Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is considered one of the most popular parts of the Star Wars universe. However, there has been much commotion surrounding its successor KOTOR II, which could have a planned version for appeasement.
What happened around KOTOR and its successor? While the release of KOTOR went smoothly without major negative headlines, KOTOR II faced significant criticism. The successor was reportedly released in such a rush that planned content had to be cut.
Accordingly, fans took it upon themselves to release a mod that attempts to restore the missing content as best as possible. The mod’s release was a complete success. On Steam, it achieved 5 out of 5 stars with 15,640 reviews (as of December 9, 2025).
Later, the announcement of a port of KOTOR II for the Nintendo Switch followed on YouTube. Here, the end of the trailer already advertised content from a “restored content DLC”. Fans were certain: These are the originally cut contents.
However, ultimately the Switch port was released without the promised content. A class action lawsuit followed, demanding the contents (to be read on GameStar).
The critical point: Now new court documents have come to light, in which the well-connected journalist Stephen Totilo reveals new information about a glimmer of hope for fans via Game File.
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Star Wars: The Old Republic – “Deceived” Cinematic Trailer
Cancelled DLC for Star Wars could still come
What caused the release failure of the DLC? The lawyers of Disney and Lucasfilm were unsure about copyright issues. It was likely difficult to incorporate the work of the modders into a commercial product without creating precedents for modding rights.
The developer studio wanted to release the DLC but was stopped by the rights holders.
On the other hand, for fans of part 2, it’s exciting: At the beginning of the year, there was a roadmap for a complete remake of KOTOR II. Under the code name Juliet, the project was supposed to release with all content, as noted in a comment by Lucasfilm VP Douglas Reilly:
Juliet was the code name for a project where we wanted to completely remake KOTOR II, with modern graphics, modern gameplay, but keeping the story, the characters, and the overall content of KOTOR II. It was supposed to be a remake for modern hardware and modern machines, with updated graphics and all those things. That was something we discussed with Aspyr.
After the release of KOTOR, whenever it may be, a remake of KOTOR II could also follow, considering all the cut content.
Keep in mind that this information is from March 2025. The roadmap may still have changed internally since then, and projects could even be canceled. It remains to be seen when release dates for the games will be made public.
If the single-player games do not get released, fans of the Star Wars universe still have the MMORPG. Star Wars: The Old Republic is still one of the highest-rated games. In December 2025, it even secured the top position on Steam: The 10 MMORPGs on Steam with the best ratings in December 2025
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A highlight of WoW patch 11.2.7 is still awaiting its release and will be available on December 10, 2025. You can look forward to the comeback of the “Fight Club” from Azeroth, featuring numerous solo challenges.
What is this highlight? As packed as WoW patch 11.2.7 was, there is still one piece of content missing from the update. The Combat Guild will open its doors on December 10, 2025. The homage to the cult film “Fight Club” first appeared with patch 5.1 during Mists of Pandaria and sends you solo into varied boss challenges.
The Combat Guild was only accessible at certain times, and only for players who could obtain an invitation. The last opportunity to participate in arena battles was during the Battle for Azeroth expansion – that’s more than 5 years ago. In the official announcement on blizzard.com, it states:
Return to the fighting ring and prove yourself in duels against new and familiar bosses. Players can sign up again to face these opponents, to climb the ranks, or to witness the spectacle up close.
Locations:
Orgrimmar: Shlae’gararena
Stormwind: Bizmos Boxbar (The Depths)
Additionally, improvements have been made, the boss rotation has been revised, and new bosses have been added. Players can also earn challenge achievements and collect new rewards, including housing decorations, a newly colored mount, and even Bruce in a new color variant.
Another highlight of WoW patch 11.2.7 is the early access to Housing:
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WoW: Early access to housing has started
One of the best contents for solo players
MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz has already spent countless hours in the arena and remembers: When the Combat Guild first opened in Mists of Pandaria, I wanted to see the new solo content especially for the class. Back then, I was still writing for PC Games MMORE, and the numerous boss fights had a lot of guide potential.
In the end, I completed them with several characters, and during the respective comebacks of the Combat Guild during Warlords of Draenor and Legion, I secured the new rewards. The reason is simple: Apart from the Mage Tower from Legion, I see no better WoW content that specifically appeals to solo players.
Kroko Bruce is available in the Combat Guild as an opponent and also as a mount reward.
This is mainly due to the opponents, which become increasingly difficult and have various requirements. Sometimes you need to interrupt at specific moments, and sometimes you need to pay attention to your positioning. In one fight, the sequence in which you defeat your challengers is crucial.
In another duel, you must reenact a variant of the mobile classic “Snake” or stun ghosts with a flashlight – like in the Alan Wake series. I am already excited about what the new bosses of the Combat Guild will bring.
The Combat Guild is also fun because you can observe the attempts of other players. And because in the past, it was quite possible to build a power-fantasy build. I fondly remember my rounds with the Elemental Shaman, who could blast many bosses out of the ring in just a few seconds.
During the announcement trailer for SOL Shogunate, MeinMMO editor Niko was able to ask the CEO and the Game Director of the sci-fi action game some questions about the new title. Even though it involves an alternative sci-fi world, the developers do not want to overlook real scientific concepts.
The focus of SOL Shogunate is supposed to be on action. The game is not intended to be a Soulslike, but rather an action-RPG. When I first saw the trailer, I immediately noticed the mix of styles. There are classic sci-fi elements, but also aspects that you visually associate with feudal Japan.
During the announcement, I was able to speak with Guy Costantini, the CEO of the studio, and Leszek Szczepanski, the Game Director. We discussed not only boss fights and the visual style, but also scientific concepts that have been incorporated.
MeinMMO: After I have seen the trailer, the first question that came to my mind was what is the intention of the gameplay, as it seems to me like a character action game.
And I find that very exciting nowadays because this genre has been pushed out of the mainstream due to Soulslikes. Are you trying to let the player make decisions in combat […] What you do first, who you kill first, or is it more like the style system in games like Devil May Cry, where I have all these tools and can do the coolest or most creative combos.
Leszek Szczepanski: Honestly, that’s a great question, especially because finding a suitable combat system for the game is a central part of our work. We are trying to combine elements from various areas to create something new. I wouldn’t say it’s super new, but at least fresh. The combat relies heavily on multifaceted expressions. We want to provide players with as many tools as possible, all of which are not quite optimal, and then present them with complex problems on the battlefield to see how they move and solve these problems.
SOL Shogunate is therefore more of an action-RPG. While there is a small element concerning player progression, upgrades, weapons, and so forth, we are highly focused on action and fast, agile movements. Regarding combat, we wanted to answer the question: “What does it mean to be a future samurai in space?”
And as we explore this, we find that you want to be someone who moves super fast and in very interesting ways. Therefore, the combat system is heavily focused on melee. […] There is much to discover. You can change the distance to your opponents, attack multiple enemies simultaneously, and use special abilities in combat. We are in a low-gravity environment, so we play a lot with gravity. So, you find yourself often in the air. You fight enemies in the air and pull them down. This brings us back to your original question. We are very much moving towards action-RPG, where we are trying to explore a sort of action-plus version of what one would expect from a combat system here.
Guy Costantini: I believe Leszek often referred to it as a “Movement Slasher.” The reason for that is that we are much more inspired by tactical movements than by the more methodical, reactive play style of a Souls game. We are big fans of Souls games. It’s a long topic, but we believe that there are many people developing great Souls games. Therefore, we leave it to them to advance this genre. And you’re starting to see some really interesting examples from people saying, “Yes, these are really good lessons from this genre, but let’s improve genres that have not been improved in a while. And let’s really fulfill fantasies.” And I think one of the areas we really want to explore, this rich and engaging world, is that we want battles to draw you through this story moment to moment and be really responsive.
[…] It should be well thought out and realistic, not so far into the future that it feels magical. Let’s base it on technology. Let’s make sure there’s a reason why our protagonist has bioceramic skin, making them impervious to radiation, cold, and the temperature fluctuations in space. There’s a reason they have mechanical grippers so they can move quickly in an environment with different gravitational forces. And there’s a reason they also have a sword, as the soul of every samurai is the sword, right? And so, all these puzzle pieces fit together into something that we found to be a really enjoyable sandbox to play in.
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SOL Shogunate shows Samurai action in space in the first trailer
Combat System and Character Progression
MeinMMO: Speaking of sandbox. You’ve written about these elemental infusions for the sword. Do you mean more that you can “use what you want,” or rather that “these enemies” are weak against fire and “those enemies” are weak against another element?
LeszekSzczepanski: Yes, exactly. It’s a combination of both. Regarding the combat system in relation to your enemies, a large part of the logic is that you know all your enemies’ weaknesses. The elements you use are part of those weaknesses, but also various status effects that the enemies are particularly susceptible to. And certain weapons you can use make your enemies especially vulnerable. This way, you can optimize different enemies and figure out which ones you can eliminate the quickest. Part of your understanding of how this process works is part of your progress in the game.
But here’s a complication. The thing is that all these elements do not just constitute a kind of “weakness system”. Each element has a defined status effect it applies. Sometimes, you may want to use an element that is not optimal for a particular enemy because for some reason you want to apply that status effect to that enemy. Also, you can use multiple elements on a weapon. The idea here is that these status effects and elements interact with each other. So, there should also be a kind of relationship matrix. If you apply a certain status effect, for example, fire, to an enemy and then attack them with a toxic element, you get a kind of added effect. Navigating through these kinds of relationships is part of the role-playing component of the game.
Guy Costantini: It’s also about mastering it, because imagine nested weaknesses where something seems impossible at the beginning of the game, but once you master the weaknesses, you can easily obliterate your enemies. So, we wanted to create something that requires very deep mastery but is also heavily based on the “personality of the character.” So, this is a great opportunity to talk about Yuzuki. She is the heir of a powerful family. The family is, spoiler alert, brutally massacred as a premise for the title. And she must find out why this was allowed to happen because they had so much power that they should have been able to take over everything. As a small child, she was saved and had to undergo a very painful transformation process called “Ascension” […].
And this “Ascension” essentially makes you a god among humans, but it also involves a very painful sacrifice, especially for [Yuzuki], as she has to go through it for various reasons that she will discover much earlier than most others. And that grants her this incredible power that you have to reckon with, but it also affects the genetic system. She is able to collect gene splices, which allow her to explore how they can be recombined. And each time you evolve Yuzuki, you go through a different modification process that you wouldn’t go through in another playthrough. We’re not pretending there are no favorites. But there’s going to be a lot to discover when you decide: What kind of space samurai do I want to be? What different ways can I face this “theater of war” in front of me? And then, I think, we’ll be surprised what people come up with to master the various challenges related to the environment and combat we throw at them.
LeszekSzczepanski: The genetic system is pretty much the core of our character development logic. And as Guy already mentioned, the idea is that through battles or exploration you find gene splices. You can then integrate these gene splices into your DNA to gain certain abilities, buffs, or improvements.
With this, we wanted to reflect the narrative aspect of genetic alteration, how it affects the world around Yuzuki. On the other hand, we wanted to create an upgrade system that is not just an upgrade trick. The idea is that, as a player, you don’t really know what’s going to come out of it in the end. You’re meant to explore, discover, and experiment. This is why I mentioned that two playthroughs can actually end differently because you can find different genes, integrate them in different ways, and make different decisions. You’ll probably never see all the possibilities available because we want to build a little randomness into the system to emphasize again and allow players to explore and discover very different gene combinations.
Guy Costantini: I wanted to say, discover your preferences for murder [laughs]. You know, that’s how I see it: like it’s your own music video about murder, […] [because] everything is intertwined with our music, because we particularly enjoy playing a game that is really good at firing up your adrenaline, or we both had our various escapades in the music scene and wanted to really incorporate that into our game development, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself, so I’ll let you continue to ask what else you’d like to know.
MeinMMO: Yes, I have a few questions about the music later. Regarding player expression and different playthroughs: I love replaying action games. Are you working with different difficulty levels or is there only one?
Leszek Szczepanski: Yes, we will offer various difficulty levels for you to play. We want as many people as possible to be able to play the game with a bit of fun. A lot of work is currently going into how exactly we should design those difficulty levels.
Guy Costantini: I think the intention is that you should be challenged, but the difficulty system should be adaptable. We believe that’s quite normal nowadays, but our approach really is that people should feel like they are overcoming a challenge, and not just walkin in the park. We know that different people have different preferences regarding challenges, and we see no reason why we shouldn’t give them the possibility to adjust the slider, so to speak.
MeinMMO: Regarding difficulty: In the press information, you mentioned the boss fights. And you spoke about the music. One of the best moments in the trailer is when the song begins and then the action kicks off. How do you approach the design of boss fights to provide the desired cinematic experience while also creating, as you said, a challenging player experience?
Leszek Szczepanski: So we have two angles, right? One is more mechanical in nature. Essentially, we want boss fights to be puzzles. For example, if you think about Metal Gear Solid, these boss fights often go: “Okay, I need to figure out how to defeat this particular boss.” We are currently delving into this idea. So, the idea is that each boss or each type of epic scene has a trick contained within it, and you need to observe your environment as you engage with that scene or boss fight to gather clues and understand what you need to do, and as you interact with the boss, you must understand what the puzzle is and solve it.
So we are approaching bosses very much from this mechanical perspective. But the other aspect is that we really want them to feel like epic grand events, something that truly blows you away. And in that regard, we are simply trying to imagine what the coolest things are that we can do on the moon in the future, and fortunately, there are plenty of possibilities. I can’t go into detail about what we have planned, but we definitely want you to take a moment after each boss fight and ask yourself: “What the hell did I just experience?” But what you wanted to mention in this context: One of the most important aspects we keep in mind with boss fights is that we are very much trying to make them feel like music videos. Music is a very important part of the game.
And because we’re talking about these epic scenes, it’s impossible to ignore that. The idea is that we want to collaborate with specific Japanese rock bands to compose a special song for each particular scene. And this is how it should work: We aim to synchronize action with music, not in the sense that the player has to do anything rhythmically, but the idea is that the game itself makes sure that the intensity of a certain phase matches the intensity of the music, or that there is a strong beat when, for example, the boss transitions from phase one to phase two, exactly in sync with the music. If, for instance, an enemy roars, the singing comes in. We want all these beautiful vignettes that incorporate visual elements, so all these spectacular scanners, the challenges you’ll have to face, and the soundtrack that should be playing and synchronized with everything at once. I’m trying to describe it as us trying to present the player with an overwhelming cocktail of emotions, and we’re trying to achieve those emotions through imagery, sound, and interactivity. Guy, is there anything else here?
Guy Costantini: It’s a music video where you are the star and fighting against a giant puzzle that wants to kill you. That’s the kind of player fantasy we aim to fulfill. It should feel like you’re really there. And again, as Leszek mentioned earlier, we used to get stuck a lot because we called them music video boss fights. Boss fight suggests something big that wants to kill you. It will feel that way, but it’s more about encounters.
And we say encounters because a boss fight revolves around a single individual. Sometimes you’re fighting things that are much larger and more problematic than a single person. Since we develop the music first, it may happen that you find yourself in an encounter without realizing it. It simply feels like a really atmospheric moment, and before you know it, you’re immersed in this handcrafted puzzle pleasure that we really enjoy. Again, we’re playing a little around when we think of a puzzle. People always think: “I’m going to sit back calmly and think it all through.” However, this is a puzzle that actively tries to kill you. So, you must remain vigilant.
Leszek Szczepanski: The fundamental aspect here is that a good piece of music always tells a story. There’s a beginning, an end, a climax, a resolution – all the things you expect from a story. Even if there’s no singing, there’s always something. A good encounter, a fight, a key scene, a boss fight – all of this always tells a story as well. You want to introduce the challenge, you want to explain the challenge, and you want to increase the difficulty, you want to have a final climax and a resolution, of course with some deviations. We’re trying to ensure that all these processes, all these stories being told at the same time, are perfectly synchronized and tell a single story, but in reality, they will be much larger than the individual elements.
MeinMMO: I mean, if you look at platforms like YouTube, there are tons of videos from action games, and people love to overlay rock music or similar. I think this combination works really well.
Some of the boss fights seem to involve giant robots.
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Where Winds Meet there is a menu that can “delete” your character and let you start over. One affected player is now warning about it.
What kind of menu is this? In Where Winds Meet, there seems to be a problem currently, where a menu opens that can cost you a lot of time and effort. It is still unclear how exactly the menu opens, but it recently happened to a user on Reddit.
He posted a screenshot of the menu on Reddit, showing that the user is asked if he wants to switch his account to another server region (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan). If you press the wrong button here, it can get quite annoying.
This is what our experts say about Where Winds Meet:
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MyMMO in the GameStar Talk: Our MMORPG expert sums up the Chinese RPG Where Winds Meet
A wrong click causes trouble
What happens if you make the wrong decision? If you accidentally press the ESC key to instinctively close the menu, you confirm the switch to the other server region. Your character will not be transferred, and you cannot switch back to him for now.
In this case, you start the game from scratch in the other server region. If the menu appears for you, we advise you to read carefully and use the spacebar to connect to the global server.
If you make the mistake of switching to the other region, it will be quite tedious.
Here you can see the menu:
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How can you get your character back? So far, there is no official way to regain your old character. He is not deleted, but your account will always send you to the Asian server, and you cannot access your old character anymore.
On Reddit there is an unverified guide from us that, according to reports from various users, is supposed to work to regain your account and thus your old character.
If this method does not work for you, the only option is to submit a support ticket to try to return to the global server. However, this may require patience and some waiting time until the support ticket is resolved. Ideally, you should not switch server regions at all.
A user demands that players on Steam must specify their hardware. The demand receives a lot of support. However, some warn that this could expose some users. Here, some suggest a middle ground.
Reviews on Steam for games are an important way for many users to determine whether they really want to buy a game. However, there has long been criticism of the system: superficial one-sentence reviews, meme ratings, or too short playtime.
But especially regarding the fact that games are often criticized for their poor performance, the community now has a proposal: players should be required to specify their PC hardware.
Players should specify their hardware in reviews to make them more valuable
What is the proposal? Players suggest on Reddit that on Steam, reviews should indicate which PC hardware users play and subsequently rate the titles. The argument for this: many users want to be able to differentiate whether a game is really poorly optimized or just stuttering on weak or improperly configured hardware.
If a player then writes “the game does not run on my PC” and it becomes evident that the user’s hardware is significantly below the requirements, then according to users, it can be much better assessed.
For it makes a difference if a game stutters on a PC that clearly falls below the minimum requirements, or on a system that meets or exceeds the recommended specifications, thus placing the responsibility on the developer team.
Who knows that someone with similar hardware writes “runs great” or “doesn’t run at all” can better assess their own situation than with an abstract thumbs-up rating.
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Valve presents the Steam Machine in the new trailer
Players would have to admit they do not own a fast gaming PC
Is there also criticism? An important point is data protection: some users do not want to disclose their exact hardware, as this could lead to conclusions being drawn. Or as a user writes: “Gabe knows anyway that you are poor. But now everyone else knows it too.”
Furthermore, not every player might understand such hardware specifications. For many players, clues to CPU, graphics card, and RAM are likely to cause more confusion than actually help.
Some users therefore recommend a middle ground: Steam should, for example, indicate whether the reviewer’s hardware meets the minimum or recommended requirements to be able to use the title:
A rather middle option would be to indicate whether the reviewer meets (or does not meet) the minimum or recommended requirements to play the game.
This option would at least not expose the user who wants to launch the new Call of Duty on a 10-year-old office PC.
Valve has introduced the Steam Machine as new hardware. But what exactly can we expect? A console, a gaming PC, or something completely different? And can I even play all my games? MyMMO has collected the most important questions for you and tried to answer them: Steam Machine: The most important questions and answers
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The metaverse is Mark Zuckerberg’s dream, he aimed to replace the phone with a virtual reality among other things. But years later, the project is consuming billions of dollars and has yet to achieve its goal.
What is the metaverse? In 2021, Facebook was renamed Meta and the company’s focus shifted to the so-called metaverse. According to Bloomberg, Zuckerberg stated: “We will be the first metaverse, not Facebook.” In practice, it is a VR platform by Meta where people can work, play, and communicate with each other.
Since the beginning of 2021, the project is said to have incurred over 70 billion US dollars in losses, making it one of the largest loss-making endeavors in the tech industry according to Bloomberg.
Problems are reported to be primarily the lack of compelling content, errors in usage, and low user numbers. Even after years of development, the metaverse generally offers according to Fortune only niche content such as Horizon Worlds, a virtual playground. However, even these are not real alternatives to smartphones.
What the N-symbol on your phone means and how you can use the practical function is shown in the following video:
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What does the N symbol on your phone mean?
Budget cuts and layoffs are imminent
What consequences is Mark Zuckerberg considering?According to Bloomberg, budget cuts of 30 percent are on the way, and many employees could be laid off as early as January 2026.
The reduced budget is expected to affect all VR departments including hardware manufacturers of the Oculus Quest headsets, as well as software departments that manage, for example, Horizon Worlds.
Following the announcement, Meta shares rose by about 4 percent last Thursday, December 4, 2025, which could indicate approval from investors (via fortune.com). Investors have noted for years that the metaverse has too high costs without delivering significant results.
Artificial intelligence is in focus
What comes next? Meta does not want to shut down the metaverse, but the company’s resources should be directed to other projects.
Above all, artificial intelligences should be promoted. Investments could flow into the Ray-Ban AI glasses of the company as, according to Zuckerberg, their sales increased threefold last year (via uploadvr.com). However, young people are skeptical of the phone alternative. Many reject these glasses for good reasons.
On Friday, December 12, 2025, the new expansion of Path of Exile 2 will be released. Now the director explains why the new class was so difficult to develop.
What kind of class is this? For months, fans of Path of Exile 2 have been waiting for the new class of the Druid. With the new expansion “The Last of the Druids,” the class finally enters the game. Compared to other characters, it is quite special. In addition to its typical human form, the class can also transform into 3 other beast forms.
The Bear is the slowest but at the same time the most powerful and resilient form. In combat, everything revolves around building and depleting the Rage resource. When the Rage bar is filled, you can unleash it to trigger devastating attacks or ultimate destructive abilities.
In Wolf form, you dominate the battlefield through speed and the use of cold damage. The key here lies in the marking mechanic: each of your attacks marks your opponent. If you kill a marked enemy, a loyal wolf pack will be summoned as a reward to assist you in battle.
The Wyvern offers a versatile mix of melee and ranged combat. You can fly, spit fireballs, or control lightning. The uniqueness of this form is its bizarre resource gain: you must consume corpses to generate so-called Power Charges. These charges are essential as they significantly enhance your subsequent attacks.
So the class is not as simple as some others in the game. Even the director, Jonathan Rogers, revealed how difficult the development was.
Here you can watch the trailer for the new season of Path of Exile:
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Path of Exile 2 zeigt Gameplay zur neuen Druiden-Klasse
Complicated Development
What did the director reveal? At a presentation event for the new season of Path of Exile 2, director Jonathan Rogers answered several questions. He also talked about the difficulties in developing the new class.
He explained in the discussion that the Druid was extremely difficult to develop. He said, “The Druid is like four classes in one; I mean, he has 6-7 skills per form.” The director pointed out that the class can be played both as a hybrid of the human form and beast form, as well as a pure beast class. Therefore, each form has its own skills and was designed to be playable well in the endgame.
Technically, however, it was challenging to develop the class as well. All forms should feel somewhat different but still be playable with WASD and also have a sensible dodge mechanic.
What is WASD control? Unlike many other genre peers, Path of Exile 2 can be played with WASD as movement keys. This allows movement and attacks in different directions. This new control should also be possible with beasts.
What else did the director say? According to Jonathan Rogers, it was also quite challenging to design the werewolf. He said that during development, it felt too much like a man in a wolf costume for too long and required a lot of fine-tuning.
Also, the melee and ranged attacks of the Wyvern were difficult to design. The form needed to maintain a good flow despite the attacks, which the players can enjoy.
With the early access launch on Steam, Ashes of Creation will receive a new feature that triggers major world events at regular intervals on December 11, 2025. You will have several options to utilize the content.
What is this new content about? On December 11, 2025, not only will the early access of Ashes of Creation on Steam start. All versions of the MMORPG will also see the Harbinger update go live. The patch includes the following content:
the namesake Harbinger system, which presents a fresh challenge for PvE and PvP fans – more on that shortly
fishing on the open sea: with ocean exploration and new ship types that can consist of various components (there’s even supposed to be radar)
the Ren’Kai race
Summoner class
world bosses (Scorpion Matriarch and Ancient Raid Boss)
new economic systems
mules
improvements for zones, performance, and the lighting effects in the world
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Ashes of Creation stimmt im Trailer auf Early-Access-Start auf Steam ein
Preview of the Harbinger Events
What is behind the Harbinger system? In Ashes of Creation, the Harbingers (translated: forerunners) are comet-like celestial bodies that served as a bridge between the so-called Void and the material plane (where the world of Verra exists) during an apocalypse.
With these celestial bodies and the influence of the Ancients, a corruption reaches Verra that corrupts and distorts everything it touches. The corruption in a region builds up through the following factors:
players defeating other player characters
settlement buildings are constructed
the level of a settlement increases
boss enemies are defeated
wars or sieges take place
new productions are completed
corrupted elite enemies reach a portal at the Harbinger
Once the corruption in a region reaches a sufficiently high value, an event starts around one of the massive Harbinger constructs in the world, where the corruption unfolds and wishes to spread to other regions.
Here you can see the possible cycle of a Harbinger event:
How does the event work? The developers describe it as a PvEvP event for high-level characters with 3 phases (plus a bonus round) that involves high risk but also promises great rewards (with “the best drops in the game”). Anyone entering the event area is automatically marked for PvP and can be attacked by other players without penalty.
At the same time, it is also about players working together as much as possible to overcome the challenges of the event and the associated enemies.
Phase 1: Defeat enough units of the enemies summoned by the corruption to reach Phase 2.
Phase 2: With the start of this phase, the local Void Gate activates. Three waves of enemies flow from the gate. Once you defeat them, Phase 3 begins.
Phase 3: The local Lord of the Ancients appears, a powerful world boss. When you defeat this enemy, the three entrances to the associated Harbinger structure open.
Bonus round: Through the entrances, you can access three dungeon areas full of enemies which you can exploit for additional loot for 3 hours.
According to the developers, around two to three player groups can effectively explore each dungeon area together. However, due to the active PvP rule, a team could betray you at any time in order to take all the loot for themselves. This is exacerbated by the fact that the three dungeon areas are connected by portals.
On YouTube, the developers recently published a detailed preview of the Harbinger event and its phases in video form. You can watch nearly 45 minutes, starting around minute 7:25:
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What rewards are specifically available? All enemies in the event can drop 3 things:
corrupted materials / resources
upgrading reagent Excoria, which can be used to improve corrupted resources
reagent for cleansing corrupted resources to obtain a resource of your choice
Bosses and named enemies can drop special loot. Additionally, you will find blood chests in the dungeons that are guarded by bosses and contain extra loot.
What happens if the players fail? If no one attends to the spreading corruption or it is not possible to successfully complete the phases, the corruption is supposed to spread in the final version of the Harbinger system and eventually settle in the world.
In such a case, players will have to put in much more effort to destroy the roots of the corruption, close the Void Gate, and defeat the Lord of the Ancients. Until then, corrupted settlements will no longer provide their services, and buildings will sustain damage. In the worst case, this could take several weeks.
What else have the developers revealed? In 2026, they plan to expand the system, for example, with large dungeons that will be located beneath the Harbinger structures. These can only be reached through portals.
What else do I need to know about Ashes of Creation? Ashes of Creation is a sandbox MMORPG set in a fantasy environment that takes place in a vast open world. You fight against world bosses and compete against each other in PvP. Additionally, there will be a system where you level areas, build villages and towns, and change parts of the game world – the so-called “nodes.” Development of the MMORPG began in 2015. You can read more about it here: Release, roadmap, Alpha 2, classes, gameplay, payment model – everything important about the MMORPG Ashes of Creation.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A player has figured out how to earn fast money alone using the crafting system in ARC Raiders, but now the community is worried that the developers might catch on.
How does the trick with the crafting system work? The trick is not an exploit of a bug or a money glitch, but simple “upselling.” Before selling individual parts for coins, one can process them through crafting into something else and more valuable to achieve higher profits.
In this case, it involves creating energy clips, for which you need 1x “Advanced ARC Energy Cell” and 2x batteries.
For 1x Advanced ARC, you would receive 650 coins when sold.
For 2x batteries, 1,000 coins (500 per battery).
If you use these materials, you can create 5 energy clips, for which you will receive 5,000 coins when sold (1,000 per clip).
Profit.
To manufacture the energy clip, besides the mentioned components, you also need the right blueprint, the Equalizer blueprint, which can be found in the harvester.
Start video
ARC Raiders zeigt im Launch-Trailer, wie der Kampf Mensch gegen Maschine aussieht
Players worry that developers might take this method away from them
How effective is the method? The Raider Cryptidsspook explains on Reddit that this is the only method to really earn money through the crafting system. Since he already had some energy cells ready, he spent an undefined but seemingly not very long duration collecting batteries, which ultimately allowed him to generate 500,000 coins.
He adds that you can also get 10 batteries from Celeste in exchange for 50 seeds, which translates to earning 25,000 coins if you have the required energy cells.
What does the community say about this trick? The community on Reddit appreciates this tip, but they wish that the Raider would quickly remove his post:
“Shhh, before [the developers] change the crafting,” says uselesssoftwaredev, and im_naku pleads with the player: “Keep this to yourself before they patch it!”
However, other players are just happy to have finally stumbled upon a method that can help them:
“Thank you for helping the poor,” writes Easy_Shelter_4494, and Glock26s is simply surprised that he has never noticed this in his quite impressive gaming hours before: “I have 370 gaming hours and still learn new things, thank you for that.”
Whether the developers will patch this method remains uncertain. At the time of publication of this article, this method was verified by MeinMMO and it works (still). Perhaps this post could provide your poor Raiders with an opportunity to earn some money simply by diving into crafting. Those who want to continue using this trick should refrain from voluntarily entering ARC Raiders in the near future: ARC Raiders will soon reset your progress if you want, in that case rewards entice
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO a new Spotlight Hour begins on December 9. This time, Schilterus is in focus. Is the event worth it?
When does the Spotlight Hour start? The Spotlight Hour on December 9, 2025 starts at 6:00 PM. The spotlight Pokémon and the bonus will be active until 7:00 PM, after which the normal spawns of the new season “Valuable Paths” will continue.
Which Pokémon is in the spotlight? The Pokémon of the day is called Schilterus! It is a Fossil Pokémon that originally appeared in the Diamond and Pearl games. Schilterus has the Steel and Rock types and can evolve into Bollterus.
What bonus is active? You will receive double catch XP for every Pokémon you catch. This also applies in raids or dynamax battles.
Start video
Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
Is the Spotlight Hour with Schilterus worth it?
How strong is Schilterus? You can largely ignore Schilterus in terms of combat, but its evolution Bollterus is still a good option for the Super League. If you have one with suitable stats for the PvP league, you will need XL candies to get it as close as possible to 1,500 CP. Therefore, you should catch as many specimens as possible.
Can Schilterus be shiny? Yes, Schilterus can be caught as shiny. However, keep in mind that the shiny rate during the spotlight hour is not increased. So you will need a lot of luck to encounter a shiny specimen.
Is the bonus worth it? You primarily need XP to level up. If you are still missing XP for reaching level 80 since the big level update, you can earn some more easily here. Consider using a lucky egg to receive a total of four times the amount of XP.
What’s next in Pokémon GO? This week, you can look forward to the “Battling Thrill” event, where we will not only meet a new Pokémon, but also the Dynamax variants of Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan will be introduced into the game. After that, there will be further dates that you should keep in mind. What are they? You can read about them in our overview of all events in December 2025 in Pokémon GO!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
If you enjoy dark and quirky fantasy films, you should definitely check out the ARD media library and not miss this true genre highlight.
What kind of film is it? The Green Knight is a fantasy film from 2021. It was directed by David Lowery, who is known for works like Elliot the Dragon, A Ghost Story, and Outlaw & Gentleman. For Star Wars, he shot two episodes of the series Skeleton Crew.
Anyone who has seen A Ghost Story knows the idiosyncratic style of the director, characterized by powerful imagery, intense atmosphere, and slow narrative pace. The Green Knight is just such a film.
Start video
Trailer for the atmospheric fantasy film “The Green Knight”
Head off and into the adventure
What is The Green Knight about? The plot and main character are very loosely based on the English tale “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”. The titular knight Gawain is the nephew of the much more famous King Arthur.
Because he lets life and its advantages drift him along, his mother decides that her son should face a challenge. He encounters a green knight in the famous castle Camelot. This knight presents those present with a task: Whoever dares to strike him will receive his axe as a reward.
However: If the green knight survives the attack, he may return the same blow in a year. What must happen, happens. Gawain faces the mysterious figure, beheads him, and believes he has won the challenge. But the green knight suddenly stands up again and places his head back where it belongs.
What follows is Gawain’s journey into the unknown. A year will pass in which he must face numerous trials before he meets the green knight again. His character will be tested above all. And this is where it becomes clear what kind of film The Green Knight is – and what it is not.
What makes the film so good? The Green Knight is not a classic knight film where the protagonist is a shining hero. Gawain is an ambiguous character full of small, human flaws. He knows himself poorly and must discover who he really is or wants to be throughout his adventure.
The real battle, therefore, rages within the protagonist. However, director David Lowery shapes this journey spectacularly: The imagery of the film is all beautiful in its own way and remains memorable for a long time. Some scenes feel surreal, others eerie, and many have symbolic significance. Fans of cryptically told and atmospheric stories like those in Dark Souls will enjoy this film fully.
What you need to know before watching:The Green Knight takes its time. Typical for the director is a slow narrative pace. So if you need an action highlight every few minutes to stay engaged, you should steer clear of The Green Knight. All others who enjoy contemplating their interpretation of a story can currently stream the film easily.
Where can the film be seen? The Green Knight can be seen until December 28, 2025, in the ARD media library. And that, apart from the broadcasting fee, is free of charge. By the way, on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critic rating of 89% based on 331 reviews.
We would be interested to know if you have perhaps already seen the film and what you think about it. Please feel free to share your opinion in the comments. If this has made you curious for more from the genre, you can check out the top films we have compiled in a special list on MeinMMO: These are the 7 best fantasy films of all time via IMDb
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Worlds 2025 of League of Legends took place quite some time ago. Now, the multiple champion Faker briefly talked about his former ADC Gumayusi in an interview, with whom he was able to win the World Championship 3 times in a row.
What is this interview about? During the KeSPA Cup 2025 of League of Legends, the 6-time Worlds champion gave an interview on YouTube. He was asked questions on various topics, including Gumayusi.
One question from the interviewer was whether Faker had a few words for his ex-colleague that he would like to share with him on his new path. The best player of all time is succinct and simply says: Fighting (German: kämpfen).
Start video
The trailer of the new champion of League of Legends showcases his abilities in action
“Fighting” has a specific meaning in Korea
What does Fighting mean? The exact origin of the expression is not known according to nextshark.com, but there is a story that relates to the war between North and South Korea.
South Korea was supported during the war (1950 – 1953) by the United States of America. In the camps of the USA, local residents were recruited for various jobs. Later, it became a habit for the Korean workers to undercut each other, as there was only limited work available.
The constant undercutting of services eventually led to some conflicts among the Korean workers. The American soldiers shouted “Fight! Fight! Fight!” to provoke a fight among the workers.
The shouts of the US soldiers were interpreted by the Koreans as positive encouragement like “Come on!” Nowadays, the expression “Fighting” is often used by fans to cheer for their favorite teams at sporting events.
Besides Faker as a fan of Gumayusi, there are unfortunately also other fans of the Korean ADC who express themselves less positively. For two years, he has been harassed and threatened by a self-proclaimed fan group. This bullying has escalated to the point where a Korean politician has spoken up for Gumayusi: Fans bully and threaten one of the best players in LoL, now a politician speaks out about it
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Bethesda has given its survival MMO Fallout 76 the biggest update in years. Because of this, over 20,000 players are currently playing on Steam, and fans are sure that even more will join once Season 2 of the series is released.
According to SteamDB, the update has brought in over 20,000 peak players – almost double compared to the 12,000 shortly before. The last time the game had this many players was during the Skyline Valley update in June 2024.
With 71% positive reviews, Fallout 76 is currently rated slightly lower than its overall rating (78%), but it is still well received (on Steam).
What’s included in the new update: The highlight of the update is the second map expansion of the game. You can now leave Appalachia via the “Point Pleasant” bridge and visit the rural regions of Ohio. For the first time, the map was expanded with Skyline Valley in June 2024 – also back then with a ghoul gimmick.
Especially interesting for fans of the series is the ghoul from the Fallout show on Amazon, who can now be found as an NPC in Fallout 76. You can take on bounty hunts as a new activity with him, where you must eliminate a strong target in a random area to obtain new items with legendary effects (1-3 stars).
Additionally, there is a new story as well as a new season, new events, and a RAD Rover as a pet for your base. The season mainly offers cosmetic skins for your gear and components for your camp.
Start video
Fallout 76 zeigt den Ghul aus der Serie im neuen Trailer zum Update Burning Springs
“We’ll definitely get a boost when Season 2 drops”
On Reddit, fans are certain that the Fallout series will lead to an influx of players. Already at the launch of the series, nearly 40,000 players were playing solely on Steam, and shortly after that, the number even exceeded 70,000 (according to SteamDB). Additional players are joining from PS5 and Xbox as well as from the older Fallout games. The series apparently has a certain appeal:
“This literally got me into Fallout. I played Vegas, 3, and 4 for the first time this year. Now I’m into Fallout 76. It’s been all Fallout for me this year.”
A player could get to know the game as a newcomer thanks to her healing cleric Dungeons & Dragons for the first time. But now her “friends” forbid her paladin from doing anything other than supporting.
What is the player reporting? The player AccomplishedEvent672 reaches out with a post to the D&D community on Reddit, as she no longer knows how to deal with her problem. She has been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over a year now with the same fate of having to be the designated support character.
At the beginning, she learned how the game works as a cleric, but all the characters that followed had the same task: a wizard of divination magic, a druid, or an artificer who took care of buffs and debuffs and occasionally got to heal.
Now she plays a paladin in the hope that her gaming experience will offer something new besides just support. They are playing in a campaign that involves many undead and she hopes that she can deal a lot of damage with her radiant damage. But her group sees it differently.
She is supposed to stay in the background, buff the group, and not risk going down in combat. That is her task, and the optimal way to play the paladin as a support class, while she would love to just “roll a lot of dice and deal plenty of damage.” The bard of the group, who is also able to learn support spells, has coincidentally also chosen not to, which is why this task now falls to her.
And slowly but surely, she is getting tired of it.
Start video
The trailer for Critical Role’s The Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime shows the first conflicts that the “heroes” have to struggle with
How does the community react to the assumption that her paladin should only be support? The community cannot understand why the paladin of the player is forced into this role, when the paladin can be so much more versatile and can really deal damage. The Player’s Handbook from 2024 describes this ability to deal damage a bit more elegantly as follows:
[The Oath of a Paladin] is a powerful bond. It is a source of power that allows a devoted warrior to become a blessed champion. Paladins practice the skills of combat and master numerous weapons and armors. Nevertheless, their combat skills are surpassed by the magical power they wield: power to heal the wounded, to strike down foes, and to protect the helpless as well as their combat companions. […] Every paladin fights in the cosmic battle against annihilation at the front lines.
– Player’s Handbook, page 132
And this “front line” should not be taken away from the player’s paladin, as other users share on Reddit:
“Just as the bard has the right not to choose healing spells, you as a paladin have the right to stand at the front line,” writes physiX_VG.
“Paladin is the class of striking down! If there is a wrong way to play this class, it is to use it as a healer in the back row! (Although I don’t believe in ‘wrong ways’ to play classes, that’s nonsense),” thinks blauenfir.
“D&D is not an MMO. You do not have to fit into the trio of tank, DPS, and support. The only wrong way to play is to tell other people that they are playing incorrectly,” comments DreadPirate777
What problem does the player have with this task distribution? Supporting the group is not the issue for the player, as she explains to the community:
“I actually enjoy playing support characters! I loved playing a cleric and a wizard. But I’m just tired of being pushed into this role. I want to be a ‘support’ character when I want to, not when others want me to.“
She adds that she does not know if it is relevant, but that she is the only female member of the group. And with this information, the community recognized another problem, which is not only relevant in Dungeons & Dragons but also widespread in many other games: the stereotype of the female player as support, as this role is often seen as easier and less stressful rather than being the shining damage dealer in the spotlight. MeinMMO author Fabienne also shares her own experience with this assumption.
“I started in the late 80s and had to deal with a lot of crap at the gaming table, mostly that my breasts somehow impaired my ability to do math and roll dice,” writes Voice-of-Aeona, another player, “You are not the problem.”
The player shares that she has talked to her group, but the outcome has been rather unsatisfactory. Apologies were made as they didn’t want to force anyone into a role, but the loudest player held firmly to the opinion that her paladin provides the most benefit in the backline.
However, she thanks everyone for the support and kind words from the community. Perhaps her next character will simply be a barbarian, as another user has already suggested. The paladin is, by the way, a class that is perfect for beginners because, contrary to the assumption of her “friends,” it actually cannot be played incorrectly: Here are 5 classes from Dungeons & Dragons that are particularly suitable for beginners
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new MMORPG Aion 2 continues to celebrate its great success about 3 weeks after its launch in Asia. Now the developers reveal how well the MMORPG is really doing.
How is Aion 2 doing? While we in the West still have to wait until the second half of 2026 for the release of Aion 2, the new MMORPG is already available in Korea and Taiwan. Players there can already play the title regularly.
On December 5, the developers of Aion 2 spoke with Money Today MTN in an interview and shared some insights about the current success. The title is reported to be generating over 2.5 billion South Korean won daily. That’s about 1.46 million euros per day. A rather large sum, and the player numbers are impressive as well.
Currently, 180,000 players peak daily in Aion 2 on the Korean server, while on the Taiwanese server about 160,000 players play per day at peak times. However, the developers do not reveal the total number of players. According to the interview, the developers estimate annual revenues of 500 to 600 billion won, which translates to 292 to 351 million euros solely from Aion 2.
Here you can watch the trailer for the game:
Start video
Aion 2: New trailer prepares for the Korean launch of the MMORPG
The title featured various battle passes and subscription tiers that supposedly cost up to 45,– € monthly. The balancing of classes in the game was initially not where it should be. The developers intervened and alleviated the situation somewhat, though many felt it still wasn’t enough.
Another major problem with Aion 2 is the bots in the game. They have been around since week 1 and attempt to create gold using various methods and sell it. Players are still complaining today on Reddit about the bots and note that there is currently a lack of a simple method to report them.
Aion 2 is a major success for publisher NCSoft and currently enjoys high player numbers and revenues. However, the hoped-for changes and adjustments must now follow the good start, such as finding effective ways to deal with bots to maintain the momentum.
Aion 2 is set to be released in the West in the second half of 2026. Until then, the developers want to make further adjustments. The game is to be tailored for the West, after testing what works well and what doesn’t in Asia. You can find out how this is supposed to look here: MMORPG Aion 2 announces release timeframe in the West, but one sentence may hurt fans
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
One Piece is an anime full of pirates. An actor embodying the most famous modern pirate has now received a brilliant gift from the creator of the pirate manga.
What was that situation like? Johnny Depp was a guest at the Tokyo Comic Convention 2025. He stood on stage with Hiroaki Hirata. The Japanese voice actor not only voices Sanji from One Piece but also every role played by Johnny Depp.
He suddenly announces that he wants to present a gift. With his words, it becomes clear that he is presenting a gift from Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece:
I have a good friend who draws a certain manga about pirates.
Shortly thereafter, he arrives with a small attention, where Oda drew a pirate for the first time in his life, embodied by a real person.
Start video
One Piece Film: Strong World – The Trailer for the Anime Movie
Johnny Depp receives a gift about One Piece, only with himself
What kind of gift is that? Hirata presents a blue noren curtain, traditionally used in Japan. He explains that such a curtain would be hung by an artist in front of their dressing room. Painted in white is a version of Jack Sparrow, the protagonist from Pirates of the Caribbean, as portrayed by Johnny Depp.
However, the Jack Sparrow is drawn in a style that could make him appear in One Piece. He wears his distinctive bandana and holds his pistol in hand.
How does Depp react? Johnny Depp says he would prefer to wrap himself in it and steps behind the curtain. The hosts have to ask him to step back in front of the curtain. After that, Depp moves away from his gift, and the hosts again have to ask him to step in front of the curtain to take a photo.
You can watch his reaction here:
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Depp then shows gratitude, shakes Hirata’s hand, and makes jokes with the audience. He thanks his fans and leaves the stage with grateful gestures.
What do fans say about the gift? Many users on Reddit think it’s cool that Oda drew a version of Jack Sparrow. However, they write that Oda may not have given his best effort in drawing the real pirate. They suspect it could be a quick sketch as a nice gesture.
In Pokémon GO, there is a new feature available for a short time. You should especially use this if you want to increase your friendship level.
What kind of feature is this? Since last week, there are finally weekly challenges in Pokémon GO. After a rough start where the feature was removed from the game after just one day, it has now made its final entry into the game.
In addition to some stardust and experience points, there is especially a third reward that is really strong and should not be underestimated.
Start video
Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
One task, 7 hearts
What kind of reward is this? Normally, you can only earn 1 heart per day with your friends to increase the friendship level. This works by, for example, opening a gift from your friend or completing a raid together.
Through the weekly challenges, you can receive a decent bonus of hearts. Currently, you get a total of 7 additional hearts if you successfully complete a weekly challenge.
Why is that so strong? If you want to raise the friendship level to the maximum, you normally need 90 days during which you perform an interaction each day. This is useful if you want to reduce trade costs with your friend, want lucky friends, or need experience points.
For the increase in respective levels of good friends, super friends, hyper friends, and best friends, you receive an additional amount of experience points for each.
With the additional levels from the weekly challenges, you can significantly reduce the 90 days needed for the “best friends” level and thus achieve rewards and bonuses faster.
Can I also participate in weekly challenges alone? Yes. If all your friends are already in groups for weekly challenges, you can open a group alone and complete the challenge. You will not earn additional hearts with your friends, but you can still collect the stardust and experience points.
Also, in the last month of the year, there are again many events waiting for you in the game, bringing you various content. If you want to know what they are and when they take place, feel free to take a look at our overview with all events in December 2025 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A user sends their broken RTX 5090 to the manufacturer, who responds with an invoice for 2,900 euros. The manufacturer ASUS discovered a fracture in the graphics card that can only be seen under a microscope.
A user reports on Reddit that they had to send their graphics card for repair. They stated that their RTX 5090 Astral caused spontaneous black screens and forced their computer to restart.
So, they sent the GPU back to ASUS to request a repair for their graphics card. However, according to the user, ASUS rejected the repair of the graphics card and instead sent them an invoice for 2,900 euros. This was reported by the English-language magazine WCCFTech.com.
Start video
Valve presents the Steam Machine in the new trailer
Damage to graphics card is only visible under the microscope
What exactly is wrong with the graphics card? ASUS found a “surface irregularity” near the PCIe interface that is difficult to see with the naked eye but becomes visible under a microscope.
ASUS reportedly rejected their claim due to “consumer-caused” damage and stated that this GPU could not be repaired. For a replacement, the company now demanded 4,661 Canadian dollars from the user. That is approximately 2,900 euros.
However, the user defends themselves in their thread, explaining that they did everything correctly when installing the graphics card: they used the GPU support that came with the graphics card. However, the user added that they do not know if this irregularity was already present before shipping, as it was not visible to the naked eye.
Basically, it holds true: If the player really caused the damage themselves, then ASUS is right and does not have to repair the damage for free.
Well-known YouTuber already complained about ASUS customer service
The “problems” with ASUS customer service are reportedly not an isolated case. The well-known YouTuber Gamers Nexus also complained about customer service and called the service “absolute trash.” ASUS responded to the allegations, stating that they want to cover certain guarantees.
Linus Tech Tips, another well-known YouTube channel, recently criticized ASUS as well. But here it is not about customer service, but about the lack of transparency regarding the new ROG Ally X. According to Linus, ASUS has never been very productive in addressing criticism or problems with the predecessor: Well-known tech YouTuber explains why he cannot recommend the new ASUS ROG Ally X to anyone
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Last weekend, the annual “Friendly Fire” charity event took place on Twitch. The eleventh edition was live streamed for 12 hours by Gronkh, PietSmiet, and Co., breaking a record in the process.
What kind of event was it? From December 6 to 7, 2025, Friendly Fire 11 took place. This charity event, which has been running for 11 years, collects donations for a good cause every December through a large live stream. It is hosted by content creators Gronkh and PietSmiet, with fisHC0p, DerHeider, PhunkRoyal, MrMoregame, and Pandorya joining in.
While the donation amount does not reach a new high every year, the previous record for direct donations was broken this time.
Gronkh and PietSmiet take turns hosting the event on their respective Twitch channels. You can learn more about Gronkh here:
Start video
Gronkh, the man with the voice – Career and life of Germany’s most famous Let’s Player
Direct donations hit a new record
What record was broken? Just before the end of the live stream on Twitch, the content creators broke their record for direct donations thanks to the viewers’ contributions. This record was previously set in 2021 and has now been surpassed. The new record currently stands at €1,329,222.55, donated by the viewers as of December 8 at 10:00 AM.
In addition to that, there were sales of merchandise items and donations from sponsors, bringing the total donation amount to a provisional result of €1.75 million. Although the live stream has already ended, donations can still be made until December 12, 2025, on betterplace.org, and the merchandise will still be available until then. The final total donation amount is usually announced only after several months when all processes are completed.
The record for direct donations was also broken thanks to the contributions from the participants, who made additional donations just before the end.
What was there to see? As every year, the content creators engaged in a variety of activities. There was again a colorful mix of board games, challenges, penalties for donation goals, and advertisement blocks for sponsors of the event.
A highlight of the live stream was the visit from “Santa Claus,” who distributed gifts to the participants. There were also some fun gifts like vegetables for those who were not so well-behaved. Another highlight was the annual cake, contributed and sponsored by KittyCatCakes. It was designed to look like a card from Anno 117, as the game is this year’s main sponsor of the event. Over the course of the evening, the cake card was covered by a volcanic eruption.
The criticism from last year was also addressed. In the previous edition, there was food waste in a collaboration (via Ingame.de). This time, they replaced the segment with a restaurant run by Peter and Christian from PietSmiet. They had to prepare pizzas for the crew of Friendly Fire, which resembles a typical restaurant game that the content creators would probably otherwise play for a video.
You can catch the whole live stream here:
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Who receives the donations? All donations collected during, before, and after the live stream as part of Friendly Fire 11 are for a good cause. This year, the organizers have again selected 8 associations and organizations to which the donations will go:
Pinkstinks Germany e.V., which educates about sexism, discrimination, and antifeminism, and promotes equal opportunities
As in previous years, donations were also collected for the so-called Friendly Fire Emergency Fund. The event’s own donation fund always reserves a portion of the donations collected to respond quickly and unbureaucratically to crises as they arise. According to the donation page on betterplace.org of Friendly Fire, assistance has been provided directly 20 times in the past. This includes when President Trump suspended humanitarian aid.
Every fan of Superman knows the tense relationship between the Man of Steel and his archenemy Lex Luthor, whether in the movies or comics. A new story from DC now provides the true reason for his hatred.
No matter what the conflicts between them looked like, one question was always exciting: Why does Lex Luthor hate his opponent so much? Sure, he regularly exposes his vile deeds, but can that really be the only reason?
Until now, there was another reason: Lex Luthor believes that Superman intervenes too much in people’s lives. He prevents their mistakes or rectifies them. This way, humanity cannot learn from these mistakes, improve itself, and realize its true potential.
Superman holds people back – thinks Lex Luthor. However, in a new comic, the villain takes a step further and retracts this opinion. His new reason is just as intriguing.
Start video
Superman – Trailer for the new film of the well-known superhero from DC
Is Superman a Coward?
What kind of story is this? DC K.O. #2 is a new comic book that first appeared on November 26, 2025. It revolves around the King Omega tournament of the villain Darkseid.
Famous heroes and villains compete against each other there, trying to advance through several rounds. The candidates must find powerful items and prevent themselves from being eliminated early.
Caution Spoiler: Anyone who wants to read the story themselves and learn the true reason for Lex Luthor’s hatred must stop reading at this point.
Why does Lex Luthor hate his enemy? In one moment, the villain manages to overwhelm Superman. He uses this moment to share his true motives.
He always thought he hated Superman because he does too much for humanity. But now he understands that the opposite is true: Superman does too little.
He could help humanity achieve a better world. But because he believes in the autonomy of humanity, he holds back and leaves progress and development up to them. This frustrates Lex Luthor immensely and has created a deep hatred within him. Just think: How far would humanity be if Superman used all his power for them?
That Superman has no interest in overly intervening in the affairs of the world is also shown in another scene: The participants of the tournament see in a vision how they could freely shape the world in the event of their victory.
Superman saw that too, but rejected the vision of a perfect world shaped by him. He prefers that everything remains as it is. Evil must be fought, but only so that peace can be restored and the status quo reestablished.
For these reasons, Lex Luthor hates the Man of Steel and calls him a coward. The villain claims that people need a leader and presents himself as such. He wants to win the tournament and save the world in this way.
