LoL had the idea for a champion that you have to go out to know how strong he is

Riot Games likes to try out all sorts of absurd ideas in their development of new champions for League of Legends. This aims to provide the company with maximum creative freedom to design interesting champions. One idea for the champion Aphelios was that it should interact with the real world.

How does champion design work? It takes months for a new champion to be designed and ultimately released. On average, about 1 year. The designers plan not only the abilities and the design but also the associated story within the LoL world.

During development, however, there is a lot of experimentation between design and abilities. Riot’s philosophy encourages trying out all possible ideas in the development of new champions, leading to crazy ideas that often do not make it into the actual game.

Even one of the most important LoL champions went through several design ideas: LoL: A unique relationship created one of the most important champions.

Start video
7 Facts about LoL that only true veterans know

Advantages were planned when you go outside

What were possible ideas? In a Twitch stream, Lead Champion Designer August Browning discussed general design philosophies as well as planned ideas from Senior Game Design Manager Bradford “CertainlyT” Wenban that never made it to the live servers.

CertainlyT was involved with the champions Darius, Zyra, Thresh, Yasuo, Kalista, Zoe, and Aphelios and also worked on the reworks of Mordekaiser, Graves, Caitlyn, Warwick, and Akali. Therefore, he has been part of some of the most creative champions in the game.

For Zoe’s ultimate, for example, a second application was planned. A kind of panic button that gave Zoe the ability to teleport to a random location on the map instead of teleporting back and forth.

The rework of Akali originally had the idea that she could latch onto projectiles from team members. However, the most interesting idea came from the ADC Aphelios. Since he is closely tied to the moon in the game’s lore, real moon phases were also supposed to influence the champion.

How was Aphelios supposed to work? It was planned that Aphelios would gain strength depending on the moon phase. On full moon, it would be the perfect time to pick Aphelios. August Browning describes the basic idea as follows:

  • The idea would be that if you go outside at night and see a full moon, you think, I should play League of Legends now, Aphelios is strong at the moment. I think that’s a really creative way to engage players with the game.

However, the idea did not make it into the actual game. One must not forget that League of Legends is essentially a competitive game, and such mechanics can also diminish the usefulness of a champion.

Nevertheless, Aphelios has become a controversial champion, which recently caused a stir at the MSI:

LoL: 2 champs spoiled the fun for fans at the big tournament – one is a Netflix star

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Twitch
  2. 3DJuegos

Diablo 4: New Update Completely Changes Nightmare Dungeons – Patch Notes for Hotfix 3

In the action RPG Diablo 4, the hotfix 3 for update 1.1.0 was released overnight from July 21 to July 22. Nightmare Dungeons will never be the same again.

What is there to know about the patch? Hotfix 3 was announced on July 21 during the Campfire Talk with the developers. The patch is now live, has brought some bug fixes, and has adjusted the difficulty of Nightmare Dungeons. They are now significantly easier:

  • Monsters in Nightmare Dungeons are now weaker. Nightmare Dungeons at level 100 now correspond more to level 70 before the patch.

Examples:

  • Level 35
    • Health reduced by about 2%
    • Damage reduced by about 1%
  • Level 50
    • Health reduced by about 20%
    • Damage reduced by about 1%
  • Level 70
    • Health reduced by about 60%
    • Damage reduced by about 54%
  • Level 100
    • Health reduced by about 82%
    • Damage reduced by about 79%

Level 100 remains the highest and most difficult level, even if the nerf here is the strongest.

Why these adjustments? This was discussed earlier in the stream. The Nightmare Dungeons are supposed to be replaced by other content that should “test” you. However, it is still unknown when this content will arrive.

Patch 1.1.1 is coming in “the next few weeks” – more information about this is expected on July 28. Another Campfire Talk with the developers is planned for next Friday.

Currently, Season 1 is running in Diablo 4. Here is the trailer:

Start video
Diablo 4: The Official Announcement Trailer for Season 1

What else did the patch bring? In addition to the dungeon adjustments, there were also bug fixes. You can find the English patch notes in the spoiler box:

1.1.0 Hotfix 3 – Bug fixes
  • Fixed an issue where additional Blood Lances from the Gore Quills aspect could sometimes not deal damage.
  • Fixed an issue where the Answers in the Ashes quest could have progression blocked if Varshan was killed before the quest updates to the step to defeat him.
  • Fixed an issue where the dungeons Buried Halls and Endless Gates dungeons were not giving players proper rewards upon completion.
  • Fixed an issue where the Akhan’s Grasp Nightmare Dungeon was not giving players proper rewards upon completion.
  • Fixed an issue where the Moonrage Malignant Power would cause the Wolves power to be unequipped from the action bar.
  • Fixed an issue where the Subterranean Legendary aspect was dealing far less damage than intended.
  • Fixed an issue where the Frozen Terror Malignant Power could also fear the player with it equipped.
  • Fixed an issue where Malignant Hearts could be duplicated when salvaging them, logging out immediately, and logging back in.
  • Fixed an issue where Tier Skips wouldn’t be properly rewarded in certain scenarios.
  • Fixed an issue where Whispers sometimes wouldn’t grant experience on completion.
  • Further stability improvements

If you want to see the English patch notes in the original, you can find them at blizzard.com.

Nightmare Dungeons are significantly easier in Season 1, but there is currently no compensation for the most challenging ordeals. Upcoming updates are also expected to readjust some changes from update 1.1.0, which were not well received by many players.

New information will be available next week during the next Campfire Talk.

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

Twitch millionaire doesn’t know how to wear a Rolex: viewers gossip about the relationship between wealth and IQ

The Canadian streamer xQc became a millionaire on Twitch and bought a diamond-studded Rolex – yet he doesn’t know how to wear it.

Who is this about?

  • Félix “xQc” Lengyel is a Canadian streamer who became a millionaire with Twitch. His career began in 2018 as an Overwatch professional, and he became a star on Twitch by reaching a young audience that identifies with him. He also puts in an enormous amount of hours on Twitch.
  • xQc was among the biggest streamers on Twitch until he switched to Kick in June 2023 for 100 million US dollars.
  • In 2021, a leak about Twitch revealed that xQc earned $648,000 in one month. In May 2023, just one month before his switch to Kick, xQc had around 72,000 active subs on Twitch, which would amount to about $250,000 a month at a 70:30 split.
Start video
From Overwatch professional to number 1 on Twitch to 100 million $ – Who is xQc?

xQc doesn’t know how to wear his Rolex

What’s the deal with the Rolex? xQc bought a Rolex for Christmas in December 2022, which he proudly showed to his viewers during a stream (via YouTube).

Now Asmongold has reacted to a video in which famous streamers are portrayed as classes of an MMO – including xQc:

  • About the Canadian, it is said that he needs “epic gear” to increase his “ability power.”

The video shows a clip of the stream in which xQc presents his Rolex and struggles to wear it. He fights with the clasp of the expensive watch for several seconds. A voiceover in the video says sentences like “I can’t use this yet” or “My level is not high enough to use this.”

Viewers mock xQc: Asmongold is having a great time watching xQc struggle with the clasp of the Rolex. A clip of the scene was eventually uploaded to the YouTube channel “Asmongold Clips.” In the comments on the clip, viewers mock xQc.

One user writes: “I’ve said it before, but xQc has the largest disparity between net worth and IQ in history.” Another user adds: “XQCxQc did not complete the quest ‘What time is it?'”

We embed the YouTube video of Asmongold’s reaction here:

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xQc is known for making questionable financial decisions. He shocked his viewers in August 2022 when he revealed that he had gambled over 680 million US dollars at the online casino Stake.

Furthermore, the streamer bought a car for €300,000, even though he has no driver’s license. He also registered the car in the name of his then-girlfriend Adept, from whom he is now separated.

Twitch streamer without a driver’s license buys a car for €300,000, registers it to girlfriend – Now they have separated

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

Diablo 4: The next patch is supposed to improve the bad aspects of patch 1.1.0, coming in “the next weeks”

The heads of Diablo 4 spoke in a stream about the future of the game. In doing so, there was already a taste of what the upcoming Patch 1.1.1 is supposed to bring, which is already in the works.

What kind of patch is this?

What’s in the patch? The core of Patch 1.1.1 revolves around reversing or at least correcting the partly too harsh nerfs from Season 1. Specifically, the developers promised:

  • Improvements to legendary powers for Sorceresses and Barbarians
  • a higher monster density in Nightmare Dungeons and Hell Tides
  • a new tab for the loot chest, with the adjustment to gems planned only for Season 2
  • the immense costs for a respec will be reduced by about 40%
  • Leveling from level 50-100 should go significantly faster

The patch is supposed to go live “a few days after the Campfire Chat” on July 28, a specific date is still pending. In addition, there will be more patches before Season 2, which the developers have not yet discussed.

Start video
Diablo 4 shows gameplay trailer for Season 1 and some players mock it

Patch notes will come earlier from now on

To prevent chaos like with Patch 1.1.0 from happening again, patch notes are now supposed to be released earlier. According to Community Head Adam Fletcher, the goal is to make all changes public at least a week before the next major patch.

This is intended to better prepare players for what is coming. Whether there will be a full week of lead time for Patch 1.1.1 is still open, as it could also just be a few days.

Additionally, Associate Game Director Joe Piepiora promised that major changes to balance and meta will now be changed at predictable points – for example, at the start of a season. There will no longer be annoying and comprehensive changes in the middle of a season.

In case of doubt, certain builds should simply remain too strong if the developers cannot provide an appropriate alternative. However, if they only restrict fun in favor of balance, they would fail, it is said.

Meanwhile, a major dispute is brewing in the community:

Diablo 4: “Please leave so I can log in”: Critics threaten to boycott Season 1, now facing mockery

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

Diablo 4: “Such a thing will never happen again” Executives apologize for Patch 1.1.0, explain what will improve now

After major criticism of patch 1.1.0 and season 1 in Diablo 4, Blizzard spoke with the community during an emergency stream. There, the executives explained how the patch came about, what improvements are being made now, and promised that something like this will never happen again.

The key points from the stream:

  • Nighmare Dungeons will be nerfed soon: Level 100 should be as hard as Level 70 is now. Instead, new content is coming that is meant to “test” you.
  • If builds are completely OP in the future, they will remain so until alternatives can be designed, rather than being nerfed directly.
  • Significant balance and meta changes should come at obvious times, such as the start of a season. Patch notes should be released at least one week in advance.
  • A patch like patch 1.1.0 should never happen again.

When will the changes come? So far, there are no concrete dates for any of the changes. However, a hotfix is expected to come during the night (German time) that adjusts the Nightmare Dungeons. Patch notes for this will follow.

Moreover, patch 1.1.1 is supposed to be released in “the next few weeks.” More information will be available on Friday, July 28, during the next campfire chat. What we already know will be read shortly on MeinMMO.

The developers also explained during the stream why the changes were made and answered questions from the community. They have already revealed some of their plans for the future.

Start video
Diablo 4: The Official Announcement Trailer for Season 1

“If it’s no longer fun, we have failed”

Associate Game Director Joe Piepiora and Game Director Joe Shely talked in the stream about the reasons for the nerfs in patch 1.1.0, as well as about the changes that are yet to come.

As previously mentioned in one of the earlier talks, the short explanation is: nerfs occur because they are necessary. Vulnerability and reduction of cooldowns were too strong traits that restricted build possibilities. This is precisely what they want to ensure.

The biggest problem here is, that especially strong multipliers lead to immense numbers that can only be reached in this way. However, builds should not work this way; there should always be alternatives.

Nerfs like those of the Sorceress and the Barbarian are not productive in this regard. Fun must be maintained, even with adjustments. Specifically, they stated: if a build is OP, then it should remain so until alternatives can be provided. Only in the case of “game-breaking” issues will they react immediately.

The goal is always to ensure a wide range of builds that players can experiment with. No “mandatory” skills like everything with vulnerability should be necessary. Furthermore, patches should better adjust the dials in the future and be announced early.

Loads of new content for the future

Following the explanations, there was a Q&A with the community. You can watch the full video on YouTube; we have summarized the key points for you here:

  • Leaderboards will come in season 3 with newly created content for that.
  • The notorious Uber Uniques are meant to remain rare but not so rare. The drop rate will be slightly increased at some point, but the idea is that they should not define a build.
  • There will be more tools against control effects from enemies.
  • Leveling will be easier; the required XP from level 50 to 100 will be adjusted, and there will be more opportunities and challenges at world tier 4.
  • Adjustments to some of the most annoying creatures like skeleton archers and charging monsters are coming.
  • Resistances that are currently virtually useless will get an overhaul for season 2.
  • Campaign bosses will come back in some form as opponents, but the developers are not allowed to say how and when yet.
  • It will become easier to find item upgrades and things like loot filters.
  • Crashes and technical problems on PS5 and Xbox will be fixed.
  • New ways to customize and craft equipment will be introduced.
  • Builds focusing on companions will be improved. This concerns druids and necromancers.

There were also questions about features like build loadouts and a group finder. Both are things that the team is discussing repeatedly, but nothing concrete can be said yet. So these features are definitely still far in the future, if they come at all.

Several hotfixes have already been made that reverted changes from patch 1.1.0:

Blizzard nerfs one of the best ways to obtain legendaries too harshly, immediately rolls back

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

Destiny 2: Xur today – location and offer on 21.07.

Today, on 21st July, the path to exotic opportunities opens again in Destiny 2 as the mysterious Agent of the Nine, Xur, has arrived. With his eerie appearance, he promises you Exotic and Legendary gear that will expand your collection and enhance your power in the fight against the darkness. We have captured his offerings for you.

What happened this week in Destiny 2? Before we dive into the mysterious world of Xur, let’s take a brief look back at the events of the past week in Destiny 2.

The free summer event “Solstice” has begun. So there are again glowing armors to earn or purchase. Depending on how much grind you want to invest and whether you still need armor with high stat values.

In addition, there was a general boycott call during the event not to purchase cosmetics in the Destiny 2 shop. This was intended as a statement against Bungie’s “microtransaction hell”. However, some see it critically, as ultimately no one has to buy anything.

More on the topic
Destiny 2: Players call for a boycott of the summer event: – „We want the power back“
von Britta ♤ BeAngel

For those more interested in the story saga of Destiny 2, this week has provided some rewards. In the lore drop mission “Veil Containment” on Neomuna, there were interesting discoveries to make.

In recent weeks, you could play this mission repeatedly to hear voice lines and learn more about the story of the Veil and the experiments with the object. This week, however, it was particularly important information regarding the Lightfall mystery, as you learn what the Veil actually is.

In this cutscene, Bungie has already revealed what Light and Darkness actually are and where the Witness comes from:

Start video
[Spoiler] Destiny 2: This cutscene from Season 21 reveals what the Traveler and the Darkness are

All info on Xur for July 21, 2023 – PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S

Having taken a look at the Destiny week, let’s return to Xur. His location and offerings can sometimes be unpredictable, but one thing is certain: If you are looking for exotic items in Destiny 2, then Xur is the vendor you should visit.

When does Xur come? Xur, the Agent of the Nine, appears in Destiny 2 every Friday at 19:00. His visit ends again on the following Tuesday at 19:00. During this time, all Guardians can purchase exotic items from him.

Where is Xur? This is his stock for the weekend

Xur’s location: Xur likes to hang out in remote places to showcase his Exotics. Where exactly he is each week remains a well-kept secret until the reset at 19:00. However, MeinMMO finds out his location and offerings every Friday and shares them with you.

Here is where Xur is located: In the Tower in the Hangar of the Last City.
Destiny-2 Xur Tower Hangar

Xur’s inventory from July 21 – July 25 – All Exotics at a glance

What does Xur have on offer? Xur’s offerings consist of Exotic and Legendary gear that help Guardians increase their power against the darkness. He always has an Exotic weapon for sale and a piece of gear for each class (Titan, Hunter, and Warlock). It’s worth checking his offerings regularly to perhaps snag a good deal.

This is Xur’s offer for this weekend

Xur’s inventory from July 21 – July 25.

Weapon:  Black Talon – Void Sword for 29 Legendary Shards

Titan: Synthoceps – Gauntlets for 23 Legendary Shards

  • Mobility: +22
  • Resilience: +11
  • Recovery: +3
  • Discipline: +12
  • Intellect: +2
  • Strength: +20
  • Total: 70

Hunter: Lucky Pants – Leg Armor for 23 Legendary Shards

  • Mobility: +11
  • Resilience: +3
  • Recovery: +18
  • Discipline: +11
  • Intellect: +10
  • Strength: +10
  • Total: 63

Warlock: Flee Artist – Arm Armor for 23 Legendary Shards

  • Mobility: +6
  • Resilience: +21
  • Recovery: +8
  • Discipline: +15
  • Intellect: +12
  • Strength: +2
  • Total: 64

Legendary Armor Set: This week Xur is selling the seasonal armor from Season 13, the “Season of the Chosen”, called “Hauer Loyalty Set”.

You can also watch the full offer again in the video from Nexxoss Gaming:

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In addition to the regular offerings, Xur has also been selling unique rolls for Exotics from previously unobtainable exotic missions from past DLCs every week for a few seasons. However, you can only buy these weapons from Xur if you also own the appropriate expansion.

Currently, he has these two weapons on offer:

  • The exotic hand cannon “Chaperone” (Beyond Light DLC) with Moving Target
  • The exotic scout rifle “Redrix’s Broadsword” (Beyond Light DLC) with Snapshot Sights

Trials of Osiris from July 21 – July 25 – Map, Weapons, and Info

trials-start-destiny2-season18-title

After Lord Saladin gave the 14th Saint a round of vacation last week, things are back in action in the Trials, the PvP endgame of Destiny 2. Starting today, July 21, players in Destiny 2 can compete in the 3v3 matches of the Trials or “Trials of Osiris”.

What are the Trials of Osiris?

The Trials of Osiris are a weekly PvP event where teams of three Guardians compete against each other in a tournament-style format to claim victory. This is the endgame in PvP and takes place every weekend. There is only one exception, which is when the Iron Banner event is active. Then the 14th Saint takes a break in favor of Lord Saladin.

What map is up this week? Unlike regular PvP, where maps rotate, in the Osiris Trials, only one specific map is fought on every weekend. Guardians must therefore focus on this special map and adjust their strategy accordingly to succeed in the matches.

The map this week is: Altar of Flames
PvP-Map-altar-of-flames-Flammen-Destiny

If you are interested in playing the Trials with a fixed team, MeinMMO recommends the Callout Maps via Warmind. This way, you can effectively describe to your fireteam where the enemies are on the map, which is useful information for the entire team.

How to get your loot: The Trials of Osiris have a reputation rank system. Your top loot reward from the PvP matches is currently available for:

  • Seven victories
  • 50 rounds
  • the notorious flawless run, which leads you to the Lighthouse

This is the reward for a flawless run: Every week you can also expect a special weapon at the Lighthouse, which you receive for your flawless run, i.e., 7 victories, as a Master version. You can earn the weapon until the upcoming Tuesday, July 25, at 19:00.

As a reward, you always receive an Adept weapon if you make it safely to the Lighthouse.

However, be aware that two weapons will soon leave the Trials pool at the end of Season 21. So if you want the SMG “Unyielding Duty” and the hand cannon “Exalted Truth” in a Godroll and as a Master version, you only have a few weeks left to do so.

  • “Unyielding Duty” will be available for the last time on July 28 as a Master version.
  • “Exalted Truth” can be earned for the last time in its Master version on August 4.
This week’s Adept weapon is: The shotgun “Astral Horizon”

You can focus your Trials engrams at the 14th Saint on your desired weapon. Additionally, there are upgrade prisms and ascendant shards. Remember that your rewards increase further once you have a complete pass – even if you lost one or two matches.

When do the Trials officially start? The Trials of Osiris begin today, July 21, 2023, at 19:00 and end with the weekly reset on July 25, 2023, at 19:00.

Which exotic armor or weapon are you hoping to be able to purchase from Xur this weekend? Or do you not have time for the exotic vendor because you prefer to head to the Lighthouse in the Trials? Let us know in the comments.

But beware: You still need to watch out for this weapon in Destiny 2:

Destiny 2: Despite the nerf, a weapon is still deadly in 0.67 seconds; players complain: ‘Nothing has changed’

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

„Now we only need to buy EA“ – MMORPG legend reflects on part 2 of his masterpiece

Ultima Online is considered, alongside Everquest, the progenitor of modern MMORPGs and was in many ways more open and advanced than the modern theme park MMORPGs that appeared 25 years later. The creator of the masterpiece, Richard Garriott, reflects on a possible sequel.

What kind of game is this?

  • The “Ultima” series was groundbreaking for PC gaming in the 80s. It is the brainchild of Richard Garriott, who appeared in the games as the fictional character “Lord British”. The developer also presented himself as a leading figure of the role-playing series outside the ship.
  • Ultima Online was released in 1997 and was known for its extensive PvP system and an economic system that gave players a lot of freedom. At that time, MMORPGs were uncharted territory, there was nothing to orient oneself to.
  • Today, Ultima Online is considered a progenitor of the MMORPG boom that we have been experiencing since WoW in 2005. Together with Everquest, it stands as one of the two pillars upon which MMORPGs in the West are built. Ultima Online was the first MMORPG to reach 100,000 subscribers, as EA once proudly announced.
Start video
5 old MMORPGs that are still actively played

“Never has there been anything comparable after Ultima Online”

This is what Garriott says now: According to the website Gamesradar , the father of Ultima, Richard Garriott, has been thinking for a few years about the idea of developing a sequel to Ultima Online: It is said that he has internally pitched ideas at EA and publicly announced them on Twitter.

His plan probably includes:

  • To largely maintain the PvP experience from the original game
  • But to make an Ultima Online 2 more accessible through technological innovations

A fan gushed on Twitter on July 19: Ultima Online is the greatest game that ever existed. It had a perfect PvP balance, great skills, and incredible freedom. Nothing comparable has appeared since.

Garriott is immediately on hand and ponders:

“A new Ultima Online, brought up to date, but with pretty much the original rules – and a new Ultima 4/10 for single player … Now we just need to buy EA.”

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“EA abandons Ultima”

What does Garriott think of EA? However, EA, which has owned Ultima for eternity, seems to be the problem. Ultimately, Garriott is disappointed with how EA, which took over Ultima Online in 2004, is treating his masterpiece. From his perspective, it is treated poorly at EA and kept alive by a small team at Broadsword.

When the fan tells him: It feels like you could do more for Ultima Online than EA or Broadsword are currently doing, Garriott replies:

Broadsword is doing the best they can under the circumstances, but EA abandons Ultima.

A similar accusation was made by a former lead developer of Star Wars: The Old Republic against the large gaming publisher: EA has no clue and no interest in MMORPGs.

Marc Jacobs is also not very pleased with EA regarding “MMORPG Warhammer Online”.

If you also consider Anthem, it seems that EA truly does not have a knack for MMOs and MMORPGs.

Ultima Online 2 was announced 24 years ago, discontinued 22 years ago

Were there plans for an Ultima Online 2? Actually, yes. Already in 1999, an Ultima Online 2 was announced that was supposed to bring Steampunk elements. However, the game was discontinued in 2001 due to fears that a sequel could reduce the subscriber numbers of Ultima Online. The MMORPG market suddenly became too tough for EA.

A second planned MMORPG set in the Ultima universe failed due to the closure of Garriott’s company Origin Systems and the dispersal of the development team.

Fairly speaking, it must be said that even Lord British lost a lot of fame and glory after the Ultima era: with his MMORPG project “Shroud of the Avatar,” many lost their faith in the king of MMORPGs. According to Garriott, others were to blame for the bad reputation of his MMORPG:

Shroud of the Avatar: We are the target of an organized hate campaign

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

„This is gambling“ – Twitch streamer opens loot boxes in CS:GO at a wedding

The former star of Fortnite on Twitch, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, has taken up a new hobby like some other streamers: He opens loot boxes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). Even at a wedding, he opens paid loot boxes in a suit using his Steam Deck. This is viewed critically. It is considered a gambling addiction.

What is this trend?

  • In the shooter CS:GO, there are loot boxes that contain weapon skins. These skins are traded for real money. Prices can go up to $150,000. Since it became known that CS:GO will receive a boost with the major update CS2, Twitch streamers have been investing hundreds of thousands of US dollars in loot boxes and opening them live on stream. The viewers watch them do it.
  • In Germany, Twitch streamers like ohnePixel or MontanaBlack are shaping this CS:GO trend, while in the USA, Ninja, TimTheTatman, and even DrDisrespect have caught the fever.
  • But Ninja seems to be taking it too far now. He has already gotten into trouble opening loot boxes under the influence of alcohol and mocking another streamer. Now he is going overboard again.
Start video
Through Fortnite to the largest streamer on Twitch – Who is Ninja and what is he doing today?

The image shows Ninja opening loot boxes at Nadeshot’s wedding

This image went viral: The former head of YouTube Gaming, Ryan Wyatt, shared a photo on Twitter on July 21 showing Ninja opening loot boxes using the Steam Deck.

The photo is from the wedding of e-sport team leader Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag. He owns the fashion-oriented team 100 Thieves and was a former professional in Call of Duty.

Ninja stands there in a suit in a situation where he should actually be having fun, blocking out everything around him and instead opening loot boxes in CS:GO. His friend Cloakzy stands by, astonished.

The photo has already received over 1 million views:

https://twitter.com/Fwiz/status/1682222508278419456

“Even worse than gambling”

How is this being discussed? Mainly negatively. The photo and the practice of case-opening in the live stream are criticized especially because loot boxes are essentially like gambling, and real gambling has been banned in certain casinos on Twitch.

At the same time as the ban on traditional gambling at one-armed bandits, it has become a trend to open loot boxes, for example in Pokémon, FIFA, or now in CS:GO. In the comments, people say:

  • “I think that’s called gambling addiction.”
  • “Cool, let’s all become addicted to gambling. Streamers who showcase that should be treated like streamers who showcase gambling.”
  • “One could even say that’s worse than gambling because it’s about video games.”
  • “The only thing worse is: None of them have cases for their Steam Deck.”

A user says: This is a gambling addiction. They could buy any skin on the market that they want instead of doing this.

Twitch streamers flaunt their wealth, teasing unfortunate DrDisrespect

How do streamers react to this? They don’t seem to care much about the criticism.

TimTheTatman posts a video showing him, Ninja, and Cloakzy sitting in a private jet, opening loot boxes on the Steam Deck and writes, “Our hobby travels with us.”

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Ninja even shares the photo of himself with the astonished Cloakzy. He seems particularly proud that he has found so many valuable “knives” in CS:GO, while DrDisrespect seems to be struggling: he finds nothing.

DrDisrespect fires back as Ninja rubs his success in his face: he should take some more drinks and keep streaming. A reference to the embarrassing incident recently.

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It is noteworthy that DrDisrespect even opens loot boxes. He is actually considered an “old-school gamer,” who rejects such things. In 2019, he had complained about FIFA streamers who do not play but only open boxes.

In Germany, Jan Böhmermann once dealt extensively with the problem of “loot boxes and gambling in gaming:”

But even then, the criticism of Twitch streamers did not reach them at all. Trymacs, who was even shown in the contribution while opening loot boxes, was sure: although Böhmermann shoots against Twitch streamers who promote gambling in the video, he is not talking about him:

Trymacs watches as Böhmermann takes on FIFA 22 and Twitch streamers like him: “He can’t mean me!”

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

A young man works only 20 hours a week, earns an absurd amount of money a year – How did he do that?

A man from Nebraska earned 100,000 euros in just one year with relatively little work. How did he do it?

Our title image is a symbolic image.

Sam Curry is a young man from Nebraska who earned 100,000 euros within a year. And that was with his 20-hour job. What is special about him is that he has a lot of experience in the computer field and looks for security vulnerabilities as a hacker. The BBC reported that he was able to make that much money with relatively little working time.

As a so-called “White Hat Hacker,” he can earn a lot of money, even though the competition is fierce. And the income is enough to easily finance other hobbies, as he explains.

Start video
Amazon presents cute robot – Watch the trailer on how Astro protects your home from bandits

As a “White Hat Hacker,” he earns a lot of money

What does a “White Hat Hacker” do? Although most people probably think of something negative when they hear “hacking,” it is something positive here. Because these hackers do not sell found security vulnerabilities on the dark web or other dubious sites to harm people, but sell them to companies.

Large companies like Google, Facebook (Meta), or Microsoft offer so-called “bounties”: If someone finds a security vulnerability, they report it to the respective company and receive the reward or bounty (in English, bounty) paid out.

Hackers like Sam Curry can earn a lot of money with this, depending on how severe the security vulnerabilities are. For some vulnerabilities, you can get several tens of thousands of euros. This can pay off with three or four vulnerabilities.

He explained in an interview with the BBC that hackers compete with each other for the best “bounties.” However, hackers usually work closely together. The “White Hat Hackers” form a large, global community, and he would know many people in dozens of different countries.

Sam Curry noted in a conversation with bugcrowd.com that the payment is just a bonus for him:

I am financially secure and can spend my time traveling and building side projects that I am personally interested in. I love hacking – the fact that someone pays me for it is just a bonus.

ChatGPT makes bounty hunting easier for many today

What does it look like today? With artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, the field of hackers becomes more complicated in various ways:

  • For some, it is all the easier to develop malware or tools to harm people or to gain access to data.
  • For others, it becomes easier to find errors and security vulnerabilities. A user earned thanks to ChatGPT in one go 40,000 euros.
  • Many companies therefore spend a lot of money to convince hackers to sell the vulnerabilities to them rather than offering them on the dark web or other sites.

For people like Sam Curry, security vulnerabilities are likely still a lucrative job. Other people also earn a lot of money thanks to ChatGPT, but do not hack websites or companies:

A man earns more than 50,000 euros a year thanks to ChatGPT and that because of a simple app

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

Baldur’s Gate 3: 7 Things That Changed Between Early Access and the Final Game

When Baldur’s Gate 3 launches on Steam in August, the role-playing game will bring some changes compared to Early Access. MeinMMO shows you what.

Baldur’s Gate 3 celebrates its full release on August 3rd. The role-playing game has been playable since October 2020 in Early Access, but with the release of the final version, new content will be added.

In addition to pre-made playable characters and new classes, new mercenaries that you can create yourself will be added to the game. There will also be updates for the character editor, a new crafting system, and new story acts (via Steam).

We have created an overview of the changes between Early Access and the final game and summarized it on MeinMMO.

[toc]

Changes for Act 1, Addition of Act 2 and 3

With the full release of the game, Baldur’s Gate 3 will be supplemented by the second and third acts. During Early Access, only the first act was playable.

In a community update from July 12th, the developers also wrote, Act 1 makes up only a quarter of the entire content that will be available at launch.

Additionally, even Act 1 in the final game has 33% more content than at the start of Early Access, as much has been changed or added.

Introduction of “Origin Characters” including the “Dark Urge”

Starting August 3rd, Baldur’s Gate 3 players can play so-called “Origin Characters.” These are pre-made heroes who bring “their own stories, desires, and attitudes towards the world” with them.

If you prefer to play a self-created character instead of a pre-made one, it will also be possible to take the Origin Characters as companions on your journey.

With the introduction of the Origin Characters, additional “The Dark Urge” will be playable, giving you the opportunity to embody an ultimate villain.

Start video
Baldur’s Gate 3: The release teaser for the new role-playing game for PS5 and Steam

Introduction of Hirelings – Mercenaries for your Team

If you are not interested in having the Origin Characters as companions, or if you manage to scare them away somehow, you will have the option to rely on so-called “Hirelings” in the final game. These are mercenaries who can temporarily join your team.

With the full release, you will have 12 Hirelings available for recruitment – one for each class. Each of them has their own name and appearance and can be redesigned at any time.

New Class and Subclasses

In Baldur’s Gate 3, there are 12 classes in the final game, as the Monk is added to the role-playing game, which was not available during Early Access. According to lead writer Adam Smith, the Monk is even the strongest class.

Additionally, Baldur’s Gate 3 promises to bring at least one new subclass for every class introduced during Early Access at the full release of the game. In total, there will be 46 subclasses, of which nearly half are new.

Multiclassing and Respeccing

Baldur’s Gate 3 will allow you to combine classes (“Multiclassing”) or create new ones (“Respeccing”) in the final game.

Through multiclassing, you can shape your class as you wish or as your role-playing requires. A warrior, for example, might be able to cast arcane spells, and rogues can master divine magic.

Through respeccing, or reassigning your skills, you can redesign your build. This is meant to encourage players to try new combinations and experiment. In Early Access, both respeccing and multiclassing were not possible.

Alchemy as Crafting System

The release is supposed to bring a new crafting system with the art of alchemy, allowing you to transform herbs, wild mushrooms, crystals, and monster parts into useful items.

You can then create a variety of extracts with ingredients from the wilderness, which you then combine into potions, poisons, and oils. The final products can ultimately be used to consume or apply to your weapons.

Update for Character Editor

The character creation toolbox is also expected to have evolved compared to the Early Access phase. There are animations that briefly present the different races as well as various options added.

Some of the new options give you the opportunity to freely customize your character regarding body shape, voice, pronouns, and genitals:

Steam: Baldur’s Gate 3 leaves you the choice of which genitals your character should have

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

Chris Evans raved about a scene in Avengers: Endgame, spoiling it for Anthony Mackie

Chris Evans (Captain America) raved to Anthony Mackie (Falcon) about a great scene in Avengers: Endgame. However, his colleague knew nothing about the big plot twist for his character in the film.

Avengers: Endgame is the grand finale surrounding the well-known group of heroes as they engage in battle against the alien supervillain Thanos.

Towards the end of the film, an aged Captain America is seen. It is time for someone else to carry the iconic shield of the hero. Steve Rogers chooses Sam Wilson as his successor, also known as Falcon.

As Chris Evans recounted on The Tonight Show on November 5, 2019, he accidentally spoiled the scene to the actor playing Falcon, Anthony Mackie, even before filming.

Here you can see a trailer for Avengers 4: Endgame:

Start video
German trailer for the Marvel movie „Avengers 4: Endgame“

“You give me the shield?”

Marvel is also cautious with the actors not to reveal too much information about the events in the films, as Evans makes clear in the conversation.

However, the actor had already received the script for an important scene in Avengers: Endgame in advance. The moment when Captain America hands his shield to Falcon. Evans already knew that Mackie was to carry on the legacy of the hero.

Here you can see the YouTube video where Chris Evans tells the story. Jump to 1:25:

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via YouTube

The two actors not only got along well in front of the camera but also behind it. Both filmed in Atlanta, and Evans invited some people over to watch football together.

Mackie was the first guest to arrive. Evans, who thought his colleague already knew about the scene, enthusiastically said:

“Hey man, isn’t this scene fantastic?” And he said, “Which scene?” And I replied, “The… The scene where I give you the shield.”

And he said, “You give me the shield?”

Chris Evans via YouTube

In that moment, Evans realized that Mackie had no idea what was going to happen at the end of Endgame. The actor quickly grabbed the script and handed it to his colleague.

Why fans should no longer cling to Chris Evans as Captain America, our colleagues from Moviepilot explained here.

“I saw him reading the scene for the first time where he receives the shield, and he was so happy that you immediately think: ‘Man, maybe I took this moment away from someone like Kevin Feige… But it was so beautiful to experience this moment,” Evans excitedly recounted in the show.

He found it particularly beautiful that the handover of the title “Captain America” somehow only took place between him and Mackie, similar to the two characters in the film.

Two other actors, however, held a strange competition in their free time:

Hollywood star made a bet with his roommate on who could go the longest without a shower

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

Diablo 4: Season 1 is really bad for players who like to loot, clutters the inventory twice as fast

Yesterday, Season 1 in Diablo 4 started, and soon many players faced a new problem. The products of a new game mechanic clutter the inventory, but we will tell you what you can do about it.

  • With Season 1, a new type of gemstone was introduced: Malevolent Hearts. They are the special game mechanic in Season 1 and are dropped after a hard fight by Malevolent Monsters.
  • You can insert the hearts like gemstones into certain socket slots in amulets and rings, instead of the gemstones you would normally use.
  • Collecting the hearts has shown that it can quickly fill up, because: There are not only 4 different colors, but also different effects that the hearts can have.

You cannot stack the Malevolent Hearts, so they clutter valuable space in the inventory and stash. However, there are a few things you can do so you can continue to collect important loot and not have everything blocked by Malevolent Hearts.

This will remind many of the space problem due to gemstones. There was a trick to save space:

Start video
Diablo 4: With this trick, you save inventory slots

Here’s what you can do:

There are a few ways to create space in your inventory and stash or not waste it at all.

Leave Legendary Items Behind

Yes, you read that correctly. But they are quite valuable at the beginning, right? Correct. And because they are so valuable, there is a delivery service for them in Diablo 4. If you find Legendaries or Uniques, you can comfortably leave them behind because: They will be sent to your stash during loading sequences when leaving areas.

You will find your items in the cities where a stash is available – recognizable by the chest symbol on the map. But be careful, the chest for the delivered legendary items only has 10 slots, so you should empty it from time to time.

Break Down Malevolent Hearts

You can also break down Malevolent Hearts that you do not want to use. This will give you Secret, which you can use to create new hearts or so-called Seekers. You use Seekers to target specific enemies:

Insert Gemstones into Item Sockets

To save space, you can simply insert the gemstones into the empty sockets of the equipment items you want to break down. When breaking down, you will receive the materials of the items as well as the inserted gemstones back.

Alternatively, you can also just leave them behind, or only take the gemstones with higher quality levels.

Don’t Be a ‘Loot Mess’

At the beginning, you start with your season character, with an empty inventory, empty chests, no money, and no materials. Of course, it’s important to gather everything anew to be able to work on your build. Nevertheless, it is not always sensible to take every item.

Experience has shown that you can forgo one or the other piece of equipment. You will still eventually get the materials you need for upgrading.

An upgrade of your equipment is not worth it at the beginning since you will continuously find new, better items. So it’s worth it if you have materials in abundance and want to take the boosts, as well as if you are sure you want to keep the items.

The desire for an extra pouch for gemstones existed before the season; instead, more materials were added. Whether anything will change regarding this remains to be seen.

Tonight at 8 PM, another stream will take place in which the developers will address the adjustments of the season update and the strong criticism that arose along with the patch notes:

Diablo 4 speaks about the poor feedback regarding the patch of Season 1 – New campfire date confirmed

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

Diablo 4: „Please go ahead, so I can log in“: Critics threaten to boycott Season 1, now facing mockery

Diablo 4 received a lot of criticism before the launch of Season 1 regarding the patch notes and endgame content. Social media, forums, and Reddit were filled with negative comments, and there were even calls for a boycott. Then the season started, and the demand was so high that hardly anyone could log in.

What is the boycott about?

This really happened: On July 20, Season 1 started at 7:00 PM German time directly with enormous waiting queues. Players were stuck logging in for over an hour and had to wait for “joining game”.

The influx was so large that the servers buckled under the load. Even those who could log in were greeted with lags and rubberbanding. Exactly the problems that one mainly knows from big AAA releases that everyone is waiting for.

Although some players were annoyed by this, at the moment, the ridicule over those who previously predicted the death of Diablo 4 prevails.

Start video
Diablo 4 shows gameplay trailer for Season 1 and some players mock it

“Best boycott ever, well done, bedwetters!”

The by far largest thread in the subreddit received over 16,000 upvotes and more than 3,100 comments within the first day after the season started. The title: “I thought you all quit? Can you please disappear so I can log in?” Accompanied by a picture of the login queue.

The post follows mockery that exactly those who complain about the state of Diablo 4 are also those who play the most. They would always complain but then still put in another 200 hours into the game.

However, it is important to recognize that the loudest voices do not reflect the community. The user pp21 summarizes:

I wish the super-hardcore and extremely loud D4 players would understand that patch notes are simply unimportant to many people. They just play the game. They don’t follow guides step by step or worry about reaching level 100 faster than others.

This is literally a game about killing demons and upgrading gear to kill stronger demons. That’s all. And people will still do that with Season 1 and patch 1.1.

Amid the cynical comments, there are several such contributions that address where the conflict in the community comes from. Most of those who enjoy the game would simply not visit Reddit. This leads to an accumulation of opinions, which become echoes of the same criticism.

However, Blizzard seems to have been affected by the loud criticism. The developers have already announced that they want to talk extensively about the patch and Season 1:

Diablo 4 discusses the miserable feedback on the patch of Season 1 – New campfire date confirmed

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

69-year-old streamer faces difficult raid in Final Fantasy 14, creator of the series appears in chat, cheers him on

A 69-year-old streamer of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV documented his attempts to master the Anabaseios raid series on YouTube when he was suddenly surprised by the creator of the series.

What was that situation like? The 69-year-old streamer goes by “Pokochii BigMum” on Twitter and primarily streams Final Fantasy XIV on YouTube. In a stream from July 18, he was facing the Anabaseios raids on epic difficulty.

During a brief break between attempts, the Japanese streamer received a surprising visit in their chat: Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, personally stopped by to cheer on the streamer.

Start video
Everything you need to know about the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV – in 2 minutes

Solidarity Among Gaming Veterans

How did the exchange between the two go? The conversation between the streamer and the father of Final Fantasy took place in Japanese, but one doesn’t need to be proficient in the language to hear the disbelief and joy in the voice of the 69-year-old as a simple “Nice to meet you, I am Sakaguchi” appears in his chat.

Afterwards, the just nine years younger Sakaguchi spoke about his own experiences with the raid. He and his group were actually in the same spot as Pokochii and his group. He concluded by saying to the streamer, “Let’s do our best!”

We have embedded the stream here for you. The surprise visit in the chat occurs around 02:31:00.

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After the conversation, the 69-year-old streamer dove into his next attempt with newfound motivation.

Sakaguchi himself mentioned the exchange later on Twitter, potentially dispelling any doubts about the authenticity of the chat visit. Apparently, he had treated himself to a new haircut the same day and was enjoying the nice weather – it makes raiding much better.

While Pokochii at the age of 69 is still actively streaming, other content creators are slowly feeling their age. The LoL streamer Tyler1 hit his limits during a 24-hour stream and promised: He would never do this again.

Twitch: The usually tough LoL tyrant Tyler1 hits his limits – ‘I’m a young 28, but I’m getting too old for this’

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

WoW Guide: How to unlock the secret vendor in Naxxramas

Do you want to earn the Tier 3 set and uncover the secrets of Naxxramas? We will show you how to unlock the secret vendor in World of Warcraft.

With Patch 10.1.5 Rifts in Time, Blizzard has enabled access to a special version of Naxxramas in World of Warcraft. However, gaining access is only the first part of a series of larger secrets. Naxxramas has received many new features – including a hidden vendor. We will tell you how to unlock Zackett Skullshatter as a permanent vendor.

Step 1: Unlock the “old” Naxxramas

To unlock the vendor, you first need to unlock the secret version of Naxxramas. If you haven’t done that yet, here are two guides you can follow. You need to unlock the old Scholomance first and then Naxxramas:

Step 2: Obtain the Holy Water

Now, visit the instance Stratholme. Supply crates can be found all around the dungeon. Many of them are just dummies, but some can be looted and contain “Holy Water from Stratholme.” Make sure you have at least two units of Holy Water in your inventory before leaving the dungeon.

Then head to the old Naxxramas. You can find the entrance in the Eastern Plaguelands at coordinates 38 / 29, if you have successfully unlocked the old Naxxramas.

Step 3: Build the Grappling Hook

You need to collect three items in Naxxramas, which you can find in different locations.

  • Faerlina’s Sewing Kit: This item drops from the boss “Grand Widow Faerlina” in the Spider Wing of the raid.
  • Construction Hook: You can find the hook in the Construct Wing, in the second room. It hangs from one of the large canisters that are set up in the room.
  • Chain of Monstrosity: You can fish this chain from various slime pools throughout Naxxramas. Usually, the first or second cast will yield the chain.

Once you have all three items, you can use them to create an “Improvised Grappling Hook.”

At this container, you will find the construction hook.

Use the grappling hook, which grants all characters on your account the ability to pull themselves towards certain hooks throughout Naxxramas.

Step 4: Find the Vendor

Now go to the Construct Wing in the last room where the boss Thaddius is located. Ideally, take him down right away so he and his two servants do not interfere with the upcoming climbing action.

The climbing part begins when you enter the room, on the left ramp. From here, you can reach the first grappling hook and slowly work your way through the room. Neryssa from wowhead has released a short video that shows the exact way.

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If you did everything correctly, you should now be standing before the corpse of “Zackett Skullshatter.”.

Step 5: Wake the Dead

You can wake the seemingly dead goblin by throwing a Holy Water from Stratholme at him. He will then be quite annoyed but will give you a quest to repay your debt to him. You will need:

  • 20x Plague Stone of the Intruder
  • 5x Plague Stone of the Corruptor
  • 3x Dark Rune
  • 1x Black Coffee

The Plague Stones of the Intruder drop from bosses in Stratholme or Scholomance, as long as you carry the Argent Dawn pin.

The Plague Stones of the Corruptor drop from bosses in Naxxramas.

You can find Dark Runes in the old Scholomance or buy them at the auction house.

Black Coffee is also available at the auction house or from various vendors in Stormwind, Shattrath, or Dazar’alor.

Step 6: Unlock the Vendor

Once you have gathered all the items, you need to return to Zackett Skullshatter. He is still up in Thaddius’ room, and you will need to wake him one more time with the Holy Water to turn in the quest.

You will find Zackett in the inner ring once you have completed his quest.

Once you have done that, the vendor is unlocked – congratulations!

The next time you leave Naxxramas, Zackett will move. From then on, he will always be located in the middle circle of Naxxramas, right at the entrance. Access will therefore be significantly easier in the future.

What does the vendor sell? Zackett Skullshatter has some interesting items for sale. Among them are a toy and a moldy apple, which can unlock a special mount.

Collectors, however, may have their eyes on other items. Zackett also sells “Slime-Covered Scrolls,” which transform into one of 43 different recipes when used to craft old armor or weapons from Naxxramas.

Also interesting are the “Dented” armor pieces he sells. These transform into a random item from Kalimdor or the Eastern Kingdoms when used. In most cases, these are old transmogs of gray, white, green, or blue quality. However, you can also get very lucky and receive one of the “Raw Items” with which you can craft Tier 3 pieces – even though that requires a lot of time and gold.

As currency, Zackett only accepts his own “Death’s Currency” for most items. You can obtain these in exchange for Plague Stones from him.

Plague Stones of the Corruptor can be exchanged 1:1, while Plague Stones of the Intruder can only be exchanged at a rate of 10:1. Since Plague Stones are account-bound, you can simply clear Naxxramas with multiple characters to quickly gather a large amount of them.

Have you already unlocked the secret vendor?

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

Call of Duty 2023 will be presented in a few weeks – 11 leaks you should know about now

The new Call of Duty 2023 will finally get an official name in August and the setting will be revealed. MeinMMO lists the currently known information about the presentation and the most important leaks that are currently circulating through the community.

When is CoD 2023 supposed to be revealed? There is no specific date yet, but it is already certain that the new Call of Duty will be presented sometime during the upcoming Season 5 of Modern Warfare 2. The responsible parties confirmed this on Twitter:

With the presentation of Season 5, there should also be initial information about the “Reveal Event”. The Battle Pass of Season 4 ends on August 9th at 6 PM. Often the information is released in the week before the season starts.

Currently, it is suspected that the “Reveal Event” will proceed like it did with Cold War (2020) and Vanguard (2021). It could lead to a scripted event in Call of Duty: Warzone 2 that gives away some cosmetics and ends with the first trailer of Call of Duty 2023.

Currently, the Mid-Season 4 for CoD MW2 is online. The trailer for Season 4 is here:

Start video
CoD Warzone shows Season 4 with new map in the trailer – Fans are excited: “Probably the best season”

What is already known for sure? Virtually nothing.

We only know that a new, standalone premium CoD will be released this year. For a long time, it was suspected that there would be no full-fledged Call of Duty this year for the first time in nearly 20 years, but rather a comprehensive expansion for the current CoD MW2.

A “small detail” is already known, and CoD 2023 has garnered quite a few goodwill points for the announcement: You can apparently take all cosmetics from CoD MW2 and Warzone 2 with you to the new game.

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What do the leaks say? Some alleged insiders claim to have already taken part in internal tests, and there are some leaks beyond that.

However, keep in mind that these are unconfirmed pieces of information. Things can change during the development process, or the information may simply not be correct:

  • CoD 2023 is called Modern Warfare 3 and is a direct continuation of CoD MW2
  • Classic mini-map is making a return
  • Zombie mode is in the game, resembling the Outbreak mode from Cold War
  • The MW franchise is switching from a green to a red color scheme
  • There are supposed to be many classic multiplayer maps
  • The user interface resembles the current CoD MW2
  • Ninja perk is making a return
  • Perks are to be assigned via equipment pieces (gloves / boots etc.)
  • Sledgehammer Games is responsible for the development
  • War mode from Call of Duty: World War 2 (2017) is making a return
  • The complete schedule
    • Beta from October 6
    • Early access for campaign from November 2
    • Release on November 10

If you have questions about the new Call of Duty 2023, leave a comment. We will share what we already know with you.

Despite constant problems and setbacks with the releases of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, the CoD franchise remains in good shape. One reason for this is extremely loyal players: Court documents reveal that a shocking number of PlayStation players only play Call of Duty

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

Diablo 4: All classes get a cool, new item, but the one for wizards even makes fans feel sick

All classes of Diablo 4 received a new, unique item with Season 1 – a so-called “Unique”. However, the wizard’s item is just nonsense, and some players even feel sick.

What kind of item is this? Unique items in Diablo 4 always come with the same equipment affixes, only the values and thus the strength can change. In addition, they have a special effect that is only available on this item.

With Season 1, every class got a new “Unique”:

  • Barbarians buff core skills with it
  • Druids poison enemies
  • Necros strengthen their bone storm
  • Hunters enhance “Piercing Shot”

And then there are the wizards. Even before the release the staff “The Oculus” was laughed at. Now, this item is considered a meme item, and some players even feel sick while watching.

You can watch the trailer of the Season 1 here:

Start video
Diablo 4: The Official Announcement Trailer for Season 1

What’s up with the staff? On Reddit, user “dreamknoxville” posted a gameplay clip of the staff. The staff causes a random teleport when “Escape” is used. Over 1,000 comments have discussed the topic:

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What do players say about it? Many make fun of the staff, some even see serious problems with the staff. A minority even defends the item.

User “crusainte” jokes: “You complained about stuttering and rubberbanding, so they made a unique item out of it.” To that, another user responds: “True. That looks like a nightmare to me.”

diablo 4 oculus staff
Source: Reddit

Some players also report real issues with watching the clip. User “Logax187” says: “I’m not only an epileptic, I also suffer from Menière’s disease and react sensitively to dizziness triggers. I had to turn off the clip after a few seconds because it made me dizzy.”

In the thread, there are recurring comments indicating that they feel dizzy while watching – how could anyone endure that for several hours, some wonder.

There are also occasional players who find the staff kind of charming. User “superdude4agze” argues that not all items need to be made for the endgame. Some equipment should just be fun. Also, “Smooth_Asparagus_414” writes: “That’s so absurd, I kind of like it.”

Wizards have a tough time in Season 1. Heavy nerfs, mediocre synergy with the season’s mechanics, and the poor unique staff have caused the once popular class to flop at the start of the season.

Which classes are at the top at the start of the new season, you can find out in our tier list: Diablo 4: Tier List for Season 1 – Best Classes and Builds Overview

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

Twitch streamer invested in Blizzard stocks to bring back half-naked women in WoW, makes $261,000 profit

Twitch streamer Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa (29) surprised her fans when she announced that she has invested heavily in shares of the video game giant Activision Blizzard. Although the planned deal between Microsoft and Blizzard is not yet finalized, she has already made a profit of $261,000.

How much money did Amouranth invest in Blizzard shares? The well-known influencer Amouranth drew attention when she announced on March 28, 2022, that she has invested in shares of Activision Blizzard (via Twitter). The purchase included 24,000 shares of the company at a market price of $79.32 per share.

The investment was made in the hope that Microsoft would accept the takeover bid for Activision Blizzard. Thus, Amouranth expected a profit of $340,000.

What does she want to achieve with the shares? Amouranth’s investment is not just about the financial aspect. She hopes for the return of half-naked women in World of Warcraft. Already in September 2021, Blizzard replaced images of half-naked women in the game with paintings of fruit bowls after a sexism scandal.

Amouranth makes a quarter million with Blizzard stocks

Did Amouranth’s plan work out? The Microsoft deal has been delayed, but the effects on the stocks are already noticeable. Originally, it was planned that Microsoft would complete the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by July 19, 2023 – a massive deal worth $69 billion. However, both companies opted for a revised schedule.

The deal is now set to be completed by October 18, 2023. Despite the delayed timeline, Amouranth’s stocks have already performed positively.

The value of one share has now risen to $90.07, meaning Amouranth has already generated a profit of $261,000, as she announced on her personal Twitter account (via Millenium).

It is speculated that the stock price could continue to rise, due to the newly announced title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The release of the shooter is planned for November 2023.

What does Amouranth plan to do with her shares? The influencer announced that she wants to sell half of her shares in Activision Blizzard while the stock is high (via Twitter). With this approach, she aims to secure her profits.

Currently, it remains to be seen how Amouranth’s stocks and the entire acquisition deal will develop in the coming months. However, it is clear that the influencer has made a smart move with her investment in Activision Blizzard. She has also demonstrated her ability to succeed not only in the virtual world but also in the stock market.

What controversial behaviors she exhibits on Twitch can be found here: Twitch bans its biggest streamer: Multi-millionaire enjoys licking microphones

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

FC 24: All 34 PlayStyles at a glance – This is what the new feature can do

In EA Sports FC 24 the new PlayStyles are the big new gameplay feature. We present you all 34 PlayStyles and show what they can do.

What are the PlayStyles of EA Sports FC 24? The PlayStyles are a central new feature of FC 24. They give players special characteristics based on their real-life abilities. Crucial for the assignment of these PlayStyles is the statistics company Opta, which works with EA on this.

The PlayStyles come in 2 variants, with the PlayStyles+ variant offering the greatest improvement.

An example of the assignment of a PlayStyle would be Erling Haaland. The Norwegian has an extremely strong shot, thanks to which he has already scored dozens of goals in real life. And because he has this monster shot, he receives the Power Shot+ PlayStyle in FC 24. This gives Haaland extremely strong shots in the game as well.

Here we show you all 34 PlayStyles and what effects they have. And since there are currently no German terms for the respective PlayStyles, we use the English designations.

EA Sports FC 24: All 34 PlayStyles and what they can do in the list

In this list, we show you all 34 PlayStyles, who gets them, and what the effects on gameplay are.

Power Shot (Attack)

  • Who gets it? Players who are known for trying powerful shots from outside the penalty area.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Power shots are stronger and come with more speed.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Power shots are significantly more powerful and faster.

Dead Ball (Attack)

  • Who gets it? Specialists for set pieces.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Set pieces are faster, have more curve and accuracy. Additionally, the preview of the flight path is longer.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Set pieces are even faster, have significantly more curve and accuracy. The preview line of the flight path is at maximum length.

Chip Shot (Attack)

  • Who gets it? Players known for wanting to score frequently with chip shots.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Chips are faster and have better accuracy.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Chips are significantly faster and with exceptional accuracy.

Finesse Shot (Attack)

  • Who gets it? Players known for trying to place the ball precisely in the goal.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Finesse shots are faster, have additional curve, and improved accuracy.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Finesse shots are significantly faster, with maximum curve and exceptional accuracy.

Power Header (Attack)

  • Who gets it? Players known for scoring headers.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Headers are more powerful and accurate.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Headers are executed with maximum power and accuracy.

Pinged Pass (Passing)

  • Who gets it? Players known for their strong passes into the path of teammates.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Through passes are more precise. Curved passes have more curve, and precise passes reach the target faster.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Through passes are much more precise. Curved passes have maximum curve and precise passes reach the target at top speed.

Incisive Pass (Passing)

  • Who gets it? Players known for playing incisive passes.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Flat passes are faster and do not affect how well the receiver can control it.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Flat passes are much faster and do not affect how well the receiver can control it.

Long Ball Pass (Passing)

  • Who gets it? Players known for their lofted long passes to teammates.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Lob and high passes into the path are faster and harder to intercept.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Lob and high passes into the path are even more accurate, faster than ever, and much harder to intercept.
Start video
5 important improvements in the career mode of EA Sports FC 24

Tiki Taka (Passing)

  • Who gets it? Players who can play fast and accurate short passes.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Difficult flat first-touch ground passes are very accurate. Backheel passes are used when appropriate. And short passes are very accurate.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Difficult flat first-touch ground passes are even more accurate. Backheel passes are used when appropriate. And short passes are exceptionally accurate.

Whipped Pass (Passing)

  • Who gets it? Players known for their powerful crosses into the box.
  • Effect PlayStyle: All crosses are very accurate, fly more precisely, and have more curve.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: All crosses are very accurate, fly more precisely, and have more curve. Curved crosses are also significantly more powerful.

First Touch (Ball Control)

  • Who gets it? Players known for their first-touch ball control in difficult situations.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Less chance of errors in ball control. Can transition to dribbling faster, with more ball control.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Minimal chance of errors in ball control. Can transition to dribbling faster, with more ball control.

Flair (Ball Control)

  • Who gets it? Players who try to play extravagantly with tricks, passes, and shots.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Fancy passes and shots are more precise. Flair animations are activated when appropriate.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Fancy passes and shots are significantly more precise. Flair animations are activated when appropriate.

Press Proven (Ball Control)

  • Who gets it? Players known for being able to hold the ball even while under pressure from opponents.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Tighter ball control while dribbling at low speed. And the ball can be better shielded against stronger opponents while shielding.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Exceptionally tight ball control while dribbling at low speed. And the ball can be even better shielded against stronger opponents while shielding.

Rapid (Ball Control)

  • Who gets it? Players known for utilizing their speed while dribbling.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Higher speed while dribbling and a lower chance of making an error while sprinting or colliding with other players.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Even higher speed while dribbling and a significantly lower chance of making an error while sprinting or colliding with other players.

Technical (Ball Control)

  • Who gets it? Players who trick their opponents by using technical dribbling. Without skill moves or physical contact.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Higher speed while controlled sprinting. And turns while dribbling are more precise.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Even higher speed while controlled sprinting. And turns while dribbling are even more precise.

Trickster (Ball Control)

  • Who gets it? Players known for using skill moves in 1:1 situations.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Allows performing unique flick skill moves.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Allows for even more unique flick skill moves. Makes the player significantly more agile during dribbling.

Block (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for their outstanding tackles.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Greater reach when blocking and a higher chance for a successful block.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Even greater reach when blocking and a higher chance for a successful block.

Bruiser (Defense)

  • Who gets it? A player known for winning the ball through their physicality.
  • Effect PlayStyle: More power in physical tackles.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Significantly more power in physical tackles.

Intercept (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for intercepting the ball and then keeping it.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Increased range for intercepting and a higher chance of retaining possession after an interception.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Even greater range for intercepting and a higher chance of retaining possession after an interception.

Jockey (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Defenders known for being successful in 1vs1 situations.
  • Effect PlayStyle: More speed in jockey defending and faster transition from jockey to sprint.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Maximum speed in jockey defending and even faster transition from jockey to sprint.

Slide Tackle (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for using slide tackles.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Gives the ability to stop the ball immediately after a successful slide tackle.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Larger radius for slide tackles. Gives the ability to stop the ball immediately after a successful slide tackle.

Anticipate (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for frequently winning the ball with a low foul rate.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Better chance to win the ball through normal tackles and have the ball at their feet immediately.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Significantly better chance to win the ball through normal tackles and have the ball at their feet immediately.

Acrobatic (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players who tend to perform acrobatic passes and shots.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Volleys are more precise and there are acrobatic volley animations.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Volleys are even more precise and there are unique acrobatic volley animations.

Aerial (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for winning many aerial duels. In attack or defense.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Can jump higher and has improved physical presence in the jump.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Can jump even higher and has a significantly improved physical presence in the jump.

Trivela (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players who pass, cross, or shoot with the outside of the foot.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Context-based outside foot passes or shots are activated.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Context-based outside foot passes or shots are activated. Errors in outside foot passes are reduced.

Relentless (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for covering a larger area of the field than players in the same position.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Reduces the loss of stamina during the game. Recovers better during halftime.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Significantly reduces the long-term effect of stamina loss on reaction time and defensive awareness. Reduces the loss of stamina during the game. Recovers better during halftime.

Quick Step (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for having an explosive start with and without the ball.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Accelerates faster during explosive sprints.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Accelerates significantly faster during explosive sprints.

Long Throw (Defense)

  • Who gets it? Players known for being able to throw the ball further than average players.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Throws have more power and a larger range.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Throws have significantly more power and maximum range.

This is how PlayStyles work for goalkeepers: For keepers, PlayStyles work a bit differently. According to EA, most goalkeepers exhibit normal AI behavior. The advantages of PlayStyles can almost exclusively be utilized in Clubs (formerly Pro Clubs) and career mode when you control a goalkeeper yourself.

Far Throw (Goalkeeper)

  • This is what the PlayStyle can do: Goalkeepers can target players who are further away for goal kicks.
  • Effect PlayStyle: More range just before the end of the game.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Significantly more range just before the end of the game.

Footwork (Goalkeeper)

  • This is what the PlayStyle can do: Goalkeepers hold balls more often with their legs.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Better reactions and more speed in 1vs1 situations.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Significantly better reactions and more speed in 1vs1 situations.

Cross Claimer (Goalkeeper)

  • This is what the PlayStyle can do: The goalkeeper will try to intercept a cross right before the opponent.
  • Effect PlayStyle: Faster reflexes and reaction speed during an opponent’s set piece.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Significantly faster reflexes and reaction speed during an opponent’s set piece.

Rush Out (Goalkeeper)

  • This is what the PlayStyle can do: Goalkeepers are more aggressive in leaving the penalty area to intercept crosses or through balls.
  • Effect PlayStyle: More speed when rushing out.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Significantly more speed when rushing out.

Far Reach (Goalkeeper)

  • Effect PlayStyle: Players controlling the goalkeeper have more chances to face shots from outside the penalty area due to greater reach and better jumping ability.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Players controlling the goalkeeper have significantly more chances to face shots from outside the penalty area due to enormous reach and even better jumping ability.

Quick Reflexes (Goalkeeper)

  • Effect PlayStyle: Players controlling the goalkeeper have more chances to face shots from inside the penalty area due to better reflexes and reaction speed.
  • Effect PlayStyle+: Players controlling the goalkeeper have significantly more chances to face shots from inside the penalty area due to better reflexes and reaction speed.

What do you think of the new PlayStyles? Are you looking forward to trying them out? Let us know in the comments!

If you want to know more about the details of the gameplay, then check this out:

How EA Sports FC 24 changes gameplay compared to FIFA 23: 8 highlights from the pitch notes

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

Pokémon GO: Guide to the 2nd Community Day Classic with Squirtle in July 2023

On Pokémon GO, on Sunday, July 23, 2023, the Community Day Classic returns with Squirtle. We will show you what contents and bonuses you should pay attention to.

What kind of event is this? As with the regular Community Day, a specific Pokémon is the focus for several hours.

The difference with the Classic variant is that this time it is a Pokémon that has already had a Community Day in the past. So it’s an opportunity for players to catch it if they missed it.

In July 2023, Squirtle is the star of the Community Day Classic. And it also has the cool sunglasses variant with it.

Update: Because there were issues during the first execution of the C-Day with Squirtle on July 9, Niantic is repeating the event now on July 23. The contents of the event remain the same.

When is the Community Day Classic with Squirtle? It starts on Sunday, July 23, 2023, at 2:00 PM local time and runs until 5:00 PM. So you have three hours.

Here we show you how to make the most of the event.

Community Day Classic in July 2023 with Squirtle – Start, Bonuses, Contents

What? Community Day Classic with Squirtle
When? Sunday, July 23, 2023, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time
Pokémon of the Day: Squirtle spawns nearly everywhere in the wild
Exclusive Move: The charge move “Hydro Cannon.” Evolve Wartortle to Blastoise between 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM.
This is included in the C-Day ticket for €1
Bonuses:
– Squirtle with sunglasses from field research tasks
– Eggs hatch four times faster during the event
– Incense and Lures last for 3 hours
– Snapshot surprises
– A special research will also land in the shop, costing one Euro

Who should consider the Community Day Classic with Squirtle?

Squirtle has been catchable many times, it was already available during the 7th anniversary event of Pokémon GO. However, there is still a possibility that you don’t have a Shiny or a strong specimen. Then the Community Day Classic is your chance.

Overall, it is a day for collectors, but it is also useful in battles.

Can Squirtle be Shiny? Yes, you can catch Shiny Squirtle at the C-Day Classic, the chance is increased. Here’s what it looks like:

Pokémon GO Squirtle Family Shiny

Special Squirtle: For collectors, the day is particularly interesting because a Pokémon that hasn’t been catchable for a long time reappears: sunglasses Squirtle.

You can catch and evolve it through field research. If you are really lucky, you might find a Shiny and end up with a shiny sunglasses Blastoise.

Pokemon GO Squirtle Sunglasses

How strong is Squirtle? Squirtle itself doesn’t play a major role; its evolution is significantly more useful as a water attacker – especially with the event move Hydro Cannon.

Well, by now, Blastoise has been surpassed by other Pokémon in terms of the list of best water attackers. However, it has one trump card: mega evolution.

Because Mega Blastoise is still a real top attacker in the water category and also boosts other Pokémon. Mega Blastoise is also well suited for raids.

Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season ‘Hidden Gems’ in the trailer

How to prepare for the Community Day Classic

Bring empty incubators: If you still have eggs hatching, you should make sure that your incubator(s) are empty on Sunday. Then you can choose the eggs during the event and hatch them four times faster.

Other items: Having enough Poké Balls to catch is important. We recommend keeping about 200 to 300 at hand. Additionally, you can use Razz Berries to snag extra candies.

Mega Pokémon for more candies: If you have a suitable mega evolution active, you will get more candies for your catches.

Since Squirtle is a water type, you need a corresponding mega evolution of this type. Recommended are:

  • Mega Blastoise
  • Mega Gyarados
  • Mega Lapras
  • Mega Swampert
  • Primal Kyogre

Make space: Clear space in your Pokémon collection so that you don’t have to send away many Pokémon on Community Day. Use the filter function. With the search term

  • “0*, 1*, 2*”

the game will only show you Pokémon that are less than 2 stars.

Is the Community Day Classic with Squirtle something for you? Let us know in the comments!

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