Nikita Buyanov is Studio Head at Battlestate Games and Game Director of Escape from Tarkov. The hardcore shooter suffers from cheaters, which many players criticize. Now the chief has explained what is being done to combat this plague.
Nikita Buyanov, the head of Escape from Tarkov himself, has now addressed the cheater problems of the hardcore shooter on Reddit (via reddit.com).
After much criticism from players after the last wipe, the chief wanted to clarify what measures the Tarkov team is taking to rid the shooter of cheaters, speed hackers, and nasty cheaters.
Overall, Nikita mentions 5 points, and you can tell that the chief himself has a certain aversion to cheaters. He says, “Report all these bastards” – below you will find the individual points.
If you want to take a look at the latest map Streets of Tarkov first, start the trailer for Patch 0.13:
Start video
Escape from Tarkov – Trailer for Patch 0.13
Tarkov Chief Takes a Stand Against Cheaters
What does Nikita say about the cheater problem? He begins with an assessment and says that there are many people who think that the Escape from Tarkov team is not doing enough to drive cheaters out of the game.
That’s also the reason why he would write these lines. He wants to clarify how high the priority of the cheater problem is and what is being achieved:
1. They are taking care of it
Every day they are working to catch and ban cheaters. The cheater plagues often come in waves – that’s why there are phases in which more cheaters are active in the game.
2. Thousands of cheaters per day
Currently, they ban several thousand cheaters in a day. Many cheaters are caught quickly, playing only a little before they get caught.
3. Battleye Anti-Cheat
It’s a never-ending battle of updates – cheaters versus anti-cheat, who breaks through the other’s defense faster. Just in the week before the Reddit post, they updated the Battleye Anti-Cheat 4 times.
The team is always looking at possible innovations in the fight against cheaters. They are constantly experimenting with new anti-cheat tools to catch cheaters faster and more accurately.
5. Reporting system
Moreover, the reporting system is constantly being developed further. Recently, they introduced a report when a cheater you reported gets kicked from the game.
In conclusion, Nikita makes it clear that they see the worries of the players and truly take them to heart. Finally, a small call to action: “Report all these bastards, we will make the game cleaner together”.
In a game like Escape from Tarkov, cheaters are particularly annoying. Compared to a Battle Royale like Warzone, you lose not only time but also equipment or quest items due to a cheated kill.
A 39-year-old person was arrested in the USA. He had set up a crypto mine in a school and caused several thousand euros in damage.
The police had discovered the crypto mine in a small town near Boston. The janitor had set up this mine in his school.
In December 2021, some suspicious changes were noted during a “routine inspection” of the school, which led the police to the crypto mining station. That was during the time when cryptocurrencies were at their peak, and we gamers had to pay double the MSRP for graphics cards.
The wires and cables all led to the same place, “near the school’s heating room.” During the inspection of the floor, “a cryptocurrency mining operation was discovered that was illegally connected to the school’s electrical system.”
He had used a total of 11 computers and expelled the waste heat outside with pipes and fans.
Perpetrator was caught, among other things, due to high electricity costs
The high electricity price was, by the way, the downfall of the 39-year-old. The school received electricity bills of around 17,500 dollars, which caught attention. In the end, not only the local police but also the US Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security were involved in tracking down the perpetrator.
Initially, the accused pleaded “not guilty.” However, after the police discovered his setup, the situation looked different, and he stepped down from his position.
Is mining still worth it? In 2023, mining is no longer as worthwhile as it was a year ago. At that time, Bitcoin was still valued at over 40,000 dollars, reaching a record high. As of now (February 2023), the value is around 20,000 dollars, having halved. Many miners therefore sold their equipment at a bargain price when the price started to fall.
The price had at least recovered from the December low (14,000 dollars). However, some companies are now looking for better alternatives outside of cryptocurrencies to limit their losses:
Warlocks in World of Warcraft will soon be able to secure one of the simplest yet most exciting staffs.
Although the trading post in World of Warcraft brings very few tasks, the feature has gained quite a popularity after just one month. Players are looking forward to what will soon be available at the trading post and what new transmog options there will be.
Fans of the meanest warlock of all time, Gul’dan, will soon get their chance. Because a very special weapon is likely to be part of the trading post.
What kind of staff is this? It is a staff that everyone in World of Warcraft has probably seen at least once, and some warlocks may have envied and thought: “How do I get this transmog?” We’re talking about Gul’dan’s staff. It looks relatively simple and does not come with much “bling” that many other staff transmogs have.
Instead, it is simply a gnarled walking stick that is infused with a bit of green fel magic. Gul’dan carries this staff in almost all the cinematics in which he appears.
The colleagues from wowhead have already extracted the “Replica of Gul’dan’s Staff” from the game data:
Even though the staff is primarily suitable for warlocks who want to wear a “dark” set, all other staff wielders can also use the transmog – unless Blizzard makes any changes before the release of patch 10.0.7.
How to obtain the staff? As of now, Gul’dan’s staff can be earned through the trading post . If there are no changes, the staff will eventually be available at the trading post – which month that will be is still unclear. We will report on it then.
You unlock items in the trading post as a subscriber through dealer currencies, which you can earn each month by completing a series of simple tasks.
Has there been something like this before? No, only in a modified form. Back then, at the launch of the Warcraft movie, all fans could receive a set of cosmetic weapons that was only available during the showing of the film. Included was a weapon from Gul’dan, which however resembles the film variant much more than the one used by the orcish warlock in World of Warcraft.
If you want to be the meanest warlock of all time soon – hope that the staff appears at the trading post very soon.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, players always need gold in Guild Wars 2. To ensure you don’t run out of currency, we have selected the best methods to farm gold in 2023.
Farming gold in Guild Wars 2: Gold is the central currency in Guild Wars 2. You need it for legendary weapons, for the associated professions, for new equipment, or for content from the Gem Store. With our tips, you can easily increase your wealth.
For each method, we will indicate what expansions or episodes of the Living World you need:
If the base game is enough, a (Core) will appear after the method
If the expansion Heart of Thorns is required, a (HoT) will appear after the method
If the expansion Path of Fire is required, a (PoF) will appear after the method
If the expansion End of Dragons is required, a (EoD) will appear after the method
For episodes of the Living World, we will use an abbreviation for season and episode, for example Living World Season 3 Episode 5 (LW3E5)
It is important that Living World Season 3 automatically requires HoT and Living World Seasons 4 and 5 always require PoF
The first page contains only the “Core” content. On page 2, expansions will be needed.
The guide was updated on February 27, 2023, and adjusted to current methods.
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Daily Tasks and Login Rewards (Core)
Collecting gold begins as soon as you log into the game. Every day, you passively unlock a login reward. However, there is also a lot of money in the other daily tasks.
Login Rewards: There are a total of 28 login rewards that you can automatically unlock. After that, the reward path repeats. In the end, there is a chest of loyalty from which you can win 20 laurels among other things.
These laurels can be most effectively exchanged for crafting bags. Currently, you get the most currency for a light crafting bag with just under 56 silver. You can track the current value of items on GW2Efficiency.
For the last chest, you get 11 gold already. But many rewards await you even before that. For example, you will receive 35 laurels spread across the other days. There are also 20 mystic coins, each worth 1.2 gold. In a 28-day run, you can make about 60 gold from the rewards.
Yield: So you earn about 2.2 gold per day passively.
Daily Achievements: Through the daily achievements, you can actively earn a little gold per day. All you need to do is complete three of the changing twelve tasks, which are divided into four PvE, four PvP, and four WvW achievements.
The PvE achievements are usually simple. You generally just need to look at a panorama/viewpoint in a specific region of the game and gather materials in another region. The third task usually asks you to complete events in yet another region.
Yield: By completing three daily achievements, you earn 2 gold.
Daily Treasure Hunter: In 2018, ArenaNet added a new category for underwater combat. For the daily treasure hunter, you only need to defeat 10 Krait per day. These can be found, for example, in the Kessex Hills, in the northeastern part of the Caledon Forest, or in the water at Maelstrom’s Peak.
For defeating the Krait, you receive a key for a chest. There are a total of ten different chests, although this is only relevant for the corresponding achievement. Theoretically, you can open the same chest every day. By opening, you receive two to four swimming speed infusions.
Yield: You can sell the swimming speed infusions for about 21 silver each.
Simple chests can be found, for example, in the Gendarran Fields or the Kessex Hills:
Daily Crafting: If you already have a profession at level 500, you can also use daily crafting to earn gold. There, you can craft ascended crafting materials once per day.
These include Deldrimor Steel Bars, Spiritwood Planks, Silk Bolts, and Elonian Leather Patches. Not every one of these items directly yields profit when reselling, as you pay a 15% trading post fee. How much profit you actually make depends on the market situation.
Of course, you will need materials for crafting that you must gather beforehand. However, since crafting the aforementioned items is only possible once per day, we count this as a method.
Yield: Currently (in February 2023), this method is not as lucrative as before. With Deldrimor Steel Bars, you currently make 75 silver profit, and with Elonian Leather Patches, 70 silver. With Spiritwood Planks, you even incur a loss due to the trading post fee.
Fractals (Core)
The fractals are considered endgame content in the highest tiers of Guild Wars 2 and allow you to farm a lot of gold per day. There are two lucrative variants: daily achievements and completing the challenge modes.
Daily Achievements: By completing certain daily changing fractals, you receive additional rewards. You will earn Fractal Encryptions and Agony Infusions. The Encryptions are chests that you can either open yourself or sell for 21 silver each. Here opinions differ on what is more effective.
For all daily achievements, you earn between 24 and 32 of these Encryptions, which equals up to 6.5 gold when sold. Additionally, you receive a lot of other rewards, a chance for Mystic Coins, and of course, loot from the fractals themselves.
Yield: Overall, with this method, you can earn at least 25 gold per day. The duration of the method strongly depends on the group, as do the “earnings per hour”.
Completing the Challenge Modes: The fractals at levels 98, 99, and 100 offer you additional rewards when completed in challenge mode. There you can earn 1-3 Mystic Coins and additional Fractal Relics, which can be converted into gold.
Yield: The battles in challenge mode are relatively challenging. The duration and profit of the method strongly depend on the group. Typically, one speaks of around 15-25 gold per hour.
The Silverwaste was introduced in 2014 and has since become the place where the most gold is farmed. There are several reasons for this:
The map has a very high event density
The meta event gives good end rewards
There are buried chests in between as additional rewards
The map contains a buff on Magical Sensitivity
The events are not time-bound
In the meantime, the “RIBA” method has particularly prevailed.
What is RIBA? RIBA stands for Red, Indigo, Blue, and Amber, the four fortresses of the map. Instead of splitting up to quickly complete the meta event, here you work as a zerg.
This way, you collectively conquer, defend, and repair all fortresses again and again. Thus, you experience all events and get correspondingly many rewards. In the meantime, the chests are opened.
Once you have completed the phase with the fortresses, the meta event ends. After that, you still collaboratively defeat all champions on the map and open the chest hidden beneath the desert.
If you join a squad as a beginner and follow along, you can hardly go wrong.
Champion Bags: To increase your profits in the Silverwaste, you should open the obtained Champion bags with a character at level 49-53. This way, the contained items will also be adjusted to that level.
The materials you receive from recycling in this level range are the most valuable because they are often needed. However, players’ characters rarely stay in the level range of 49-53. In contrast, materials of level 80 are plentiful.
Yield: Depending on the pass and luck, you can earn up to 20 gold and some bandit emblems per hour.
Tequatl (Core)
How do I earn gold through Tequatl? The world boss Tequatl appears several times a day and is usually defeated in about 10 minutes. In return, there are several chests containing karma and trophies worth 2 gold.
In addition, you have the chance to obtain specific skins and even an ascended greatsword, which can save you the crafting costs.
Yield: At least 2 gold and karma, which can be converted back into gold.
Exchanging Currencies (Core)
Which currencies can I earn gold with? In Guild Wars 2, you accumulate more and more currencies over time. Many of them can be exchanged for gold, including:
Dungeon Tokens – Up to 10 silver per token
Spirit Shards – Up to 2.5 gold per shard when crafting the trinket
Karma – Up to 12 silver per 1,000 karma
Honor Badges – Up to 58 copper per badge
Guild Commendations – Up to 30 silver per commendation
Black Lion Weapon Tickets – Up to 26 gold per ticket
Laurels – Up to 42 silver per laurel
The yields vary greatly, so we again recommend GW2Efficiency. There you can always see the currently best methods and how much you can earn from them.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Herbology and Mining fans in World of Warcraft will soon be getting even more gold. A great change will soon provide a rare and valuable resource.
With Dragonflight, Blizzard introduced an extensive specialization system for all professions. However, not every specialization feels good for every profession. Specifically, miners and herbalists have a specialization that causes many to scratch their heads in confusion. Portals for going back and forth are great in theory, but they actually offer very little.
What is the problem? It concerns the specialization “Titan-Touched,” which can be found in both Herbalism and Mining under “Mastery of the Elements.” Currently, fully skilled in this specialization causes a portal to appear when overloading a titan-touched plant or titan-touched ore, which leads to the next ore or plant and can then also be used for the return trip.
However, this is neither very interesting nor useful. Because those who are farming herbs or ores want to move on to the next spot after gathering resources and not be teleported back. The ability was therefore quite useless and very disappointing for a finishing talent of a specialization.
What will change? With Patch 10.0.7, the final talent of this specialization will be altered. When you overload a titan-touched resource node, there will now be a chance to receive a Glowing Titan Sphere! This is a relatively rare resource that has previously only been reliably obtained from some elite enemies. The sphere is needed for some of the best enchantments and a few jeweler recipes and is therefore highly sought after.
What does this mean for the glowing Titan Spheres? So far, glowing Titan Spheres are among the most expensive reagents for enchantments and a few other recipes. While the price at the start of the expansion was still in the mid four-digit range, it has now dropped to around 600 to 700 gold. With Patch 10.0.7, the price is likely to drop even further due to the change. So, anyone wanting to turn their Titan Spheres into gold should do so soon – as the market could soon be flooded with them.
What do you think of this change?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Last week, New World announced a new season system. It includes a free and a paid pass. Both are intended to contain equipment items, materials, and boosters. We at MeinMMO are looking into what exactly is included.
What is the pass all about? New World is set to start a new season every 3 months. With this season, there will be two passes – one free and one paid, costing 20,000 luck coins, which is equivalent to exactly 19.50 euros.
Each pass contains 100 levels. You will also receive the rewards from the premium pass retroactively if you purchase it later.
You increase the levels in the pass by collecting seasonal XP. You earn this by completing special tasks during a season, but also through faction missions, city quests, dungeons, and PvP. In addition, a so-called stamp card will be introduced. On this card, you will find various daily tasks that you can “stamp off”.
When do the seasons start? The first season will start on March 28th. However, you can already check out the pass on the test server.
Premium Pass offers Legendary Items, Shadow Shards, and Luck Coins
What is included in the Premium Pass? Right at the start, you will receive a useful reward. Level 1 gives you a legendary weapon, a legendary armor piece, and a legendary piece of jewelry. However, the attributes on them are random. For example, we received a bow with Dexterity, gloves with Constitution, and a ring also with Constitution on the test server.
The “Welcome Reward” right at the start.
The received items were okay, but they are definitely not “best in slot”. Additionally, there were immediately 5 boosters for seasonal XP, weapon XP, gathering XP, area XP, and skill enhancement. The latter provides a 10% increase in yield for gathering professions like logging or mining, while all others grant double experience points for the respective aspect.
The next levels are somewhat more harmless. They include:
A random skin from the dungeon Stormwind
New emotes
Colors
New company emblems
Skins for gathering tools and tents
1,000 luck coins, which you can theoretically use to buy the next season pass at a lower price. Overall, you will receive a total of 5,000 luck coins in the pass – so 1/4 of the price back.
At level 10, it will get tricky again. Here you receive a weapon selection chest, which guarantees weapons with fixed attributes – namely Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, or Focus. One of them is also guaranteed to be legendary.
Further chests containing dungeon skins, a legendary piece of jewelry with stats, and later also a legendary armor with stats will follow. At level 17, there are also 3,000 coins in cash in hand. In total, the pass contains 12,000 coins, which takes several hours of farming.
The pass includes 10 flame cores and 5 gypsum orbs. Those who complete the entire pass receive a total of 30 flame cores and 25 gypsum orbs. Materials in the form of an elemental quintessence and vials with resting Azoth are also included.
In the next levels of the pass, further skins, chests with legendary weapons, armor pieces, and pieces of jewelry, as well as a box with 3 flawless cut gemstones will follow. Additional boosters are also included.
The last 10 levels of the pass also bring big reward chests with equipment from the mutated dungeons. The final reward at level 100 is not yet visible on the test server.
The last rewards from levels 91 to 99.
The free pass offers significantly less
What does the free pass include? Significantly less. To welcome you, there are 1,000 shadow shards, 1 gypsum orb, and a random named weapon. However, this does not necessarily have to be legendary.
Overall, the free pass offers:
4,000 shadow shards
8,500 gold
2,500 luck coins
31 gypsum orbs
10 flame cores
Several chests with a chance (!) at legendary weapons and armor
Healing potions
Vials with Azoth
Boosters
Some new skins
Start video
5 Tips if you want to start with New World in 2023
The Premium Pass can be defined as Pay2Win, but it doesn’t have to be
Is the Premium Pass Pay2Win? It depends on your own definition. The pass provides some items that save you time, such as gypsum orbs, shadow shards, and boosters. In addition, you receive coins and materials that you would otherwise have to farm in the game. It is thus a great help and certainly saves you a double-digit number of hours of farming time.
However, with this pass, you can only catch up to “veterans”. Because nothing in the pass makes you stronger than active players already are – like boosters for more strength or higher item levels.
Most will have already leveled their weapons and professions to max level and also brought their equipment to 625. Many also value perfect stats, for example, through perks tailored to their weapon. The equipment in the pass only has these with a lot of luck. It is good for the transition, but in PvE and PvP, it falls short against perfect stats.
Furthermore, the shadow shards are by no means enough to upgrade the gear to level 625. You will still need to farm.
Nevertheless, the pass is debatable. Especially materials, coins, and legendary equipment are very useful for newcomers. Had it been limited to gypsum, shadow shards, skins, emotes, and colors, the outcry would surely have been smaller.
What do you think about the pass? Do you consider the content to be Pay2Win? Feel free to write it in the comments.
If you are looking for another MMORPG besides New World, you will surely find it in this list:
Sons of the Forest was the most requested game on Steam and is finally out. After a long wait, we now know the price. But how much does the survival title cost?
What kind of game is this? Sons of the Forest is a survival game developed by Endnight Games that was originally scheduled to be released in May 2022. However, the studio postponed the release date multiple times, first to October 2022 and then to February 23, 2023.
What is Sons of the Forest about? In the story of Sons of the Forest, you must find a missing billionaire on a remote island – the same island where you fought for your survival in the first part. As in The Forest, the island is also dotted with mutated creatures and cannibals that are trying to take your life.
Start video
Sons of the Forest is the most awaited survival game on Steam – All information in 2 minutes
Sons of the Forest focuses on survival gameplay
What do you get for the price? Sons of the Forest features genre-typical gameplay elements. You can gather resources and build a base that is supposed to protect you from the dangers of the island.
In the fight against these dangers, you have access to pistols, axes, stun rods, and other things. Just like your fellow players, because Sons of the Forest is playable cooperatively.
A new feature of the survival game, which did not exist in the predecessor, is the changing seasons. These require you to have a certain foresight while playing because the conditions on the island change with the seasons, making certain food sources better or worse.
All Spotlight Hours in February 2023 at Pokémon GO in overview. We show you all Pokémon, bonuses, and times and explain which Shinies you can find and if the events are worth it.
What are these events? Every Tuesday evening from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time, a Spotlight Hour takes place in Pokémon GO. During this time, a Pokémon is in focus, which appears almost everywhere in the wild. Niantic usually announces all the Pokémon that will be featured in the events in the coming weeks before the start of a new month.
The bonuses include more Stardust, more XP, or more Candy. Here we show you an overview of all Pokémon and bonuses for the Spotlight Hours in February 2023.
All Dates of the Spotlight Hours in February 2023
These are the dates: In the short February, you can expect four Spotlight Hours. The events will feature the following Pokémon and bonuses:
Pokémon marked with a star (*) can be caught as Shiny
Spotlight Hour on February 7
Which Pokémon? In the first Spotlight Hour in February 2023, you will encounter the Pokémon Pidgey from the first generation. It belongs to the Normal and Flying types and can evolve into Pidgeotto and Pidgeot.
What bonuses do you get? For evolving Pokémon, you receive double the amount of experience points.
Who is it worth for? Pidgeot is a strong attacker in the Great and Ultra League in PvP battles. If you like to battle there, it’s worth securing a strong specimen. Mega Pidgeot is also a good attacker in raids. So, it doesn’t hurt to collect strong specimens and Candy for Pidgey. If you want, you can also gather additional XP for evolving.
Can you catch Shiny Pidgey? Yes, the shiny version of Pidgey has been available in Pokémon GO for a long time. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny.
Start video
Pokémon GO: Finding Rocket Bosses – How to Collect the Rocket Radar and Track Them Down
Spotlight Hour on February 14
Which Pokémon? The second Spotlight Hour in February features the Psychic and Flying-type Pokémon Trubbish. It comes from the fifth generation and can evolve into Tranquill.
What bonuses do you get? For catching Pokémon, you receive double the amount of Stardust.
Who is it worth for? Neither Trubbish nor Tranquill are particularly strong attackers to mention in PvP or raids. However, the Stardust bonus is welcome, and therefore it’s worth participating.
Can you catch Shiny Trubbish? Yes, you can catch shiny Trubbish in Pokémon GO if you’re lucky.
Spotlight Hour on February 21
Which Pokémon? The third Spotlight Hour in February brings you many encounters with Jigglypuff. It belongs to the Normal and Fairy types and comes from the first generation. Whimsicott evolves into Jigglypuff, which can then evolve into Wigglytuff.
What bonuses do you get? For catching Pokémon, you receive double the amount of experience points.
Who is it worth for? Neither Jigglypuff nor Wigglytuff are particularly interesting as attackers in PvP or raids. If you want, you can gather some experience points at the event.
Can you catch Shiny Jigglypuff? Yes, the shiny version of Jigglypuff is active in Pokémon GO. If you’re lucky, you can find Shinies.
Which Pokémon? The fourth Spotlight Hour in February will feature Swablu. Swablu belongs to the Normal type and comes from the third generation. Its evolutions are Altaria and Altarian.
What bonuses do you get? For catching Pokémon, you receive double the amount of Candies.
Who is it worth for? Altaria is in the upper midfield of the Great League in Pokémon GO and can be worthwhile as a PvP attacker for you. While Altarian can have high CP, it is not a good attacker. In gyms, the high CP may intimidate, but as soon as you attack the Pokémon, it becomes clear that it is not a very fearsome opponent.
Can you catch Shiny Swablu? Yes, the shiny version of Swablu is active in Pokémon GO. With luck, you can catch a specimen.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The global Hoenn Tour in Pokémon GO is taking place on February 25 and 26, 2023. Here in the live ticker, we at MeinMMO will keep you updated with info about the event, habitats, spawns, and everything surrounding it.
What kind of event is this? The Hoenn Tour took place locally in Las Vegas last weekend last weekend, now it’s the rest of the world’s turn. This weekend, the monsters from the Hoenn region, which is from Generation 3, are in focus.
When does the Hoenn Tour take place? Today, on February 26, 2023, Day 2 of the global Hoenn Tour is taking place. It starts again at 10:00 AM and ends at 6:00 PM. Yesterday, on February 25, 2023, Day 1 was already held.
If you are looking for up-to-date info during the event, you are in the right place. We are tracking the global Hoenn Tour here in the live ticker and will keep you updated with the latest news.
Sunday, February 26, 2023
6:30 PM
The Hoenn Tour has ended. You can find an initial assessment of the event here:
End of the Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn on Sunday evening
Now it is time! 6:00 PM has been reached and the Hoenn Tour officially ends – at least here in the country. A few proto raids are still running, but they are likely to end shortly as well. Then it will probably be it for the prototypical monsters.
As already mentioned yesterday evening, Rayquaza is also returning to raids to put an end to the proto chaos.
But there’s plenty of exciting things to look forward to in the coming days. March is starting and should bring a whole series of new events. Additionally, the start of a new season is also on the way. We will definitely keep you updated here at MeinMMO as usual!
We will now conclude the ticker for the Hoenn Tour. We thank you for reading along and hope you had a great event!
5:48 PM
Actually, the last Kyogre raid is proving to be quite difficult. It’s getting tight. Did you manage to collect enough proto energy for both monsters?
5:18 PM
Now the end of the event is near, and I don’t know about you, but I’m still missing exactly 30 proto energies for the protomorphosis of Kyogre. I guess I’ll have to head out again.
About 40 minutes are left to do everything you wanted to accomplish during the Hoenn Tour.
5:00 PM
So, it’s time for the final stretch. In one hour, the GO Tour will end, and to conclude, the “Historical Coast” habitat is running once more. If you are like me and still need bonuses for a Perlu development, now is your time!
Otherwise, the collector challenge is:
Hydropi
Barschwa
Anorith
Perlu
4:27 PM
What happens after the Hoenn Tour?
Once the Hoenn Tour ends, the “Mysterious Wishes” season will also come to a close. Starting in March, we can expect a new “season” in Pokémon GO.
And at least some trainers believe that after Proto-Groudon and Proto-Kyogre, their adversary Rayquaza might also play a role in its Mega form.
And we head into the penultimate habitat of the day and thus of the event! “Green Earth” is on the agenda.
We are looking for:
Geckarbor
Schluppuck
Bummelz
Wablu
Additionally, the proto alarm is running with Groudon.
3:28 PM
How’s your Pokémon hunt going? I found out that my missing Pokémon “0368” is the Perlu evolution “Saganabyss”.
But you can only get that randomly by evolving Perlu. The alternative evolution is “Aalabyss”. I still have two of Perlu, yet not enough Perlu candies. So, I guess I’ll have to head out into the “Historical Coast” habitat again, as Perlu spawns there.
In case you are still missing a variant of Perlu, check here:
The next habitat change is coming. Now we are heading towards the “Uncanny Fog” for the last time. Here, the collector research is:
Gehweiher
Palimpalim
Trasla
Absol
Additionally, the “Proto-Alarm” Kyogre is currently running with more Kyogre raids. If you are missing energy, you should hurry up.
2:20 PM
These GO Tours are always a good opportunity to complete the Pokédex of a region – after all, almost all monsters from the region can be caught in some form. I thought I had achieved it with Relicanth – but I am still missing the monster with the beautiful number 0368. How about you?
2:00 PM
The final habitat rotation begins
So, it’s halftime. That means: From now on, each of the four habitats will be available once more. Make use of this time to complete your outstanding collector challenges.
We will go once more into the “Glowing Sand”. There, we are looking for:
We are approaching halftime again. How’s your proto energy situation for executing the protomorphosis for Kyogre and Groudon? In the somewhat easier Groudon raids, you gather energy faster – while the Kyogre raids take a bit longer, depending on participation. So, one should start keeping an eye on it – because who knows when the two proto monsters will return.
1:30 PM
Defeat Rocket Bosses for the Legends Chase
How are you doing in the Legends Quest? If you’re on the penultimate page, you need to defeat a Rocket Boss – namely Sierra, Arlo, or Cliff.
To encounter them, you need a Rocket Radar, which you have to assemble from “mysterious parts” if you don’t have one. You obtain those from Rocket Grunts.
When you have the Rocket Radar activated, the bosses can appear at PokéStops or via balloons. So you can quickly take them down – here are the counters:
The next habitat change is coming. Get ready for the spawns of “Historical Coast”. For the corresponding collector challenge, you need to catch the following monsters:
By the way, until 1:00 PM, there is a proto alarm: Groudon. The trainers from Team Ruby are now ahead and have completed more field research. However, this is your chance to encounter more proto-Groudon in raids.
12:00 PM
We continue with the habitat “Green Earth”. Here, the collector challenge is:
Geckarbor
Schluppuck
Bummelz
Wablu
11:50 AM
What is Protomorphosis in Pokémon GO?
Protomorphosis is one of the most important new features for the Hoenn Tour. You will also need to carry it out during the special research – and you need proto energy for it.
11:40 AM
During the Hoenn Tour, you also have the chance to encounter regional monsters that normally do not appear here.
11:20 AM
My goodness, these proto raids are really not easy. In an internal MeinMMO battle against Proto-Kyogre, we barely managed to complete the raid with 6 trainers via remote raid – in the last seconds. As a reward, there were 60 proto energies. If you want to get through faster, you should compete with more trainers.
Kyogre had Surf, which is probably easier to defeat than Blizzard-Kyogre. Prepare for a tough battle. Groudon, thanks to its double weakness against water, is a bit easier to tackle.
11:05 AM
Currently, red confetti is falling from the sky in Pokémon GO. This means: Team Ruby is currently ahead. More Groudon proto raids are appearing.
11:00 AM
11:00 AM, the next habitat begins. The “Uncanny Fog” is up next, with the collector challenge:
Gehweiher
Palimpalim
Trasla
Absol
10:45 AM
Latias and Latios can currently appear in the wild – and there’s even a chance of a Shiny. However, the catch rate is very high. But: You can at least get a guaranteed encounter by capturing a Latias or Latios in the wild with a snapshot. Then you’ll receive another encounter from a temporary research – and it cannot flee.
10:32 AM
During the event, you will find special field researches. Some provide you with Mega Energy, while others revolve around ghosts – and look quite strange.
10:18 AM
Tip: If you can’t see the current event researches or spawns, restart your game.
10:07 AM
Current bonuses for the Hoenn Tour
With the start of the tour, several bonuses have also been activated.
With incense, you can now encounter Pikachu with Brix’s hat or May’s ribbon.
Icognito also appears in incense.
You get a guaranteed XL candy for proto raids on site.
Unfortunately, there are no other bonuses like shorter egg distance, catch bonuses, or incense boosts at this time.
10:00 AM
Start of the Hoenn Tour 2023
Let’s go! The global Hoenn Tour has begun! Put on your trainer hat, grab your Poké Balls, and start the journey.
Professor Willow is already greeting us in the research area and talks about the appearance of Proto-Groudons and Proto-Kyogre. Meanwhile, the habitat “Glowing Sand” is also starting.
The collector task for this is:
Flemmli
Tuska
Camaub
Nincada
9:45 AM
In a quarter of an hour, the global Hoenn Tour will also start here. If you haven’t done it yet: Quickly make some space in your Pokémon collection. Use the filter function and enter “0*, 1*, 2*” in the search – then the game will show you all monsters under 3 stars that you might want to send away.
Also, make sure you have enough space for items.
9:20 AM
Trainers share Shiny theory: It is already known that only selected monsters of the Hoenn Tour are supposed to receive increased Shiny rates; there is no general boost. In the Pokémon GO subreddit “TheSilphRoad,” some trainers are now sharing an interesting theory: They believe that you get increased Shiny chances for the Pokémon you choose in the special research “Legend Chase” (via reddit).
So for Tuska, Schluppuck, or Gehweiher.
This theory is not proven, but some trainers report in the thread that they did indeed receive more Shinys for their selected Pokémon. So it might be worth choosing your personal Shiny favorite here.
9:05 AM
There will also be a collector task for each habitat, which can bring you rewards.
9:00 AM
Habitats and schedule for the Hoenn Tour
During the event, different monsters will spawn in different habitats. These will rotate and appear hourly. They will be:
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Glowing Sand
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Uncanny Fog
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Green Earth
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Historical Coast
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Glowing Sand
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Uncanny Fog
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Green Earth
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Historical Coast
8:45 AM
Special Research “Legend Chase” for the Hoenn Tour
One of the features for the Hoenn Tour is the new research “Legend Chase”. Here you have to battle against Kyogre and Groudon – and you can even earn some proto energy for the legendary monster of your team.
The global Hoenn Tour is starting! Well, almost – because the event doesn’t actually start until 10:00 AM. However, some trainers in earlier time zones have already been able to start the first day, which is why there are already some infos about the global Hoenn Tour.
In this ticker, we are collecting current info, reporting on habitat changes, and observing what happens during the event. So keep checking back here for updates!
Friday, February 24, 2023
5:00 PM
The global Hoenn Tour is coming up!
Welcome to the live ticker from MeinMMO for the global Hoenn Tour in Pokémon GO. Starting on Saturday, February 25, 2023, we will keep you updated here with current info about the event.
We will provide you with tips, news, and pointers about the Hoenn Tour throughout the entire event.
What’s in the Hoenn Tour? Basically, everything will revolve around catching the monsters of the third generation. You will encounter all monsters in their Shiny form – however, according to Niantic, only selected species have an improved Shiny chance. So don’t expect boosted Shiny rates for every Pokémon.
Over the two days, the monsters will spawn in “habitats”. Therefore, you won’t be able to meet all monsters at the same time. Hence, it is advisable to play both long-term or spread throughout the day.
Highlights of the event include the proto raids with Kyogre and Groudon, the new special research “Legend Chase”, and numerous spawns from the third generation. You can find a detailed overview of all features in the overview of the global Hoenn Tour.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Two things could have spoiled the event for me: Firstly, that the creatures were extremely difficult to beat and secondly, they had the potential to run away after the raid instead of being caught. I had the advantage of living in a big city, where you could raid repeatedly and usually found enough support. Thus, connection issues with remote raids only affected me to a limited extent (although I also got kicked out once).
In smaller towns, with fewer or even no gyms, the event would definitely have lost a large part of its fun factor. The focus was clearly on the raids – even though the special research and collector tasks kept players busy alongside.
Overall, I had relatively few gameplay barriers that could have spoiled the event for me. My biggest enemy this time, however, was the weather. Especially Saturday was not at all conducive to playing: icy cold, wind, rain and even light snowfall were on the schedule. Without the event, I certainly would not have gone outside; Sunday was a bit better. Nevertheless, the question remains whether such a “big event” for Pokémon GO would not be better placed in slightly warmer months – at least in March instead of February.
Overall, I think I will remember the Hoenn Tour positively – although it could certainly have been even better. Now it will be exciting to see how the coming weeks develop with the new season.
Max Handwerk Freelance author at Mein-MMO
How did you like the Hoenn weekend? Did you participate in the Hoenn Tour? What was your absolute highlight? And what do you wish for next time? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
Certainly, bonuses like catch distances, more XP, and especially an increased shiny rate would have made the event even more interesting, no question. Some variety on the second day would have also benefited the tour. But overall, the event was still good without it. The proto raids were the clear highlight – the powerful special forms of the two monsters were simply an extremely exciting goal. Additionally, I had accumulated a lot of raid passes from the past that I could now use.
Two things could have spoiled the event for me: Firstly, that the creatures were extremely difficult to beat and secondly, they had the potential to run away after the raid instead of being caught. I had the advantage of living in a big city, where you could raid repeatedly and usually found enough support. Thus, connection issues with remote raids only affected me to a limited extent (although I also got kicked out once).
In smaller towns, with fewer or even no gyms, the event would definitely have lost a large part of its fun factor. The focus was clearly on the raids – even though the special research and collector tasks kept players busy alongside.
Overall, I had relatively few gameplay barriers that could have spoiled the event for me. My biggest enemy this time, however, was the weather. Especially Saturday was not at all conducive to playing: icy cold, wind, rain and even light snowfall were on the schedule. Without the event, I certainly would not have gone outside; Sunday was a bit better. Nevertheless, the question remains whether such a “big event” for Pokémon GO would not be better placed in slightly warmer months – at least in March instead of February.
Overall, I think I will remember the Hoenn Tour positively – although it could certainly have been even better. Now it will be exciting to see how the coming weeks develop with the new season.
Max Handwerk Freelance author at Mein-MMO
How did you like the Hoenn weekend? Did you participate in the Hoenn Tour? What was your absolute highlight? And what do you wish for next time? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
The GO Tour: Hoenn has concluded and it is time to take stock. Overall, as one could tell, the event was indeed slimmer than previous tours or even GO Fests. But considering that one did not have to pay for a ticket, this was also to be expected.
Certainly, bonuses like catch distances, more XP, and especially an increased shiny rate would have made the event even more interesting, no question. Some variety on the second day would have also benefited the tour. But overall, the event was still good without it. The proto raids were the clear highlight – the powerful special forms of the two monsters were simply an extremely exciting goal. Additionally, I had accumulated a lot of raid passes from the past that I could now use.
Two things could have spoiled the event for me: Firstly, that the creatures were extremely difficult to beat and secondly, they had the potential to run away after the raid instead of being caught. I had the advantage of living in a big city, where you could raid repeatedly and usually found enough support. Thus, connection issues with remote raids only affected me to a limited extent (although I also got kicked out once).
In smaller towns, with fewer or even no gyms, the event would definitely have lost a large part of its fun factor. The focus was clearly on the raids – even though the special research and collector tasks kept players busy alongside.
Overall, I had relatively few gameplay barriers that could have spoiled the event for me. My biggest enemy this time, however, was the weather. Especially Saturday was not at all conducive to playing: icy cold, wind, rain and even light snowfall were on the schedule. Without the event, I certainly would not have gone outside; Sunday was a bit better. Nevertheless, the question remains whether such a “big event” for Pokémon GO would not be better placed in slightly warmer months – at least in March instead of February.
Overall, I think I will remember the Hoenn Tour positively – although it could certainly have been even better. Now it will be exciting to see how the coming weeks develop with the new season.
Max Handwerk Freelance author at Mein-MMO
How did you like the Hoenn weekend? Did you participate in the Hoenn Tour? What was your absolute highlight? And what do you wish for next time? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
The Hoenn Tour was a good event with room for improvement, but does not belong in February
The GO Tour: Hoenn has concluded and it is time to take stock. Overall, as one could tell, the event was indeed slimmer than previous tours or even GO Fests. But considering that one did not have to pay for a ticket, this was also to be expected.
Certainly, bonuses like catch distances, more XP, and especially an increased shiny rate would have made the event even more interesting, no question. Some variety on the second day would have also benefited the tour. But overall, the event was still good without it. The proto raids were the clear highlight – the powerful special forms of the two monsters were simply an extremely exciting goal. Additionally, I had accumulated a lot of raid passes from the past that I could now use.
Two things could have spoiled the event for me: Firstly, that the creatures were extremely difficult to beat and secondly, they had the potential to run away after the raid instead of being caught. I had the advantage of living in a big city, where you could raid repeatedly and usually found enough support. Thus, connection issues with remote raids only affected me to a limited extent (although I also got kicked out once).
In smaller towns, with fewer or even no gyms, the event would definitely have lost a large part of its fun factor. The focus was clearly on the raids – even though the special research and collector tasks kept players busy alongside.
Overall, I had relatively few gameplay barriers that could have spoiled the event for me. My biggest enemy this time, however, was the weather. Especially Saturday was not at all conducive to playing: icy cold, wind, rain and even light snowfall were on the schedule. Without the event, I certainly would not have gone outside; Sunday was a bit better. Nevertheless, the question remains whether such a “big event” for Pokémon GO would not be better placed in slightly warmer months – at least in March instead of February.
Overall, I think I will remember the Hoenn Tour positively – although it could certainly have been even better. Now it will be exciting to see how the coming weeks develop with the new season.
Max Handwerk Freelance author at Mein-MMO
How did you like the Hoenn weekend? Did you participate in the Hoenn Tour? What was your absolute highlight? And what do you wish for next time? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
However, there was nothing to be seen of this, and we trudged through the second event day with the same contents that were already there the day before.
Considering that the Hoenn Tour could largely be played for free, it was a successful event from my perspective that one actually cannot complain about. There were plenty of contents, and except for Jirachi, players had the opportunity to fill their Pokédex.
Compared to other paid events or community days, however, the Hoenn Tour lacked an incentive. Especially on the second event day, I was mainly only engaged with the game on the side to do some raids and hatch my eggs. Therefore, there was clearly a missing bonus – or at least a focus on another area during the Sunday.
With the exception of the server issues, it was basically a successful event for me, with certain reservations. It could have been one of the best events if there had been a little extra effort.
My MeinMMO colleague Max Handwerk was also on the go this weekend – you can read his assessment here:
The Hoenn Tour was a good event with room for improvement, but does not belong in February
The GO Tour: Hoenn has concluded and it is time to take stock. Overall, as one could tell, the event was indeed slimmer than previous tours or even GO Fests. But considering that one did not have to pay for a ticket, this was also to be expected.
Certainly, bonuses like catch distances, more XP, and especially an increased shiny rate would have made the event even more interesting, no question. Some variety on the second day would have also benefited the tour. But overall, the event was still good without it. The proto raids were the clear highlight – the powerful special forms of the two monsters were simply an extremely exciting goal. Additionally, I had accumulated a lot of raid passes from the past that I could now use.
Two things could have spoiled the event for me: Firstly, that the creatures were extremely difficult to beat and secondly, they had the potential to run away after the raid instead of being caught. I had the advantage of living in a big city, where you could raid repeatedly and usually found enough support. Thus, connection issues with remote raids only affected me to a limited extent (although I also got kicked out once).
In smaller towns, with fewer or even no gyms, the event would definitely have lost a large part of its fun factor. The focus was clearly on the raids – even though the special research and collector tasks kept players busy alongside.
Overall, I had relatively few gameplay barriers that could have spoiled the event for me. My biggest enemy this time, however, was the weather. Especially Saturday was not at all conducive to playing: icy cold, wind, rain and even light snowfall were on the schedule. Without the event, I certainly would not have gone outside; Sunday was a bit better. Nevertheless, the question remains whether such a “big event” for Pokémon GO would not be better placed in slightly warmer months – at least in March instead of February.
Overall, I think I will remember the Hoenn Tour positively – although it could certainly have been even better. Now it will be exciting to see how the coming weeks develop with the new season.
Max Handwerk Freelance author at Mein-MMO
How did you like the Hoenn weekend? Did you participate in the Hoenn Tour? What was your absolute highlight? And what do you wish for next time? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
In Pokémon GO took place the big Hoenn Tour this weekend. Now it is over and our MeinMMO author Franzi gives a rather mixed review of the event. What she particularly liked and what things were missing for her to make it the “best event,” she explains to you.
What event is it about? In Pokémon GO, the big Hoenn Tour took place this weekend – one of the highlights of the game. The 16-hour event is now over, and I feel rather mixed about it.
I have summarized the reasons for this below.
Almost one of the best events of the game
For me, the annual GO Tour is one of the events that I definitely don’t want to miss in Pokémon GO. Therefore, it was obvious that besides writing for MeinMMO, I would try to participate in the Hoenn Tour this weekend. And I have to say, the game mostly surprised me positively.
While I have spent money on the special event ticket in previous years to utilize all the content, this year it was not necessary. The event itself could essentially be played completely for free. Only the special research ‘Masterpiece Research: Fulfilled Wish’ for Jirachi had to be purchased if one wanted it.
For a free event, the Hoenn Tour was really strong and provided countless contents in my opinion. These highlights particularly convinced me:
Cool new raid bosses: For the first time, you could encounter Proto-Kyogre and Proto-Groudon, the strongest attackers of their type. But they weren’t that easy to beat, which made it a special challenge and thus ensured even more fun. They were my absolute favorite of the entire event.
Legendary Pokémon in the wild: With a bit of luck, depending on the chosen team, you could encounter Latias and Latios in the wild. These caused headaches for trainers, but could also be found as Shiny with a bit of luck.
Regional Pokémon:The regional Pokémon from the Hoenn region were also available. Especially on Shiny-Relicanth, I had my eye on. It was available in shiny form for the first time alongside Qurtel and Tropius and could hatch from 10 km eggs. Unfortunately, I haven’t been successful yet, but I still have five 10 km eggs left – fingers crossed!
Creative researches: With the Spooky Quests, Niantic opted for a different, mysterious design of field research through which players could secure ghost Pokémon. Additionally, many other researches were provided.
Shinys: Although there was no generally increased shiny rate for the Hoenn Tour, I was still able to enjoy one or the other shiny that I didn’t have in my collection yet. My absolute highlight was Shiny-Latias and Shiny-Groudon.
For this reason, the Hoenn Tour seems really successful at first glance – but somehow not. I missed 3 things to make it one of the best free events of the game. I have summarized what they are below.
1. Special event bonuses
Those who know Niantic’s paid events from previous years will know that besides the many contents that all players could secure this year, there were also one or two bonuses.
This was not the case this year – neither candy bonuses, nor additional XP, stardust, free raid passes or reduced hatch distances were granted to trainers. These are usually available during the monthly community days.
And exactly these bonuses were needed to offset a few barriers that dampened the fun:
Purchase of raid passes: To trigger the Protomorphosis on Kyogre and Groudon, you must collect corresponding amounts of Proto energy. And this was available almost exclusively in raids in a very limited quantity. The daily free raid passes were therefore not enough to secure enough energy. Thus, players were forced to spend their coins or money for passes.
Since the raids were also quite difficult, there weren’t often enough players on-site, especially in more rural areas, which is why players often had to resort to remote raids. Thus, I also spent a lot of money on remote raid passes.
Purchase of incubation machines: Similar additional costs could also arise with regional Pokémon. So, Relicanth, Qurtel and Tropius could only be found in the rare 10 km eggs. Those hoping for a shiny here had to get hold of one or another additional incubation machine.
Purchase of additional items: Besides raid passes and incubation machines, the event could also cost a lot of lures, incense, as well as revives and potions for the raids. Those who did not have these in sufficient quantities had to order supplies – as there was no bonus with, for example, extended duration for incense and lures.
2. Error-free gameplay
An even bigger problem in my view were the recurring server issues. I particularly had game crashes on the first event day while I was on the go or participating in raids. The game sometimes froze, requiring me to restart it completely. And according to reports from other trainers on social media, I wasn’t alone in this.
In my opinion, this should not happen in such a large and planned event. Niantic should have known in advance that the demand for the event would be particularly high at certain times. I expect the developers to provide enough server capacity to prevent crashes of this kind.
In past events over the last few years, it has gone significantly better. Niantic should definitely improve on this in the future.
3. Different focus on the second event day
I was most disappointed with the second day of the event. Although you could benefit from spawns for a total of 4 hours longer than last year’s Johto Tour, I expected more from it.
I was sure until the last minute that Niantic must have planned a big surprise here, with which no one would have expected that on this Sunday there would be a focus on another topic. But nothing happened. A lot could have been possible, such as:
Release of Mega-Rayquaza: One of the top surprises would certainly have been the release of Mega-Rayquaza, as the legendary Pokémon rushes in during the conflict between Kyogre and Groudon to end the turmoil and first triggers a mega evolution. This would have fit perfectly into the context of the game’s story.
Event attacks: Alternatively, Niantic could have also unlocked specific event attacks that could have been secured during evolving. This would have been a completely different incentive when catching wild monsters.
Rocket takeover: A Rocket takeover could also have been conceivable. Because Team Rocket might have noticed one of the biggest events in Pokémon GO and therefore cause trouble – at the local event in Las Vegas, Team Rocket even played a big role.
However, there was nothing to be seen of this, and we trudged through the second event day with the same contents that were already there the day before.
Considering that the Hoenn Tour could largely be played for free, it was a successful event from my perspective that one actually cannot complain about. There were plenty of contents, and except for Jirachi, players had the opportunity to fill their Pokédex.
Compared to other paid events or community days, however, the Hoenn Tour lacked an incentive. Especially on the second event day, I was mainly only engaged with the game on the side to do some raids and hatch my eggs. Therefore, there was clearly a missing bonus – or at least a focus on another area during the Sunday.
With the exception of the server issues, it was basically a successful event for me, with certain reservations. It could have been one of the best events if there had been a little extra effort.
My MeinMMO colleague Max Handwerk was also on the go this weekend – you can read his assessment here:
The Hoenn Tour was a good event with room for improvement, but does not belong in February
The GO Tour: Hoenn has concluded and it is time to take stock. Overall, as one could tell, the event was indeed slimmer than previous tours or even GO Fests. But considering that one did not have to pay for a ticket, this was also to be expected.
Certainly, bonuses like catch distances, more XP, and especially an increased shiny rate would have made the event even more interesting, no question. Some variety on the second day would have also benefited the tour. But overall, the event was still good without it. The proto raids were the clear highlight – the powerful special forms of the two monsters were simply an extremely exciting goal. Additionally, I had accumulated a lot of raid passes from the past that I could now use.
Two things could have spoiled the event for me: Firstly, that the creatures were extremely difficult to beat and secondly, they had the potential to run away after the raid instead of being caught. I had the advantage of living in a big city, where you could raid repeatedly and usually found enough support. Thus, connection issues with remote raids only affected me to a limited extent (although I also got kicked out once).
In smaller towns, with fewer or even no gyms, the event would definitely have lost a large part of its fun factor. The focus was clearly on the raids – even though the special research and collector tasks kept players busy alongside.
Overall, I had relatively few gameplay barriers that could have spoiled the event for me. My biggest enemy this time, however, was the weather. Especially Saturday was not at all conducive to playing: icy cold, wind, rain and even light snowfall were on the schedule. Without the event, I certainly would not have gone outside; Sunday was a bit better. Nevertheless, the question remains whether such a “big event” for Pokémon GO would not be better placed in slightly warmer months – at least in March instead of February.
Overall, I think I will remember the Hoenn Tour positively – although it could certainly have been even better. Now it will be exciting to see how the coming weeks develop with the new season.
Max Handwerk Freelance author at Mein-MMO
How did you like the Hoenn weekend? Did you participate in the Hoenn Tour? What was your absolute highlight? And what do you wish for next time? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
These are the results: Since the survey started, 2,131 people participated. Each could cast up to 3 votes for their favorite genres – there were a total of 4,086 votes.
There were 13 different genres as well as the option “Other” to choose from. You cannot undo your vote.
Rank 14: Asymmetrical Games (Dead by Daylight, Ghostbusters) – 0.69 %
We will present the top 3 positions to you in a bit more detail.
Rank 3: Action RPGs
Start video
Diablo 4: The World of Sanctuary in the Video with Enemies and Huge Bosses
Result: 11.67 % with 477 votes
The action RPGs landed in third place in the voting. Also called “Hack’n’Slash,” these are games where combat is in the foreground. Typical representatives of the genre are the Diablo series, Genshin Impact, and Path of Exile.
The multiplayer is present, but you are not in a world with many other players, as is the case with MMORPGs. In Genshin Impact, for example, you are alone in your world until you unlock multiplayer – then you can invite up to 3 players.
Rank 2: Loot Shooters
Start video
New gameplay of Destiny 2: Lightfall takes you to spectacular heights – “This moment was made for Guardians”
Result: 13.66 % with 558 votes
The loot shooters have taken second place. Here, it is mainly about loot. Enemies usually drop numerous items that you collect to make your character better and better. You can often open chests that are hiding even more loot inside.
Although loot shooters like Destiny 2 and The Division 2 receive a lot of criticism, the genre remains very popular among MeinMMO readers. Well-known representatives of the genre are also Warframe and the Borderlands series.
Throne and Liberty – Official GeForce RTX Gameplay Reveal Trailer
Result: 31.74 % with 1,297 votes
Rank 1 indisputably holds the genre that probably thrives the most on high player numbers. MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game – a role-playing game in which you are adventuring with many fellow players.
The genre retains its popularity through long-lasting titles like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, and The Elder Scrolls Online. There are also fresh titles like Lost Ark and New World added every now and then.
Although many MMORPGs that have been released in recent years have flopped mercilessly, the genre dominates our survey with more than double the number of votes compared to rank 2 and remains very popular among MeinMMO readers.
These MMORPGs are currently being played the most on Steam:
Create a folder where you will store all your server files.
Now drag the downloaded .jar file into your folder.
Open the .jar file
When you do this, additional files will be downloaded to your folder.
Now open the eula.txt file
You must edit this file and change eula=false to eula=true and then save it
By making these changes, you agree to the EULA terms. Without this agreement, you cannot create your server.
Now open your .jar file again
More files will now be added to your folder.
From that point onward, you should have all the necessary files for your server in your folder
To edit your server, you only need to go into the “server.properties” file and adjust necessary entries.
Now, to play on your server, you just need to keep the .jar file actively running.
Now start your Java Minecraft and go to the “Multiplayer” menu
If you want to play only with players within your WiFi radius, enter “localhost” under Server Address
This will connect you immediately to your server.
If you want players from a different network to join you, you must share your IP address and enter it into the server address field
Be careful though, you should only share your IP address with people you trust.
What should I consider with a private server? With private servers that you especially want to use publicly, you should know that it’s very dangerous to share your IP address with third parties you do not trust. They could potentially engage in illegal activities and impersonate you. So be aware of this and pay attention to whom you give access to your server.
Additionally, having your own server limits you in many ways:
You are responsible for support yourself.
You do not have protection against DDoS attacks.
The server is only online if you are online.
However, with a paid server from external providers, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore. There is a service as well as protection against DDoS and even a higher limit regarding the number of possible players.
Despite this, having your own server is especially worthwhile if you want to explore the land of blocks in a familiar but small group.
Are there also free external servers? There are, and we recommend the site minehut.com. Here, you can create a server for free by following the instructions on the site. Additionally, you can upgrade your RAM or CPU with money to ensure a better and more stable server.
More about Minecraft and how to bring your own skins into the game, you can find out here:
In Minecraft, you can set up your own server to play with your friends, completely for free. We will show you how to do this and explain what you should keep in mind.
How do I create my own server in Minecraft? To set up your own free server, you first need to visit the official Minecraft page and download the latest “minecraft_server.1.XX.X.jar file” (via minecraft.net).
The X serves as a placeholder and represents the latest Java version of Minecraft. You need to ensure that you download the same version of the server file that your Minecraft is using.
Once you have downloaded the file, you only need to do the following:
Create a folder where you will store all your server files.
Now drag the downloaded .jar file into your folder.
Open the .jar file
When you do this, additional files will be downloaded to your folder.
Now open the eula.txt file
You must edit this file and change eula=false to eula=true and then save it
By making these changes, you agree to the EULA terms. Without this agreement, you cannot create your server.
Now open your .jar file again
More files will now be added to your folder.
From that point onward, you should have all the necessary files for your server in your folder
To edit your server, you only need to go into the “server.properties” file and adjust necessary entries.
Now, to play on your server, you just need to keep the .jar file actively running.
Now start your Java Minecraft and go to the “Multiplayer” menu
If you want to play only with players within your WiFi radius, enter “localhost” under Server Address
This will connect you immediately to your server.
If you want players from a different network to join you, you must share your IP address and enter it into the server address field
Be careful though, you should only share your IP address with people you trust.
What should I consider with a private server? With private servers that you especially want to use publicly, you should know that it’s very dangerous to share your IP address with third parties you do not trust. They could potentially engage in illegal activities and impersonate you. So be aware of this and pay attention to whom you give access to your server.
Additionally, having your own server limits you in many ways:
You are responsible for support yourself.
You do not have protection against DDoS attacks.
The server is only online if you are online.
However, with a paid server from external providers, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore. There is a service as well as protection against DDoS and even a higher limit regarding the number of possible players.
Despite this, having your own server is especially worthwhile if you want to explore the land of blocks in a familiar but small group.
Are there also free external servers? There are, and we recommend the site minehut.com. Here, you can create a server for free by following the instructions on the site. Additionally, you can upgrade your RAM or CPU with money to ensure a better and more stable server.
More about Minecraft and how to bring your own skins into the game, you can find out here:
School principal Silke Müller has been advocating for digitalization in schools for years. In our interview, she shares more about the technology at her school and gives tips for teachers and parents who want to get more involved in this field.
Even in 2023, Germany is still far from being fully up to date technically. Schools, in particular, often lack the necessary devices and funding.
The Waldschule Hatten in Lower Saxony is among the leading schools in Germany in this area. We spoke with principal Silke Müller in a two-part interview about the hurdles of digitalization, her successes, and tips for teachers and parents.
The first part of the interview, which deals with social media and influencers, can be found here:
“The school is still very much stuck in old structures“
Irina from MeinMMO: Hi, can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Silke: My name is Silke Müller. I come from beautiful Lower Saxony, district of Oldenburg. I am the principal of a secondary school, the Waldschule Hatten. We have about 850 children and 85 colleagues as well as school chickens and dogs.
In Germany, we seem to have 30 different types of schools. You can think of us as a combined comprehensive school, meaning that we educate students up to grade 10, but with a different concept called secondary school. The children graduate with their first educational certificate in Germany, which allows them to go into jobs, further education, or whatever.
A team of teachers is working on all topics related to digitalization at the Waldschule Hatten.
We have been strategically digital since 2009, starting with early projects. Since the 2013/14 school year, all children from grade 7 have had a parent-funded tablet.
We focus on three core objectives in addition to regular analog lessons: imparting basic IT skills, a fundamental understanding of AIs, and above all, digital ethics.
At your school, there is an ungraded subject called Digital Studies. What knowledge is imparted there?
When we started strategic digitalization in teaching, we adopted a holistic approach of digitalization in every subject and everywhere. However, school is still very much stuck in old structures.
We have subjects, even though the world is not divided into subjects.
We often have too little time to get through the curricula.
And when someone says, “You need to conduct media competence education,” that is fundamentally true. But for the beginnings, we need proper input, so that the children are told, “Listen: data protection, rights to one’s own image, here you need to be careful, this is allowed, these are creative solutions. This is how you can use apps and store data.”
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Trying out new technical equipment is just as much part of Silke’s job as traditional teaching.
If you look at my desktop, you can see that I never had media competence, as there were no media in school at that time. I graduated in 1999, and I believe we had a computer room, but I was only in there once. It was also about writing Word documents.
That didn’t exist, but the children need to learn data security and data organization. And we said that when the children are given a device starting in grade 7, we need to move away from the idea that “they are just messing around or using it for internet research.” They need input. Unfortunately, this can only be addressed through compressed time that we dedicate solely to this topic.
“These are very religious discussions”
How difficult was it to bring your school up to the digital and technical standard it is at today?
I could talk about this for nights, but I’ll put it this way: one needs grit, perseverance, and a very thick skin. You really engage in discussions with the teachers about apple eaters and window watchers. These are very religious discussions about whether to use Apple, Windows, or whatever else.
This goes as far as “Why does it need to be done?” This insufferable value debate. Yes, my God, because the world is digital. That’s why, by the way, we learned math, writing, and reading back then, because you need those skills to survive in this world.
So I also need knowledge about the media world to survive. That this is still being discussed today is surprising to me. I go so far as to say, “People, if you don’t do this, then you’ve really missed your profession because schools prepare for the future and are part of the present.”
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On Twitter, Silke shares recommendations with her followers and discusses current topics related to digitalization and technology.
There are many discussions. We teachers are very special people who think they know everything and are often resistant to criticism. However, we are currently under a lot of stress because this system is tipping over and is no longer functioning properly as it stands.
But the battle is already significant, and I am very pleased that we now have a fundamental conviction throughout the entire staff of the school community that this is the right way. This means we no longer have to discuss and do not simply accept things like ChatGPT without criticism, but also don’t immediately dismiss them with “No, forbid it.” It has been a tough road.
“Parents are proud to have their children here“
Can you give example tasks that the kids have to complete with their tablets?
Sure. In English class, for instance, there are many vocabulary programs for online learning. There are digital textbooks that provide specific exercises, quizzes that can be done. In mathematics, there are programs that generate tasks, using AI, by the way.
Our kids write using the program Notability, which means they learn to manage digital folders. In other words, they maintain basic order and have a digital school bag.
It’s generally quite diverse, extending to very production-oriented tasks. They create podcasts on topics, produce explanatory videos, and they learn much more when they have to explain a fact to others who need to understand it.
What feedback have you received from parents regarding this?
Good. We start in grade 7, and that will initially remain the case. In grade 5, the kids come into contact with loan devices, but not continuously, as we focus greatly on social learning.
However, parents are almost demanding this and say, “Hey, start earlier.” But, and I find this beautiful, the parents who have their children in our school are receiving good feedback about how great the Waldschule is. They are proud to have their children here and support them significantly. And that’s wonderful.
The rules for using the tablets are set out in a PDF and must be signed by the parents.
Is acquiring tablets difficult for financially weaker families?
Yes, for sure. However, it should be noted that when the children come here after grade 4, the parents are already aware of what is ahead in 2 years. This means there is enough lead time to make savings plans.
If it is still tight, as is often the case in everyday life, there is a kind of social fund that supports weaker families through the support association. Initially, they can receive a loan device, and when they say, “Okay, now we’re ready,” they can terminate the contract at any time.
What can teachers and parents do?
You advocate for the same or at least a similar program to be implemented in other schools. What can teachers and parents do to take the initiative to achieve this?
Build up a lot of pressure. On the school sponsor and the school management. The position is quite significant in this regard, as we are the engine. We can say “No,” and when we do, no one can do anything about it.
On one hand, create positive pressure, showing that you want to support this. At the same time, however, also presenting clear demands that you desire this to occur. I also don’t think it’s necessary to bring the entire staff along right away, but you first need a critical mass that says, “Okay, we are eager to do this and will take it into our own hands.”
That you practically get the ball rolling. Many people will follow, but you will always have the negative critical mass and the resistors. But they will become fewer over time, and you have to be honest that you can hardly reach them.
You can always draw one out and soften them up, but they will always exist everywhere. But they are not the ones driving development, nor are they the ones who cause great disruptions.
What would you wish for from Germany regarding digitalization in schools?
First and foremost, I would like all 40,000 schools in Germany to quickly get to work and say, “Alright, we need to provide our children access to the digital world.
This means on one hand natural technical equipment, which is the foundation of everything. At the same time, it’s a drastic demand on the federal and state governments because we are still discussing whether we can get fiber optics and WLAN in schools. This shouldn’t be the case.
And it must also quickly be about strategic concepts. What do we want? Not just buying devices but also clearing up administration, attitude, and development questions.
Personnel changes are also necessary. We need a new working hours model for teachers, so that all this can actually be managed.
My wish is that we understand digitalization not just as technicalization, but that we finally recognize that it is also an attitude issue. Allowing this topic of social media into schools is truly close to my heart.
That we say every school really needs a social media consultation hour and that every school should address this topic at every conference.
We sincerely thank Silke for the interview and wish her many successes at her school and in the field of digitalization.
With Lightfall, the next highly anticipated expansion of Destiny 2 is upon us. The release is actually just a few days away, but early players in Europe and Japan have already been able to start the game along with the update. There isn’t much to see yet – but it’s enough to create excitement.
However, due to a glitch, the preload has already been released in some regions.
As a user on reddit explains, guardians in Europe and Japan were able to start the download for Lightfall today, on February 26, in the middle of the night. Afterwards, the game could even be started.
However, players couldn’t do much with the update. No one could get past the title screen. The glitch has since been fixed, and Bungie has apologized for it.
Lightfall: Glitch Causes Frustration and Excitement
This is what we saw: In the short time that Lightfall was available for download and could be started, guardians only found themselves at the start screen. However, there is immediate praise from the community for this:
“God, this music is so fantastic! I thought they would go full techno, but I’m pleasantly surprised. It has a dark vibe in many parts. This could be my new favorite title theme.” – calebmock via reddit
“Every single time I am amazed at how beautiful the music in this game is.” – yHelloh via YouTube
“I will miss the title theme of Witch Queen, but damn, this one is good.” – Austin R. via YouTube
The video with the title theme is still accessible on YouTube:
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What happens if I have already downloaded the update? As users on reddit explain, those who have already downloaded Lightfall may encounter problems with the game. Because Destiny 2 cannot be started normally anymore.
An official Bungie account provides tips on how to get Destiny 2 back up and running if you’ve already downloaded Lightfall so you can still play until tomorrow:
Uninstall the game
Go to your game library
Select “Your Collection”
Select the Destiny 2 icon
Select the PS5 version
Download Destiny 2 again using the download button on the store page and install it
However, you shouldn’t have any other disadvantages except that you cannot play Destiny 2 at the moment if you don’t follow the steps. Despite the mishap, many users are thankful for the unintended “sneak peek”.
For one of the biggest changes in Lightfall, guardians are incidentally blaming elite streamers:
The Old Gods are a constant theme in World of Warcraft. With Dragonflight, they are resurfacing. So far only subtly, but the signs are becoming clearer.
World of Warcraft is full of enemies and mysteries. Yet few are as enduring and mysterious adversaries as the Old Gods. They have appeared since Classic, and their influence can be felt in almost every expansion. Whether in Classic, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, or Battle for Azeroth, the Old Gods have always been present, either directly or through their servants.
Old Gods belong to the cosmic force of the Void, and they primarily aim to completely corrupt the planet Azeroth to transform the slumbering Titan into a creature of the Void. Like all beings of the Void, Old Gods do not perceive a single, guaranteed future that will come to pass, but rather the infinite paths and possibilities that could be.
This ensures that Old Gods and their servants always have interesting whispers. Many of these resemble prophecies, but it is often difficult to discern which will truly come to pass and which are intended to lead us astray.
Therefore, there have always been heated discussions and wild theories about the Old Gods in the past – theories that often proved true many years later.
Superficially, the Old Gods seem to have little to do with Dragonflight, but those who delve deeper into the subject inevitably conclude that the Old Gods will play a significant role again sooner or later.
We want to present to you the current prevailing theories and most exciting hints about the Old Gods.
What exactly are the Old Gods?
In short: The Old Gods are servants of the “Void Lords.” They are the leaders of the cosmic force of the Void (just as the Titans are the leaders of the cosmic force of “Order”). Since the Void Lords currently cannot act themselves, they cast the Old Gods haphazardly into the cosmos, who then descended on numerous planets. A handful of them landed on Azeroth and became firmly rooted in the planet’s crust.
The Old Gods are tasked with corrupting the planet and the Titan soul that lies dormant within, so that Azeroth ultimately awakens as a “Titan of the Void” and serves the Void Lords to devour the entire universe.
Old Gods and their servants have caused much chaos – such as the Emerald Nightmare.
Four of the Old Gods are known:
C’Thun (Ahn’Qiraj)
Yogg-Saron (Ulduar)
Y’Shaarj (Pandaria)
N’Zoth (Naz’jatar)
A fifth Old God is likely, but currently unknown (more on that later).
Old Gods are in direct conflict with the Titans and their servants. They have been imprisoned for many millennia, yet they are also significantly involved in the development of the races on Azeroth. The existence of humans and other “Living” beings is primarily due to the “Curse of Flesh” of the Old Gods – before that, all life on Azeroth consisted of stone or elemental forces.
N’Zoth was even responsible for the corruption of Neltharion, who later became “Deathwing”.
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WoW: The latest cinematic shows how Neltharion uses the power of the Old Gods
The Signs of the Old Gods in Dragonflight
That the Old Gods still exert their influence and are not entirely contained can be observed at several locations in Dragonflight.
Quests with Whispers
One indication is that Dragonflight has several quest lines revolving around relics that are connected with whispers – once in the plains of Ohn’ahra and another time in the Azure Span.
Especially the quest line in the plains of Ohn’ahra is interesting, as the relic “The Black Locus” manipulates the Dracthyr there. The site was an important stronghold for the Black Dragons, of which we know that their leader Neltharion ultimately succumbed to the whispers of the Old Gods. Callers have even an extra step in this quest line to protect themselves from the whispers.
Even as players, you feel the urge to want to keep the object, as the description clearly states: “The speckling of this stone looks like mist in the night sky and draws you in. You should keep it.”
The ruins of Nelthazan hold a secret that torments Tarasek and Dracthyr with whispers.
It is rare for Blizzard to be so explicit about what your character feels or how he should act regarding objects. This has been almost exclusively the case when you were directly confronted with the influence of Old Gods.
Therefore, it is astonishing that a very similar object is found in the Azure Span. During the quest “What the Guardian Knows,” players find a “Whispering Fragment,” whose description says: “The fragment fills your mind with many compliments. You are quite awesome, aren’t you?”
The hero and some NPCs then feel the urge to collect more of these fragments, further intensifying the whispers, as later the text of the fragments reads:
“The whispers of the fragments grow louder the more you collect. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to listen to them a little.”
The quest line ultimately ends with a Blood Elf completely succumbing to the whispers and sacrificing her own soul to the strange artifact “Valthrux” – just like many creatures before. It is never fully explained what Valthrux actually was, only that “it” has already devoured many souls.
Insights into the Black Empire
The most apparent sign is the journey into the “Black Empire” during the main campaign of Thaldraszus. With the help of the bronze dragons, we travel far back in time and arrive in the Black Empire. During this, the character is flooded with whispers from the Old Gods. Most of these have been in the game for a long time. Sentences from Yogg-Saron and C’thun. However, some sentences are completely new. So N’Zoth speaks during this time:
“I … know you. What you were. What you will be.”
“You will follow him to the deep places. The dark waters flow with his awakening.”
“With many eyes they will see again. They will drink and be empowered.”
“Deeper, deeper his roots will reach. Welcome our embrace.”
“Their dreams sing beneath the surface. Our dreams. Our song.”
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Steve Danuser, the story chief of Dragonflight, revealed a few weeks ago in a lore interview that he personally and deliberately placed the new sentences from N’Zoth there. It is therefore not simply a “cool quest with a look into the past” – but the intentional placement of new hints regarding the Old Gods.
Tentacles and Eyes in the Sea
Many saw this as a clear sign: West of Ohn’ahra, a shipwreck can be found that has a small treasure of gold. Many tentacles surrounded it, as they are known from N’Zoth. The “typical” orange eye that is often associated with N’Zoth can also be found there.
Subsequently (with patch 10.0.5), Blizzard removed the tentacles and eye from there and instead placed Easter eggs on the treasure. For some, this is a clear indication that it was always intended as an Easter egg – others find this all the more suspicious.
Tentacles and eyes have now been removed – instead, there are now Easter eggs here.
Just looking at these three hints should make it clear that the influence of the Old Gods still has an impact – and that perhaps N’Zoth is not as dead as many thought at the end of Battle for Azeroth.
N’Zoth – Dead or not?
N’Zoth was historically the weakest of the Old Gods and could be defeated during the time of Battle for Azeroth, as he died at the end of patch 8.3 – at least that’s what many thought. The video of his defeat stirred great controversy at the time, as it felt “not right” to many. The story revolving around a great titan laser beam piercing through N’Zoth and destroying him, coupled with a rather “undignified” cutscene, caused a great outcry.
Even back then, the thought was: That can’t really have happened?
Heroes executed N’Zoth’s plan
There are now many hints that this never really happened, but that we fell for the Old God’s tricks.
For during “Battle for Azeroth”, the “Hero” danced pretty much directly to the Old God’s tune. Not only did we bring him important artifacts and helped free the entity “Xal’atath” from her dagger, but we were also directly corrupted by N’Zoth. Many players still bear the Mark of N’Zoth.
A whole raid, the “Siege of the Storms” exists solely to test us in N’Zoth’s eyes to see if we are worthy of his task. In the end, he returns to us the “empty” dagger Xal’atath, which Horde players in loyal allegiance present to Sylvanas. Only through this can Queen Azshara ultimately pull us into the depths of Naz’jatar (patch 8.2). An event that ultimately leads to the liberation of N’Zoth from his prison.
Months later, Furorion uses the dagger to destroy N’Zoth’s shell during the attack. In the cinematic, it becomes pretty clear that the dagger “sucks” something out of the shell – it could be the essence of the Old God. It is also suspicious that the dagger then completely disappears from the scene and is never mentioned again. It is not explained what exactly the dagger did or where it is now.
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WoW: Furorion uses Xal’atath against N’Zoth
The “final battle” against N’Zoth then occurs in a dreamlike illusion. It is impossible to say whether we truly fought against N’Zoth or merely against a vision that the Old God showed us. Since N’Zoth knew every step we would take in advance and even guided us, it appears more than questionable that we really defeated the Old God there.
N’Zoth knows the true path
Another puzzle piece in this riddle was provided by Blizzard with the journey into the time of the Black Empire with the bronze dragons in Thaldraszus. For N’Zoth clearly states that he recognizes us: “I … know you. What you were. What you will be.”
A “disadvantage” of the Void is that it can perceive all possibilities simultaneously. This means that Old Gods never truly know which future will actually come to pass and must constantly adjust their plans.
N’Zoth “died” by a laser. But did he really? Or did he just let us see that?
However, we as players have changed this circumstance. For when we traveled with Chromie into the time of the Black Empire, we inadvertently revealed to N’Zoth which future would come to pass. He recognized us. Thus, we confirmed thousands of years ago which future would come to fruition, allowing N’Zoth to plan accordingly.
This only makes it even more likely that we will encounter N’Zoth again in the foreseeable future and find that he is not dead, but that we unwittingly helped him gain the exact power he desired.
The Fifth Old God and Avaloren
In the early stories of World of Warcraft, it was always said that there were a total of five Old Gods that descended upon Azeroth:
Later, Blizzard released the grand lore compendium “Warcraft Chronicles”. Here, the number of Old Gods was set at four. It was assumed that Blizzard had simply conducted a “retcon,” changing a previously established fact afterward. This led to the assumption that one would know all the Old Gods.
Several months later, however, Blizzard explained that the Chronicles are not “irrefutable knowledge” but are written “from the Titans’ perspective.” This received much criticism at the time, as lore fans saw it only as an excuse for Blizzard to change the story even more afterward.
Odyn appears heroic to us – but he protects a great lie.
This circumstance has since taken on much greater implications. For Blizzard has slowly sprinkled individual hints that the Titans may not actually be as “good” as we always thought.
In the revamped Uldaman dungeon, new books could be found, revealing that Odyn – one of the highest servants of the Titans – had mandated that the Black Empire should retrospectively be represented as the “Age of Terror.” The truth should never be made accessible to mortals. Odyn speaks here of “accomplishments of the Black Empire” that mortals should never know about so that they do not “be diverted from the right path.”
And this is exactly in line with the Titans’ mindset. For Titans are cosmic beings of Order. They see a path and want that exactly this path occurs. And anyone who stands in the way must be eliminated.
With patch 10.0.7, Blizzard then directs attention to some new story details. A new book comes into play, titled “The Old Gods and the Order of Azeroth (Commented).” This is a commented version of a book that has existed since Classic.
What is interesting is that this book explicitly mentions five Old Gods. While some suspect that Blizzard simply “forgot” to adjust this in-game book in its re-release, many do not believe this is an error. For it is quite conspicuous that Blizzard specifically brings back this book with this exact information.
This is where “Avaloren” comes into play. Avaloren is an island or continent on Azeroth that is currently inaccessible. Historically, Avaloren is said to be “west of Kalimdor,” as ships that traveled there never returned.
Avaloren is mentioned in the Uldaman books. It is said to be full of “Heretics” who have defied the rules of the Titans and their servants. In Odyn’s eyes, “heretics” are all who do not fully submit to the will of the Titans. These could be followers of the Old Gods. Multiple times, Odyn attempted to attack Avaloren with an expedition, but (at least) three times he failed and ultimately had to give up. The protective mechanisms were too strong.
In Hearthstone, N’Zoth is a god who “resurrects” – so it would not be surprising if he is not so dead after all.
As Odyn emphasizes in other texts that knowledge of Old Gods and the accomplishments of the Black Empire should be kept secret from mortals (meaning us), he very likely changed the historical narrative. From five Old Gods, he simply reduced it to four. He never mentioned Avaloren again and that there is a high probability that the fifth Old God is either located or still imprisoned there.
It is only a matter of time before we discover Avaloren and uncover the truth about the fifth Old God and the “accomplishments of the Black Empire.”
Iridikron’s Hunger and Dark Pacts
The first chapter of Dragonflight ends in the raid “Vault of the Incarnations,” where Khadgar, Kalecgos, and the heroes of Azeroth defeat the primal incarnation Raszageth. But even though the Storm-Eater dies, she still manages to free her three siblings, whom we must face in the future.
Especially Iridikron, the primordial incarnation of Earth, is repeatedly brought into focus here. Not only is “Iridikron’s Hunger” something the dragon aspects fear, but also his longing for war. Alexstrasza reveals in one quest that none of the incarnations “welcomed war as much as Iridikron” and that he “entered into pacts that he even kept secret from his siblings.”
What could these pacts be? After all, the number of great powers on Azeroth during the time of the incarnations was drastically limited. Unless Blizzard conjures up a completely new power, the answer can only be: The Old Gods.
This would also fit excellently historically. For just as Neltharion (later known as Deathwing) was linked to the element of Earth and thus connected to the very ground of the planet, Iridikron seems much more willing to harness this power than Neltharion, who only used it in absolute emergencies.
It is already clear that with patch 10.1, there will be a journey into an underground area, which is already known from datamining and hints. It would be very surprising if not further hints about the Old Gods could be found there.
It is probably hard to hide that I really enjoy the stories surrounding the Old Gods. Even though there is constant criticism that Blizzard never brings the plot to a conclusion and always only makes vague hints, I find that very aspect fascinating about the Old Gods. They still have a large part of “mystique,” a pinch of horror, and countless secrets that may one day be answered, or perhaps never.
For me, they have always been one of the most intriguing story aspects of World of Warcraft, and I love how Blizzard keeps inserting new puzzle pieces that slowly come together into a larger whole, without trivializing the story of the Old Gods.
However, it is also clear that Blizzard has planned the threat from the Old Gods very long-term. They could appear in the next major patch or might take several expansions to show up. It is only certain that they will come when they are ready to put their plans into action (and when WoW runs out of villains again).
A small request: I would ask you to share your thoughts on this article in the comments. Such extensive articles on individual topics and story elements of World of Warcraft require a lot of research and working time. If you enjoy extensive articles of this kind, also on other story themes in WoW, like the extensive lies of the Titans or the story of dragons, feel free to share this article and let me know your opinion in the comments.
Finally, I want to emphasize that all the theories about Old Gods and discoveries such as in datamining do not originate from me. This article often references findings from Wowhead or YouTubers like Bellular. Relevant sources are linked there.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO the GO Tour: Hoenn is currently running with the special research “Legend Hunt”. And a small sentence fuels speculation about Mega Rayquaza.
Attention, Spoiler: If you are playing the special research “Legend Hunt” in Pokémon GO, value the story and do not want to know what is discussed in it, read on here only when you have completed the quest.
From here on, information about the end of the quest follows.
What kind of quest is this? The “Legend Hunt” tells the story of the search for the Red and Blue Gem to regain control over the out-of-control Proto-Forms of Kyogre and Groudon. They cause the weather to go haywire in the story, and gameplay-wise, they are the two “boss” opponents in the arenas during Proto-Raids.
At the end of the quest, the two monsters are calmed down again, which brings Professor Willow into play. Here it gets interesting: The professor explains that usually Rayquaza would descend from the sky to keep Kyogre and Groudon in check. However, it did not need to do that this time.
“Maybe you managed it. Rayquaza would have to be very fast to be quicker than you!” the professor praises and then wants to talk about a theory of how this all came about. But then something flashes: “Did you see that, Trainer?” Willow asks: “Something bright just flew across the sky – could that be a Pokémon?”
And this part is what is making trainers speculate. Or rather: The original, English version of it.
What does Mega Rayquaza have to do with Proto-Kyogre and Proto-Groudon?
Trainers discuss: In the subreddit “TheSilphRoad”, trainers talk about Willow’s dialogue (via reddit). In the original English text, the crucial sentence is: “Maybe you got the jump on it. Rayquaza would have to be mighty speedy to get ahead of you two!”
However, the data miners of Pokeminers found that this version is also an altered variant that was adjusted before the event. The text previously was:
“It’s said Rayquaza would descend to the ground if Kyogre and Groudon were to fight, but maybe you got the jump on it. Rayquaza would have to be Mega speedy to get ahead of you two!”
Text raises speculation: In the subreddit, trainers pick up this older version of the text. They suspect: This must be a hint towards Mega Rayquaza, especially since “Mega” was capitalized in the old variant.
This leads to theories among trainers that Mega Rayquaza could come soon – perhaps for the GO Fest.
“Probably. In the next season, it could be about Kyogre’s and Groudon’s Proto-Forms causing chaos, which is why Mega Rayquaza comes to stop them,” believes a trainer (via reddit).
The original post also speculates: “Not only is the word ‘Mega’ capitalized, but Willow also mentions a ‘theory’ before being interrupted by (possibly) Shiny Jirachi. My theory about his theory is that he was about to mention Proto-Kyogre and Groudon, which are going haywire due to the influence of Mega Rayquaza.”
However, there is also a counter-suspection:
“When I read the final dialogue, I felt the same way. But then Rayquaza started spawning in almost every raid,” mentions a user (via reddit): “I mean, Mega Ray will come eventually. When they hinted at things through dialogue in the past, it was either directly in the next season or after a long gap, so we can’t know.”
However, especially the change of the text is used as a counterargument – to avoid such hopes being raised. But it would not be the first time, that Willow hints at something new early.
Why would the theory make sense? From a story perspective, a release of Mega Rayquaza after the Proto-Forms would be fitting. In the background story of the main Pokémon games, it is learned that Proto-Groudon and Proto-Kyogre had to be stopped by Rayquaza in the past, but awakened again after a meteor impact (via pokewiki.com).
Rayquaza faced the two again and used this meteorite to conduct the historically first Mega evolution. In this form, it defeated the two prehistoric Proto-Monsters once more.
Considering this, Rayquaza in its Mega form doesn’t sound so unlikely. However, the focus of Pokémon GO probably is not necessarily on the story aspect.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen when Mega Rayquaza will appear in Pokémon GO. One thing is for sure: It would be one of the most powerful monsters in the game as soon as it appears.
The seasonal journey of Season 28 in Diablo 3 requires you to complete 3 achievements. We will show you how to solve them quickly and earn the pet as a reward.
What are these achievements? In the seasonal journey of Season 28 (you can open them with Shift+J) you will find the task “Flawless Victory” in the Guardian category. For this, you need to complete three seasonal achievements.
Here we show you an overview of three simple achievements.
Why should you complete the seasonal journey?
Here’s why it’s worth it: For completing the entire seasonal journey, you will receive two portrait frames and a companion:
Which achievements should you take?
You should consider this: Generally, it depends on your playstyle and skill to determine which are the easiest achievements for you this season. The ones we show here, we consider easy.
Speed Demon
What should you do? You need to complete a Nephalem Rift of at least difficulty X in under 2 minutes.
How do you do this? Once you have assembled your core build, you can attempt this task. It is feasible early in the season. It is best to set a timer and see how long you currently take to complete such a rift. Then, make a run without picking up loot (after closing the rift, you have another 30 seconds to go back in and collect the loot) and stop the time. If you play a fast build, the time requirement for torment X should be no problem for you.
It also involves a bit of luck. Depending on the dungeon, this timed run can be easier or harder. Nonetheless, it is one of the easiest achievements.
What should you do? Upgrade 3 legendary gems to level 65.
How do you do this? For this achievement, you only need to grind Greater Rifts and upgrade the gems at the end. Even with the starter sets from Season 28, you should be able to reach such a high level in Greater Nephalem Rifts that you can upgrade the gems.
Boss Mode
What should you do? You should defeat the listed bosses within 20 minutes.
How do you do this? If you have a group, this success is even easier. We have explained in our guide to Boss Mode in Diablo 3 how you should split up. This way, the achievement becomes a success.
What should you do? You need to kill at least 350 enemies at a chest event at level 70 and at least Torment X.
How do you do this? We show you this achievement as a bonus in case you do not like any of the above. For this success, you just need to find the “right” chest and ideally have a few teammates by your side. In our guide for Cursed and Sewn, you will find out where the chest is located.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
During the Hoenn Tour, players can catch Latias and Latios in Pokémon GO – in the wild and even as Shiny. However, catching them is very difficult for some trainers.
The special thing: You can even encounter them in the wild, and there is a chance of encountering a Shiny. Additionally, you can secure at least one more encounter from a limited research if you take a snapshot of a wild specimen.
However, as the event progresses, it becomes clear: They are still not easy to catch.
Some flee, others eat balls – The problem with Latias and Latios
This makes catching them so difficult: Several trainers report their experiences with Latias and Latios during the GO Tour on social media. While the feature of wild legendary Pokémon is generally well-received, there are two major problems.
Normal Latias and Latios: The two “normal” variants of Latias and Latios can be encountered more often, but they also have the tendency to flee very quickly if they are not caught in the first ball. This is reminiscent of the 3 legendary Galar birds – they also have a high flee rate if not caught immediately.
This problem can at least be partially solved by getting the guaranteed encounter through a snapshot. The monster cannot flee there.
However, a major problem arises specifically with the Shinys.
Shiny Latias and Latios: You can encounter the shiny variants in the wild, which is actually good news – because Shinys generally cannot flee. Nevertheless, trainers report a difficult catch because the two Shiny monsters can require an extremely high number of balls to be caught.
Some trainers are actually despairing and experience that while the monsters do not flee, they run out of Poké Balls or simply give up.
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“After I threw about 10, I thought the game was bugged. I must have used about 30 Ultra Balls, and finally caught it. There should really be an amplifier for consecutive excellent throws” (via reddit).
“I used about 70 Ultra Balls and Razz Berries, then switched to Great Balls and lost 40,” reports another (via reddit): “I caught it after 20 minutes and more than 150 balls.”
“I needed 24 balls and golden Razz Berries” (via reddit).
However, it can also go faster. For example, we also noted a catch that worked after 7 Ultra Balls, but also one that needed nearly 30 balls.
Here, patience is key. What have been your experiences with the two monsters during the GO Tour? Let us know in the comments.
Proto-Kyogre and Proto-Groudon are also not guaranteed catches and can flee. This is particularly frustrating if you have already completed the tough raid.
You can print a sled in Sons of the Forest and perform daring maneuvers or quickly traverse long distances. How to get and use the sled is explained here.
How do you get the sled? The sled serves its purpose but is rather a toy in Sons of the Forest and correspondingly expensive. You need 1,000 printer ink for one sled.
Here on the map, you can see where to find a 3D printer for the sled. The location blinks green on your GPS device, where you will find a cave entrance:
Cave entrance to a 3D printer – Map source: mapgenie.io
Think very carefully about whether you want to get the sled. The thing is very expensive. You should spend the printer ink on more useful things first, like arrows, water bottles, or grappling hooks for ziplines.
In your inventory, you will find the sled at the very top left.
How does the sled work? You need a slope and must equip the sled – then you can get started.
Jump and then press the left mouse button (attack). The sled quickly reaches a hellish speed, so steering is not much of an option, although it is actually possible with WASD. When you jump on the sled, you should be sure that you are already heading in the right direction.
You can also use it to prevent fall damage. If you jump from a great height and sit on the sled beforehand, you don’t have to worry about taking damage.
Is everything going smoothly? Not quite – the sliding and the sled are both a bit buggy.
This way, you can even fire through some solid obstacles with the sled if you are fast enough. That doesn’t quite work yet.
Moreover, you can also thunder down the mountains like a sledding champion without the sled. Open your build menu with “B” (the small manual) and approach a slope. This is very popular on reddit (via reddit.com).
If you have further questions about the sled or wish for a specific guide about Sons of the Forest, leave a comment on the topic.
The streamer Jerry “ConnMan1969” Conn enjoys playing Call of Duty on Twitch. When the 53-year-old veteran from the USA gets his first viewer, his son shares a video of it on TikTok. The gesture went viral and has garnered a lot of attention in a short time.
Who is the streamer? ConnMan1969 enjoys playing Warzone on Twitch because he can play it “tactically” as he has trained. He likes to play with viewers and meet new gamers – but he is not a hardcore player; he laughs a lot while playing.
Twitch streamer with only 1 viewer becomes famous through a nice gesture – This is her story
Son shows how dad gets his first viewer – Goes viral
This is the story: Jerry’s son runs a small channel on TikTok where he posted the first steps of his father on Twitch in just 9 seconds. The streamer briefly welcomes his first viewer.
Nevertheless, the short clip has amassed over 729,000 views within a week and has been picked up by various highlight channels.
Journalist Jake Lucky also featured the video on his Twitter channel. There, the post received another 595,000 views within a day:
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What did this bring? The attention on the older streamer attracted 3,359 followers to the channel within a week. According to Jake Lucky, nearly 50 people have already subscribed to ConnMan1969.
In a further TikTok video, the son shows how the streamer follows each of his followers back “to spread a little love” and is also looking for prominent players for his father on the platform.
Exact data on ConnMan1969’s channel cannot yet be retrieved as the channel is simply too young. However, some people on Twitter note that the performance is remarkable – they have not even joined the affiliate program after months or years.
There have also been some nice stories recently among larger streamers:
