1:22 PM) are positive.

The gameplay is fun, the graphics are decent, and the story is interesting, but when your servers can’t support 1k players and you are advertising this as an mmo… thats not good.
The majority of players cannot recommend Pioner, at least not yet. There are several reasons for this: Skeeb0 points to server issues right at release, and this with not even 1,000 concurrent players at peak on Steam (according to steamdb.info). However, the game is fun and looks good, he writes in his Steam review.

The gameplay is fun, the graphics are decent, and the story is interesting, but if your servers can’t even handle 1,000 players and you advertise it as an MMO… then that’s not good.

Skeeb0 in his Steam review of Pioner

ZombieZZ is outraged by the technical state of the game. Within 35 minutes, the game crashed four times, with any progress lost each time. Despite several delays, the game appears ” in such a sorry ass state,” he complains in his Steam review.

“At the moment, I cannot recommend this game,” writes Wintergewitter in his Steam review. The concept and storyline of the game seem innovative and interesting, but within less than an hour of gameplay, he already encountered a serious bug.

Some players remain positive

What do the positive reviews say? There are already some players having fun with the game and asking not to be fooled by the many negative reviews. 

As stated in a Steam review: “I get that many games have a rough start, but in my opinion this one has a lot of potential.” This player is already having fun and does not regret the purchase, he says. According to other reviews, the developers have also managed to address the server issues.

Pioner started with some difficulties in Early Access. While the reviews show a lot of negative sentiment, there are also players who consider these reactions exaggerated. The game is still in Early Access, so one cannot expect everything to go smoothly right away.

Whether Pioner can recover from these reviews and grow remains to be seen. However, the autumn of 2025 was packed with strong releases for fans of multiplayer shooters. Which of these is the best for us, you can find out in our ranking: The biggest multiplayer shooters from autumn 2025 in ranking – Which game snags the top spot?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The Paladin in Diablo 4 now also has the perfect “Dad Build”, cutting enemies like grass with the mower

With Season 11, Blizzard has surprisingly introduced the Paladin in Diablo 4. The new class not only brings really strong builds but also playstyles that feel almost like a cozy “weekend simulator” for gamer dads.

Here’s what it means for the “gamer dads”: Diablo 4 has quickly earned a reputation for being the optimal game for fathers with little time. Those who have to juggle family, work, and other responsibilities find here an ARPG that is fun even in short sessions.

On Reddit, a player presents a Paladin build that is perfect for the audience who just wants to casually slice through monsters. With the build that the player names “The Weedwhacker,” you zoom across the map like a lawnmower and cut down monsters without much effort.

What kind of build is this? On December 12, the Paladin unexpectedly appeared in Diablo 4 and is playable for everyone who pre-orders the new expansion Lord of Hatred. The class brings various playstyles, some of which fans might recognize from previous Diablo titles. One of them focuses on a two-handed sword and on destroying everything around you without much interruption and at high speed.

The “Zeal Build” builds on the Fanaticism Oath. You can see more about the Paladin and his oaths in the trailer:

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Diablo 4 shows the Paladin and his oaths in the gameplay trailer

More Life = More Attacks

This is what makes the build so strong: The Zeal Build revolves around the skill “Zeal,” which allows you to attack enemies in a 360-degree radius around you at extremely high speed. Unlike many other Paladin builds, you won’t use a shield here. Instead, you rely on the two-handed sword “Red Sermon” to significantly increase the damage of Zeal. You can find an overview of all Uniques in Diablo 4 here.

The build is designed for high attack speed and high cooldown reduction. You deal constant damage, heal yourself in the process, and can easily handle practically all game content. At the same time, the Zeal Build is very beginner-friendly and enjoyable to play.

Key points of the build are:

  • As a resource, you use life instead of faith. As long as you have enough life – or more precisely, can sacrifice – you attack.
  • “Falling Star” serves as a mobility skill that allows you to quickly move between enemy groups. “Aura of Fanaticism” additionally increases your attack speed and critical hit chance.
  • The defensive skill “Consecration” heals you and deals damage per second to enemies. “Aura of Resilience” also provides healing, enhances your armor, and makes you unstoppable. The Ultimate “Fortress” grants you immunity – especially helpful in boss fights.
  • With the unique sword “Red Sermon,” Zeal deals more damage and has a chance to inflict double damage. Until you obtain the sword, you use “Legacy of the Fanatic” as an upgrade for Zeal. This expands the attack, seeks random enemies, and hits four more times.

This is how the build plays out: You spam Zeal to deal constant damage and tear through enemy groups. In the process, you accumulate fervor, which strengthens you further. You use your defensive skills, Aura of Resilience, Consecration, and Fortress, as often as possible. “Fortress” is especially useful in tougher encounters. To ensure your auras are always available and that you benefit from buffs continuously, it’s especially crucial to stack cooldown reduction.

You can find an extensive build guide with experts and theorycrafters from maxroll.gg. There is also an overview of the strongest builds in our Tier List for Diablo 4 Season 11.

To get even more out of your builds, you can also rely on the new seasonal crafting feature Sanctification. This allows your items to gain random effects that can make them even stronger. However, Sanctification is not available at all times and comes with a few important rules. You can find out exactly how Sanctification works and what to watch out for here: Diablo 4: Sanctification is the final improvement of your items – here’s how it works

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.