With a small teleport, World of Warcraft aims to ensure that returning players can find their way around right away. Cool thing or “supervised play”?
The World of Warcraft is vast – really vast. With now eight expansions and a ninth one practically on the way, it’s easy to get lost in the numerous worlds, continents, and islands. Apparently, the confusion can be so great that players can’t even find their way to the current content. Blizzard is now stepping in and providing returning characters with an easy way out – wherever they may be.
What has been discovered? An interesting message directed at returning characters who haven’t logged into World of Warcraft for a while was found on the PTR for the pre-patch of the new expansion Dragonflight. When they enter the game world after a long break, a large message appears in the middle of the screen:
We haven’t seen you in a while!
Would you like to be teleported to your capital city Stormwind?
A question that can be answered with “Yes” or “No” to accept an immediate teleportation.
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Who does this help? Most players will probably just give such a feature a weary smile, as most WoW veterans can simply use their hearthstone to get to the nearest capital.
However, those who may have started playing WoW at some point over the last two decades and then lost interest might have their hearthstone “somewhere in the wilderness” or may not even know how to get back to the capital with all the changes.
Just imagine a character wandering around in the Maw or lost somewhere in Nazjatar, possibly having bound their hearthstone there. Anyone who first has to research for ages on how to “escape” the area may not have the energy left to continue playing WoW afterwards.
Why is Blizzard doing this? The reason is likely obvious. WoW is a pretty large and complex game that often makes it difficult for newcomers or returning players to find their footing – especially after taking a break of several years.
To avoid losing returnees right away because they can’t even get to the current content out of frustration, this teleportation to the capital will now be available. From there, the questline for the latest expansion usually starts automatically, allowing for a relatively smooth introduction to the new content.
It’s one of many small improvements designed to facilitate a smooth return to Azeroth.
What do you think about this? A good, sensible improvement? Or should one not play WoW if one can’t even find their way back to the capital alone?
A player in Valorant had to play an important match from the emergency room. The opposing team refused to reschedule the game. The player was able to win the fight from the hospital.
Valorant is a first-person shooter by Riot Games, the developers of League of Legends. The shooter is a mix of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and well-known hero shooters like Overwatch.
Recently, an important match took place between two teams. However, a medical incident overshadowed the game. While one team wanted to postpone the match, the rival refused. For this reason, a player had to play the crucial game from the hospital.
Start video
Valorant celebrates with anthem the most important tournament of the shooter – fans praise the crazy music video
Opposing team refuses to postpone the match – destroyed from the hospital
What exactly happened? During an important Valorant tournament, player Nishil had to go to the hospital. Due to pancreatitis, he had to be in the emergency room. For this reason, his team asked the next opponent if the match could be postponed. After all, their player was in the hospital. However, the opponents did not want to postpone the match.
For this reason, Nishil decided to play the match from the hospital and support his team.
How did the game end? The two teams played against each other in a best-of-3 format. Whoever wins 2 out of 3 games wins the entire match. And it did not go well for the opposing team, as Nishil and his team defeated them 2:0.
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How does the community react? The community is heavily impressed by the pro and cannot help but mock the opponent. One comment under the Twitter post says: “Refusing to postpone the date and losing to someone in the emergency room, I’m dying of laughter.” Another adds: “The other team will have to live with this thought for the rest of their lives.”
Almost everyone is happy about the victory and cannot understand the opponent’s refusal. At the current time (as of: 23.10.2022), the tweet has received almost 40,000 upvotes.
Other players also have no luck in Valorant when they meet the wrong opponents: The “shooter god” shroud had to witness how he and his team were taken out by a 15-year-old. And the gameplay not only impressed the Twitch streamer but many other viewers as well:
The survival genre is one of the favorites of MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider. Surviving with friends, taming the game, conquering the world – that’s his thing. However, if you don’t rent a server, there’s always a problem: Who hosts and thus has the save file? Grounded has a simple but fantastic solution.
As a trained console gamer, survival games came to me quite late. On PC, the genre is significantly larger. It really started with the dino game ARK. Before that, we only had Minecraft, which I don’t really classify as a survival game.
Then came hits like Conan Exiles, the review queen Terraria or the zombie adventure 7 Days to Die. I was never alone; I always had a few controller heroes with me – but that was also a certain problem.
For a long time, rental servers for PlayStation games weren’t available. Even today, you need luck, and not always do the latest survival titles support rental servers on consoles.
So someone always had to host the server. To continue playing in the world, you need the host – he has the save file, he can start the world. Additionally, many PlayStation games tie their save files to the user. It’s very rare to be able to quickly copy them over.
This problem isn’t always avoided even on PC. It’s an annoying matter that somehow has to be solved. The survival title Grounded shows us how it’s done.
We are embedding a trailer for the game featuring the mini-people in the garden here:
Start video
Grounded leaves Early Access – Trailer for the full game
Grounded lets you easily share hosted servers
In Grounded, you are teens who are involved in a shrinking incident. You are about half the height of a ladybug and must somehow survive in the garden – build a house from blades of grass, collect dew in the morning, and eat aphid broilers.
A wonderful survival game that I have already enjoyed in Early Access:
After the end of Early Access, the complete story is now in the game. Grounded is similar to the ocean adventure Raft and can be completed.
However, a seemingly small feature was also introduced that I celebrated immediately: shareable servers with friends:
I can give a fellow player full control over the server and don’t always have to host myself. A small revolution!
There are drawbacks. First and foremost, you need trustworthy players. Backups cannot be created, and if a “friend” wreaks havoc in the world, it cannot be fixed with a click. Additionally, an Xbox account is mandatory, even for the Steam version.
In Pokémon Go, the Halloween event has started with plenty of content. However, with one change, Niantic has inadvertently helped one group of players.
What kind of event is this? Halloween 2022 has started in Pokémon GO a few days ago and brings purchasable and free research, new Mega Raids with Banette, and changed encounters with pocket monsters. Additionally, there is special music and strong candy bonuses.
The event is worthwhile for all players who play Pokémon GO. A few users on reddit have explained that with the event, a new feature has come into the game that most might not have noticed. This particularly helps an underestimated group within the active players.
You can find all event contents for Halloween in this article:
What exactly has changed? Due to Halloween, Niantic has made some strong adjustments to the map’s design. The grass is now less green, there are piles of leaves on the ground, and orange leaves are flying through the air. Additionally, a new variant of a Pokémon is supposed to come into the game.
Moreover, the Poké-stops have changed. The normally blue points on the map have now taken on an orange tint, and the gyms are marked with pumpkins. But this exactly helps colorblind players, as some are now explaining on reddit.
What is so good about the change? A poster on reddit writes: “I can see the stops! An unexpected benefit of the Halloween event.”
Here he explains in a lengthy post that Pokémon Go has always been very exhausting for him. He could never tell if he had already completed a stop or not. He writes on reddit.com:
I have been playing Pokemon Go since its release, on and off. From day one, I had to check each stop twice to see if I had already spun it or not. The normal blue (?)/ purple (?) color change makes it almost impossible for me to recognize at first glance.
Now there are orange Poké-stops. Holy Toledo-Batman! I can see the difference clearly! I hope other colorblind players enjoy the easy identification as much as I do!
For the thread starter, this small change has a big impact, as he can now easily pass the Poké-stops and directly know whether he has been there before.
Some players wonder why Pokémon Go offers so little accessibility
What do other players mean? Other people with color blindness also responded to the post, explaining that the current Halloween design helps them see such stops. One person writes (via reddit.com):
A colorblind person here, the color change helps with the stops, I even thought a colorblind mode would be cool, but since I like shinies (even if I can’t tell them apart), I’m not sure if that would be such a great idea.
Other players, however, are puzzled. Some are surprised that such an essential feature, a help for colorblind people, has not made it into the official game yet and that the game has not been accessible for colorblind players from the start. One writes on reddit:
One of the fundamental game mechanics is not suitable for colorblind people??! Why is Niantic not doing anything about it?
What do you think? Do you consider this a meaningful “innovation” and help, or are you glad when Niantic returns the game world to its old color pattern? Let us know in the comments!
All important information about the current Halloween event can be found in our overview here on MeinMMO:
Overwatch 2 is a successor. But it’s hard to grasp what exactly is supposed to be a “Part 2” – at least that’s what MeinMMO-demon Cortyn thinks.
Overwatch 2 has been out for a few weeks now and has had a pretty rocky start. After server issues, which were also due to DDoS attacks, various difficulties arose with the transfer of game progress, and Blizzard even locked some heroes due to devastating bugs.
If you’ve read some of my columns, you know that I generally have a strong attachment to Blizzard games. I enjoy the games; they have always entertained me for a long time and, compared to other titles, often have a very high quality.
Where has the Blizzard quality gone?
However, the quality is something I at least question with Overwatch 2. Because what works in Overwatch 2 is essentially what was already consistently positive in Overwatch 1. The gameplay is action-packed. With one less tank, the battles are more interesting, and the characters are just fun.
Especially in a fixed group with calls, laughter, and panic screams, Overwatch 2 is a lot of fun. But it is primarily so enjoyable because the gameplay itself is solid, and it was already that way in Overwatch 1. What is most fun in Overwatch 2 is what has remained from Overwatch 1.
The Blizzard quality that so many love is missing
However, the whole “surrounding” has been so full of errors and annoyances for the launch of a major title that one can no longer speak of the Blizzard quality that many of us still remember and learned to love. Here are several of the errors that arose in recent weeks, some of which still persist today.
The MMR calculation in the ranked mode was completely broken. All players ended up in “Bronze 5,” no matter how good they were. Professionals played against brand-new beginners repeatedly, and there was virtually no balance.
Progress on some weekly missions is simply reset over and over again.
D.VA’s ultimate sometimes hits people who are clearly standing behind a wall.
Bastion’s ultimate could be fired nearly infinitely. The bug is so severe that the hero has been completely locked.
Torbjörn’s ability can be used much more frequently than intended; he has also been locked in the ranked mode.
Add to that several more than cheeky offers in the shop promoting a discount on a “bundle” – a bundle that just a few days earlier had the same price without a discount label and whose contents cannot even be purchased individually. This is likely also a bug, but feels doubly bad.
D.VA’s explosion surprisingly also affects heroes behind solid walls.
I am also no longer so sure that new heroes, adjustments, and game modes are truly tested thoroughly before being released to the players.
Especially the
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A shooter on Steam features a completely destructible environment. Now the shooter has entered open beta, and you can try it out. The reviews are quite positive so far.
However, the game also offers some special features that we want to introduce to you in more detail. The game entered open beta on Steam on October 21, 2022. Therefore, you can see for yourself afterwards.
Sector’s Edge features Minecraft-style graphics with a building mode reminiscent of Fortnite
What kind of game is this? Sector’s Edge is a classic PvP shooter where you fight against another team and must fulfill a specific objective.
The unique aspect of the new shooter is that the entire game world can be broken down into its components. You can shoot through walls and even bring down entire skyscrapers. This also offers a tactical option to confuse or eliminate your opponents by, for example, causing a crane or a building to collapse next door.
You can also place different elements on the map, such as stairs or walls. You choose from a dozen building parts to move faster across the map or protect yourself from opponents.
What does the game offer? Currently, you can choose from 14 different weapons, which you can further customize with 163 attachments. Additionally, there are 5 equipment items such as grenades and 4 perks.
What are the positive voices saying? The shooter currently has a rating of 81% (“Very Positive”) from 2,753 reviews.
Many users in the reviews immediately feel reminded of the popular shooter “Ace of Spades.” This was a first-person shooter where you could build and then destroy your battlefield. With up to 32 players, you could fight your opponents in fast PvP matches while ravaging half the map.
Some refer to the game as “Ace of Spades 2” or explain in their reviews on Steam how much they miss “Ace of Spades.” Many feel reminded of the former “Team Fortress” clone.
What are the negative voices saying? There is also criticism of the new shooter. Some gamers say that the performance is anything but good, with regular crashes or being unable to start the game properly. Some players are also not convinced by the graphics, which appear more functional than truly attractive.
Other shooters on Steam: On Steam, you can now play the new hero shooter GALAHAD 3093 in early access, which mixes elements of the Arthurian legend with futuristic battle robots. What kind of game this is and who might find it worth checking out, we will reveal here on MeinMMO:
With a purchase price of €200, the new Thrustmaster T128 is aimed at beginners. We show you what the steering wheel does well and where there is potential for improvement.
If you fall in love with racing games or simulations on console or PC, you eventually can’t avoid buying a set of steering wheel and pedals. When looking for products, the selection is vast. In the price range of less than €50 to about €400, you get “common” models.
With the new Thrustmaster T128 for €200, the French manufacturer wants to target beginners. To keep the price low, compromises must be made. I received a test unit from Thrustmaster so I can share my impression with you here on MeinMMO.
This is now the 3rd steering wheel-pedal combo I am using. I am comparing it with the Logitech G920 and the Thrustmaster T248.
How did I test? I play racing games like Project Cars II or Forza Horizon 5 and simulators like Euro Truck Simulator 2. In the games, I have tested the steering wheel and compare how the G920 and the T248 perform.
Look and Processing
Right upon unpacking, it stands out: Compared to my other two steering wheels, the processing has been compromised. Everywhere I look, there’s plastic. Here and there a shiny part, but otherwise plastic.
The steering wheel feels small and so does the pedal base. When measuring, it is noticeable: They are smaller.
Model
Steering Wheel Dimensions
Pedal Dimensions
Logitech G920
Height: 270 mm Width: 280 mm Depth: 278 mm
Height: 167 mm Width: 428.5 mm Depth: 311 mm
Thrustmaster T248
Height: 270 mm Width: 280 mm Depth: 300 mm
Height: 210 mm Width: 300 mm Depth: 370 mm
Thrustmaster T128
Height: 250 mm Width: 250 mm Depth: 260 mm
Height: 136 mm Width: 220 mm Depth: 270 mm
The T128 connected in useThe contents of the T128
The Steering Wheel: The mostly black design of the steering wheel is okay. I miss fabric or leather accents that give the steering wheel more grip and a nicer “hold”. With the T128, everything on the rim of the steering wheel is uniform. A red mark in the upper center indicates when it is in the centered position.
When steering, it feels good and secure in hand. All buttons are easy to reach while hands are on the outer ring. You easily memorize their positions due to the ergonomic design.
Next to each other, my feet in shoes hardly find space on the pedalsThe pedal base – The T2PM
The Pedals: “Very small” is the first thing that came to mind when unpacking the pedals. The pedal base feels underdimensioned. My feet barely find enough room side by side in shoes, which is why I prefer playing in socks here.
Additionally, the pedal base brings little weight and grip on the floor. If I don’t step very carefully on the gas pedal, the base lifts under my heel. This is even more pronounced with the brake, which is usually pressed harder. For home use “under the desk”, this is not ideal and I recommend getting extra mounts or using the set with a racing seat where you can screw the pedals and steering wheel firmly.
Driving Feel and Precision
The Steering Wheel: The design is only part of the whole, and so I wanted to hit the road right away. So I downloaded the latest driver for the T128 and started in Project Cars 2. I could not get the LED display to work with the game at the time of testing. In general, it works, though.
The force feedback and vibrations are pleasantly powerful and convey a good sense of the race. You can quickly notice when the car loses grip and skids on the front wheels when suddenly the force feedback weakens and steering becomes very light.
Vibrations from off-road sections of the track or excursions into the gravel feel “real” and add a great feeling to driving.
With the software, you can adjust the steering wheel to your preferencesPrecision is key: In the Scania Truck Driving Simulator, you must drive quickly and accurately
The Pedals: While driving, the pedals feel very precise. You can input braking and accelerating quite accurately. It should be noted that the distances traveled from “idle” to “full” are short. Until full braking, it’s only a few centimeters. The right dosage is possible, but requires practice.
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The Software: The control panel from Thrustmaster is excellent for customizing steering wheels for use. With a slider, you can limit how far the wheel should turn in the program. If you drive a truck or bus, it’s good if the steering wheel can turn multiple times. For a Formula 1 car, you set the slider lower.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Minecraft is known for the creativity of its players. Now, a user has presented a huge project. Behind it lies the enormous city of Greenfield, which you can even explore yourself.
The game Minecraft is considered a sandbox for creative players because you can do anything you want in the world:
You can explore the vast map and search for treasures.
Or you fight dark monsters and descend into the depths.
Alternatively, you can build your own buildings or even an entire city.
The third option has been utilized by a diligent group of players who have built an enormous city. And now the next big update has been presented. If you are not familiar with the map, you should definitely give it a try.
In the city of Greenfield, every building is fully equipped
What kind of map is this? On the product page, the developers explain that Greenfield “is probably one of the most complete and detailed cities currently available in Minecraft.
The map consists of thousands of buildings, all of which also have interior designs.
The city is designed to a 1:1 scale, one block equals one meter. This gives you the feeling of being in a real city.
The city is filled with numerous details: there is a large stadium, an airport, a train station, and large residential areas.
Is the project already finished? No, according to the project page, the city is currently 20% complete. With map.greenfieldmc.net, you can get an overview of the enormous map and will notice that there are still large areas of land free at the edges of the city. The people behind the massive city still have plenty of work ahead of them.
How long has work been going on? The city of Greenfield was born in 2011. Since then, fans have been working on this enormous project. That makes it 11 years. The last major update, Greenfield v0.5.4, with the large airport was released on October 15, 2022. Additionally, almost 3000 new houses, 7 new districts, activities, shopping opportunities, and more content were packed into the latest update.
You can try the largest and most detailed city in Minecraft
Where can you download the map? Through Planetminecraft, you can download the Greenfield map and then embark on an exploration of this gigantic city.
Our colleagues from GameStar wanted to test how much power is needed when starting this map. And Nils Raettig from GameStar found that the map can even bring high-end hardware to its knees. However, he has a few solutions on hand:
Every gamer knows this: during a cozy gaming night, you need something to snack on. But chips and the like often end up crushed in the keyboard or as remnants on the buttons or character sheet. Cleaning is annoying. MeinMMO presents you with 7 snacks that don’t crumble or grease – and they taste good too! Why? Well …
It’s August 2021. Corona is hitting hard, Blizzard is knee-deep in the swamp of sexism and a gaming drought plagues the gamers. Somehow, positive news is lacking. MeinMMO is therefore holding a brainstorming session, just like trendy start-ups from Berlin do successfully. The editorial manager Schuhmann asks for article ideas that will interest everyone:
Benedict at the end of the session, more jokingly: “How about snacks you can eat without ruining your battlestation?”
Cortyn (off-screen): “You can do that with anything, you just have to eat it with chopsticks!”
Schuhmann: “Sounds good. Grothaus, you’re a trained chef. Do that.”
Benedict: “But then-“
Schuhmann: “Any more ideas?”
Benedict: “…”
Now it’s October 2022. I’ve successfully managed to procrastinate this article for a year and hoped that it would be forgotten. But some overachiever kept it on a list. And my new colleague Maik Schneider remembered it. Thanks, Maik!
Well, I’m a professional writer and take every article seriously. And indeed, I know about cooking and nutrition. As a veteran of the famous LAN parties back in the day, I’ve also tried pretty much every gaming snack.
So what do you find here? My goal with the list was to find treats that are genuinely “snackable” – meaning you can quickly grab them with one hand between two frags or while waiting for the respawn. Ideally without cutlery.
In the selection, I tried to include both sweet and savory items. However, what you WILL NOT find here are specifically healthy snacks. I’m neither a nutritionist nor a doctor. For all the snacks mentioned, if you have allergies or intolerances or need to monitor blood sugar and similar, make sure to check the ingredients when buying. The snacks are not intended to replace meals.
Using chopsticks is especially common in Asian countries. Here, not so much, although it can definitely be useful. If you want to learn, here’s a little tutorial from yamyamfoods:
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In this list, I’ve mainly recommended snacks that I enjoy eating myself – even if I don’t do it very often anymore. Use them as inspiration for the next game release you want to binge. Personally, I also love licorice, especially the salty kind, but since they can vary significantly in their “edibility” while gaming, I’ve left them out.
Feel free to share your tips for the best gaming snacks in the comments!
By the way, these non-greasy and non-crumbling snacks are not only suitable for video games. Analog pen and paper also appreciates it when the character sheet isn’t transparent from chips grease. And board games should not be neglected either:
Unsurprisingly, the list includes the tasty little gummy creatures available in dozens of shapes and flavors. “Bears” is just the umbrella term for everything available in this form: worms, dinos, and bats from Trolli, Katjes, Nimm 2, or Haribo.
However, I can only recommend gummy bears without “sour powder” around them, as this makes the fingers greasy and quickly sticks to the controller. Also, don’t lick your fingers and then go into the bag.
That’s not only slightly disgusting but also has the disadvantage that sticky fingers easily dissolve the gummy creatures. This makes them sticky quickly, and their positive effect disappears.
Gummy bears are especially advisable in colder months, as they tend to melt quickly and become sticky at high temperatures. Personally, I enjoy the “original” Gold Bears from Haribo, especially because they are available as a “Wacken Edition”.
If you’re looking for a vegan or organic option, check the pharmacy for juice bears or products from Katjes. These may cost a bit more, but they also taste excellent.
Katjes offers many gummy products vegan.
Marshmallows
Marshmallows, which I still know as Mäusespeck from my childhood, are an excellent sweet snack while gaming. They are softer than gummy bears, a bit sweeter, but with a pleasant chewiness.
Marshmallows come in various flavors, with plain “sugar” and sometimes strawberry being the most common. You’ll find marshmallows mostly in fair mixes or as ever-popular marshmallows.
As with gummy bears, the rule here is: do not stick wet fingers into the package and store as cool as possible. Marshmallows tend to stick even more than gummy creatures.
Marshmallows, typically in the shape of mice, but they often come as small spirals or cylinders.
Glucose or Fizz Sweets
Many probably only know fizz as a packet of powder that you either dissolve in water, lick off your finger, or dump directly. Crazy people also sniff it – but usually, you only do that once, and then you learn from it.
However, fizz is also available as sweets that can be sucked or chewed. The sweets fizz pleasantly in your mouth and come in various flavors.
If you’re not into sour flavors, you can opt for glucose. This also comes in solid forms of sweets, small tablets, or pearls, like on chains and the like. The advantage over powder is that you have portion sizes immediately, and nothing sticks when you pop the sweets straight into your mouth.
Older generations probably still know PEZ. These small sugar tablets come in handy dispensers, where you don’t even have to touch the sweets. However, as PEZ is disappearing from stores more and more, I recommend the World of Sweets website for nostalgic and unique candies.
PEZ dispensers also come in gaming motifs, like Mario here. Image source: World of Sweets.
Chocolate Buttons
Everyone knows them; probably everyone had them at least once as a child. Chocolate buttons are usually small chocolate drops coated with a sugar shell that crack nicely in the mouth and melt chocolaty.
The most famous chocolate buttons are probably the famous Smarties. Their advantage is that they come in cardboard tubes and boxes, so you can easily dump them into your mouth.
Personally, I generally don’t like Smarties and chocolate. However, as with all listed candies, they become sticky quickly in heat and moisture.
Chocolate buttons must be eaten quickly; otherwise, they melt and smear the nice peripherals!
Dried Meat
What is otherwise primarily known as a protein source by fitness fans is also an excellent snack. Dried meat is (almost) completely devoid of moisture, quite tough meat. Essentially pure protein with a little fat and no sugar.
Dried meat comes in many forms and with different spices. It’s easy to snack on and lasts quite a long time, as you have to chew for a while – unless you’re gulping it down.
The downside is that dried meat is quite expensive. Consider it more of a “premium” snack. Jack Link’s dried meat is probably the most well-known and is okay, but with a little searching, you can find similarly good products for cheaper.
My tip: Just search for dried meat, biltong, or droewors on Amazon and browse a bit. For vegetarians, there are also dried vegetable chips or dried fruits, and for pescatarians and adventurous types, there are dried fish or squid at well-stocked Asian or specialty stores.
Feeling like a snack? Grab one; here’s a fitting video with gameplay for the upcoming Wild Hearts:
Start video
Wild Hearts – Gameplay aus der Alpha mit Kommentar
Pumpernickel
No joke. Gamers from Southern Germany probably don’t know this bread, but pumpernickel is a specially made, almost black, and slightly sweet whole grain bread made from rye. “You recommend bread? What’s wrong with you?”
Legitimate question, but: as a quasi-Westphalian, I really like pumpernickel and the advantage of this bread is that it comes in small slices that are about the size of a 2-euro coin. So ideal for snacking.
If you want to make a bit more of an effort, you can prepare small bites right away. I recommend something like melted cheese, air-dried ham, and a slice of radish between two of these pumpernickel discs as a “mini sandwich”.
Alternatively, you can stick a piece of cheese and a grape or a date and some bacon on the slices with a toothpick for a fancier Amuse-Bouche. However, we’re already moving a bit away from “simple snacks” here.
Sounds strange, but it’s really a good snack: pumpernickel.
Student Mix
There are dozens of nut-fruit mixes, of which the classic “Student Mix” is probably the most well-known. Various seeds and nuts combined with raisins should quickly provide energy and get your brain going.
It never worked for me as a student, but I still enjoy munching on the stuff. You’ll find various variations in almost every store – with and without raisins, with specific nuts or without.
But watch out that certain nuts like peanuts can be quite greasy. If you want to keep your peripherals in good condition, pay more attention to almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts. In my experience, they are the least greasy, even though they contain a lot of fat.
There are plenty of mixes with nuts and dried fruits.
Bonus: Fruits, Vegetables, and … Chopsticks?
For those looking for a healthy alternative, you can always chop up some fruit or vegetables and place them in a bowl next to the PC or on the coffee table. Apples, cucumbers, peppers, and all kinds of berries are particularly suitable.
However, for many types of fruits and vegetables like bananas or olives, cutlery is advisable if you don’t want to smear them everywhere. Plus, you usually have to prepare things, which contradicts the idea of a “open the bag and munch” snack a bit.
As MeinMMO demon Cortyn correctly explained back then: Chopsticks help. With chopsticks, you can even eat chips without getting grease on your controller. However, it does require some practice.
Using chopsticks is especially common in Asian countries. Here, not so much, although it can definitely be useful. If you want to learn, here’s a little tutorial from yamyamfoods:
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At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
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Read more about our privacy policy.
In this list, I’ve mainly recommended snacks that I enjoy eating myself – even if I don’t do it very often anymore. Use them as inspiration for the next game release you want to binge. Personally, I also love licorice, especially the salty kind, but since they can vary significantly in their “edibility” while gaming, I’ve left them out.
Feel free to share your tips for the best gaming snacks in the comments!
By the way, these non-greasy and non-crumbling snacks are not only suitable for video games. Analog pen and paper also appreciates it when the character sheet isn’t transparent from chips grease. And board games should not be neglected either:
HyperX has introduced the Pulsefire Haste Wireless, a lightweight wireless mouse. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann has tested the mouse and explains why it is a hidden gem for him.
Gaming mice have had a tendency to become lighter and slimmer in recent years. The HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless is no exception. At 61 grams, it belongs to the particularly lightweight representatives of its kind.
But how does the gaming mouse perform in tests and in comparison to other mice? I was able to thoroughly test the mouse for you and will reveal why it has become a true hidden gem for me.
Who tested it?
I have a passion for gaming mice and currently own over 20 gaming mice personally. Since 2019, I have been testing hardware for MeinMMO for our readers. Mice are among my absolute favorites when it comes to peripherals for PC and console, along with gaming headsets and keyboards, and I know quite a lot about them.
The HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless was provided to me by the manufacturer for testing.
Benedikt Schlotmann Hardware Editor MeinMMO
Features and technical details:
Sensor
Pixart 3335
Resolution
Up to 16,000 DPI
Switches
TTC Golden Switch
Buttons
6 buttons
Design
Black or white mouse. RGB lighting on the mouse wheel, asymmetric right-handed mouse
Gliders
4
Cable
Detachable 2.0 m USB-C cable
Weight
61 grams
Price (RRP)
99.99 Euros
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Contents, design and construction
What does the package include? The Pulsefire Haste Wireless comes with a USB-C receiver, an adapter for the receiver, and a USB-C cable. Additionally, the box includes extra interchangeable mouse feet and a set of griptape. This allows you to customize the mouse yourself.
Package contents of the HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless
How is the mouse constructed? The model features either a black or white design:
On the top side of the mouse are the main buttons and the illuminated mouse wheel in between. There is a small switch on the top side to adjust the DPI.
On the left side, there are two additional buttons in the thumb area. There are no further buttons or a sniper button.
The model features a rugged surface. While there are no rubberized side surfaces, you can attach the included griptape.
HyperX takes a simple and understated design approach with its gaming mouse. Only the mouse wheel features subtle lighting.
The general construction of the mouse employs a honeycomb design. This reduces the weight of the device but has the downside that it can become quite dirty.
HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless front angled view.
Processing
The Pulsefire Haste Wireless feels very high-quality. This is particularly due to its excellent haptics. Despite its lightweight, it feels stable and does not give me the impression at first touch that it was made of cheap plastic.
Another advantage is that the USB-C charging port is positioned so that I can use any standard cable to charge the mouse. I really appreciate that. Another advantage is that you can transport the receiver in the bottom of the mouse. And it sits there very securely.
Software
The software is user-friendly and all functions are hidden behind clearly labeled fields – if you can even get to the software at all.
Initially, I had difficulties connecting the mouse to the software. The software prompted me directly upon startup to update the mouse. However, the update took forever, and nothing happened. I then read on reddit the tip to download the standalone updater for the mouse.
The software “NGenuity” from HyperX poses significant issues initially.
I first updated the mouse using one program, and then subsequently installed the actual update through the “Ngenuity” software. You also have the same hassle with the wireless adapter. Without updating both the mouse and the adapter, you cannot use the software.
When the software works, it is good. However, the current path to get there is still cumbersome and rocky. This urgently needs improvement, as the software currently represents the biggest weak point of the otherwise good mouse.
When the software works, it is user-friendly.
On the next page, you will find my assessment of the weight, ergonomics, and battery life of the wireless gaming mouse. In the concluding section, I will also explain to you for whom the mouse is worthwhile and what might still speak against a purchase.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
New World is currently experiencing a small renaissance on Steam. Over 60,000 players were simultaneously online shortly after the release of the new update. But where does this influx come from? And is it finally worth returning to the MMORPG?
What is the current state of player numbers in New World? After a strong start in September and October 2021, player numbers steadily declined until August 2022, peaking at just under 16,000 simultaneous players. Many had already written off the MMORPG. However, there is a significant trend reversal happening.
On October 18, New World reached a peak of 65,064 simultaneous players, which is nearly three times higher than in August. On October 19 and 20, the 60,000 player mark was also surpassed (via SteamDB).
Who is speaking here? Alex is the MMORPG expert at MeinMMO and has tested nearly every game in the genre himself. He has spent over 800 hours in New World. He continuously tests the new features and actively participates in the game’s events.
New World is hardly comparable to the release version and plays much better
What were the major points of criticism? New World had several problems at release. The biggest were:
A boring leveling phase
Long travel times and high travel costs
Unclear item progression
Lack of endgame content in PvE
Lack of PvP content outside of wars
Missing “quality of life” aspects
Technical problems like bugs, gold duplication, and lags
Now, just over a year later, most of these problems have been addressed. Additionally, many new aspects have been introduced to the game.
Start video
New World: This is what to expect in the largest update so far
Faster leveling and more variety in enemies
What has changed in the leveling process? The first major innovation is present right from the start of the game. You can now find weapons to try out everywhere in the starting area, so you don’t have to start with sword and shield, but can choose your preferred weapon.
Interesting for ranged fighters: You no longer need ammunition, although it gives a slight damage boost.
Additionally, the leveling process from levels 1 to 25 has been significantly revamped. There are fewer travel distances, more quests, and the enemies you encounter have become more diverse. Generally, all quests from level 10 onwards also provide 50% more experience points than at the time of release.
In the mid-levels, the required number of experience points has also been noticeably reduced to allow players to reach level 60 faster. This now happens almost automatically if you just follow the main quest and your faction quests.
The first new enemies were introduced as early as late 2021 – the Varangian Knights.
What about the long travel times? They still exist to some extent, but they are now less annoying. In February, the costs for fast travel were significantly reduced. Weight is also no longer a factor, and new fast travel points have been introduced, including at every dungeon in the game.
Furthermore, several conveniences have been added to the game: Storage is now cross-town, you run 10% faster on roads, and you can open your inventory while running.
Clear structures in the endgame – for both PvE and PvP
What has changed in the endgame? New World has a clear item progression. This relies on the value of expertise, which you can level up by obtaining good equipment drops or by using the gypsum system.
The gypsum system rewards you with upgrades for your equipment and is linked to the endgame through a type of daily quest list. Gypsum can be earned from dungeons, from portal events in the open world, through crafting, from faction missions, or from PvP. Each player type can therefore specifically improve their equipment.
Furthermore, New World has increased its gear score to 625. However, this new equipment is not dropped; you must upgrade it using shadow shards. Shadow shards, in turn, can also be obtained in the endgame or later through the gypsum system once you have leveled up.
Expertise and your armor value can be increased up to 625.
What new PvE content is available? New World has made significant improvements, especially in PvE:
What about PvP? The most important change for PvP players was resolving lags in wars. It is still not perfect at 100%, but the wars are currently playable. They are complemented by new 3v3 arenas and the PvP reward track that brings good gold and good equip.
Three new weapons for more variety
What else is new? Those who wished for more variety in weapons at release will not be disappointed. With the corrupting gauntlet (magic), the thunder pistol (firearm) and the greatsword, three new and very different weapons have been added to the game. Each of them feels well thought out and is a lot of fun.
New World shows in a magnificent trailer a new weapon that many have been waiting for a year
Developers receive praise for communication
Are the new features solely responsible for the turnaround? No. Because while many criticized Amazon for their poor communication at launch, the developer studio has greatly improved since then.
Every month there is a video where the developers report on the current state of the game and explain what changes they are making and why. They also discuss innovations that are still far off, such as mounts and raids, which are planned for the future. Furthermore, much is communicated in forums, and updates are tested on a test server several weeks in advance.
While there have still been some bugs after a new update recently, they have been far less severe. The latest update even came without a major scandal – aside from a taunt bug – even though the patch was quite large.
Streamers and YouTubers are also returning: The positive communication and the overall positive development of the game surprise many and therefore generate praise. On Twitch, on October 19, nearly 1,000 channels were online simultaneously showcasing the game. This was last seen in December 2021.
Among the streamers were bigger names like summit1g, KingGothalion (900,000 followers), and one of the biggest German MMO streamers AresLP.
The well-known YouTuber “TheLazyPeon” praised New World in September:
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Newcomers to New World have the best timing in November
Is now the perfect time to start? It depends. If you already have a character at a high level and want to continue playing, then yes. You can enjoy the many new advantages and soon start in the dungeons or PvP.
If you were to start completely new, you might want to wait a few weeks. Because on November 2, new “Fresh Start” servers will be released. There you can only start with new characters and in a completely fresh economy. You will essentially experience a second release of New World.
What do you think about the development of the MMORPG? Does New World appeal to you now, or do you remain skeptical?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since October 20, fans of futuristic science fiction can try out the new co-op loot shooter “The First Descendant” in open beta. The game has garnered significant attention due to its impressive graphics, as well as its similarity to well-known shooters like Destiny 2, Outriders, or Warframe. MeinMMO has tested the new free-to-play shooter and reveals how close it really is and what it has to offer.
What kind of game is “The First Descendant”? The new IP from developer Nexon Games “The First Descendant” is a free PvE loot shooter that combines unique RPG expertise with third-person shooter combat. The beta of the free game started this week on Steam, and you can experience the shooter in Unreal Engine 5.
After the somewhat lengthy introductory sequence and a few intros, players immediately take on the role of their first so-called “Descendants”. These characters possess various and unique abilities. In the beta, we initially had 3 Descendants to choose from – Viessa, Lepic, and Ajax.
All Descendants from The First Descendant at a glance.
The remaining 7 Descendants can be unlocked later through the research institute. Each of these 10 unlockable characters can be played and upgraded, allowing you to face the invaders.
Your first Descendant quest ends in Albion
After the first introductory mission, which you complete solo, you will initially be separated from your team and reach the social space Albion after the mission against a first, still simple colossus.
In addition to your humorous post office, various NPC contacts will assign you quests or tasks, as well as sell you items. A teleport system will take you from there to other locations where you will complete various missions.
What is “The First Descendant” about? The goal of “The First Descendant” is to face the invaders to protect the continent of Ingris and all the people living on it. Throughout this story, players must become stronger to be able to complete the increasingly challenging tasks. In the end, you will discover the secret of the Descendants’ origin.
Here you can watch the impressive gameplay trailer for “The First Descendant” again:
Start video
The First Descendant – Official Trailer Reveal gamescom 2022
Co-op mode for optimal team builds: “The First Descendant” offers you the opportunity to team up. The RPG/shooter hybrid can be played not only solo but also in co-op mode with up to 4 players.
You can invite up to 3 friends to your group using your friends’ exact Steam nick plus the additional “The First Descendant” user number.
They will then be teleported to you, and you can tackle quest missions and boss battles together.
The cooperation makes sense because the different characters should encourage you to play with optimal ability combos in a team to always maximize damage. This is essentially a principle you already know from Outriders, only here without the cover shooter elements.
From Albion, players then continue to the Lost Village in Kingstone, where several smaller mission steps such as investigating faulty detectors and more await in a larger area.
Grand graphics and a “Sinister Dog” await you
The free shooter from Nexon offers you a lot of weapons to choose from.
The gameplay in third-person is active and very fast. The movement is fluid, and especially the grappling hook, which lets you swing to higher points, is fun. However, as previously mentioned, in “The First Descendant”, unlike in Outriders, you cannot take cover. You play openly and receive healing through enemy drops or abilities.
However, the variety of weapons is also in focus:
Your character can equip 3 firearms and switch between them in combat.
The overall selection is visually appealing and varied, both in terms of weapon types and names. Some visual weapon designs remind me again of Destiny 2.
The assault rifle “Sinister Dog” is for example one of the first weapons you can use in the game. Which slot you use it in is up to you – you have complete freedom.
You can further improve all weapons with runes to gain additional advantages that suit your playstyle, such as more HP regeneration, faster running, or immunities.
In the social hub, you can pick up more weapons or runes after missions at the event terminal.
Each Descendant plays differently: Your Descendant has four active individual abilities that you can use in combat. When used eagerly, only the respective cooldowns will slow you down. Your melee attack is also individually customizable – for those who prefer a dagger instead of a fist, for example.
To fulfill the game’s objective, you gradually level up your character through the so-called “Mastery Rank” and unlock additional rune slots for it. This will make increasingly difficult missions and boss opponents achievable for you.
You can get further runes from merchants to improve your Descendant.
How challenging are the enemies? The first missions in “The First Descendant” are achievable by everyone and are not very demanding.
It only becomes really impressive and challenging in the big boss fights. There, combined special abilities in battle are needed, and it is anything but easy.
The gigantic colossi in the game have various weak points that players should coordinate to attack in order to defeat them.
There are also mechanics through which bosses can heal themselves, which players must immediately interrupt.
Unfortunately, these special boss enemies can only be played through separate missions and only in a team. Solo, you can master the regular field missions, which sometimes feel boring – even in a group.
Who is the game interesting for? One should primarily be a fan of PvE shooters if one wants to play “The First Descendant”. The game has a fantastic open-world storyline that guides you through various missions and stories with increasing difficulty.
For our team, the game was particularly interesting because we have already spent thousands of hours in games like Destiny 2, The Division 2, Outriders, or Warframe.
Thanks to this experience, especially as a long-time Destiny 2 player, the visual similarities with Bungie’s loot shooter have definitely caught my eye.
The first three Descendants together look a bit like the three main classes in Destiny 2.
3 of the 10 Descendants: Lepic, Viessa, and Ajax
My first Descendant “Viessa”, a former member of a criminal gang, uses ice as her unique ability, which inevitably reminds me of Stasis from Destiny 2.
Ajax can even create a kind of barricade that protects allies and deflects enemy attacks, just like a Titan.
Many enemies look like familiar Destiny foes. Some are Cabal with shields, Vex Harpies, or thralls.
Even the emotes are heavily influenced by the style of Destiny 2.
One could even draw parallels to the new enemy generation of the upcoming Destiny 2 DLC “Lightfall”.
Certain similarities cannot be denied here.
Visually Destiny 2 with the gameplay of Outriders
The comparison with Destiny 2 works visually but not in terms of gameplay. At heart, “The First Descendant” is much closer to Warframe and Outriders, especially because of its specific gameplay with relatively defined character roles that you develop and the uncommon third-person perspective for a Destiny-style gunplay.
To me, it doesn’t feel like a truly creative and unique game design anymore. “The First Descendant” seems to have taken some cues from several successful gaming titles. In essence, it seems to be designed so that everyone finds something from their preferred shooter in this game.
However, if you look past that, the missions in “The First Descendant” are still engaging. It is fun to discover the locations during your first exploration. Meanwhile, you level up your abilities and use the countless new weapons.
I personally still miss that certain something that could excite players long-term for the new free shooter, even though there is supposed to be a live service aspect later on.
Those who were initially curious about every corner eventually realize that there seems to be nothing to discover in the surrounding world in the beta, neither chests nor secrets.
In the missions, you can only expect a varying amount of suddenly teleported enemies once you reach a certain point.
It is also unclear whether and how more content will be available in the future. However, the developer states that characters, equipment, and levels could all be earned completely through gameplay in the future, and although there will be paid products, this would align with other live service games in the genre. (via gamerant interview)
Despite microtransactions, the game is also not supposed to be pay-to-win.
Are there cosmetics in the Nexon shooter? It is somewhat unfortunate that players cannot further customize the Descendants. The appearance is predefined for each character.
In the final game, however, there is supposed to be the option to “decorate” your characters. But Nexon Games emphasized that they want to maintain the unique aspects and appearance of each Descendant. So, one should probably not expect large options for individuality of the virtual self.
Currently, it is mainly the futuristic science fiction story of “The First Descendant” that captivates me the most in the beta phase and that I want to experience to the end.
The first mission of the beta takes players to Kingstone.
Graphically, the game in the beta still has major issues: The scenario should ideally create visually unique experiences through the usage of Unreal Engine 5. The last 4k trailer made players curious about the supposedly high-quality in-game graphics.
In the beta of the game, however, this enthusiasm of the players has first turned into disillusionment. Because graphically, “The First Descendant” is anything but smooth.
In our play test, we tried the game in 2k and 4k resolution, and yes, it really looks good. However, the engine also makes the game incredibly graphics-intensive.
Many beta testers report that they are constantly facing stuttering and FPS drops.
They can only play with the recommended PC configuration on “Very Low” or “Low” settings. Even owners of high-end gaming systems complain about the few options available to optimize the graphics.
In addition, many find the enforced motion blur effect of the game extremely annoying. Although it can be disabled, it is still not completely gone.
You have hardly any customization options in the graphics settings to improve graphics effectively. There isn’t even an FPS setting.
In summary, the beta feels poorly optimized in terms of performance. Player Cidriel on Steam writes, “A real joke when the highest settings run well, but everything is a smeary mess on the screen.”
Players hope that Nexon Games will quickly address the feedback from the beta and work on these issues before the final release. If you are playing along in the beta test, you can support the developer on Steam.
Currently, maintenance sessions are also being repeatedly inserted into the beta test, where the developer is already integrating the first fixes.
Try it – Because the story promises enough excitement
The characters, such as Bunny, appear futuristic and modern.
For my part, I’ve come to the conclusion that “The First Descendant” is ultimately mostly an Outriders game of the next generation. While it lacks the classic cover gameplay of Outriders, it also doesn’t offer a better, Korean Destiny 2 or a more modern Warframe.
Will I still play it? Yes. The story promises me enough excitement and unique scenario missions in a team that it is definitely worth experiencing the free shooter, which my fireteam agrees with as well.
However, my main game Destiny 2 will not be able to be replaced by “The First Descendant” despite all the high-end graphics and similarities. Bungie has just spoiled me with its excellent gunplay and perfected character movement for most shooters.
So while looking beyond the horizon is always exciting for me, it currently doesn’t feel engaging enough, with the experiences from the ongoing beta, to call the Nexon shooter the upcoming Destiny or Outriders killer.
How you can participate in the beta test of the co-op shooter
Through Twitch drop events, you can still get access to the beta test.
How long will the beta run on Steam? Officially, developer Nexon Games has scheduled the Steam beta test for “The First Descendant” from Thursday, October 20, 2022, at 09:00 AM to Wednesday, October 27, 2022, at 08:59 AM.
Currently, no registrations for the beta are possible via Steam anymore. However, if you are still interested in participating in the beta test on Steam, you can secure access to the game test through other means.
Through the “The First Descendant” Twitch event, players can still receive beta keys by watching Twitch for 15 minutes.
To do this, link your Steam account with Twitch to watch The First Descendant in the live stream and receive the Steam beta key along with various rewards that allow you to explore your characters and improve runes.
For more information on Twitch drops and how to get them, visit www.nexon.com
A small drawback: All game data from the beta test on Steam will be deleted after the test. This means you will not be able to carry over your progress earned in the beta to the finished game.
Is there already an official release date? No, that is still open. However, it is rumored that it should be as early as 2023 for the official release.
What about you? What do you think of the free-to-play co-op shooter from Korea? Are you perhaps already part of the beta and have been able to test the shooter? If so, what did you like best, and what not? Feel free to share your first impressions with the community in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A character from Overwatch 2 is currently better than all others. This leads to the best players in the world only playing this one heroine.
Overwatch 2 has now been released for just over 2 weeks, and slowly but surely it has become clear which heroes are currently particularly strong. This is especially reinforced by the fact that Torbjörn and Bastion are currently banned in the ranked mode and thus fall out as counters.
At least for tank players, this has ensured that one tank lady now outshines all others and has become the most popular hero among professionals: Zarya dominates the battlefield.
Where do the data come from? The reddit user “TheForrestFire” looked at the data of the top 30 players in each role on the NA servers and discovered quite remarkable things:
In 83% of cases, Zarya is the most played tank character among professionals. In even 100% of cases, Zarya is among the “Top 3” most played tank heroes of the professionals.
Which tanks are the “mains” of the 30 professionals and which are represented in the top 3. Image source: TheForrestFire on reddit
This naturally puts all other tanks in a pretty bad light.
Also prominently represented is D.Va – the mech pilot makes it into the top 3 of the most played tanks with 70% (that is, 21 of the top 30).
Why is Zarya so strong? This is mainly due to her rework. In the first Overwatch, Zarya had different cooldowns to protect herself or an ally with a barrier. In Overwatch 2, she has 2 charges that she can distribute freely. So, she can either protect herself twice or a teammate double – or share it, as she did back then.
This makes Zarya much more flexible and allows her to protect the team and herself in the best way suitable.
Zarya is currently lasering everything in front of her.
At the same time, this also ensures that Zarya constantly has a high energy level, which allows her weapon to deal significantly more damage.
At full energy, Zarya can mow through enemies and can deal a whopping 850 damage with a single magazine load within 5 seconds, if all ammunition hits.
Another advantage is that with Zarya you don’t have to try for headshots, as her energy weapon deals the same damage everywhere on the body. It is sufficient to simply aim for the much bulkier torso.
More about Overwatch 2 can be found here on MeinMMO:
All of this leads to Zarya currently not only being a solid tank but also taking on the role of a DPS and a support character who improves with absorbed damage.
After all: Blizzard is aware of the problem with Zarya and seems to recognize that she currently outperforms any other tank hopelessly. Therefore, there will likely be nerfs for Zarya in the coming week to bring her down to the level of the other tanks.
Do you also like playing Zarya? Or do you not particularly like her playstyle as a tank?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Which MMORPG purchase made you really angry in the end? Tell us about your biggest regrettable purchases and duds.
Gaming is an expensive hobby, especially when it comes to MMORPGs. We often play these games over very long periods and accordingly accumulate quite a bit of money spent on them.
Some MMORPGs require active subscriptions to play, while others are free but offer tons of content in their cash shops. We as players then face the choice of what to spend our (hard-earned) money on, but unfortunately, one choice or another turns out to be a regrettable purchase.
It can really be anything:
The game itself or an expansion
Early Access and Founder’s Packs
The subscription or premium sub
Cosmetic items
Boosts and level skips, and more
The purchase may initially seem like a good investment, but turns out to be a disappointment. Unfortunately, no one is safe from this, no matter how careful they are while shopping and how well-informed they are.
Therefore, we want to know which of your MMORPG purchases you regret the most.
Where is the survey? Since there are as many possibilities for regrettable purchases as there are grains of sand in the sea, we are skipping a survey tool this time. Instead, you can freely write in the comments about which of your purchases made you really angry in the end.
So tell us: Was it just a specific MMORPG or a whole series? Was it a game or maybe a cosmetic item? How much money did you actually spend on it?
We look forward to your responses!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The revelation of the streamer Amouranth that she has been married for years and her husband is blackmailing her has caused an uproar on the internet. Now, her former employee responds to allegations made against him by the streamer.
The well-known Twitch streamer Amouranth, who has been revealing herself on Twitch for years, stated that she is actually married and incredibly unhappy. She said her husband is blackmailing her, threatening to take everything away if she doesn’t do what he wants. Amouranth was rather known for provocative and sometimes strange content on Twitch.
However, she has since stated, that she is freed from her husband and her “duties” and is finally allowed to do what she wants. In this context, she also kicked her employee and cameraman out the door. She made serious allegations against this person.
Twitch streamer accuses employee of having spied on her
What exactly does the streamer accuse the employee of? Amouranth speaks in her stream of “doxxing”. The term “doxxing” is derived from “dropping docs” and means that someone publishes confidential information and data about a person.
She believed that the former cameraman had shared information about her health and had contacted other people, even though he wasn’t allowed to do so (via dexerto.com). Specifically, it also concerns a dispute at TwitchCon 2022, where the employee allegedly called security and the police after a dispute between the streamer and her husband escalated.
She also claimed that the cameraman had left her to go to the airport so he wouldn’t miss his flight since the argument took place shortly before departure, leaving her and her husband alone.
Additionally, there were suddenly people standing in front of her door whom she didn’t even know.
Start video
Twitch: Who were actually the first successful streamers?
Cameraman responds to the allegations – “Never shared address with anyone”
What exactly does the employee say? In a lengthy statement in a Google Doc (via docs.google), Marcial “Marz” Pimenteler, the former employee, addressed the accusations made by the Twitch streamer.
He explains regarding the accusations that he should have shared confidential information that this is not true.
He also stated that he called security after Amouranth’s husband locked her out of her hotel room and apparently could not hear the security knocking at the door.
I was in the hallway when he [her husband] grabbed Kait [Amouranth] at an open room door. When the argument began to escalate, I made the decision to call the authorities to ensure our safety.
In response to suggestions that he could have just taken his flight, he stated that Amouranth didn’t even address that her husband had threatened both of them.
He further explains that he is not sure why Amouranth is making such allegations against her former employee and suspects her husband may be behind it:
I am not sure where she got this information to make such a blatant, false claim. I am worried that her husband is misinforming her to deter people who want to help her.
Regarding the Twitch stream that brought these revelations to light and has dominated discussions on social media in recent days, we reported on this at MeinMMO:
The Mage Tower of World of Warcraft will be closed again. And this despite Blizzard claiming that the special challenges would remain permanent.
In World of Warcraft, there are numerous quests and challenges that take a lot of time. One of the most popular is the Mage Tower from Legion. Here, there are several different challenging fights for all classes. Success rewards these fights with special transmog.
The content was so popular that Blizzard brought it back with the Timewalking: Legion and later even activated it permanently due to high demand.
What will happen now? In the official WoW forum, Blizzard has now announced that the Mage Tower will soon be closed again. With the launch of the major Patch 10.0, the gates of the Mage Tower will close and the challenges will no longer be accessible.
Why is Blizzard doing this? According to Blizzard, they want to take time to “improve” the Mage Tower with a little extra work.
The Mage Tower will be locked again – unfortunately.
The reason for this is likely the new talent system, which only partially works with the Mage Tower. During the fights of the Mage Tower, Pact abilities were disabled because they would provide too great an advantage. However, with the pre-patch of the new expansion Dragonflight, it is now possible to obtain several of these Pact abilities through the talent system. This and other innovations are likely to mean that the challenges of the Mage Tower are no longer solvable as originally planned by Blizzard.
More about World of Warcraft can be found here on MeinMMO:
Should one hurry? That’s probably a clear case of “It depends.” Blizzard wants to revise this content and most likely adapt it to the new talent system. It’s quite possible that the difficulty of the Mage Tower might change a bit. Some fights could become more challenging, while others may become easier. If you’re unsure, you should put in the effort to complete the fights now before the opportunity disappears in a few days.
When will the Mage Tower return? That is still uncertain. Blizzard talks about “sometime after the launch of Dragonflight,” so likely not until December. As soon as there is a concrete date, we will of course report on it.
Have you already completed the Mage Tower challenges? Or were you planning to tackle them with the new talents?
When the Tower is deactivated, you can shortly thereafter already play the pre-event of Dragonflight.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
What happens when you change the boot sequence of your Steam Deck? A user apparently wanted to try this and is now panicking for help. Because he can’t get out of his new video. The community is amused by the mistake.
However, all devices have one thing in common, and that is the boot sequence. This is a short video where you can normally see the manufacturer’s logo or symbols. Only after that you can start gaming.
A user apparently found this intro on his Steam Deck uninteresting and wanted to replace it with a new sequence. But that went quite wrong, and the community is having fun with the mistake.
Steam Deck shows green ogre – The community is amused
What exactly happened? The thread on reddit has the fitting name: “Help!!! I set my boot video to Shrek and now I can’t use my Steam Deck until it’s over!”
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In a comment on reddit, the user explains that he wanted to extend the boot sequence. He seemed to have looked for a guide, but his experiment had failed.
I followed a guide to extend the maximum duration of the boot video. I wanted to try Shrek, but I thought it wouldn’t work. Now I’m stuck on Shrek.
How does the community react? They are quite excited and are having fun with the user’s mistake. Many laugh at this foolishness and explain that it is not really a mistake if he can only see Shrek now. As one writes on reddit.com: “I don’t understand why this is a problem.”
Others ask why he chose Shrek and not a (much longer) video sequence from The Lord of the Rings.
Is there any help available? Yes, a few users are actually trying to help the klutz and give him some tips. He should, as soon as the video is running, switch to the command line and stop or change the video there. There is a simple key combination for that under Linux. Because the Steam Deck runs on Linux and not Windows.
What do you think of the failed experiment? Do you find it funny as well, or would you also make such a mistake? Let us know in the comments!
Alternatives to the Steam Deck: If you are looking for an alternative to the Steam Deck, you will find it on MeinMMO. Here we present a handful of exciting alternatives to the Steam Deck:
About a month ago, Wrath of the Lich King Classic launched, and it is already clear: There are more active players now than at any other time in WoW Classic or The Burning Crusade Classic during WotLK. Wrath of the Lich King is already extremely successful, even though the real highlights of the expansion are still months away.
What happened? Wrath of the Lich King Classic launched on September 27, 2022. For many players, this was apparently enough time to reach the maximum level 80. Some have already attended a raid. This is also evidenced by the figures released by the portal ironforge.pro. More than 540,000 unique characters have been active in one of the 3 current raids in the past week.
This number is far above the average value determined over the entire duration of WoW Classic. Only in April 2020 was a similarly high value recorded. At that time, the troll raid “Zul’Gurub” opened its gates, and nearly 480,000 players set out to defeat the blood god “Hakkar the Soulflayer.”
In the video, you can see how crowded the ships were that set sail for the icy north at midnight on release day.
Start video
At the release of WotLK Classic, hundreds of players are squeezing onto a boat and I am right in the middle
Since Blizzard does not provide official information, the community must rely on its own tools
Are these numbers reliable? The portal ironforge.pro uses data from in-game addons and cross-references this with data from Warcraftlogs and PvP leaderboards. This way, the number of unique characters is determined, who have participated in ranked arena matches or raids within a specific period – usually within a week.
However, these numbers do not represent the total number of all players playing WoW Classic. But it can still be reasonably assumed that there is a direct correlation between the two values: the larger the number of players actively participating in raids or PvP, the greater the total number of all players playing WoW Classic is likely to be.
Active players over the course of WoW Classic until WotLK (via ironforge.pro) – The largest bar on the far right of the image shows the week from October 12 – October 18. A total of 540321 active players were registered.
That’s why the numbers are a good sign: At no point have more players attended a raid than at the start of WotLK. Currently, more people are playing than at the beginning of TBC Classic and during Classic. The hype for WotLK remains unbroken even nearly a month after release. However, the coming weeks will have to show whether this trend continues.
Unlike in Burning Crusade Classic, the achievement system may ensure that players in WotLK stay engaged longer and continue to attend raids, even after collecting all relevant items. Many achievements in WoW are quite tricky, and players with all achievements are more the exception than the rule.
What’s next for WotLK? It will be really exciting when the release of Ulduar or the Icecrown Citadel is around the corner. Ulduar is regarded by large parts of the community as one of the best raids ever created for World of Warcraft. The same goes for the Icecrown Citadel. There, we finally face Arthas, one of the greatest villains Warcraft has ever produced. For many fans, the fight against the Lich King is the absolute highlight of the expansion.
It is therefore quite possible that over the course of WotLK Classic, more and more players will find their way to Northrend. After all, WotLK is among the most popular expansions for WoW. The result of our poll was clear: 45 percent of you favor Wrath of the Lich King.
The DualSense for the PS5 is one of the most innovative controllers available. Many of the functions that are absolutely common today were not possible due to technical limitations in earlier PlayStation consoles. Therefore, many controller manufacturers tried to differentiate themselves from the crowd with special features and designs. In this article, we present a few of these curious and sometimes ugly controllers.
Modern controllers come with a variety of features that enhance immersion, comfort, or new gameplay possibilities. Undoubtedly, the DualSense controller for the PS5, with its innovative functions like HD Rumble, gyroscopes, and adaptive triggers, is at the forefront of this development.
Although these features were not possible in the past, there were indeed some gamepads in earlier PlayStation models that had interesting additional functions. However, design decisions were sometimes made for these that appear, at best, “questionable” from today’s perspective. We want to chronologically present a few of these interesting controllers in this article.
PlayStation 1
Even for Sony’s first console, there were already innovative gamepads that had additional features that the standard controller of the PlayStation did not. Particularly noteworthy in this context is a controller that could have come from a casino.
Ex Jinsei: The Game of Life Roulette Controller
The Game of Life Roulette Controller by Takara (Image source: Tumblr)
What kind of controller is this? Surely many of you remember the classic board game “The Game of Life.” This was released in Japan in 1997 as a PlayStation version. The manufacturer Takara also released a licensed and exclusive gamepad from Sony with a very interesting gimmick: a colorful roulette wheel in the center of the controller. Unfortunately, this seemed to be not accurate at all, as you can see in this video:
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Furthermore, it is doubtful whether the controller allows for real gaming enjoyment in other games or whether its flat, elongated shape and button layout might just be extremely annoying.
Can you still buy the controller? If you still want to buy the Game of Life controller, you can only try your luck on ebay. However, you should not expect too many chances, like in roulette.
You can read an article about the first console in the world here:
Now it gets really wild. Because those who suspected that the controller depicted in the title image is a montage are mistaken. This thing is actually real and part of the Freaks gamepad series from the well-known electronics manufacturer Philips, which was released for the PS2. What the company was thinking with that piece of ugliness is hard to understand.
PS2 Freaks Gamepad Series
The PS2 Freaks Ninja Gamepad by Philips (Image source: Crappy Games Wiki)The Freaks Fleshy Gamepad by Philips (Image source: Konsolenkost)
What kind of controllers are these? The controllers of the Freaks gamepad series have all the functions of the DualShock 2, but they are all ugly, repulsive, and moreover completely impractical and not ergonomic at all.
It is hard to imagine that real immersion occurs when you are constantly distracted by the many sharp edges of the Freaks Ninja gamepad, like the claws at the end of the grip – not to mention the omnipresent grimace in the middle of the controller that looks deep into your soul while gaming.
The YouTuber Rerez even called the Freaks Ninja gamepad “the worst controller ever made.”
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One should better not say anything about the Fleshy model of the series.
Can you buy the controller? If you decide to acquire one of these controllers for whatever reasons, you can take a look at ebay, but you should be aware that you will never have a peaceful night without nightmares with the controller on your shelf.
PlayStation 3
The particularly curious controller for the PlayStation 3 comes this time from Sony itself and thankfully is by far not as hideous as the previously mentioned gamepads. Furthermore, there is an interesting anecdote about this.
The Boomerang
The Boomerang for the PlayStation 3.
What kind of controller is this? The gamepad was first shown to the world in 2005 during Sony’s presentation of the PlayStation 3 at E3. The aerodynamically shaped controller was initially supposed to be the standard gamepad for the new console. Although the controller never received an official name, it quickly became known as the “Boomerang.”
Since the reception to the new gamepad was overwhelmingly negative, Sony decided to launch their new console with the SixAxis controller, which was much closer to the DualShock.
Particularly daring are the two “thumbsticks” of the Boomerang, which were almost identical to the analog stick of the PSP. While this may have been sufficient for mobile gaming on Sony’s handheld, it is questionable whether it would have been the case with a conventional controller that required more precision.
Can you buy the controller? Due to the negative feedback, the controller was never commercially sold.
If you want to see more crazy controllers for other consoles, you can find a selection in this article:
For the predecessor of the PlayStation 5, there were also quite a few extravagant controllers. We have selected two gamepads that stand out due to their design.
Hori Dragon Quest Slime Controller for PS4
What kind of controller is this? The Dragon Quest Slime Controller by Hori was released in 2017 in Japan as part of a promotional campaign for the PS4.
Even though it may not look like it: The Dragon Quest Slime Controller is actually a fully functional gamepad. The controller not only has all the buttons of a normal PlayStation controller, but also a working touchpad.
However, it also lacks some functions that you would expect from a regular DualShock 4. For instance, the gamepad does not have a headphone jack and lacks rumble motors for vibration.
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A video by YouTuber Kevin Kenson, where he takes a closer look at the Dragon Quest Slime Controller.
As funny and original as the device may be; due to its absolutely unwieldy shape, one can assume that the gaming enjoyment – especially during longer sessions – is rather limited.
Can you buy the controller? Unfortunately, the gamepad is currently unavailable in Germany. However, if you absolutely want to try the Dragon Quest Slime Controller and also own a Nintendo Switch, you can import the device for a steep price of €299.00 from Japan.
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Snakebyte GAMEPAD 4S
What kind of controller is this? The next PS4 controller is not necessarily particularly curious, but it is not exactly beautiful either. Tastes differ, and the Snakebyte S4 is by no means a Freaks PS2 gamepad, but its color scheme and bulky design are rather bold. Not for nothing did the colleagues from GamePro already call it in 2019 the ugliest PS4 controller ever.
Aside from that, the Snakebyte S4 offers all the standard functions that one expects from a normal PS4 controller and, at €29.99, is a really affordable alternative.
Can you buy the controller? If the design does not deter you and you are looking for a cheap gamepad for your PS4, you can buy the Snakebyte 4S here:
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PlayStation 5
For Sony’s latest console, there are still not many licensed gamepads that stand out through a special design. Instead, we have selected two more or less curious gimmicks for the DualSense that aim to enhance the controller with additional functions.
Mini Keyboard
Mini Keyboard for the DualSense Controller
What kind of gimmick is this? For those who find typing with the thumbsticks or the touchpad of the DualSense too cumbersome, the brand Amiles offers a useful accessory with this interesting-looking attachment for the PS5 controller. Obviously, the keyboard is meant to make writing and chatting easier for you.
Since selecting individual letters with the DualSense can indeed be somewhat tedious and, especially when you need to be quick, really annoying, the mini-keyboard definitely has its justification.
In addition to the keys, the controller attachment also features integrated speakers and a headphone jack. Thus, communication via voice chat remains possible. The additional headphone jack is also essential since you connect the keyboard via the headphone jack of the DualSense controller, which is thus occupied.
Can you buy the gimmick? The keyboard is currently available for a price of €25.99 on Amazon.
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GK-Pipes Shisha Hose Holder
GK-Pipes Shisha Hose Holder
What kind of gimmick is this? Compared to the DualSense keyboard, the next accessory seems a bit less “special” and is probably only intended for a very specific audience. If you are not only an avid gamer but also a passionate shisha smoker, this hose holder from the brand GK-Pipes might be worth considering.
The manufacturer promotes the attachment with an “elegant, cool design” and simple, flexible handling. The “featherweight” attachment is also reportedly compatible with all hoses according to GK-Pipes.
Can you buy the attachment? You can currently purchase the shisha hose holder for €15.95 on Amazon.
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Among them is the bat-monster eF-eM, which is one of the rarer Pokémon in the game. Its shiny version was also released for the event. But there is a problem.
In the wild, eF-eM spawns are not increased; instead, the focus is on the 7 km eggs that may contain eF-eM during the event. Additionally, the shiny chance is said to be increased there. However, one can still get other monsters from 7 km eggs as well as eF-eM.
This is what eF-eM and its evolution UHaFnir look like
Accordingly, the monster remains quite rare. However, Pokémon GO has now published an exciting teaser on Twitter, focusing on swarms of Pokémon – and eF-eM.
Pokémon GO shares mysterious teasers with eF-eM and Magikarp
What are these teasers? First, the official Pokémon GO account on Twitter shared a teaser titled “We are receiving reports of strange Pokémon behavior. Stay alert, Trainers.” We embed the teaser here:
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A Trainer appears to be out in a cornfield at night
On a notepad, there is a drawing with the time 05:34 P.M., which seems to represent a Trainer going into the cornfield with an eF-eM at that time.
Below that, the time 06:00 P.M. is shown with the message “???!!!”
In addition, 10 white Poké Balls and 25 Ultra Balls are displayed
Next, an eF-eM appears with a “Snacc”. This is a snack that can be given to a buddy Pokémon.
And then suddenly many eF-eM appear.
What does the teaser mean? There is no official information yet. However, players immediately began collecting theories about what the teaser might indicate.
In the subreddit “TheSilphRoad,” a user points out that the numbers on the Poké Balls, “10” and “25” could hint at the date “October 25th” (via reddit). There, the Spotlight Hour with Shuppet takes place at 6:00 P.M.
The interesting part: This Spotlight Hour received an addition from Niantic. “Take your buddy with you to experience something special at the beginning and end of this Spotlight Hour,” Niantic explained in the announcement. This statement would also fit with the Snacc at the beginning of the teaser.
Therefore, users suggest that a surprising eF-eM event could take place, such as an additional eF-eM Spotlight Hour (via. reddit).
“I bet there will be ‘Boost Minutes’ for eF-eM, similar to the Incognito at the GO Fest,” user jmledesma suggests (via. reddit).
“I think, based on the fact that the eF-eM starts with a Snacc and then several appear, it means that whoever your buddy is, this Pokémon will spawn around you in the wild,” suggests user “Dawnward118” (via. reddit).
However, another teaser that Pokémon GO released later that Friday evening would fit with the second theory. It is styled similarly but shows a horde of Magikarp:
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This teaser also features the number combination 10/25 in the lower right corner. Additionally, the time 6:55 is found in the upper left corner – which could hint at the end of a possible Spotlight Hour.
Thus, spawns at the beginning and end of the Spotlight Hour could be conceivable if the teasers indeed hint at this event – possibly with eF-eM and Magikarp, or related to the buddy.
Whether the teasers ultimately hint at the Spotlight Hour or if an event in another form will take place – that remains open at this point. However, Trainers would certainly appreciate a few additional eF-eM spawns.
Because not only is the shiny rare, its evolution also requires 400 candies – just like the evolution of Magikarp into Gyarados. And the candies must be collected first.
What do you think of the teasers? What do you think they could stand for? Tell us in the comments!
