Shortly before the release of the new expansion Dragonflight for World of Warcraft, the preparatory event “Primal Storms” ends. There was a special heirloom trinket up for grabs, but bugs prevented many players from obtaining it. Blizzard states that you will still be able to get the trinket in Dragonflight.
Which item is it? The “Unstable Elemental Confluence” increases your primary attribute and gives your spells and abilities a chance to deal additional damage and empower allies.
The special thing about this trinket is that it is an heirloom. This means that the item levels with your character from level 1-60, so you hardly ever have to change your gear while leveling up until Dragonflight. Collected heirlooms are available to every character on your account.
Here was the problem:The new expansion Dragonflight will be released at 12:00 AM on November 29. However, as early as 11:00 PM the night before, the pre-event “Primal Storms” ended. There will be no more invasions appearing in the world.
To obtain the item, you had to collect special loot from each of the 4 different storm bosses and then combine them: tainted primal elements. However, the issue was that certain bosses did not drop the required items.
Since the storms are now over, you can no longer obtain the item there. However, Blizzard explains that you will also have the chance to get the Unstable Elemental Confluence on the Dragon Isles.
WoW shows the main features of Dragonflight in the gameplay trailer, fans praise: “Finally hype again”
Primal Storms Return in Dragonflight
As Community Manager Linxy writes in the US forum, it will also have Primal Storms on the Dragon Isles, where you can obtain the tainted elements from the corresponding bosses.
We still do not know exactly where, how frequently, and when the storms will occur on the Dragon Isles. In the original event, invasions rotated every 3 hours and were almost permanently active. However, this could potentially interfere with leveling in Dragonflight.
How to level up particularly quickly is revealed in our guide:
It can be quite worthwhile to play alt characters in Dragonflight, which is why the opportunity to obtain the trinket should be utilized. Particularly trinkets often remain an empty or outdated slot for long parts of the leveling phase.
Many experts recommend playing multiple characters in Dragonflight instead of spending too much time on minor improvements for your “main”. We talked personally with one of them:
With WoW Dragonflight, the maximum level rises to level 70. MeinMMO reveals how you can master the leveling as quickly as possible in the great level guide.
What tips are there? We have compiled some useful hints to help you level as quickly as possible in the new expansion Dragonflight:
Note: If you want to level as quickly as possible, you won’t experience much of the Dragonflight story. Depending on what is more important to you, you will need more or less time to level. In our special, we reveal what you need to know about the story of WoW so far.
How long does leveling take? According to recent information, the quickest possible leveling time should take about 4 hours. However, this is only possible if you have already planned everything out and organized every step in the beta.
In the beta, the requirements were adjusted several times, which is why the value fluctuates between 5 to 10 hours depending on the guide and expert. Therefore, expect around 6-8 hours to get a character from level 60-70.
WoW shows the main features of Dragonflight in the gameplay trailer, fans praise: “Finally hype again”
Preparation and items for fast leveling to 70
Here’s how to prepare: The most important thing first: clear your inventory! As much space as possible, especially empty bags, will help you while leveling as you won’t have to visit the vendor or mount your mammoth/yak as often. Dragonflight should clutter your inventory less, but especially while leveling, you will still find many items that will fill your bags.
Make sure to get either before the release a 20-slot bag for reagents that expands your inventory, or directly after release from the first quests a corresponding bag. That will help you maintain enough space in your inventory.
Another important tip: set and use your hearthstone. Many players forget that they have this item or save it for “important occasions”. But with it, you can save many minutes of travel time to the quest hub, at least 10 times while leveling!
These useful items from the auction house help you
It can be worthwhile to make a quick stop at the auction house before heading to the Dragon Isles to stock up on supplies. There are some items that are especially useful for leveling:
With potions and elixirs from alchemists, you can defeat your opponents faster.
If you want to save, first use your old potions from the Shadowlands while leveling; you won’t need them at level 70 anyway.
Drums of Fury: Serve as a “small heroism/small battle frenzy” for all classes that do not have access to these abilities (up to level 61).
Shooting Shoes: Temporarily increase your movement speed on the ground.
Goblin Glider: Allows you to glide elegantly through the air when falling.
Fried Fish Bones: Buff food that increases your movement speed when you kill an enemy that grants experience or honor.
Checkered Flag: Increases your mount speed by 30% for 10 minutes – even when dragon riding. Available at the Darkmoon Faire if you complete the big event in 20 bell chimes.
Shooting shoes make you incredibly fast for a short time. This is especially useful in areas where you want to pull many opponents together.
There are other items that increase your movement speed. Farming these now costs more time than they would save you later. Therefore, we do not recommend them at this point.
What helps you, however, are the Guild Banners that you can buy from the Guild Vendor in Stormwind or Orgrimmar for friendly reputation with your guild. These banners increase your experience gained for killing enemies, your reputation gain, and your honor within a 100-meter radius:
Banner of Cooperation: 5% more experience points
Standard of Unity: 10% more experience points
Battle Standard of Cooperation: 15% more experience points
Use these banners whenever you can. Especially when you need to kill many enemies in a quest area. The banners last for 15 minutes and have a cooldown of only 10 minutes.
The best addons for leveling
You can find some helpful tools in our list of the best addons for World of Warcraft that make leveling faster and more enjoyable. Here are the most important mentions at a glance:
Scrap: Automatically sells all the “junk” that is meant only for selling and saves you some clicks at the vendor.
RareScanner: Scans the area for rare enemies and displays them to you. They usually drop particularly good loot and a big chunk of experience points.
Speedy AutoLoot: Increases the speed at which you loot.
Cinematic Canceller: Automatically skips all cinematic sequences in the game.
HandyNotes: Shows you treasures and useful items on the map, particularly practical for the glyphs when dragon riding.
Addons are not something you absolutely need for leveling or playing. However, they can save you a few minutes overall, during which you otherwise might just be staring at the screen waiting.
War Mode & Darkmoon: Is the XP boost worth it?
For more experience points, you can activate War Mode. This gives you up to 20% more experience and gold, but it also makes you open to being attacked by players from the other faction at any time.
If the server is generally calm, you can use War Mode without worry. Especially on roleplay servers, many players use the feature just for the experience and are otherwise peaceful.
On larger servers that used to be PvP servers or where there is a strong faction imbalance, you may find that you have more trouble with the other faction. In these cases, the 20% bonus XP is usually not worth it, as you will often be interrupted from leveling.
Whether War Mode is worth it also somewhat depends on which class you play. Some classes, such as rogues, are simply stronger in PvP and can choose their fights or flee.
Once a month, the Darkmoon Faire takes place for a week. There you can get a 10% experience boost for up to an hour when you ride the carousel or go on the roller coaster. Alternatively, you can also receive the buff through consumable cylinders.
The buff is especially worth it if you want to level through the dungeon finder later, as you won’t have to move from your spot. However, if you happen to be nearby or use your hearthstones correctly, it’s advisable to take the buff whenever possible. Without portals and such, the buff is less advisable.
Right after the release of Dragonflight, on Sunday, December 4th, the Darkmoon Faire starts and runs until Saturday, November 10th.
Dragon Riding – How to get to the Dragon Isles faster
Dragon riding is a new feature in Dragonflight that allows you to glide through the air with your own dragon and even customize it. You get the special mounts fairly early in the first area of the expansion.
Familiarize yourself with the feature as early as possible, as the energy mechanic works differently than what you are used to from flying. Your dragon does not have infinite energy to stay in the air, but rather glides.
As the expansion progresses, your dragon learns more abilities and gets additional customization options. We recommend gathering all customization glyphs for dragon riding as quickly as possible. You can read how to do this in the guide:
Collecting should only take you about 30 minutes overall but will save you a lot of time later when you can move faster. You should only skip this if you already know exactly which route you should take for leveling.
Here you see gameplay of the new dragon riding feature:
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4 Minutes of Gameplay for Dragon Riding, the new feature in WoW Dragonflight
Level Route – Which quests should I do?
Here’s how to plan your route: In Dragonflight, you must complete the areas in a specified order, at least with the first character:
The Forbidden Island (only Dracthyr, level 58-60)
The Coast of Awakening (58-64)
The Plains of Ohn’ahra (62-66)
The Azure Blue Mountains (64-68)
Thaldraszus (66-70)
After that, you can decide to complete the Adventure Mode in any order with secondary characters (“twinks”). This is advisable since you will then also have access to world quests.
Make sure to only do campaign quests whenever possible. These are marked with a shield around the exclamation mark and will guide you on the fastest path through the Dragon Isles.
All other quests are rather detours that you should avoid if speed is your only concern. However, the campaign quests will likely not get you all the way to level 70 based on the latest information.
These quests are still worth it: You can decide to do certain side quests that are on the way or level up your professions while leveling. The professions are usually more advisable here.
While leveling, you can already gather resources for experience points and craft items if you have learned the corresponding profession. Professions received a major overhaul with Dragonflight and you now gain experience the first time you craft something. Additionally, there are profession quests that can grant you up to two levels in total.
Here you can see the features for professions in Dragonflight at a glance:
Start video
WoW: Dragonflight revises professions – All features explained in under 2 minutes
What about dungeons?
Our recommendation is to complete the new dungeons of Dragonflight while leveling with the corresponding quests. This has several advantages:
You will learn the dungeons later for Mythic+
You will receive loot that helps you level
The experience roughly corresponds to what you would gain from questing in the same amount of time
It’s variety and keeps you entertained
Keep in mind that the efficiency of dungeons depends on how fast your group is. If you are already familiar with each other or know the instances, you will probably be significantly faster than a group of random players.
Considering the usefulness for later in the expansion, we recommend taking a few extra minutes while leveling to learn the dungeons early on.
Many features of Dragonflight are built for the future:
Steam, the gaming platform by Valve, has set a new user record. Over 31.9 million people were online over the weekend, even if not everyone was actively playing. We reveal the exact numbers and which multiplayer games were particularly popular.
What was the record? According to the platform SteamDB, on November 27 at 3:20 PM German time, 31,906,400 users were logged into Steam. Of these, 9,423,733 were actively playing – also a record since tracking began in late 2017. The other nearly 20 million accounts were online but weren’t playing at that moment.
The previous record of 30.049 million users was set back in October 2022.
The user record was created from a mix of different factors. In America, Thanksgiving was celebrated on Thursday, which traditionally leads to a long weekend. However, it was still quite early in America – between 6:20 and 9:20 AM – which is why Europeans also played an important role in the numbers.
The weather and the autumn sale on Steam were likely decisive factors here. The sale runs until November 29. The release of Warzone 2 from the previous week was also significant, as the title was among the most successful games. You can watch the launch trailer again here:
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Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 – Launch Trailer
All-Time Favorites dominate Steam over the weekend
Which games had the most players? At the time of the record, there was one game in first place that almost always dominates the Steam charts: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The shooter, published by Valve itself, had 1,009 million players at the time of the record and is generally among the most successful shooters in the world.
In second place was the MOBA DOTA 2 with 839,000 players. The game is also published by Valve itself and is the strongest competition to LoL in America and Europe.
In third place was the battle royale PUBG, which could attract 408,000 players. This game has been a perennial favorite on Steam for years, regularly breaking the 400,000 concurrent players mark. Its peak was in 2018 with about 3 million concurrent players.
The first new title comes in at fourth place. Warzone 2 took this spot with 384,000 players. This was also the highest player count for the entire weekend.
Interestingly, about 25% of all active players on Steam were logged into one of these four online games.
Where do the biggest MMORPGs stand? With Lost Ark, the first MMORPG made it to fifth place in the ranking. There were 276,000 players online at that point. In New World, there were about 71,000 players online at the time of the record, which was enough to make it into the top 10.
Both MMORPGs are only playable on Steam (at least the western version of Lost Ark), so these – like DOTA 2 and CS:GO – are the final player counts. Other online titles typically offer their own clients.
In the top 5 of MMORPGs are also ESO (21,700 players), Black Desert (18,600 players), and Final Fantasy XIV (17,000).
What were you playing at the time of the record on Sunday? And what are your favorites on Steam? Feel free to share in the comments.
On December 6, a new game will be released on Steam that has gone through a special journey:
Currently, there are videos circulating on TikTok featuring cats wanting a specific currency from you: Dabloons. We at MeinMMO explain what this trend is all about.
TikTokers have created a fictional market that operates on a cat currency called “Dabloons”. It all started with a hamburger “sold” by TikToker Sweezy, who claims to have started the trend. However, allegedly users copied his post without tagging him, which is why the original is now offline.
The TikTok game resembles an old Khajiit meme from The Elder Scrolls. “Kahjit has wares if you have a coin,” says a cat-like character to the players.
“That will cost you… 4 Dabloons!”
What is this trend? As you scroll through TikTok, you will eventually come across a slideshow offering you something. “Hello traveler, you must be hungry from all that scrolling,” reads the first image. The second shows a juicy burger, the third says: “But that will cost you…” and then an image of a cat appears, showing 4 of its toe beans and wanting “4 Dabloons” from you.
Many more examples followed, where cats want to sell you something. Users turned it into a real market and keep track of how many Dabloons they currently have. Some posts also call for commenters to share how many Dabloons they currently possess.
By now, there are over 20,000 clips about the trend. Users either use the original meme or film their own cat. Additionally, there are posts giving away Dabloons. Or those that are about to rob you (via TikTok).
What are Dabloons? They are a huge joke, as Dabloons are not a real currency. They might only be related to the toes of cats. Users speculate that it’s a parody of cryptocurrencies.
Have you also seen posts about the Dabloon trend? Are you participating? If so – How many Dabloons do you currently possess? Or do you find the whole joke simply absurd? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
How do you get to the Dragon Isles in World of Warcraft? Where does the new addon start? We have all the important information for a smooth launch.
In a few hours, World of Warcraft Dragonflight begins, marking the ninth expansion of Blizzard’s MMORPG. But how do you even start in the new WoW addon? Is there a prerequisite quest? Where do you go to the Dragon Isles?
To ensure your launch goes smoothly, we have all the important information about the launch here.
Prerequisite Quest for Dragonflight – What You Need to Do
Is there a prerequisite quest? Yes, there is – and you can already complete it. The call from Wrathion (Alliance) and Sabellian (Horde) is already part of the “Dragonflight” campaign. If you played the pre-event for Dragonflight, you have already fulfilled this quest.
If not, simply take your character to Stormwind (Alliance) or Orgrimmar (Horde) and the quest should start automatically. This whole process takes less than 5 minutes; you just need to speak to the dragons once, then recruit your explorers for the expedition, and finally arrive at the harbor where Khadgar appears. It is likely that watching the cutscenes will take longer than the actual questing.
You can easily check if you have done everything in your quest log. Under the entry “The Dragon Scale Expedition,” you should find the following text:
“The campaign will continue when Dragonflight is released.”
If it looks like this, you are prepared.
If you see that in your quest log – wonderful! You are ready for the launch to the Dragon Isles.
How do you get to the Dragon Isles? Unlike Shadowlands, this time there is no portal that directly transports you to the Dragon Isles; you must travel traditionally by ship or zeppelin.
For the first time, there will be a quest that you will accompany during the expedition. It will happen quite naturally – you accept a quest and just follow it.
Chrovo announces when the ship to Dragonflight departs – for the Alliance.
If you want to travel to the Dragon Isles again later and do not want to use a portal, you can do it like this:
Alliance: The ship at the southernmost dock at the harbor of Stormwind shuttles between the Dragon Isles and Stormwind.
Horde: The eastern zeppelin tower in front of the gates of Orgrimmar is your destination. The zeppelin arrives every few minutes, an NPC gives you the exact time.
Later, you will also unlock a portal that you can use – as in all previous expansions – from the portal rooms in Stormwind or Orgrimmar.
Are you already ready for the launch to the Dragon Isles? How have you prepared for the launch?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In eSports, the tournament “The International” in the MOBA DOTA 2 (Steam) has long been regarded as the most lucrative tournament in gaming. The prize pool reached up to 40 million US dollars in 2021. But one of the winners in 2022 now states: It’s not quite that much. The prize money is not enough to become a millionaire, even though the statistics pages promise otherwise.
Why is it the most lucrative tournament in the world?
Valve’s MOBA DOTA 2 hosts the world championship at the end of each year, “The International”.
The special feature of the tournament is the huge sum that can be won: The prize money is partly financed through the revenue of DOTA 2 generated via a Battle Pass.
“The International 10” in 2021 was considered the most lucrative tournament in eSports with a prize pool of 40 million US dollars. There was even more money than at the legendary lucrative Fortnite World Cup in 2019, where 30 million US dollars were distributed.
Start video
DOTA 2: Cave Johnson Announcer Pack Trailer
Page reports personal winnings per player at 1.7 million $
How much did the winner get in 2022? In 2022, the prize pool for DOTA 2 was significantly lower than in the previous year.
It is estimated that only about 18.93 million US dollars were disbursed because this year’s Battle Pass for DOTA 2 was not as attractive and only launched relatively shortly before the tournament started: Therefore, the prize pool in 2022 was only half the size of that in 2021.
According to the website Esports Earnings, the 5 winners of 2022 received a total of 8.518 million US dollars in prize money.
One might naively calculate: Well, 8.5 million US dollars divided by 5 players, that results in 1.7 million US dollars for each. This is also the amount that Esports Earnings has attributed to each player as prize money.
Less than a million $ left – So many fees and taxes
How much is it really? One of the winners in 2022, US player Sneyking, recently explained in a Twitch stream:
I won’t disclose the exact amount. But I received less than a million US dollars. The winnings look nice on paper, but so many fees and taxes are deducted, and in the end, not much is left.
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This coming weekend, a Raid Day featuring Mega Pokémon themed around Hoenn will take place in Pokémon GO. There will be increased Shiny chances, bonuses, and an optional ticket. We’ll show you all the details.
What is this event? It is a Raid event focusing on raids with Mega Pokémon. For a few hours, you can find many raids.
There are also bonuses that will provide you with more passes so that you can participate in the battles. Other bonuses will affect the Shinies, candy, and moves of the caught Pokémon.
At the same time, the team from Niantic confirms the Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn, which will take place in 2023.
Mega Raid Day: Off to Hoenn on December 3, 2022
When does it start? The Raid Day “Off to Hoenn” begins on Saturday, December 3, at 2:00 PM local time. It will be active for a few hours and end at 5:00 PM local time.
Which new Pokémon are there? For the first time, you will encounter Mega Sceptile, Mega Swampert, and Mega Blaziken. They will be making their debut in the game for this event.
What bonuses are there? The three Mega Pokémon will reward you for catching them. Because:
After catch, Sceptile learns the charge move Leaf Tornado
After catch, Swampert learns the charge move Hydro Cannon
After catch, Blaziken learns the charge move Blast Burn
Additional bonuses generally affect the event:
The chances of catching Shiny Sceptile, Shiny Swampert, and Shiny Blaziken are increased during the event
Start video
Pokémon Go Season 9: Mysterious Wishes Trailer
The optional ticket: If you wish, you can purchase a ticket for the event to enhance your bonuses. The ticket costs 5 US dollars (between 4 and 5 euros). By buying it, you unlock the following bonuses during the event time and beyond (December 3 from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM):
Six additional raid passes from spinning photo discs at gyms (total of 12 that day)
50% more experience points for raid battles
Double stardust for raid battles
Increased chances of XL rare candies (exact number of chances not specified)
How do you like the outlook on the Hoenn event with the three new Mega Pokémon? Do you already have a favorite that you definitely want to catch or have as a Shiny? Let us know your opinion here in the comments on MeinMMO.
You will receive up to five additional free raid passes when you spin photo discs at gyms during the event
The chances of catching Shiny Sceptile, Shiny Swampert, and Shiny Blaziken are increased during the event
Start video
Pokémon Go Season 9: Mysterious Wishes Trailer
The optional ticket: If you wish, you can purchase a ticket for the event to enhance your bonuses. The ticket costs 5 US dollars (between 4 and 5 euros). By buying it, you unlock the following bonuses during the event time and beyond (December 3 from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM):
Six additional raid passes from spinning photo discs at gyms (total of 12 that day)
50% more experience points for raid battles
Double stardust for raid battles
Increased chances of XL rare candies (exact number of chances not specified)
How do you like the outlook on the Hoenn event with the three new Mega Pokémon? Do you already have a favorite that you definitely want to catch or have as a Shiny? Let us know your opinion here in the comments on MeinMMO.
Every weekend, players can show what they can do in PvP endgame, the “Trials of Osiris,” in Destiny 2. However, while most players give their best, the fun is increasingly taken away by cheaters. A YouTuber demonstrates how brazen they are and, above all, how incredibly obvious.
What is currently happening in Destiny 2’s PvP? Every weekend, “The Trials of Osiris” take place in Destiny 2. This activity is considered the ultimate PvP endgame in the loot shooter and is supposed to attract thousands of players every weekend.
Currently, however, more and more of the most loyal PvP players in Destiny 2 are throwing in the towel in frustration. The reason is the continued increase in cheaters, which ensure that honest players have little chance of becoming “Flawless”.
They fly around, are invisible, or can even shoot through walls.
They have infinite and instant Power and Special ammo.
And even an account ban apparently no longer prevents them from continuing to cheat.
Destiny 2 attracted many interested players in particular with the new “Witch Queen” DLC, who are exploring the loot shooter for the first time:
Start video
Everything you need to know about Destiny 2: The Witch Queen – in 2 minutes
The YouTuber Lucky10PP criticizes how brazen and persistent the cheaters have become. They are no longer even bothered that their illegal activities are being recorded. On the contrary.
A cheater even specifically targeted Destiny 2 streamers this weekend, such as ZKMushroom or Gjake.
The latter shared the incredible actions of the cheater in Destiny 2 on Twitter, showing how the exotic weapon “Parasite” with infinite ammo blows hundreds of Wormspawn ammo into the sky while he effortlessly sprints through walls with his Arc Super.
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Destiny 2’s cheat systems are too slow: Although Bungie has several anti-cheat systems, they do not seem to be reliable.
Lucky10PP has cited 3 possible reasons for this:
The cheater is allegedly using a very special hacker setup of 2 PCs/servers and hardware ID spoofers that can manipulate or change his hardware IDs to deceive Bungie’s anti-cheat systems.
Additionally, he switches between accounts, claiming to promote his “3-dollar account recovery” to easily achieve the Flawless status for anyone.
Cheaters also seem to particularly enjoy being in PvP on weekends because Bungie allegedly has fewer employees on duty, meaning bans happen less frequently.
This, however, also means that the endgame PvP, which only takes place on weekends, is heavily affected. In this case, it could be traced that the devilish cheater was able to wreak havoc for a full 3 days, almost the entire PvP weekend, without hindrance.
Players want cheat-free trials and have a simple community solution.
An endless tug-of-war: It is a constant and especially permanent struggle for every developer against cheaters. Especially since they do not tire of finding new methods to take the fun out of the game for other players.
Bungie is therefore in the process of suing multiple cheat providers to address the problem at its roots. However, as some players find, more than that may be needed.
Thus, the player Krantzstone suggests under the video from Lucky10PP so-called “Trials-Cops” as a solution:
If Bungie has no staff on weekends, they should perhaps appoint some prominent members of the D2 community as “Trials-Cops.” At least I’m sure that Bungie trusts their YouTube/Twitch streamer partners enough to entrust them with monitoring the worst cheaters in Trials, and Bungie can double-check their reports on Monday and take appropriate action.
Because it is clear that Bungie simply cannot keep up with all the cheat reports, but since Trials is a time-limited weekly event with a smaller player pool (but also the one with the most stakes), it should be doable if they catch cheaters through crowdsourcing.
Feel free to share your Trials experiences in the comments. Do you also find that cheaters in the PvP endgame are getting increasingly brazen, or have you not noticed that yet? What do you think of the idea of “Trials-Cops”? Do you believe streamers would take on this job?
By the way, cheat providers are just as brazen as their customers, as this case shows:
Actually, Legends of Aria was supposed to bring back the old feeling of Ultima Online. However, the game completely flopped on Steam and the company behind it was sold. The new owner plans an unusual comeback, but first lets the game die a second time.
What kind of game is this?
Legends of Aria has been in development for over 8 years. Originally, the game was supposed to be called “Shards Online” and excited old-school fans on Kickstarter. There, it was able to raise over $100,000 in budget.
It was advertised with a feeling that resembled what the classic Ultima Online conveyed. The MMORPG aimed to forgo levels, and players were supposed to enhance their characters only through skills. Housing and the ISO perspective also reminded players of the classic.
However, upon its release in August 2019, the game flopped on Steam quite badly. The MMORPG could only capture the interest of 1,150 people simultaneously there (via Steamcharts).
In 2020, the developers changed the game to Free2Play, but that didn’t bring the desired success either. Since September 2021, the number of simultaneous users has consistently been in the double digits. Currently, only 7 players are online at the same time on average.
What did the new owner want to do? Legends of Aria was supposed to remain, but a lot was meant to change in how the game would generate revenue. The new operator wanted to rebuild the MMORPG with a cryptocurrency and Play2Earn concept.
Aside from that, they also wanted to make some adjustments to the game itself. This included an optional third-person view that would offer an alternative to the ISO perspective. However, fans often do not receive this well.
Apart from crypto and Play2Earn, NFTs were also supposed to play a role in the new Legends of Aria. On an NFT marketplace, players were supposed to be able to buy and sell items, assets, and even complete characters. An alpha was supposed to start in May but got delayed.
The official launch was planned for October, but that didn’t happen either. Instead, they are now pursuing other plans.
What alternatives were there? For those who did not want to engage with this gameplay concept, at least an alternative was offered. Under the name “Legends of Aria Classic,” the game was meant to continue as usual.
There, they relied on a Buy2Play concept with an optional subscription system, similar to what is the case with Elder Scrolls Online. However, that could not hold up for long, either.
The new Ashes of Creation, on the other hand, relies on a pure subscription model:
Start video
Ashes of Creation Trailer for the first Alpha
Legends of Aria Dies for the Second Time and Rises Again
What happened to Classic? Since LoA Classic essentially was the same game that had already flopped once, it is not surprising that this version could not hold up either. The developers announced that the official Legends of Aria Classic servers would be shut down on December 23, 2022.
This is not the end; community-run servers are allowed to continue running, but no further updates will be provided for this version. Thus, Legends of Aria has officially died for the second time. However, the studio continues to hold on to the original crypto plans, but now, yet again, under a different name.
What is the game called now? Legends of Aria has now launched its cryptocurrency plans under a new name. The project is now called Britaria and differs only slightly from the original game. Even the game world retains the same name, and the core game concept is supposed to remain.
Britaria also brought with it a new cryptocurrency called $DREAD. However, it dropped significantly right at launch. Originally, there were to be initial playtests in November for fans to get a glimpse of the truly new Legends of Aria.
However, that didn’t happen. As the developers announced via Discord, they would have to postpone the playtests again. The reason given was the need for further improvements to the combat system and a rethinking of the original payment model.
Originally, players were supposed to pay for Britaria on a per-character basis. They now want to adjust that and offer a Buy2Play title for 40 dollars that includes 4 character slots, but players will likely still have to pay for additional slots. They also want to hold on to crypto, NFTs, and Play2Earn, with details coming in December.
When the new tests are set to take place is currently unknown.
What do you think of Shards Online, which was originally Legends of Aria, but is now called Britaria? Can you still take the game seriously after so much back and forth? Or do you think the developers’ new plans are good? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments here at MeinMMO.
In November 2021, YouTuber HandOfBlood presented his own LoL team Eintracht Spandau. Shortly thereafter, he talked about the desire to buy his own bus for tours and tournaments. This idea has now become a reality. In a very entertaining video, Hänno and his team now present this bus for League of Legends – with red carpet, laptop stations, and its own bar.
What’s the deal with the bus? The team bus is nothing unusual in sports with away games. Everyone has probably seen a football team’s bus on the highway. In e-sports, such a thing is not yet common, especially since the Eintracht Spandau team plays “only” in the highest German-speaking league.
But HandOfBlood really wanted this bus and spent some money:
The old Swiss bus with 460,000 kilometers of mileage cost 10,000 Euros alone
and another 10,000 Euros were spent on the conversion – with the Sparkasse onboard as a sponsor.
The result is impressive and is probably the dream of many gamers and hobby e-sports enthusiasts. You can watch the presentation in an entertaining 50-minute video. We from MeinMMO summarize the highlights.
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What makes the gaming bus special? You can already see the most important features of the team bus from the outside. The team’s logo is prominently displayed on one side, while the inscription “Where the Havel crosses the Spree” is on the other side. On the back, you can see HandOfBlood in large letters along with the phrase “You E-Car, I E-Sport!”.
Right after entering through the driver’s door, you come into the gaming area. There are seats with tables and laptops for gaming on the tables. Additionally, there is a large monitor and a whiteboard for analysis.
Overall, the bus is designed very elegantly, with red carpet in the aisle, indirect lighting on the floor and the ceiling, and stylish wooden tables.
Insight into the bus of Eintracht Spandau.
In the second section is the room for “Sparkassen-Hänno” and the president HandOfBlood, which has a table, some advertising for the Sparkasse, and a rack for suits and ties.
This part is already in the “quiet section,” as behind it are more seats for resting after training. By the way, the areas are separated by a small wooden door.
Moreover, the bus has some highlights, including a red carpet at the back door, which can be rolled out at the push of a button. This is meant to add more glamour to the team’s appearances.
Entertainment is also provided. Still in the gaming area, there is a dartboard and in the “President’s Area,” there is a bar with alcoholic beverages. So the team has a lot to do, especially on longer trips.
A sausage indicator, which shoots sausages in the appropriate direction when blinking, was also introduced. However, this is unlikely to be used in regular traffic. Furthermore, the bus is only allowed to drive 80 km/h due to the installed inventory.
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Everything you need to know about the LoL team Eintracht Spandau – in 4 minutes
Although the first year has not gone ideally in terms of sports, the team aims to play at the top and also shake things up at the European Masters, the second-largest LoL tournament in Europe.
What exactly is behind the team and how the first year went, we will tell you here:
Kaitlyn Siragusa (28) became the biggest streamer on Twitch as Amouranth by recognizing the emerging “Hot Tub” meta early and streaming an incredible amount of it. However, in mid-October, she announced that she would like to show more diverse content in the future. Now, after one and a half months, she is taking stock.
What is behind the change? In October, Amouranth explained in an emotional stream that her content had been controlled by her husband. To avoid endangering the “Amouranth brand”, she was not even allowed to say that she was married.
Amouranth wanted to free herself from her husband and show the type of content she wants in the future. However, in the following weeks, voices arose claiming that nothing had changed in Amouranth’s content. This was seen by some as proof that she had merely made up the story with her toxic husband.
Now Amouranth reacted by sharing her Twitch statistics on Twitter and addressing some words to her critics.
Start video
The 5 biggest Twitch bans that caused a lot of commotion
Amouranth says her life is better now
On November 27, Amouranth responded to a tweet accusing her of merely using a marketing strategy behind the change in her content. The streamer said she wasn’t aiming for a rebranding.
YouTuber accuses Amouranth of having the same content as before
What was the criticism? Amouranth returned to Twitch on October 24 after taking a short break. Since then, there have been voices saying that her content hasn’t changed significantly, and she continues doing the same as before her break.
In a supposed apology, Destiny stated that Amouranth’s content had changed significantly, as she was now much more active in the “Just Chatting” category and would show gameplay, like from the new Pokémon games.
However, Destiny supported his apology with clips of Amouranth, in which she is seen in a bikini, but the category of the stream is apparently marked as “Just Chatting”. He also included a clip of Amouranth playing Pokémon in a bikini.
With this graphic, Destiny wants to show that Amouranth has not changed her content
Amouranth counters with Twitch statistics
How Amouranth responds to the criticism: On November 27, Amouranth responded to the criticism by sharing her Twitch statistics from the past month on her personal Twitter account. She stated that it was a “strange loser mentality” to assert that her content had not changed, according to Amouranth.
What Amouranth’s content looks like now: Amouranth shared her streaming content from the last 30 days. While the percentage of “Hot Tub” streams had been over 50% 90 days ago, it has now dropped to below 10%.
For the first time, she showed more Overwatch than content in the bathtub, according to the streamer, which had never happened before (via Twitter). In light of Destiny’s criticism, Amouranth added that people would probably only be interested in a few selected clips (via Twitter).
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What is behind the clips? As users on reddit explain, the clips shown by Destiny are misleading. Amouranth’s streams were indeed correctly classified in the “Hot Tub” category as long as she was showing herself in a bikini, but the clips only displayed the first category of the stream (via reddit).
In fact, a clip in which Amouranth plays the new Pokémon game while being in her hot tub is shown in this category and not the category of the game (via Twitch).
In an interview with journalist Jake Lucky, Amouranth explained last week that she would like to stream exclusively on YouTube but is probably still not quite what YouTube is looking for. However, this could change with the new focus on diverse content.
A gamer shows a picture of his broken setup and explains that it was his cat. The community seems to be losing patience with such pet owners and gives the user helpful tips.
Dogs and cats can be found in many households. However, some gamers are not having much luck with their pets: When a user came home, he was astonished to see his gaming monitor. Because it was now unusable.
The community complains and is equally amused by the overwhelmed cat owner. How “bad” a cat can be for a gamer is something editor Jürgen Horn also had to experience:
What exactly happened? The user Morfizer1 posted a picture of his gaming monitor on reddit. It has severe image errors and looks like it has cracked in the middle. In his description, he only asks: “Is there a way to protect monitor edges from cat bites?” In another post, he explains further:
Long story short, I came home from work yesterday and found my monitor like this, with a small tooth mark in the upper right corner.
“She won’t die if she can’t go into a room or on a desk”
What are the reactions? The reactions are very varied, but also quite clear. Many ask why one must protect the monitor. Because such protection would certainly not prevent the cat from continuing to destroy expensive hardware. So someone explains quite angrily (via reddit.com):
Seriously, I see this in every cat thread. Every solution is about preventing the cat from causing damage, and none of the solutions is about teaching the cat not to bite or damage expensive things.
Another user writes on reddit: “Instead of trying to protect the monitor edge, you should teach your cat where it is allowed to climb and where it is not.”
Some from the community add: Just throw your pets out of the room and finally teach them that they have no business in certain places of the apartment. They won’t die immediately from it.
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What other tips are there against pets? In the thread, there are also plenty of other suggestions if you don’t want to read your pet the riot act:
Cleansing agents with orange or lemon scent, because cats are very sensitive to such scents.
Pool noodles or some type of pipe insulation on the monitor edges.
Others recommend protective caps for the monitor that can be made with a 3D printer. Then they cannot at least chew on the display.
Another tip: To protect furniture and decor from scratching orgies, have enough scratching trees or scratching boards in the apartment from the start. Then the animals quickly lose interest in computer hardware.
Cats are not only excited by hardware but also by games. A game has now become an unexpected hit and is receiving plenty of good reviews. Not only humans are enthusiastic, but also the pets in front of the monitor:
In Call of Duty: Warzone 2, players can earn not only many dollars in the DMZ mode with a minor glitch but also level up their weapon in the process. The developers noticed this and nerfed the trick, but fans find other ways to level up.
What was the glitch? In Call of Duty Warzone 2, many players are looking for the best ways to level up their weapons. This involves not only conventional tricks, such as throwing decoy grenades but also the use of glitches.
A particular exploit was considered particularly effective. With this, you could generate millions of dollars with a large backpack and a weapon, and also earn a lot of XP for your weapon at the buy station.
When the developers caught wind of this, the glitch was nerfed within a few days to the point that it was no longer worth it, but players are not discouraged. They have already found other ways to level up their weapons.
Fans are not discouraged
A new trick is said to be better than the old one: The reddit user C4RS200 expressed his thoughts on reddit about Warzone 2’s update policy. He mainly addressed the quick patching of the glitch. According to him, the trick was nerfed in less than a day, while a still-existing trick involving the dead drop boxes is not only more lucrative but still active.
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reddit user C4RS200 discusses Warzone 2’s update policy on reddit.
Note that we are not providing instructions for such glitches and exploits here. If you have tried a glitch, there is a possibility that you could be banned or punished.
Players are complaining about worse problems: The reddit post reports not only on the sudden intervention of the developers but also on their update policy. According to C4RS200, such game errors, from which fans can only benefit, are eliminated in no time, while serious game errors and bugs are allowed to thrive for weeks.
For more on CoD: Warzone 2 and DMZ, you can find here:
Not only the creator of the thread is surprised, but also other users. Nintendo_Pro_03 states that he has not understood the developers’ approach since Warzone 1.
The reddit user AManForThePeople even goes a step further, claiming that the developers want to keep players tied to their game for hours. With such tricks, the grind is reduced and thus the pressure to stay in Warzone 2 to level up weapons is decreased.
Nevertheless, fans are constantly finding more exploits to reduce their grind and play the game the way they want. It remains to be seen when the developers will address more serious issues like broken spawn locations or bugs with weapon blueprints.
Do you find it unfortunate that the glitch was nerfed, and did you exploit it yourself? Let us know in the comments!
There are not only glitches in Warzone 2 but also cheaters, and they are truly ruthless:
The live streamer Elias “EliasN97” Nerlich is the largest German streamer on Twitch. He has primarily risen to fame with games from the FIFA series and has a generally good image. However, a video from the channel “Simplicissimus” reveals that Nerlich is heavily promoting the app SPITCH, which comes from the field of “Daily Fantasy Sports,” a sector that has faced criticism for its proximity to gambling for years.
Who is Elias Nerlich?
He is the largest Twitch streamer in Germany. In the last 90 days, Nerlich surpassed his competitors Trymacs, NoWay4u_Sir (League of Legends), MontanaBlack, and Unge.
The 24-year-old has gradually climbed to the top of Twitch in Germany over the years, achieving great success recently particularly with FIFA 23, but also with IRL streams.
Daily Fantasy Sport is considered a variant of gambling that profits from addiction
This is now the criticism of him: The channel Simplicissimus accuses him of promoting the services of the “Daily Fantasy Sport” site SPITCH to his viewers and portraying the offer in a misleading way by emphasizing the “skill” aspect of the app while downplaying the gambling aspect.
The app SPITCH is already referred to as “disgusting” in the title of the video.
The whole concept of “Daily Fantasy Esports” is highly controversial, similar to sports betting:
Because the providers claim it is about skill – “True experts” could earn a lot of money with their knowledge
Ultimately, this Daily Fantasy Sport is also heavily reliant on gambling mechanics, flattering so-called whales who invest a lot of money in the app and lose a lot
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What is so bad about this offer? Simplicissimus explains in its video the exact mechanics with which the app SPITCH aims to get users to invest money into the system:
While there is a “free” mode that advertises winnings – they must be staked to be paid out. According to the YouTube channel, this almost inevitably leads to playing with real money using the app.
SPITCH encourages players to dump large amounts of money into the app by promising bonuses for “whales” who invest a lot of money
“These are not bets or wagers or anything” – “It’s really awesome”
What is the streamer being accused of? A key point from Simplicissimus is that the app SPITCH and Elias Nerlich emphasize how important “football knowledge” and the player’s skill are in the betting aspects. Nerlich is directly quoted saying that one can earn a lot of money with the app, “if one has the skill.”
He says:
These are not bets or wagers or anything. This is just a user’s participation, friends, because skill is also required here. There are play fields and no gaming tables. And it’s simply a skill game, friends, with social media knowledge. It’s really awesome.
Elias Nerlich
Here it presents an argument that the US industry puts forward. This argument is controversial since, although skill plays a role – as in many gambling games – studies have shown that the gambling elements in sports betting are still significant, as Simplicissimus points out.
As the YouTuber explains, while a few professional players, particularly those with a scientific background, may have an advantage over average players and whales who invest a lot of money into the game but also lose a lot: Yet even among the pros, the luck factor is present, even more so for regular players.
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Since April 2021, Nerlich has been associated with the app.
Twitch restricts gambling – Problems remain
What is now the criticism of the sponsor and streamer? The criticism is that here “gambling” is advertised in a modified form without clearly stating that it is gambling. This also circumvents state regulations for gambling.
Additionally, there are many questionable aspects to the app, which is based in Malta but primarily employs people in Dortmund.
It is thus a very similar criticism to that of loot boxes in FIFA itself, which Jan Böhmermann raised in his show ZDF Magazin Royale.
Interestingly, the “clear” casino streamers have faced sharp criticism in recent months, and Twitch has also implemented new regulations to curb gambling on Twitch. But as seen, there are many other problem areas where exactly the mechanics criticized in gambling are being used:
For the future, there are numerous MMORPG announcements. Some of them showcase wonderful trailers that make the wait for release almost unbearable. MeinMMO author Anny Bader presents to you the most promising ones.
For this list, we looked at trailers of upcoming MMORPGs and compared them with existing information about the games to assess their relevance. We do not include Play2Earn games, for example, even though they sometimes show beautiful trailers. Additionally, we only present games that have not yet been released.
Who is writing here? Anny has been working as an MMORPG author at MeinMMO since February 2022. She has already played many representatives of the genre – including Lost Ark, New World, Tower of Fantasy, and Final Fantasy XIV.
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ArcheAge 2
What kind of game is this? ArcheAge 2 is the sequel to a sandbox MMORPG of the same name that was a shattered dream for many. The second part takes place in the same universe and aims to improve upon many aspects. It will be a AAA MMORPG, and the developers XL Games are using Unreal Engine 5.
It features an open world that is twice as large as in the first part. The map is not only supposed to expand but also offer more content and feel denser.
Why does it look so promising? Right at the beginning of the trailer, one can see how detailed the game world is designed. Waves on the sea, clouds in the sky, a foggy valley, and a sunset fill the first 20 seconds.
The gameplay shown afterwards also appears convincing. One can see enemies that could be bosses. One creates lightning around itself, another is a fire-breathing dragon. There also seem to be many different weapons, and magic is also employed.
All in all, the graphics and gameplay of ArcheAge 2 look wonderful. If it truly improves upon the flaws of its predecessor, it could become a very successful MMORPG.
When does it come out? ArcheAge 2 is set to be released in 2024, but the exact date is still unclear. The developers aim for a simultaneous launch on PC and the current consoles, although it is not specified which consoles they mean.
Ashes of Creation
What kind of game is this? Ashes of Creation is a sandbox MMORPG that offers PvP and PvE content. The combat system is a mixture of action combat and tab-targeting. You can choose from various races and classes, which you can combine. There are a total of 64 different possibilities.
What is particularly special about the MMORPG is the so-called node system. Nodes are locations in the open world that can be conquered, improved, and defended. Each node has an area that it influences. Everything that happens within the zone affects the node. Completing tasks or gathering materials earns you experience points.
Some features bear a strong resemblance to New World, such as the recently introduced gathering system. In the open world of the MMORPG, you can collect and mine almost everything you come across. Professions exist in the types of gathering, processing, and crafting.
Start video
Ashes of Creation Trailer for the first Alpha
Why does it look so promising? The trailer for the first alpha of the MMORPG shows beautiful fantasy creatures that serve as mounts. We see players riding, flying, and swimming on them.
Crafting is also shown and looks like it does in New World, which is a big plus for me personally. The animations also appear fluid, and the environment is lovingly designed.
At the end of the trailer, you can also see many players hitting huge bosses, which also appear detailed and beautiful. It briefly reminds us of Final Fantasy XIV or world bosses in Lost Ark, as numerous players battle a gigantic monster amidst the chaos of effects.
Considering that the trailer comes from the first alpha, expectations for Ashes of Creation rise even more.
When does it come out? The development of Ashes of Creation is somewhat sluggish. Ashes of Creation was originally supposed to be released in 2019, but it hasn’t even managed to have a stable alpha active by the end of 2022. The development team regularly provides waiting fans with updates and holds a livestream every month.
Blue Protocol
What kind of game is this? It is a theme park MMORPG from Bandai Namco with beautiful anime graphics that focuses on PvE. Visually, it strongly resembles Genshin Impact, Noah’s Heart, and Tower of Fantasy.
In Blue Protocol, you choose your character from 5 classes and travel back 1000 years into the past to save the world from a catastrophe.
The story is supposed to play an important role and will be supported by cutscenes. You will follow various quests that bring you closer to the story and may also complete side quests. There will also be dungeons and raids.
Start video
Blue Protocol – New Japanese Trailer
Why does it look so promising? Since it looks graphically very high quality and is close to Genshin Impact and Tower of Fantasy, Blue Protocol could become a large and exciting anime MMORPG. It is also particularly noteworthy that it will only be released for PC. Many anime MMORPGs are mobile-optimized and also published for PC, but then have an inadequate user interface.
The trailer also shows beautiful landscapes and characters, epic boss fights, and at one point you can see a character riding a sort of wolf – so there could be mounts in Blue Protocol.
When does it come out? Blue Protocol is set to be released in spring 2023 in Japan. A worldwide release is planned, but there is still no publisher for the West.
Dune: Awakening
What kind of game is this? Dune: Awakening is an upcoming MMORPG set in the Dune universe. At this year’s gamescom, it was first announced with a trailer. The developers Funcom are also responsible for the popular survival game Conan Exiles.
The MMORPG combines classic survival elements with the social interactions of a large multiplayer game. It offers an open world that you explore and build your own shelter. Through crafting, you create all sorts of items to protect yourself from enemies and sandstorms in the desert. Possible enemies also include other players who can attack you.
The fictional drug “spice” from the Dune universe plays an important role. You farm and consume spice to utilize specific abilities.
Start video
A new survival MMO on Steam is called Dune: Awakening – Shows first footage in the announcement trailer
Why does it look so promising? The cinematic trailer does not show any gameplay yet, but the voice acting combined with the scenes and the idea that Conan Exiles is turning into an MMORPG builds great anticipation for Dune: Awakening. You can already see the desert, which looks like the starting area in Conan Exiles. Only the graphics here look significantly higher quality.
When does it come out? There is currently no information about the release. You can currently sign up for the beta test on the website with your email address. However, we do not know when the beta will start either.
What kind of game is this?Throne and Liberty was originally announced as Lineage 3 or Lineage Eternal. However, the developers NCSoft decided to revise it to create a true next-gen MMORPG.
It offers a completely open game world where you can find PvP and PvE content such as large world bosses. In PvP, the goal is to conquer certain objects in the world – you can even siege castles.
There are various ways to move around. You can use a grappling hook and transform into a flying or swimming creature. The environment is also important: there is a day/night cycle and various weather situations that affect gameplay.
Start video
New MMORPG Hope from Korea Finally Shows a Lot of Gameplay in New Trailer
Why does it look so promising? The graphics of Throne and Liberty are a dream if they look just as good in the real game as in the trailer. You can see the perspective of an eagle flying over a coastal city that looks beautiful. The next scenes showcase different sky situations – clouds, sunsets, and then it rains stars.
Throne and Liberty seems to offer many different maps, all creatively and detail-rich designed. The enemies and fights also look fantastic.
When does it come out? Originally, the MMORPG was supposed to be released in 2022 for PC, but it has been postponed to 2023. A release for consoles is also planned.
What do you think of our list? Which MMORPG are you particularly looking forward to? Which trailers also look promising? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The former WoW streamer Preach is back – with a very long and interesting video. He has seen everything at Blizzard and has plenty to tell.
What happened with Preach? Over a year ago, we reported that Preach turned away from World of Warcraft and no longer reported about the game. This was partly due to the ongoing scandals surrounding Blizzard, but also to the development of World of Warcraft. “The passion is gone,” he explained back then.
Now Preach has released the nearly 70-minute video from this visit and provides some interesting insights from the Blizzard studio.
What kind of visit is this? Preach visited Blizzard – motivated by his own initiative. He was neither paid for the trip by Blizzard nor was it initiated by the developers. Instead, he wanted to get a firsthand impression and asked if he could get a look inside the studio. To his surprise, Blizzard agreed and allowed him “more insight than any streamer has had before.” He spent a week on campus, conducted many interviews, and experienced numerous changes at Blizzard itself.
A NDA (“Non-Disclosure Agreement”) was still necessary for Preach to sign for some things – as he got to see many contents from WoW and other games that are not meant for the public yet.
Preach emphasizes at the beginning of the video that, unlike usual interviews and visits, this time it involves “unprepared interviews” – meaning that the questions were not discussed beforehand and Preach speaks freely about what is important to him.
Who did Preach talk to? Even though not all conversations are included in his first video and not everything was filmed, Preach was able to talk in detail with some of the “key” figures around World of Warcraft. These include:
Holly Longdale, Vice President and Executive Producer for World of Warcraft
John Hight, General Manager for World of Warcraft
Ion Hazzikostas, Game Director of World of Warcraft
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The WoW team has reinvented itself, changing many things
The usually very critical and doubtful Preach seems to be greatly impressed by the visit to Blizzard. Consequently, he also titled the video with the grand name “A New Era for World of Warcraft” – and he clearly stands by this statement.
Return to old strengths: The return to a talent system was heavily inspired by WoW Classic. After the launch of Classic, it became clear that players love the regular distribution of talent points and that there is inherent value in such a system that has been lost over the years.
Content that lasts long-term: They want to move away from the “modular game design,” where each expansion brings new features and content that often become irrelevant by the next patch. While there will still be features tied to an expansion – like dragon riding in Dragonflight – they want to make much more content permanently accessible, turning it into “evergreen content” that doesn’t require reinventing the wheel every time.
Time should be valued: In recent expansions, WoW has tried through various systems to encourage players to log in every day or week. Missing catch-up systems created a “compulsion” to play if one didn’t want to fall behind. While this has already changed in the last patches, it is still prevalent in Dragonflight across nearly all content. A major negative example here was Torghast, which many saw at the beginning of Shadowlands as an obligation and necessity.
According to Ion Hazzikostas:
It’s Tuesday when you play in Europe. You had a long day at work, then went out to dinner with your friends and come home pretty exhausted. And then you realize: “Damn, I haven’t done my Torghast for the week yet.”
Do you have a good feeling about World of Warcraft then? Absolutely not. So… why are we doing this? One solution here is catch-up mechanisms. If you know you can just catch up next week, the psychology suddenly becomes very different. Maybe it’s more flexible, you can do more in a week, or the reward isn’t so exclusive that you can’t get it from other sources. […]
Then it’s suddenly okay. You don’t have to log in if you don’t want to.
Preach keeps emphasizing how much he felt the passion of the Blizzard employees. They really seem to love World of Warcraft and “the only times he should turn off the camera” were when employees enthusiastically talked about what they are currently working on that is not yet meant for release.
For WoW fans who are proficient in English, the entire video is definitely worth a watch.
In another part of the interview, Hazzikostas explains some exciting details – such as why Shadowlands ended up as it did. A WoW expansion is usually in development for much longer than players are able to see. Hazzikostas says that they already “knew what the features for Shadowlands would be before the launch of Battle for Azeroth”.
Regarding the game’s design philosophy, Hazzikostas sees three eras of World of Warcraft.
The first era lasted from Vanilla to Mists of Pandaria: Until then, developers always added new, complex content to the game and brought constant innovations – whether game systems, classes, or abilities.
The second era lasted until Shadowlands: Blizzard created a “modular system” that others refer to as “Borrowed Power.” Each expansion introduced features that then completely disappeared with the end of the expansion, leaving the character weaker.
The third era begins with Dragonflight: The focus on lasting, permanent systems in World of Warcraft is once again greater. There are fewer new systems, but they should be supported over the long term.
Whether Dragonflight will ultimately satisfy not only Preach but also all the other fans will likely be shown in the coming weeks and months. Now the developers must prove that they truly understood the community’s wishes – and push out plenty of content to somehow satisfy the insatiable hunger.
What do you think about this visit to Blizzard? Are you as optimistic as Preach? Or do you consider it to be “a lot of talk”?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard is giving away one of the rarest mounts from World of Warcraft starting today on Twitch: the Fel Drake. You just have to watch WoW for 4 hours during the release of the new expansion Dragonflight. MeinMMO explains the details.
What kind of mount is this? The Fel Drake is actually a mount that you received through a card from the WoW Trading Card Game. It uses the regular dragon model for mounts, has black scales and the classic neon green fel glow as well as the Legion rune above its head.
Since the Trading Card Game is no longer produced, the Fel Drake is correspondingly sought after among collectors and for its appearance. Some pay up to $3,000 for it, making the Fel Drake one of the more expensive items from WoW.
How do I get the dragon? Starting today, Monday, November 28, at 11:59 PM, the Fel Drake will be available as a Twitch Drop. That means you simply get the dragon as a gift by watching on Twitch:
You need to watch the relevant channels on Twitch for 4 hours
It doesn’t have to be the same channel for 4 hours
In addition, you will receive the pet “Ichabod”, a small harvest golem, if you gift two subscriptions to participating creators on Twitch by December 13. Ichabod is therefore not free, unlike the other content.
When does Dragonflight start? You can play the new expansion starting at 12:00 AM on the night of Monday, November 28, to Tuesday, November 29. From then on, the way to the Dragon Isles opens, and you can check out the new areas, dungeons, and new story.
We spoke with a WoW expert just before the release and asked for his assessment of Dragonflight:
If you want to give yourself or others a PS5 for Christmas, you will find several tips in this article on how you can safely get your hands on the coveted console by then.
It has been two years since the PS5 was officially released on November 19, 2020, and Sony’s new console is still not available on the shelves of electronics stores. The demand clearly still exceeds the supply.
Releases of major AAA games such as God of War: Ragnarök, FIFA 23, and CoD: Modern Warfare 2 only increase interest in the PS5 even more.
We have summarized the points on how you can still have a PS5 under the Christmas tree in time for the gift-giving:
PS5 on eBay
What do you need to know about buying a PS5 on eBay? The easiest and fastest way to get a PS5 is certainly to buy a (used) console on eBay. Besides the fact that you can never be entirely sure if the console or the controller is functioning perfectly when purchasing used devices, there is another reason why we would advise against this method: the prices.
Most vendors offering the PlayStation 5 on eBay charge a premium of €200. Ultimately, you will have to decide for yourself whether you want to pay 1.5 times Sony’s MSRP for the console.
However, Sony has already announced that they want to significantly ramp up their production – a fact that is already noticeable here in the country – so we are confident that with a little patience, you will also be a happy owner of a PS5 at the original price.
Sony announced a few weeks ago that they want to significantly increase production so that people can game during the holiday season. How the company plans to achieve this can be read here:
What are PS5 drops? Even two years after its launch, the PS5 is still primarily sold through “drops.” Here, the PS5 allocations received by retailers are released in their respective online shops without prior notice. The sales events go on until the stock is sold out.
Moreover, there are often several weeks of complete silence between individual drops as retailers have to wait until they are supplied with new allocations again.
The best tip we can give you to succeed during drops is to regularly check our PS5 ticker.
In the past two years, we have enabled countless readers to purchase the console this way. Our ticker keeps you updated on a daily basis and provides detailed information about facts, speculations, and rumors regarding upcoming drops. By keeping an eye on our live ticker, you decrease the chance of missing sales events for the popular consoles.
Buy PS5 at Sony’s Own Store PlayStation Direct
What is PlayStation Direct? Exactly one year ago, PlayStation Direct also launched in Germany. In the USA, Sony’s own store has been around for a bit longer. In the online shop, Sony primarily sells games, accessories such as colored side plates and controllers, and, of course, the PS5.
At the launch of the homepage a year ago, there were initially some technical problems and the payment process often did not run smoothly. Additionally, long-time PSN customers were usually granted the right to purchase a PS5 and were notified in advance via email. After an exclusive sale, public sales were rarely held.
However, this has changed. PlayStation Direct has established itself as a reliable online shop that sells the PS5 at pretty regular intervals. Typically, multiple bundles are offered, as well as both “naked” versions of the console – with and without a disc drive.
Is the PS5 even available in retail? Not a few electronics stores now offer you the option to get on a waiting list for the PS5. You will likely have the most success with Expert and GameStop, as they both have long ago discontinued sales online and are now fully focused on retail.
However, some Media Markt and Saturn branches also now offer you the opportunity to pre-order the coveted console with a down payment of 100 euros.
As retailers rarely announce or heavily advertise such sales events, we recommend that you inquire directly at your trusted store. In the past, personal inquiries in the store and contact via email have proved to be the most effective. We advise against phone inquiries since you will most often end up in a central call center anyway.
What do you need to know about PS5 tariff bundles? Various companies repeatedly offer the PS5 in a bundle with a tariff contract. Two deals that become available on a regular basis are:
Consider carefully whether the tariffs and conditions make sense for you. However, if you decide to take out a contract and pay the deposit in November, it should work out with the PS5 for Christmas.
The PS5 has a whole range of shortcuts that can significantly enhance your user experience. You can read about how to navigate the console menus significantly faster as a future PS5 owner in this article:
Today, in the night of November 29, the latest expansion of World of Warcraft called Dragonflight will be released. MeinMMO will tell you what you should still take care of in the last hours before the release.
What tips can I find here? We provide you with a little assistance with activities that you can or should complete in preparation for Dragonflight if you want to hit the ground running.
The tips are especially suitable for players with little time or those who currently do not know what else there is to do. In addition, we will reveal which content will disappear with the release of Dragonflight and which you will no longer be able to obtain.
Dragonflight will be released on Tuesday, November 29, at 12:00 AM. So you only have a few hours left to prepare for the release.
Experts, fans, and guide authors on the internet almost unanimously agree that leveling is currently the best investment of your time. This is partly because you can level up as quickly as rarely before.
Even if time is short: you can certainly level two, maybe even three characters through the event by this evening if you are quick. If you still have a few level 50 characters on your account from Battle for Azeroth, it will certainly go even faster. And you will also get usable gear at level 252.
With second characters, you have the option in Dragonflight to switch to other classes if you do not like the playstyle or power of your current class. In addition, you can perform more of the revamped professions yourself and get gold more easily.
2. Get mounts and achievements that will soon disappear
With the release of Dragonflight, some content will completely disappear from the game and will not return, or only later at an unspecified time. However, some of the achievements and rewards can still be obtained, sometimes quite easily. Here is a selection:
Meta achievement “Back from the Beyond” and title “Veilwalker” for completing various achievements in the campaign. You can find the listing on wowhead.
Mount “Restoration Deathwalker” for the achievement “Mythic+ Master of Shadowlands: Season 4”. You will need a Mythic+ score of 2,000.
Mount “Jigglesworth Senior” for the achievement “Fate’s Raids of Shadowlands”. You must defeat all raids from Shadowlands in the “fateful” mode on normal or higher.
Mount “Carzinised Zereth Deer” from the Jailer on heroic difficulty or higher via a quest item.
For most of these achievements and mounts, time will be quite tight. However, if you look for a group through the group browser, you might still be lucky and complete everything that you are missing. Many of the contents that are disappearing are likely not to return, says the boss:
There are some rewards or achievements without rewards from raids and PvP that will disappear with Dragonflight, such as “We are all made of stardust” at Rygelon in heroic mode or higher.
If you also play Wrath of the Lich King Classic in addition to Shadowlands, you should play the starting quest of Death Knights there until November 28. This way, you can easily obtain a cool mount, the Frostbrood Proto-Wyrm:
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In WoW you can get a new mount, but you have to play Classic for that
Additionally, mounts from the Mythic raids of Shadowlands will be harder to obtain with Dragonflight. “Revenge” from Sylvanas and the “Zereth Seer” from the Jailer will no longer drop with a 100% chance from the release of Dragonflight. Moreover, there will only be one mount and not two.
More useful information and guides for Dragonflight:
With Dragonflight, you will again receive heaps of new materials and loot from enemies in the new areas. Therefore, start clearing out your bags and bank slots on all characters that you want to play now.
When you don’t have to sell items constantly, you save time leveling and don’t lose track so quickly. Cleaning up also has the advantage that you sort out old stuff that you may still be able to make into gold easily now, but not later – such as materials from Shadowlands.
If you are already at it, it’s best to upgrade all your bags and bank slots with 32-slot containers. They usually sell for about 300 gold each at the auction house, depending on the server, but provide comfortable space in your inventory. Make sure to secure the additional 20-slot reagent bag during the pre-event, which simply expands your inventory.
If you sell your old stuff at the auction house, also check for useful items for leveling. Goblin gliders can save you the first few hours until you learn dragon riding, and rocket boots are always beneficial. You will find a guide with tips for faster leveling here on MeinMMO shortly.
To prepare, we can also provide you with more information about the features of Dragonflight. In our latest interview with the developers, we discuss the endgame, lore, and UI of the new expansion:
The accusations of sexism were taken very seriously by the team at World of Warcraft. But the boss thinks that we are on a very good path.
Important days are ahead for World of Warcraft, as the next expansion “Dragonflight” is on the horizon. This is not only of great importance for WoW, as Shadowlands scared off many players, but also for Blizzard. After all, Blizzard has struggled with many scandals in recent years and the biggest was probably the sexism scandal – to which many investigations are still ongoing.
Where do the statements come from? In an interview with Preach, the Game Director of WoW, Ion Hazzikostas, also talked about these issues. Preach asked how Blizzard had dealt with the turbulent last years. After all, there was not only the Covid pandemic, which led to a lot of “home office” at Blizzard, but also the allegations of harassment and sexism, especially within the WoW team. Hazzikostas said:
The other ‘big event’ last year – it triggered a prolonged period of self-reflection for the entire team. With the onset last summer, we looked inward at our culture and our past to honestly ask ourselves: “Are we who the internet says we are? Is this who we really are?”
And the answer we came to was: “No”. But we certainly do not want to be that way and there should be no possibility for us to become that. So how do we change our processes, how do we develop a culture of feedback, with listening, openness, and trust, that ensures that even the slightest hint of inappropriateness is brought up and addressed? So that we never even come close to what the accusations from many years ago state.
More about World of Warcraft can be found here on MeinMMO:
What does ‘the internet’ mean? What Hazzikostas is referring to are the opinions of many that have been found in recent years under posts surrounding the allegations of sexism and abuse. The criticism of Blizzard was significant and the opinions were often very drastic. The studio was said to be rife with toxic masculinity and a culture of harassment, where men would drunkenly roam the offices, coming uncomfortably close to the female employees.
Whether Blizzard has really improved in this regard and whether these problems within the WoW team belong only to the past is probably not easy to determine. However, at least the individuals with whom Preach spoke on the Blizzard campus seem to be clearly positive about it.
What is your assessment of this issue? Should we give the WoW team and Blizzard the opportunity to show that things have improved? Or have they “missed their chance”?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
