The orcs in World of Warcraft make a peculiar decision. A hero betrays everything he actually stands for.
Even though the upcoming expansion Midnight makes an extremely good impression, there are a few points of criticism, especially regarding the story of some major NPCs. We have already talked about questionable statements from Lady Liadrin, but another Horde character acts strangely as well. The orc Etrigg (in English “Eitrigg”) joins exactly the group that was created to kill orcs like him.
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What happens in Midnight? In Midnight, we meet Etrigg in the Arcantina – a new hub, a large tavern where heroes gather. There, Etrigg tells that he has joined a group: the Sons of Lothar.
The Sons of Lothar were originally founded during the Second War (Warcraft II), by Turalyon, Danath Trollbane, Alleria, and some other Alliance members. The clear goal: to completely stop the threat posed by the orcs on Azeroth and even pursue them back to their homeworld, so that they no longer pose a danger.
Even though the Sons of Lothar are now a “new” group dedicated to hunting Xal’atath, their origins clearly trace back to wartime, when orcs were to be exterminated.
Etrigg acts without apparent reason and motivation
Why does it feel wrong? To understand this, one only needs to look at the story of the Arathi Highlands in recent years. During Battle for Azeroth, Etrigg was not just an enemy – they were direct opposing commanders in the warfront in Arathi. This was not about a small skirmish, but about total control over the Arathi Highlands. There are several voice lines where Danath Trollbane says to “slay Etrigg” and “sink his corpse in the castle ditch.”
Anyone who wants to see a longer analysis of this should check out Bellular’s video on the topic:
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In summary, it feels strange when considering Etrigg’s story. He was imprisoned for a long time and essentially perpetually in conflict with humans. Although there was a rapprochement in a novel that was published shortly before Warcraft III, it only makes the whole situation more absurd. At that time, Blizzard showed how such a rapprochement could work without being forced. However, this is currently not the case in Midnight.
That Etrigg now joins exactly this organization that was originally founded to exterminate all orcs – this simply feels wrong and inappropriate. It could have been a cool story if it had been told well and reasonably. Yet, nothing in the quests makes it clear why Etrigg makes this decision or what has led to it.
Of course, it is possible that more context about this decision will be given in the coming months. But as a member of the Horde, it may simply feel curious that one of the oldest and most significant orcs, who has served as an advisor to the Warchief since Classic, now joins an Alliance group that originally wanted to kill him. In the case of another hero, implementing new story elements worked much better.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The legend of a possible release of Half-Life 3 on Steam has been alive for many years, and thanks to countless rumors and leaks, hope remains high among fans. We have examined the most plausible and significant ones and explain what they entail.
Many fans also speculate every year that a sequel could be announced at the Game Awards – including in 2025. Of course, Valve has not confirmed anything, and all these rumors remain just rumors for now.
Nevertheless, we have not missed the chance to wade into this swamp of uncertainty and list the most plausible information that the communities surrounding Half-Life have to offer. Who knows, maybe one of the leaks and rumors from fans is secretly true; we just don’t know yet.
Start video
Half Life 2 – Trailer
2012: Concept Art of Half-Life 3 (or Half-Life 2)
In 2012, numerous new concept artworks for Half-Life appeared that no one had seen before. These depict various scenes of a snowy landscape as well as a crash site of a Soviet helicopter. In the scenes, two unrecognizable figures can also be seen gazing into the distance while wearing winter clothing.
In addition to the winter scenes, there are also some shots of more abstract structures that could be attributed to the Xen. In these, one of the people in winter clothing is in a bubble while an alien with tentacles moves past it. Additionally, the well-known aerial platforms of the Xen are illustrated again.
Finally, there are also some drawings of Alyx Vance seen in winter clothing with longer hair. There is also one variant in which she wears her father’s vest.
According to a statement requested from IGN, these are concept sketches created in 2008 – a few months after Half-Life 2: Episode 2 was released.
Actually, Half-Life 2 was supposed to receive a third episode, but this was then canceled. It is quite possible that Valve still had the idea of a sequel in mind at that time, which is why these concept sketches were developed. Even in the second installment, there were scenes of ice and snow concerning the icebreaker “Borealis”. A return to this place would have been plausible.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The umbrella is one of the most popular and original ranged weapons in Where Winds Meet. We will show you how to unlock and master it.
In Where Winds Meet, there are two umbrellas whose combat skills you can unlock in various ways:
The Vernal Umbrella
A pure damage weapon
The Soulshade Umbrella
Perfect as a secondary weapon for healers alongside the All-Healing Fan
In our guide, we will show you how to easily unlock the weapons and their abilities.
[toc]
Start video
Schnelle Gründe, warum ihr Where Winds Meet zocken solltet
Unlocking the Vernal Umbrella
Where do you need to go? Curiosities Merchant Qi Sheng or the Temporal Pavilion in Kaifeng
How do you unlock it? Currently, you have two ways to unlock the DPS umbrella.
Option 1: You choose it at the Curiosities Merchant Qi Sheng early in the game as your preferred weapon and unlock it along with its martial art directly.
However, we do not recommend this option for beginners, as we advise you to choose the All-Healing Fan there to heal yourself in case you run out of medicine
Option 2: You steal the martial art through theft at a banquet in the Temporal Pavilion in the city of Kaifeng
(Option 3: Currently not available, but you will also be granted the martial art upon joining the “Velvet Shade” sect. However, you cannot currently join this sect, so you will have to wait for an update to make this option available)
If you choose option 2, you have to start and complete a quest line that rewards you with not only items but also the Vernal Umbrella along with its martial art. You will find out how to do this in the next section.
Solving the Quest for the Vernal Umbrella in Kaifeng
When you are in Kaifeng and at the Temporal Pavilion, look for the page named Wang Ping’an in a passage just outside. Speak with him, and he will give you the needed quest. Then follow these steps to complete it and unlock the Vernal Umbrella:
Go into the main building of the pavilion and climb the stairs
Speak with Jiang Ting’er, who guards the passage to the banquet you wish to enter
She requires a token from you to allow you to participate in the banquet
To find the token, you must collect a total of 5 clues:
A person guarding the door on the mezzanine when you go back down the stairs
Two ladies chatting behind a privacy screen in a side room on the ground floor
A cat to the southwest when you cross the main building, just behind it
Two women playing a board game in another pavilion to the southwest
Two more women can be reached through the half-roof via a window on the second floor, where the banquet also takes place
Once you have all the clues, you need to combine two related statements until only one clue remains
This clue will tell you that the token is located in storage
A man near the door will tell you where to get the key
For this, you must cleverly jump over the stairs to a height and go around the corner to a shelf
Once you have the key, go back to the door and go straight left in the room behind – there you will find the token
Once you have the token, all you need to do is return to Jiang Ting’er and hand it to her. After that, you will be allowed in and can enter the banquet. Through the ability theft, you can then learn the martial art for the Vernal Umbrella from the person on stage and unlock the weapon. This also completes the quest.
The Vernal Umbrella is perfect for everyone who loves ranged combat.
Unlocking the Soulshade Umbrella
Where do you need to go? Curiosities Merchant Qi Sheng or the village west of the Mistveil Forest and east of the city of Kaifeng
How do you unlock it? You currently have two options to obtain the umbrella and its martial art:
Option 1: You choose it at the Curiosities Merchant Qi Sheng early in the game as your preferred weapon and unlock it along with its martial art directly.
However, we do not recommend this option for beginners, as we advise you to take the All-Healing Fan to heal yourself in case you run out of medicine
Option 2: You steal the martial art through theft in a village near the Mistveil Forest
(Option 3: Currently not available, but you will also be granted the martial art upon joining the “Hollow Vale” sect. However, you cannot currently join this sect, so you will have to wait for an update to make this option available)
Unlocking the Soulshade Umbrella with Ability Theft
This umbrella, which is a perfect support addition for healers, is unlocked in a village near Kaifeng using ability theft, unless you chose it earlier at Qi Sheng. You should follow these steps:
Find the entrance to the village
To the left of it, you will find a house whose roof you can use to access the building across the way and quickly take out the guards there
Then go down the stairs and look for a hidden ladder in a coffin
Climb down and follow the path illuminated by torches
Follow it until you encounter a master with an umbrella and use your ability theft
Tip: If you want to unlock the umbrella this way, it is advisable to acquire abilities that allow you to move stealthily, such as Invisibility (Veil of Silence) or Assassination (Death’s Touch). These abilities will make this task significantly easier.
Where Winds Meet is one of those games that doesn’t hold your hand. Many players often encounter content, features, or questions that can’t be easily solved within the game itself. If you are one of those who don’t like to puzzle things out themselves or just can’t solve a problem, then check out our guide overview – perhaps we already have the solution for you: Where Winds Meet: All Guides, Tips, and Builds Overview
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A mini-PC manufacturer showcases its latest achievement. Thinner and more powerful than a PS5, the new computer from Minisforum is set to impress. However, the price also differs.
What kind of PC is this? The PC is sold by the manufacturer Minisforum on their website. It currently costs $1,439.90 for the 32GB RAM variant, which is approximately 1,243 euros (as of 26.11.2025). Delivery to Germany is currently not possible.
Two configurations are offered. One is a 32-gigabyte RAM configuration with a 1TB SSD, and the other is a barebone option without memory and SSD. The price of the barebone variant is $1,039, which amounts to about 900 euros.
Minisforum specializes in small form factor computers and has been in business since 2012. With the new Minisforum AtomMan G1 PRO, the company aims to create a PC for both gamers and creators at the same time.
Memory: DDR5 RAM with 5200 clock (size varies depending on the configuration)
Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
The PC is even slightly thinner at its 215 x 57 x 315 mm dimensions compared to the PS5, which measures 216 x 89 x 388 mm.
Larger and blocky is the upcoming Steam Machine, which is also supposed to serve as a PC console. You can see its announcement trailer here:
Start video
Valve presents the Steam Machine in the new trailer
Game tests between PS5 and RTX 5060 are clear
How good is the PC compared to the PS5? Of course, the performance of the mini-PC is crucial. However, the performance is not directly transferable to games. Hardware differences such as graphics memory, clock frequency, and power consumption also play an important role.
In the benchmark from Digital Foundry, it can be seen that the graphics card of the mini-PC delivers about 20 percent more performance in games. For example, the RTX 5060 achieves around 60 FPS in Black Myth: Wukong at 4k resolution using DLSS, while the PS5 only reaches about 40–50 FPS in performance mode at full HD. However, PCs and consoles can only be compared to a limited extent, as not all settings can be adjusted identically.
PC and console are similar, but not the same
What differences are there between mini-PC and PS5? Performance is one thing, but there are many other differences between PC and PS5. For instance, a PC is suitable for both office and gaming. A PS5, on the other hand, is primarily used for gaming and multimedia.
A console is easier to operate with a television, as the user interface is specifically designed for that purpose. On a PC, you usually need a keyboard and a mouse to use it comfortably with a television.
The PS5 also comes with a DualSense controller, which offers features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Many PC gamers, for example, prefer a mouse and keyboard in shooters, as it makes aiming easier; on consoles, there is sometimes help with auto-aim to make it easier.
The PS5 also regularly receives exclusive games like Astro Bot or the remake of Demon Souls. However, it is quite possible that after some time these games will also come to PC, as happened with the The Last of Us series. The PS5 also has different versions: PlayStation 5: What PS5 versions are there?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Where Winds Meet focuses on agile martial arts and provides you with a wide range of weapons. MeinMMO summarizes everything important about the swords, spears, shields, fans, and rope arrows.
Where Winds Meet is an action RPG with a Wuxia setting. Weapons and martial arts play a big role here. After character creation, you start with the unnamed sword. Even in the tutorial, you can find the Nameless Spear. This fits well, as you are able to switch between two weapons at any time with a button press during combat.
However, you are not forever bound to this weapon combination. Below, we will introduce you to all the weapons you can find throughout your adventure and tell you which roles they are suitable for and what skills they bring. We also provide information on where you can obtain each peacekeeper and which weapon combo is recommended.
Update from November 27, 2025: We have updated the article in detail and added information about the best weapon combinations.
[toc]
Our initial impression of Where Winds Meet in video form:
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The sword is the weapon of the nobility and offers a balanced performance for all situations. In addition to the unnamed sword, several other blades fall into this category:
Unnamed Sword
Role: Melee DPS
Obtained: at the start
Recommended weapon combo: Nameless Spear, All-Healing Fan (strong combination for beginners)
The weapon has the following abilities:
Fearless Lunge: Throws a flying sword to deal light damage to the struck enemy, then rushes forward to follow the sword. Press again on the rush to trigger up to 2 strikes that deal increased damage. After the second strike, you will receive a Qi shield that lasts for 3 seconds.
Shadow Step: Evades backward to release sword energy. Sword energy damage decreases with each hit. Press the skill again within 3 seconds to jump forward and execute a strike.
Light Attack: Performs up to 4 light attacks with the sword.
Homeless Storm Attack: Charge the attack to release sword Qi forward. The charge level increases over time and enhances the damage and range of sword Qi.
Strategic Sword
Role: Melee DPS
Obtained: Skill theft in the southernmost area of Qinghe.
Recommended weapon combo: Sky-Shaking Spear
The weapon has the following abilities:
Inner Path Cut: Charges at an enemy and performs a quick slash that deals light damage and causes bleeding. You can then follow up with up to 4 additional slashes that also cause bleeding.
Inner Balance Strike: Evades backward to gain distance from the enemy. You then perform several strikes on the previously occupied area. If the struck enemy has 5 stacks of bleeding, you deal high damage and remove all bleeding. Each hit adds bleeding.
Light Attack: Performs up to 4 light attacks with the sword.
Second Track Strike: Dashes forward, dealing massive damage to enemies on the way. While rushing, you are invisible and immune to damage; each hit causes bleeding.
Upgrade and switch weapons Each weapon can be upgraded at multiple levels, which requires you to invest a lot of resources. Additionally, you can – similar to your character – activate breakthroughs to increase its maximum level and unlock special bonuses.
The good news: If you want to try another weapon, you can reset the level of your previous weapon and get a large part of the resources back that you invested. This way, it is possible to look at other weapons without a lot of farming effort.
Start video
Where Winds Meet zeigt im neuen Gameplay-Trailer die Aktivitäten in der Open World und … Hunde, die Mahjong spielen?
Spears
Spears and lances offer a good balance of defense and offense. You have access to fast attacks, but also powerful strikes.
Stormbreaker Spear
Role: Tank
Obtained: Received by mail after a few level-ups
Recommended weapon combo: Thundercall Blade (for pure tanks)
The weapon has the following abilities:
Storm Roar: Releases sound waves that provoke nearby enemies (builds aggro) and shocks them for 8 seconds (causes 20 percent less damage). Additionally activates 20 percent damage reduction (40 percent for multiplayer campaign bosses) for 16 seconds. Grants tenacity (immune to everything except crowd control).
Thunder Shock: Uses 2 bars of the resource battle spirit to perform a forward spinning kick followed by a somersault that knocks the target down and causes vulnerability for 8 seconds. Grants tenacity during the ability.
Light Attack: Performs 4 light attacks with the spear.
Wrath Spear: After charging, unleashes a series of thrusts that deal high damage. You gain the effect Drumbeat on the last hit (increases damage of charged abilities by 15 percent for 6 seconds).
Nameless Lance
Role: Melee DPS
Obtained: at the start
Recommended weapon combo: Unnamed Sword
The weapon has the following abilities:
Qiankun’s Bond: Immobilizes the target for 2 seconds on hit. Restores 30 stamina and reduces stamina consumption for 5 seconds by 10 percent.
Legion Breaker: Deals high damage. Transitions to Wushuang stance on hit, making the charged ability Storm Dance reach its swinging phase faster.
Light Attack: Performs 4 light attacks with the spear.
Storm Dance: Whirls the spear in place to unleash an unstoppable series of attacks that hit nearby enemies multiple times. While charging, you are immune to projectile damage.
Spears are available in multiple variants in Where Winds Meet.
Sky-Shaking Lance
Role: Melee DPS
Obtained: Skill theft in the Wrathful Flood battle sanctuary, east of Qinghe
Recommended weapon combo: Strategic Sword
The weapon has the following abilities:
Sobering Sorrow: Spins the spear with full force and performs 6 consecutive attacks against nearby enemies, dealing massive damage. At the end of the sequence, you gain buffs for 12 seconds based on the number of combo hits achieved (fewer than 5 hits: increases HP damage by 10 percent / 5 to 10 hits: increases HP damage by 15 percent / more than 10 hits: increases HP damage by 20 percent).
Around Strike: Deals damage to nearby enemies with a spin. The attack is stronger if one of the buffs from Sobering Sorrow is active.
Light Attack: Performs 4 light attacks with the spear.
Glide Thrust: Charges your weapon for a series of thrusts that deal multiple hits to the opponent. Grants tenacity during charging.
Fans
The best weapon to channel your Qi, allowing you to inflict high damage from a distance or heal.
All-Healing Fan
Role: Healing
Obtained: From the curiosity merchant Qi Sheng / joining the Silver Needle sect / skill theft in the Silver Needle battle sanctuary in the southeast of Qinghe (Green Wilderness)
Cloudburst Healing: Generates 20 points of dew drops. Summons a water shape that heals allied units nearby once per second and restores a small amount of health for 7 seconds. If dew drops are full after use, the perception ability can be triggered.
Light Dust after Morning Rain: Only the Chinese tooltip was available in the early access build.
Fourfold Inquiry: Performs 4 quick ranged attacks with the fan.
Emerald Dust Touch: Only the Chinese tooltip was available in the early access build.
Obtained: Skill theft in the northern part of the first region Qinghe, at the Silver Needle battle sanctuary
Recommended weapon combo: Spring Shield (pure ranged fighters)
The weapon has the following skills:
Jade Wind Shield: Pushes back nearby enemies with the fan and creates a wind barrier that blocks all non-boss and enemy projectiles for 8 seconds. You simultaneously jump backward. Grants the effect Enhanced Ballistics, increasing your skill damage by 20 percent, stackable twice.
Mountain’s Sleepless Silence: Only the Chinese tooltip was available in the early access build.
Light Attack: Performs up to 4 quick ranged attacks with the fan.
Heavy Attack: Only the Chinese tooltip was available in the early access build.
The weapons of Where Winds Meet in action (source: X):
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Confused Mind: Performs a ranged attack with both blades with a rotating jump that deals multiple damage to enemies. Can have up to 3 charges.
Greed of Misfortune: Stabs the long blade into the air, causing it to spin rapidly and hit enemies multiple times. Use the ability again before the blade returns to unleash a far-reaching horizontal slash. When catching the blade, you gain the state Enlightenment. In this state, the ability triggers 2 far-reaching slashes. Successful execution reduces the cooldown of the martial arts ability Ignorance.
Light Attack: Swings the double blades in up to 4 consecutive attacks.
Flame Strike: When you have built up the resource Karmic Flame, you can reveal your Wrath form and during this time gain tenacity and reveal light attacks to Heavenly Rage. Attacks drain life, the critical hit rate increases by 10 percent, and the bonus for critical damage increases by 20 percent. When Karmic Flame is consumed, you return to your normal form.
A light and graceful weapon that turns any movement into a deadly or healing dance.
Spring Shield
Role: Ranged DPS
Obtained: From the curiosity merchant Qi Sheng / skill theft on North Ma Xing Street in Kaifeng
Recommended weapon combo: Inkwell Fan (pure ranged fighters)
The Spring Shield offers the following attacks:
Spring Sorrow: Fires a flying petal forward that deals damage and immobilizes non-bosses.
Unfading Flower: Can be used with 50+ petals. Throws the shield into the air and pulls out a hidden sword. Your shield hovers in the air and follows you to automatically shoot projectiles at nearby enemies. Meanwhile, you can strike with the sword or switch to your other weapon. If your target is in the air, the shield consumes additional petals to deal higher damage and prolong time in the air. When insufficient petals are available, the shield returns to you.
Light Attack: Performs up to 3 attacks that deal ranged damage.
Apricot Heaven: Charged attack that allows you to fly forward a bit to deal high area damage upon landing.
The shield is a competitive weapon in Where Winds Meet, even when it doesn’t rain.
Soulshade Umbrella
Role: Healing
Obtained: Skill theft in the abandoned station in the Hollow Valley, east of the city of Kaifeng
Recommended weapon combo: All-Healing Fan (pure healers)
The healing umbrella has the following skills:
Floating Grace: Grants you and nearby allies 15 percent increased damage for 8 seconds, plus some healing.
Echoes of a Thousand Plants: Throws the umbrella into the air and pulls out a hidden sword from the grip. Increases healing by 15 percent and generates up to 60 dew drops over time. The umbrella hovers and follows you to automatically heal allies with the lowest health. In self-healing, the value is increased by 50 percent. During this time, you can attack with the sword or switch to your other weapon.
Light Attack: Performs up to 3 attacks that deal ranged damage.
Pallid Bloom: Only the Chinese tooltip was available in the early access build.
Often referred to in the tooltips as rope dagger or rope dart, you can expect an agile, precise weapon that can deal deadly damage from a distance as well as in direct confrontations.
Mortal Rope Arrow
Role: Melee DPS
Obtained: Joining the Sect of Nine Deadly Paths / skill theft in the Hall of the Nine Deadly Paths, in the city of Kaifeng
Rodent Rampage: Consumes a token of gratitude to summon a rat to aid you in combat. Your light attacks result in coordinated strikes from the rat. The effect lasts 10 seconds.
Blade Thread: Throw the rope arrow forward. If you hit a boss, you are pulled towards it. Smaller enemies are drawn towards you. If you cast the skill again within 2.5 seconds, you perform a combo kick that knocks the target down. Hit targets receive a Vendetta token, causing the rat to deal 50 percent more damage and granting you the resource token of gratitude.
Light Attack: Performs up to 4 consecutive strikes.
Rodent Resilience: Rushes forward and releases sword energy. The damage of the sword energy decreases with each hit by 20 percent to a minimum of 50 percent of normal damage. Higher charge levels increase the damage and range.
The author of these lines would definitely take himself out with this weapon. In Where Winds Meet, he can become the master of the rope arrow.
Mo Blade
A heavy sword with a wide blade that is slow but intimidates opponents and deals solid damage.
Thundercall Blade
Role: Tank
Obtained: From the curiosity merchant Qi Sheng / joining the Skywell sect / skill theft in the south of Kaifeng
Recommended weapon combo: Stormbreaker Spear (for pure tanks)
The weapon has the following skills:
Predator Shield: Grants an 8-second shield worth 25 percent of your maximum health and increases the battle spirit resource by 2 charges. If you have activated Drumbeat, this effect is removed to trigger the perception ability.
Sunstorm: Consumes 2 charges of battle spirit to drive the Mo Blade into the ground and create a whirlwind that draws nearby enemies (not bosses). You then spin the blade for a powerful attack. You gain concentration, causing the next charged ability cast within 5 seconds to charge 50 percent faster.
Light Attack: Performs up to 3 quick attacks.
Avalanche: Strike up, then down to deal high damage in a small area. You can move while charging. The ability has 3 strength levels. At level 3, you consume 1 stack of battle spirit to increase damage by 20 percent and unlock a heavy attack combo.
What about the bow?
You obtain a bow very early in the game and can switch to it at any time in addition to your two main weapons. However, it often deals too little damage for combat. It usually comes into play only when you, as a melee fighter, have no other way to deal damage.
However, you can use flaming arrows to blow up explosive barrels or cut a rope with an arrow, causing a stack of boxes to crash down on enemies.
Which two weapons have caught your eye? Let us know in the comments! Where Winds Meet is so complex that you can miss a lot of things. If you want to make your life as a Wuxia hero as easy as possible, check out our starter guide: 15 Tips to make your start in Where Winds Meet noticeably easier
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of Dune: Awakening have asked players in an email to nominate their game for an award. However, they find it rather cheeky.
What is this award? The developers of Dune: Awakening have called on players in an email to nominate their title for the award for “most innovative gameplay” at the Steam Awards. Games that particularly excite through their mechanics are to be honored here.
Last year, the innovative “Liars Bar” won the award, as it reinvented Russian Roulette and turned it into a social deduction game. Other nominees included games like the production simulation Satisfactory, the co-op shooter Helldivers 2, the post-apocalyptic shooter Stalker 2, and the card rogue-like Balatro.
This year, the developers hope the award will go to Dune: Awakening, but their own community has something to say about that.
Learn more about the relationship between fans and developers here:
Start video
1,000 hours of love-hate: Why angry fans are the biggest hope for Dune: Awakening
Wrong Award for Dune: Awakening
What do fans criticize? Fans primarily have nothing against the email that calls for voting. That’s now customary and nothing to be upset about. However, the award they are asked to vote for is considered wrongly chosen by the players.
Dune: Awakening has struggled tremendously with its gameplay this year. The game suffered from a sort of identity crisis, during which the developers had to make strong adjustments repeatedly to satisfy the players:
To this day, there is a lack of an interesting gameplay loop in the endgame, which functions beyond PvP and provides exciting moments for players in PvE.
This new gameplay loop is expected to come with the next update in early 2026, as the developers recently announced on duneawakening.com.
Which category fits better? For players, the award for best sound design is much more fitting instead of the gameplay award. They write on Reddit:
quantumfloatboat: “I would choose them for sound design if I could. The worm sounds so good, and the soundtrack is fantastic as well.”
ExtensionOpening3388: “Agree 100%: sound design plus the content of the radio stations.”
ZamazaCallista: “Oh yes, the sound and a lot of the visual elements are great. But the actual gameplay? Definitely not innovative.”
Psychrite: “I mean, the building system was cool, but not innovative. The combat was decent, but not innovative at all. The endgame was… the exact opposite of innovation; I wish they had drawn inspiration from a more successful game instead of doing what they did with Dune.”
The sound design of Dune: Awakening is well received by players, while much criticism is directed at the gameplay. Whether the title will even be nominated for an award remains to be seen.
A well-known tech YouTuber wanted to recreate the Steam Machine. It even worked, but the price doesn’t please the viewers– as it is clearly over 1,000 euros.
The YouTuber went to the electronics store and assembled a setup that should compete with the Steam Machine. But in the end, the price turns out to be very high, higher than feared. However, there are several reasons for the high price.
Start video
Valve presents the Steam Machine in the new trailer
YouTuber searches for hardware similar to the Steam Machine, stumbles over power supply and high RAM costs
Which hardware did he choose? For the case, he chose the smallest available case, the Fractal Terra. But it is still somewhat larger than the case of the Steam Machine.
For the CPU and graphics card, he chose components that should offer similar performance to the Steam Machine: an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT. He deliberately opted for the variant of the graphics card with 8 GB of video memory, even though 8 GB of VRAM is no longer future-proof.
What problems arise in the selection? He faces a first problem with the power supply: There is only a specific power supply that fits his system, but it is both very expensive and offers far too much power. JayzTwoCents refers to it as a “placeholder power supply” because there is simply nothing else available.
Another problem is the high prices of RAM, which also drive up the overall costs.
The selected hardware:
Case: Fractal Terra
Mainboard: MSI MPG B850I Edge Wifi
CPU: Ryzen 7 7700X
Cooler: BeQuiet Pure Rock LP, 100 Watt
GPU: AMD Radeon Rx 9060 XT
Power Supply: Asus ROG Loki 1000 Watt Platinum
RAM: 32 GB DDR5
Storage: M.2 SSD with 1 TB storage
What does the entire system cost? In total, he paid about 1,500 to 1,600 US dollars for all the hardware, as he calculates in the video. That converts to about 1,300 to 1,400 euros. He himself explains that he is not happy with the selection of components, but even with perfect parts, the price would only be about 250 dollars less. That would still be 1,350 US dollars or about 1,166 euros:
Case: 199 US dollars
Mainboard: 300 US dollars
CPU: 169 US dollars
GPU: 299 US dollars
Power Supply: 230 US dollars
RAM: 169 US dollars
Storage: 85 US dollars
He emphasizes: Just for RAM and case, he paid nearly 200 US dollars each, which is already a substantial amount of money. But small (ITX) cases and components are simply more expensive than normal sizes.
Even the viewers who stand in front of him in the video, following his explanations and the assembly of the PCs, find the price far too high.
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What is his conclusion? The YouTuber explains that the Steam Machine and gaming PC are hard to compare. He adds that the Steam Machine is more between a PC and a console, between casual gamers and enthusiasts. He says:
The Steam Machine will have a hard time keeping up in terms of PC building. But I don’t think that’s the intention. I don’t think it’s supposed to replace a PC.
And he once again emphasizes the biggest advantage of the gaming PC compared to the Steam Machine, which is the upgradeability of the PC. An advantage that the Steam Machine has not inherited from the PC:
A PC build like this is somewhat better than buying a fully soldered and assembled device, as there are no upgrade options for that. But this device here can be upgraded.
In an interview, the director of the game Lies of P promised players a lot of fun in the upcoming game and that they would not be disappointed.
Which game is it about? The game Lies of P was acclaimed at its release in the year 2023. Players take on the role of P, a combat puppet who wants to be human and is on a quest for his own identity. In the Steampunk world, P must repeatedly defeat mechanical monsters; thus, players are offered a challenge reminiscent of Dark Souls.
In an interview at the awards with gamesradar+, director Choi Ji-won spoke about the award: “I am so happy that I am momentarily at a loss for words. We didn’t see it merely as a pure expansion, but almost as a sequel and an entirely new project.”
Then he also talked about the future of upcoming games: “You can look forward to the greatest fun we can offer in the game. […] We are really working hard on it and I will definitely not disappoint you.”
However, it remains unclear whether Choi Ji-won is speaking about another game in the Lies of P universe or a completely different game.
How does the community react? In the subreddit r/LiesofP, the article from gamesradar was posted and fans are commenting positively under the post. The user Headsquasher is especially excited on Reddit if it is indeed a sequel to Lies of P: “NEOWIZ! SHOW ME AN OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR THE SEQUEL TO LIES OF P AT THIS YEAR’S GAME AWARDS, AND YOU CAN HAVE MY LIFE!”
User samanime on Reddit would even pre-order the upcoming game because he is so excited about Lies of P: Overture: “The DLC was really almost like a sequel. I went in pretty unprepared and was quite surprised at how long it was. I will definitely pre-order everything this team releases in the future. They deserve it.”
What do you think? Are you also looking forward to a possible sequel? Let us know in the comments! Lies of P is based on the Pinocchio story and has its origins in a book. We present more video games based on books in our list: 6 video games you will be surprised to find out are based on books
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of two nominated games for the Game Awards 2025 are making a statement for camaraderie among developers despite direct competition, which the creators of a nominated indie debut do not want to leave unanswered.
Which game was praised by the creators of Expedition 33? During the acceptance speech for “Best Storytelling” by Guillaume Broche, the CEO of Sandfall Interactive, the head of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took the opportunity on stage to praise a specific game: “Play Dispatch, it’s very, very cool and has a really good story.”
Here you can see the trailer for Dispatch by AdHoc Studios:
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Dispatch – Trailer for the demo of the superhero game by former Telltale developers
A Sign of Camaraderie Instead of Competition
How do the developers of Dispatch react to this shoutout? Creative Director Dennis Lenart and Narrative Designer Polly Raguimov of AdHoc Studios share in an interview with PCGamesN how much the gesture from Broche means to them, but also how overwhelmed they were at first. Because for them, this praise came out of the blue:
“One thinks – wait a minute, what? Oh, wow, crazy,” Lenart explains, but Raguimov was also very touched. The fact that the CEO of Expedition 33 praised especially the story of Dispatch made the Narrative Designer particularly proud: “Taking time in his own speech to present another game is something great, especially in this category. What [Broche] said about the story I found really very cool.”
What well-known comparison do the developers make for this feeling? The two developers explain that such feedback, especially from well-known and successful industry peers, holds great value for them. However, it is not just a compliment, but evokes a sense of community that many people might recognize:
I believe there is a kind of camaraderie among developers who share the same opinion about how important stories are in games. It feels kind of like living in a city and when you skate and then meet someone who also skates, you immediately become friends. Or when you find people in your youth who like the same music as you, an instant connection is formed.
– Dennis Lenart, Creative Director at AdHoc Studios (Source: PCGamesN)
The two developers seemingly do not think much of one-sided praise and also express their appreciative words towards the game from Sandfall Interactive.
“I have never seen a game that made me cry that quickly,” admits the Narrative Designer, “That was impressive.”
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 and Dispatch are both nominated games for the Game Awards 2025 and are competing for the title of best indie debut. However, in this year’s nominations, the former stands out as a clear frontrunner, having already set a new record even before the results of the awards: The Game Awards announced their nominations, and Expedition 33 has already set a record.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The release date for World of Warcraft Midnight has been announced. The fight against the Void in Quel’thalas begins in the first quarter of 2026.
For several months, there have been speculations and hints about when the next expansion of World of Warcraft will be released. Now Blizzard has unexpectedly announced the release date, bringing clarity. It is set to start in March 2026.
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WoW Midnight shows gameplay – All new features
When is the release of WoW Midnight? World of Warcraft Midnight will be released worldwide on March 3, 2026, at 12:00 AM German time. That is the night from Sunday to Monday. Those who want to dive in right away should perhaps start thinking about taking a day off.
Midnight release on March 3, Early Access on February 28, 2026
When is the early access to Midnight? Those who purchased the Epic Edition of Midnight will not only gain access to the current beta but also early access to the finished game (Early Access). This early access lasts at least 3 days, although in the case of The War Within it turned out to be more like 4 days. If Blizzard sticks to the 3 days this time, that would mean Friday, February 27, 2026.
What is it about? Midnight is the 11th expansion of World of Warcraft and takes place in the renewed elven lands of Quel’thalas. Areas such as the Immersang Forest and the Ghostlands have been revamped and filled with new stories. The focus is on the threat of the Void and Xal’atath. She seeks to corrupt the Sunwell in order to get closer to her goal of claiming the World Soul of Azeroth. If you want to know more about World of Warcraft Midnight, check out our comprehensive overview of the addon.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Before he became successful as a streamer on Twitch, Jens “Knossi” Knossalla was already seen on television, specifically in the court show “Judge Barbara Salesch”.The judge and the other cast members met him again after around 16 years.
Which show was Knossi on? Most people probably noticed Knossi when he started streaming online casino games on Twitch. Before his career on Twitch, the 39-year-old was regularly seen in small roles on the court show “Judge Barbara Salesch”. That was about 16 years ago.
The show fictionalizes cases and is loosely based on real conflicts. It features defendants, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and witnesses, all portrayed by amateur actors. The depicted case unfolds gradually within each episode through various witness testimonies, and at the end, Judge Barbara Salesch delivers the verdict.
“Judge Barbara Salesch” had a high entertainment value for viewers due to its regular dramatic twists. The show aired from 1999 to 2012 and was rebooted in 2022 under the title “Barbara Salesch – The Criminal Court”.
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From the Witness Stand with Barbara Salesch to the King of Twitch – Career and Life of Knossi
“I loved that”
What does Knossi experience behind the scenes? On November 20, 2025, the Twitch streamer went live for 24 hours starting at 5 PM in a collaboration with TV channel RTL to raise donations. During this time, he took his viewers behind the scenes of many RTL shows, including “Judge Barbara Salesch”.
Knossi reports in the livestream that he received the script for the show three weeks before his appearances. It was always particularly important to him to be confident with the lines. The performances were then evaluated, and he would be banned for three months before he could perform again.
Knossi comments: “That was my life. […] Those were my first TV appearances.” (Source: YouTube starting at minute 08:38). He often slipped into different roles, sometimes as a co-plaintiff, sometimes as a defendant, sometimes as “Witness 3”.
In the courtroom, Knossi met the lawyer and actor Bernd Römer, other actors, and finally Judge Barbara Salesch. In her studio office, they watched old scenes from 2009 in which Knossi acted.
The Twitch streamer reminisced, saying: “I loved it when I got to perform. […] I always thought, hopefully I’ll do it well. […] It was incredibly great for me to deal with pressure situations because I learned so much there.” (Source: YouTube starting at minute 24:31)
In the next role-playing game of Warhammer 40,000, you will now play as a member of the Inquisition. Soon, a new, large companion will accompany you, who can not only take a lot but can also dish it out well.
Which companion is being referred to? From December 16, 2025, a new companion will be able to fight by your side in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, a big and loyal guy who is deeply loyal to the Imperium of Man. We are talking about “Conscript 0-118-B”, also known as Cogg.
Cogg is an Ogryn, a subspecies of Abhumans that are particularly robust and strong but not particularly intelligent. Cogg is not blessed with strong intellect either, but thanks to a biochemical Ogryn neural enhancement (BONE) and a skull implant, he is still a bit smarter and faster than others of his kind.
Here you can see the trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy:
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Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy in the Announcement Trailer
A brutal giant that has more depth than expected
What else do we know about Cogg? The Ogryn served in the shock troops of the Astra Militarum and was considered an unstoppable killing machine due to his fierce strength and indestructibility, not shying away from obstacles or injuries. After a tragic incident, for which no further details have been revealed so far, he remained in Hive Sibelius to wither away. But the Inquisitor intervened, giving new meaning to his life.
When Dark Heresy is released, Cogg will be fully voiced. However, who will lend him their voice will be revealed at a later time. Starting December 16, he will finally be playable in the alpha version on Steam and will fight on the side of the savior who spared him from his decay.
What else do we know about the other companions in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy? In addition to Cogg the Ogryn, you will have other companions available, such as an experienced guardsman from the Death World Catachan or a bird-like Kroot mercenary.
In the classic SRPG style, for which the developer Owlcat is already known, you can form and control your group from the recruited characters with up to four companions. There will also be fully voiced dialogues and even romances.
The developer Owlcat has already proven with Rogue Trader that the Warhammer 40,000 universe can be quite reasonably linked to an RPG. It remains exciting to see how this will look with its successor. In the exclusive interview with Webedia, which also includes MeinMMO, Executive Producer Anatoly Shestov answers some questions that arose about the new RPG: In the new RPG for Warhammer 40,000, you are not a bred superhuman, but at least just as dangerous
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The PS Plus Essential games for December 2025 for the PS5 and PS4 have officially been announced. We briefly introduce the games and show when they will be available.
Which PS Plus games are available in December 2025? This December 2025, there are a total of 5 games that you can get with the PS Plus Essential subscription.
LEGO Horizon Adventures | PS5
Killing Floor III | PS5
Synduality Echo of Ada | PS5
The Outlast Trials | PS4, PS5
Neon White | PS4, PS5
When will the games be available? The games are always available from the first Tuesday of the month:
PS Plus games available: December 2, 2025, at around 12:00 PM
All important information about the PS Plus Essential games in December 2025
Here we briefly introduce the three games:
LEGO Horizon Adventures | PS5
LEGO Horizon Adventures is an action-adventure that adapts the world of Horizon: Zero Dawn in humorous LEGO form. You take on the role of Aloy, explore colorful open areas, fight machine beings, and solve light puzzles.
The story follows the well-known events of Horizon: Zero Dawn, but is family-friendly, shorter, and presented with typical LEGO humor. The gameplay mixes simple fighting, collecting, building, and cooperative actions that you can experience in local or online coop. The game is also cross-platform playable.
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Trailer for LEGO Horizon Adventures – Release 2024 for PS5, Switch, Steam and Epic
Killing Floor III | PS5
Killing Floor III is a cooperative horror shooter where you fight alongside up to five other players against waves of mutated monsters known as Zeds. The game strongly emphasizes teamwork and fast action, supported by various classes, weapons, and special abilities. Each round ends in a challenging boss fight that particularly tests your coordination.
You earn money and experience to unlock new equipment, upgrades, and enhancements for your characters. The presentation is brutal and bloody and rewards good teamwork if you stick together well in the fast-paced action.
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Killing Floor 3 Gamescom
Synduality Echo of Ada | PS5
Synduality Echo of Ada is a sci-fi third-person shooter where you take on the role of a “Drifter,” a mercenary gathering resources on the devastated Earth. You control a mech tank known as the “CRADLECOFFIN” and are supported by an AI companion who helps you in battle and provides hints.
The game mixes PvE with PvP: you not only fight against nasty creatures called “Enders” but also against other players who could steal your valuable crystals. You can customize your gear, weapons, and your mech according to your personal preference and play style.
Synduality Echo of Ada allows you to play solo or with others, where cooperation or confrontation is always possible.
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The shooter SYNDUALITY celebrates the closed beta with a new trailer
The Outlast Trials | PS4, PS5
The Outlast Trials is a cooperative horror shooter where you must face sadistic experiments and nightmare enemies with up to three teammates in dark testing facilities. The game combines tension, stealth, and teamwork. You have no powerful weapons; instead, you must survive with gadgets, resource scarcity, and clever tactics.
While mastering puzzling tests and trying to escape, every decision becomes dangerous and every encounter a challenge. The atmosphere is dark and oppressive, with many shocking moments and horror elements.
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The Outlast Trials lets you scare with all your friends now in crossplay
Neon White | PS4, PS5
Neon White is an action game featuring platforming, shooter, and puzzle elements where you fight demons in Heaven’s House. You take on the role of White, a demon hunter who atones for his sins and must complete missions within a day. You use cards as weapons and tools. Depending on the card, you switch between melee, firearms, or special abilities.
Each level is a race against time. The mix of speed, style, and tricky level design makes the game suitable for both speedrun fans and puzzle enthusiasts.
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Neon White shows the gameplay in the launch trailer
What else do I need to consider? If you haven’t claimed the games from last month for PS Plus yet, you should hurry. Once the new games are available, the old ones will be turned off again. If you want to get the games, you must have the paid PS Plus subscription for your PS4 or PS5.
In ARC Raiders, you need various resources to upgrade the levels of the stations in your workshop. How to obtain rusty gears, which you need for the weapon station, can be found here.
What are rusty gears needed for? To upgrade your weapon station to level 3, you need to collect 3 rusty gears, among other materials. This material belongs to the rarity level blue and does not drop as frequently as many basic resources. Once you upgrade the station, you can craft better weapons, such as the epic assault rifle “Bettina.”
The following materials are needed for the weapon station at level 3:
5 advanced mechanical components (can be crafted at the refiner)
4 Guardian fire cores (loot from the large Guardian turrets on building walls)
3 rusty gears
You can find out where to farm the rusty gears below.
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ARC Raiders soll laut der Community die chilligsten Lobbys haben
Where can you find rusty gears the best? According to the item description, you can find rusty gears in areas with the “Industry” feature. On the map “Dam Battlefields,” there are several spots for them. Additionally, you can even collect light bulbs for your project while you’re in the power generator complex or the transformer station.
But the “Buried City” with its many cars and generators is also a good place for this. It’s best to run a route from the warehouse in the west, through the Marano train station to the parking garage in the New District, depending on which side you spawn on. Smash cars on the way and keep an eye out for containers and generators that you can loot.
A suitable route in the “Buried City.”Such generators are a good loot source.In the parking garage, you will find numerous cars to break open and loot.
Attention: Often, a Bastion patrols around the parking garage. This is an armored ARC that looks somewhat like a giant spider with a fortress on top. You can recognize from a distance that it’s patrolling an area when you see two Scout ARCs in the air. If you don’t want to engage it, keep your distance.
In ARC Raiders, you need various resources for your project, as you are upgrading your caravan to go on an expedition. How to get the light bulbs you need for that can be found here.
What are light bulbs for? At first glance, light bulbs in ARC Raiders seem quite unnecessary. You can’t use them for crafting, but they do bring in a few coins. However, as you progress with your project, you’ll see that you need 5 light bulbs for that.
You can find the project under “Raider” in your lobby. There you upgrade your caravan to start an expedition that will take you out of the Rust Belt. Some of your progress will be reset, while other progress will be carried over by your new Raider.
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ARC Raiders soll laut der Community die chilligsten Lobbys haben
Where is the best place to find light bulbs? According to the item description, light bulbs can be found in areas with the “Electrical” trait. You can find them on the “Dam Battlegrounds” map, once in the north at the power generator complex, and once in the south at the substation. Break open containers and machinery and search them.
At both spots, you’ll also find some cars that can also contain light bulbs. Especially in the north, you will discover numerous cars and large buses along the road. Open the hood and loot the vehicles.
If you really just want to farm light bulbs, check the spots and then use the nearby elevators to quickly extract and safely bring your loot back to Speranza.
Two locations for light bulbs on “Dam Battlegrounds”.Cars are a great loot source.You can find light bulbs on “The Blue Gate” as well.
Another good place is the Pilgrim Peak on the map “The Blue Gate”. There you will not only find items with the “Electrical” tag but also those with the “Technology” tag – a perfect addition if you want to farm multiple types of materials.
What else do you need for the project? For the project you also need, among other things, metal parts, ARC alloy, and advanced electrical components. A helpful overview with all items you need in your inventory for the expedition and for upgrading workbenches can be found here: ARC Raiders: Recycle Cheat Sheet – This is how you know what to keep in your inventory
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
OLED monitors have been increasingly popular in recent years. A market research company now wants to demonstrate with a study why gamers have an advantage while playing with OLED.
What is reported in the study? Trend Force, a global research and consulting company, published a study stating that the sales of monitors have risen sharply and that gamers are the main buyers.
The company based in Taiwan states in the study from November 18, 2025 that 12 percent more OLED monitors were sold in the third quarter of 2025 than in the last quarter. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, it is even said to be 65 percent more.
In total, about 644,000 OLED monitors are said to have been sold in the third quarter of 2025.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 in the unboxing video
Perfect contrast, deep black, and low response times are selling points
Why is OLED more popular among gamers? Trend Force writes in its study that the advantages of OLED, which include low response times, vivid colors, and high contrast values, are especially preferred in high-end gaming.
As each pixel lights up individually in an OLED display, there is no permanent backlighting, and black pixels turn completely off. This leads to significantly better contrast and deeper black compared to other displays.
Another advantage for gamers that Trend Force highlights is the low response time of the monitors. For comparison, an OLED display has an average response time of 0.03 milliseconds. A conventional IPS gaming monitor ranges between 1 – 8 milliseconds, depending on the display model (via newhavensdisplay).
Additionally, according to Trend Force, many models support high refresh rates of up to 240 Hertz or more, which in turn provides a clearer image in action-packed scenes. This is especially preferred by competitive players, as the higher the FPS rate, the more accurately you can aim and hit in a shooter, for example. Read more about it on MeinMMO.
Burn-in and high costs are counterarguments
What are the disadvantages of OLED? Displays with OLED technology can experience what’s known as burn-in, where static content is burned onto the monitor and remains visible even with changing images. However, there are now features like pixel-cleaning that are designed to minimize the burn-in risk.
Furthermore, the diodes in OLED displays degrade over time, leading to reduced brightness and luminosity. Thus, the device’s lifespan decreases faster than that of an LCD counterpart. Similarly, OLED monitors achieve lower peak brightness than IPS displays (via chip.de).
Nevertheless, a downward trend in the prices of OLED display technology is expected to become apparent. Therefore, it is probably only a matter of time before the technology becomes affordable for everyone. What happens to an OLED display if it is constantly on can be read on MeinMMO: Experts tested 100 OLED TVs for two years, and all devices had the same problem.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new season in Pokémon GO is just around the corner. We have looked into what content it brings.
When does the season start? On December 2, 2025, at 10:00 AM, the new season titled “Valuable Paths” will begin. It will run until Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 09:59 AM.
As usual, a new season brings with it a variety of new content and bonuses. We have summarized what is known about the new season for you.
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Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
All Monsters of the New Season
New monsters of the season: So far, 2 monsters are known to debut in the new season: Klopptopus and its evolution Kaocto. Additionally, it is expected that Mogelbaum and Akkup will be available with holiday outfits, likely around Christmas.
When exactly Klopptopus and its evolution will make their way into the game is not yet known. However, it is assumed that they will debut as part of an event.
New Dynamax and Gigantamax monsters: Kicklee and Nockchan will debut their Dynamax forms in the new season. You will even be able to obtain Mauzi in its Gigantamax form.
New monsters in research breakthroughs: If you complete field research for 7 consecutive days, you will receive a research breakthrough in Pokémon GO. Besides an item reward, a Pokémon encounter awaits you. In the new season, you might encounter one of the following monsters:
Galar-Pantimos*
Lapras*
Relaxo*
Gramokles
Fatalitee*
Grolldra
New monsters in eggs: Also, regarding the monsters you can obtain by hatching eggs, there are changes. What is known so far can be seen in the following table.
New monsters in the wild: The monsters in the wild are also expected to rotate, depending on their natural habitats and Pokédex entries. No further information is available yet.
All monsters marked with an * can also appear as shiny.
Special Research and Masterwork Research: A new special research is also part of the new season. There is currently no information available on its content.
Additionally, you have the option to purchase a Masterwork Research for $7.99 (approximately €8). Here, you will receive another Master Ball.
Bonuses of the Season: Throughout the season, the following bonuses will be active:
an additional special trade per day
more Stardust for the first catch of the day
increased bonus damage when battling in raids with friends
PokéStop showcases
new event stickers from PokéStops, gifts, or in the shop
New GO Pass: Currently, it seems that there will be a GO Pass available for the entire new season. This will come in both a free version and a paid deluxe variant.
So far, the following milestones of the new GO Pass are known:
Level 25
up to 40 gifts per day can be opened (50 in the deluxe variant)
up to 125 gifts can be received from PokéStops and gyms per day (150 in the deluxe variant)
up to 10 additional gifts can be stored in the item bag (20 in the deluxe variant)
Level 50:
double duration for daily adventure incense
Level 75:
additional rewards for completing raids and Dynamax battles locally
Community Days of the New Season: The dates for the Community Days in the new season are already known. They are as follows:
Community Day on December 6 and 7, 2025
Community Day Classic on January 4, 2026
Community Day on January 18, 2026
Community Day on February 1, 2026
GO Tour 2026: The GO Tour 2026 will also take place during the new season. The global part of the event will occur from February 28 to March 1, 2026.
In ARC Raiders, a player was caught cheating while live streaming on Twitch. The community is outraged.
How did the player cheat? In a post on Reddit, a user shared multiple clips of a cheater. You can see the player walking through walls and then shooting at other players from under the map, who are defenseless.
The defenseless players fall victim to the cheater and lose their loot and items, as is common in ARC Raiders. He himself was taken out by the cheater and then found the name online. There he also saw that the player was live streaming on a small Twitch account, showing how he glitches into walls to take out other players.
You can see the compilation of actions from both sides here:
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How are players reacting to the action? Many find it quite brazen that a cheater is filming live how he takes out normal players in ARC Raiders using glitches. At the same time, it’s also somewhat foolish, as Toastqt points out on Reddit, to provide evidence of one’s own misconduct and potentially get banned for it.
Accordingly, the community is calling for punishment for the player. According to them, it often happens in his streams that he glitches into walls and takes others out. Users on Reddit write:
Modernautomatic: “He keeps doing it over and over again. Damn, this dude.”
Watamelonna: “Justice must prevail. Guys like this ruin the fun for everyone.”
TeisTom: “I’ve died at exactly this spot many times and knew something was off with the bullets coming from the concrete. I just didn’t know how they did it.”
How does the glitch work? At the point shown in the video, there is currently a bug that allows players to walk into the wall. This allows them to get under the map, which has no textures and walls from underneath, which is why they can shoot at all enemies without any resistance.
However, this method clearly violates the rules of the developers and can result in a ban. Not only is one’s gear lost, but participation in further games can also be permanently prevented depending on the severity of the offense. The player in the video above must also expect such punishment.
In Where Winds Meet, there are time restrictions that affect certain quests and level caps. This leads to the temptation to simply change the time on the device or in the game to influence gameplay. But does this work to skip them?
Can you bypass the time limitation? The short answer is: unfortunately not. There is currently no effective way to skip the time restrictions for leveling or for certain quests. You have to sadly wait for this time or spend it on other activities. An exception is quests where you find a mention in the quest log that you can manually change the time to proceed with the story.
The level limits are based on when you created your character and therefore apply individually to you. So at first, it seems logical to think that adjusting the time on your own device could influence this. But that does not work.
What is the benefit of changing the time on the device? Changing the time on your PC or console settings does not change anything in the game, as the in-game time does not depend on your device but rather on the servers of Where Winds Meet.
Furthermore, there is also the option to change time within the game. You will learn what this is good for and when to use it in the next section.
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Schnelle Gründe, warum ihr Where Winds Meet zocken solltet
Changing time in the game – when and why is it useful?
Why should one change the time in the game? Some quests have specific times and waiting periods that you need to meet to start or continue them, such as with the main story quest involving the ferryman.
When you open the quest in your journal, you will also see a hint that you can change the time in the game to start it earlier. You can click on the hint or access the time menu and move the clock forward.
For other quests, you must wait until the next day, and that is meant literally. In these quests, you will not find a reference to the time feature in your quest overview.
Similarly, by changing the time, you can influence the time of day and weather in your game world, which can be relevant for certain enemy types and side quests.
How do you change the time? You can adjust the time in the game by either opening the main menu and clicking on the clock in the top right corner, or by opening your radial menu and selecting the clock found in the second field at the top right.
This opens a clock overview where you can select a time of day in 2-hour increments:
Chou (1-3)
Yin (3-5)
Mao (5-7)
Chen (7-9)
Si (9-11)
Wu (11-13)
Wei (13-15)
You (15-19)
Xu (19-21)
Hai (21-23)
Zi (23-1)
If you have a quest that starts at a specific time of day, you need to select the appropriately named time interval and adjust your time accordingly. Then you can start or continue the quest.
Can you also adjust the time in multiplayer? No, you can only change the time in solo mode. If you want a specific time of day for your co-op or multiplayer mode, you must set it and then invite the respective players into your world.
Deadlock is currently in a testing phase on Steam, and the developers are trying out various things to continuously improve the game. A, as Valve itself states, small patch has however massively changed several elements of Deadlock.
What kind of patch is this? In the official Discord, Valve developer Yoshi, who informs the community about each update, sent a message: “Small Balance Update.” However, after fans took a closer look at the patch, they noticed that this small patch has drastically changed how Deadlock is played.
What do the fans say about the patch? In the Deadlock Subreddit, the patch was discussed. One user writes that “small” is an interesting word to describe massive changes to the early game (Laning phase). Over 500 people agreed with him, and another user wondered what the big content update in December 2025 will be if this patch is supposed to be small.
What was changed in the laning phase? One of the biggest and most important changes is an adjustment to the lane.
Before the patch, players received half of the souls, the currency of Deadlock, for each killed minion. Additionally, a sphere flew out of the minions and had to be shot down to get the second half of the souls.
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This is Deadlock – The new MOBA shooter from Valve
With the new patch, they slightly adjusted this system, which has a big impact on the lane. Instead of receiving the first half of the souls immediately, the minions now drop an additional sphere with the souls, which must be collected by the players. This means that players are now forced to get close to the killed minions in order to receive the full souls.
With this change, the developers have made the laning phase significantly more active. You now have to approach the opponent closely to collect all the souls, encouraging early fights between heroes.
Outside the lane, the effects of the small patch continue
What was changed outside the lane? With the same patch, the so-called investment bonus was also adjusted. If you spent a certain amount of souls on items in one of the three categories (Weapon, Magic, Vitality), you received additional weapon damage, magic value, or health.
This bonus makes a significant jump with the new patch at a certain value of souls (4,800). This jump makes it more rewarding to purchase different categories of items and promotes hybrid playstyles that do not solely rely on weapon, magic, or vitality.
What is the last major change? The last major change has been made to the guardians (the first towers) and runners (the second towers). While the first towers have received slightly more health, the second towers, the runners, have been significantly adjusted.
In total, they now have significantly more health and a smaller radius around them where heroes must stand to deal damage. Additionally, the defensive capabilities of the runner have been improved, such as stronger fireballs or more damage from a stomp to the ground.
All of these adjustments keep the runners on the map longer and promote large intense team fights. Coupled with the change that with the new patch each of the three runners unlocks an additional item slot, they have become even more important to defend or push.
Are there any other changes? Yes, there are further changes to items and heroes due to the update, which would exceed the scope of an article. If you’re interested in every detail, you can check out the Deadlock forum, where the patch notes have been posted.
Also, YouTuber and Twitch streamer Deathy has released a video about this patch, calling it the largest balance update for Deadlock so far.
