One of the best-selling games on Steam 2021 has not even been released yet

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 2 minutes

Valve released the bestsellers and most played games of 2021 on the PC platform Steam in December. Among the top 100 is a game that hasn’t really been released yet: Baldur’s Gate 3.

What kind of game is this? Baldur’s Gate 3 is an official offshoot of the world-famous role-playing game “Dungeons and Dragons”. It is a tactical, turn-based role-playing game in isometric perspective.

You play as a hero in the “Forgotten Realms,” who has been implanted with the parasite of a dangerous illithid. What you do with this premise is up to you – in any case, you embark on the adventure in a group with NPCs or friends in co-op.

You have access to the classes of the role-playing game and the rules of Pen and Paper – including real dice rolls in digital form. The game is being developed by Larian Studios, who have already made a name for themselves with the Divinity series. The latest installment in the series, Divinity: Original Sin 2, is one of our best co-op games of 2021.

Where does Baldur’s Gate 3 rank on Steam? In the bestsellers of 2021 on Steam, Baldur’s Gate 3 ranks between 41st and 100th. The list is not ordered, so the exact position cannot be determined.

However, in the same category, you can find big hits like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Crusader Kings 3, or survival classics like DayZ and The Forest, which attracted over 30,000 players at the end of 2021.

Despite this, Baldur’s Gate 3 hasn’t even been released yet. Early Access started on October 6, 2020, and the developers have repeatedly emphasized that the game is not finished. Only those who truly want to help with development should play early.

There is no concrete release date for Baldur’s Gate 3 yet. We at MeinMMO played Baldur’s Gate 3 right after the Early Access release:

More on the topic
Damn, the multiplayer of Baldur’s Gate 3 is really good!
von Benedict Grothaus

Valheim is the absolute winner on Steam 2021

These are the bestsellers: The bestsellers on Steam are made up of sales and in-game revenues, such as microtransactions. Since the list is not ordered, it is difficult to say which of the top 12 games are the strongest. The list looks as follows:

Especially exciting is Valheim, which was released in February. It is also one of the 10 games with the longest playtime (via Steam). Valheim is a small indie project from Sweden, whose success has absolutely overwhelmed the developers.

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The trailer for the first major update Hearth & Home.

Despite Valheim still being in development and receiving new content, it still captivates an average of over 20,000 players (via steamcharts.com). In September, Valheim received its first major update “Hearth & Home”.

More on the topic
2 “small” indie games on Steam do one thing much better than the big AAA titles
von Benedict Grothaus

Keep in mind that these player and sales numbers only refer to Steam and do not include other platforms like PlayStation and Xbox. However, some parts of the world have apparently had limited access to the platform’s services since December 24:

China bans the global version of Steam – The ban came on Christmas Eve

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Steam

New World: Armorsmith level up quickly to 200 – Here’s how

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

New World offers several professions that you can level up to level 200. In this guide, we at MeinMMO want to explain how you can level the Armorer particularly quickly and what special tricks you should pay attention to.

What does the Armorer do? The Armorer crafts the armors – head, hands, chest, legs, shoes.

You can craft heavy armor at a forge, while light and medium armor can be made at the tailoring station.

How to level the Armorer effectively? The Armorer is relatively straightforward in the leveling process. Unlike the Weapon Smith, there are no whetstones to exploit.

You focus on the pure crafting of armors, which is relatively expensive. As a supplement, you can take city quests to earn a few experience points cheaply.

You can find city quests on the boards in the cities, and for these, you need to craft specific items, such as a bulwark armor made from primitive iron.

It’s important that you sometimes need the raw materials, such as Iron Ore, Fresh Wood, and Raw Leather.

Reinforced Armor New World
Such tasks can be found in city quests.

For crafting these items, you get much more experience than for any armor. At the same time, your character gains good experience when you complete the city quest afterwards.

So, if you want to level quickly and effectively, you should take as many city quests as possible.

Leveling Armorer – Here’s How

From level 1 to 50: For the first levels, you can choose between city quests or armors. The most economical are the Raw Leather Gloves, as they only require 4 Raw Leather and 4 Linen. Alternatively, you can craft the Linen Pants.

For a direct jump to level 50 with the gloves, you need:

  • 496 Raw Leather
  • 496 Linen
  • 124 Iron Ingots

The required raw materials, of course, decrease with each city quest.

Level 50 to 100: From level 50 onwards, Satin items become the cheapest. Here, you should craft the best option of 384 Satin Trousers. These have the best price-performance ratio at this level. At all other levels, gloves are stronger.

For the full levels, you need:

  • 1,920 Satin
  • 1,152 Raw Leather
  • 384 Iron Ingots

Alternatively, you can continue doing city quests and crafting armors.

Level 100 to 150: At this level, Silk Gloves are the most effective method. For the full levels, you need 725 gloves and the following materials:

  • 2,900 Silk
  • 2,900 Raw Leather
  • 725 Iron Ingots

More Profession Guides on MeinMMO:

Level 150 to 200: Here, it’s advisable to craft gloves made of treated silk. You will need 1,237 of these. That costs:

  • 4,948 Treated Silk
  • 4,948 Raw Leather
  • 1,237 Iron Ingots

Additionally, from level 185 onwards, you can craft useful epic armors with specific names. It may be worthwhile to invest a bit more in raw materials to get an item that will help you in the game.

For more on New World and the topic of Crafting, you can find here:

New World: This is how crafting works, through which you can get the best equipment in the game

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New MMORPG starts Alpha 2022 – Tame mounts and pets in the open world

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 2 minutes

Tales of Shadowland is a new MMORPG developed by a Brazilian indie studio. It will be Free2Play and is expected to enter Alpha in 2022. We at MeinMMO reveal what the game is about.

What kind of MMORPG is this? Tales of Shadowland will be a sandbox MMORPG in isometric view. The game is characterized by many freedoms:

  • There is a game world divided into different regions with varying biomes.
  • There are no classes or levels; instead, you will specifically train certain skills to improve in them.
  • However, there will be different races from which you can create your character, including humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs.
  • You will be able to tame your own mounts and pets in the open world. The accompanying trailer shows the player fighting alongside 3 animal companions. It seems possible to have multiple pets.
  • Players are supposed to be able to manage the economy and trade themselves.
  • There will be integration of blockchain and NFTs.

Visually and in terms of gameplay, it somewhat resembles Fractured, another sandbox MMORPG in development. However, there are no exact statements yet regarding gameplay content, such as whether the focus is on PvE or PvP. However, there are expected to be 100 maps and 15 dungeons before the release.

The developers promise a Free2Play model with no barriers. Pay2Win and paid DLCs or content are therefore excluded.

A glimpse into the game is provided by this trailer:

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Alpha in 2022, PC release and later mobile

When will Tales of Shadowland be released? According to the roadmap, Alpha 1 is expected to start in the first quarter of 2022. It will include gathering, crafting, taming pets and mounts, NPC interactions, 10 maps, and 2 dungeons.

Alpha 2 is expected to begin in Q3 2022, and the beta is scheduled for early 2023.

More about new MMORPGs on MeinMMO:

How do you get into the Alpha? By inviting friends. You can register on the official website for the game and then receive a link to send to other people (via Tales of Shadowland).

If at least 10 people register through the link, you will gain access to the beta. If 20 people register, you will gain access to the alpha. Those who invite 50 people will receive automatic access to the alpha for themselves and the 50 members of their “guild”.

There are currently no packages that you can purchase to join the alpha. However, a crowdfunding campaign is expected to launch in the first quarter, where such access may be available.

What do you think of the current information and the visuals from Tales of Shadowland? Does the concept appeal to you?

While many new MMOs have been announced for 2022 and 2023, several games were also discontinued in 2021. We have taken a look back at some of those:

Rest in peace: These 10 MMOs and online games unfortunately died in 2021

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. mmorpg.org.pl

Player plays Final Fantasy XIV for free and achieves what only 0.4% succeed at during Christmas

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV can be played for free, but comes with some limitations. A player has managed to achieve the almost impossible in the trial version by completing the 200 levels of the dungeon “The Deep Dungeon: Palace of the Dead.” 99.6% of FF14 players never accomplish this. It shows how generous the free version of Final Fantasy XIV has become.

What has he accomplished?

  • In Final Fantasy XIV, the dungeon “Palace of the Dead” has been available since July 2016 – it is a dungeon with 200 levels that becomes increasingly difficult the deeper you go. The dungeon has its own rules, starting at level 1 and allowing players to progress within the dungeon. Equipment is also gained during the run.
  • The player Coron Zoawls managed to complete the dungeon solo as a machinist and master all 200 levels. He accomplished this on Christmas.
  • With this, he earned the title “Necromancer” – according to a website, only 0.4% of all players in Final Fantasy XIV hold this title (via ffxivcollect.com).

Performance shows how generous the “subscription” MMORPG FF14 is to free players

What is the cool thing about this achievement? The player’s performance shows above all how much time can be spent in Final Fantasy XIV without paying a cent. Because in reality, FF14 is a “Pay2Play” MMORPG like World of Warcraft: You have to buy the base game and its expansions, plus pay a monthly subscription.

But the “Free Trial” of Final Fantasy XIV is now extraordinarily generous. As of 2020, the free “trial period” includes the entire base game “A Realm Reborn” and the expansion Heavensward, up to level 60 – without restrictions on playtime.

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You should now play FF14 for free if you like Final Fantasy or MMORPGs
von Alexander Leitsch

The player also says: The limitations that one has as a “freebie” had practically no impact on his run in the dungeon.

He says he took about 10 hours for his run. And adds: You need quite a bit of time, need to do research, increase your aether pool to 99/99, plan many attempts, and ultimately also need luck.

This is how it’s discussed: In the community, people are truly impressed by this achievement. Especially since many experienced players have failed to complete the dungeon. Because here it provides little advantage to go in with a heavy character. The dungeon has its own laws.

Our community manager Irina Moritz is a big FF14 enthusiast, thrilled that “her game” has finally made it into the mainstream:

Final Fantasy XIV is becoming more and more casual and there’s nothing you can do about it

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit
  2. mmorpg.org.pl

Twitch streamer says his life was built around a drug of attention

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris is one of the biggest and most popular Twitch streamers in the world. The 27-year-old has been on Twitch since 2012, starting with WoW, and has become one of the major trendsetters and stars of the streaming platform. His fans love him for his dry, offbeat humor. But now he talks about how his Twitch career was fueled by attention-deficit Adderall – and that is not funny at all.

Who is Sodapoppin?

  • For some purists, Sodapoppin is practically the essence of Twitch. Alongside hardcore gamers like shroud and Summit1g, Sodapoppin is inseparable from the platform. He is the “original type” of entertainer on Twitch, having reached cult status with his dry, offbeat humor. After a successful stream, he dominates the discussion on Twitch in forums like “Livestream Fails” all on his own.
  • Sodapoppin started his career as a WoW streamer, then switched to gambling streams and became a variety streamer. One of his major recent successes was in role-playing in GTA 5, where he fully immersed himself in his role as a restaurant owner, that the stress became too much for him and he quit everything.
  • Sodapoppin has now talked about his experiences with the attention drug Adderall.
Adderall is a medication prescribed for “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD). It is a mixture of salts of dexamfetamine and amphetamine. It is abused as a “smart drug”: Adderall enhances concentration and keeps you awake. However, abusing the drug carries a variety of health risks, from seizures and tremors to muscle breakdown and kidney failure, as well as strokes, depression, and chronic psychoses.

At MeinMMO, our expertise is in video games, not in pharmacy. For more information about Adderall, you should consult a healthcare provider you trust.

This is what he says about the drug: In a stream on December 22, Sodapoppin said that in his early days, he drew all his energy from one thing: from Adderall. He built his life around Adderall, he explains.

I could get to a point where I needed no sleep and no food. Adderall drove me completely. Everything I did revolved around when I would get the next dose.

In retrospect, he says, it was the worst time of his life.

3 hours of streaming just rearranging the desktop icons

What made him stop?

Sodapoppin recalls a stream that was particularly bad:

I took Adderall while streaming, always, every day. And when you take it, you hyper-focus, that’s the biggest factor. I remember a really awful stream: I sat there rearranging my desktop icons for 3 hours. It was the worst stream I ever did. It was just bad. I had to stop.

At that time, he didn’t even feel like a normal person anymore.

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Indications show that Adderall is prevalent in the esports and gaming scene

Is Adderall common in gaming? It is rarely spoken about, but there are some indications that Adderall is quite prevalent among gamers, streamers, and professional esports athletes.

Both in Call of Duty and in Overwatch, professionals have explained that both scenes are on Adderall. One can probably assume that in esports titles like CS:GO and League of Legends, drug abuse is a major topic, although it is not publicly discussed.

The well-known esports athlete Nadeshot used Adderall as a critique of the shooter Hyper Scape. He said he needed 50 mg of Adderall to play Hyper Scape.

The LoL streamer Tyler1 recently explained in a feature that he takes Adderall to combat his attention disorder. However, he emphasized that he doesn’t take it like Tic Tacs, but uses it as a medication.

Tyler1 also explained that he suffers from tics that are becoming worse. He can no longer stream if the headset is even slightly crooked. Such compulsive and anxiety disorders among esports players and streamers are being reported more frequently lately:

LoL: Twitch streamer describes his life as a lonely grind hell – wonders what everyone has.

Sodapoppin then explains that the lack of sleep and food led him into a vicious cycle – he struggled for months with his addiction.

More on the topic
Twitch streamer loves WoW Classic, is too old at 26 to keep up
von Schuhmann

Underfed and dead tired, he took a new pill to get through the stream

How was he doing at that time? Not well at all. The already thin Sodapoppin continued to lose weight during the Adderall period.

The biggest problem with Adderall: I’m already a skinny guy and back then I was even thinner. And it completely kills your appetite. I just stopped eating.

So I was awake 24 hours a day, all the time. I didn’t sleep or eat at all. Even when I slept, it was just this mediocre Adderall nap, with garbage dreams, and I’d wake up underfed, really tired and had to go live, so I’d take another Adderall to get through the stream.

At that time, he didn’t even feel like a normal person anymore.

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Indications show that Adderall is prevalent in the esports and gaming scene

Is Adderall common in gaming? It is rarely spoken about, but there are some indications that Adderall is quite prevalent among gamers, streamers, and professional esports athletes.

Both in Call of Duty and in Overwatch, professionals have explained that both scenes are on Adderall. One can probably assume that in esports titles like CS:GO and League of Legends, drug abuse is a major topic, although it is not publicly discussed.

The well-known esports athlete Nadeshot used Adderall as a critique of the shooter Hyper Scape. He said he needed 50 mg of Adderall to play Hyper Scape.

The LoL streamer Tyler1 recently explained in a feature that he takes Adderall to combat his attention disorder. However, he emphasized that he doesn’t take it like Tic Tacs, but uses it as a medication.

Tyler1 also explained that he suffers from tics that are becoming worse. He can no longer stream if the headset is even slightly crooked. Such compulsive and anxiety disorders among esports players and streamers are being reported more frequently lately:

LoL: Twitch streamer describes his life as a lonely grind hell – wonders what everyone has.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. dexerto

World of Tanks sues cheat manufacturer for over 8 million euros – The 1st time in Russia

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Wargaming, the creators behind World of Tanks, are pulling out the big guns: They are demanding 670 million rubles in damages from a Russian citizen, which is slightly more than 8 million euros. The cheat creator allegedly sold “thousands of packages” with cheat and bot programs in games like World of Tanks or World of Warships. This has caused significant damage to Wargaming. The lawsuit is considered a precedent in Russia.

What is the lawsuit about?

  • As a Russian fan site for World of Tanks reports, a court in Moscow has opened a lawsuit against a resident of Yekaterinburg, a city with 1.3 million inhabitants east of the Ural Mountains (via wotexpress).
  • The man is accused of distributing bots and cheats that give users of the programs an unfair advantage over other players. The programs were allegedly sold through sites called “Cyber Tank” (World of Tanks) and “Cyber Ship” (World of Warships). The prices for the programs were said to be between 30 cents and 25 euros.
  • According to the Belarusian developer Wargaming, these bots would cause honest players to lose interest in the game.

Fully automated bot and program that shows vulnerabilities

What kind of programs are these? According to descriptions, they are typical cheat programs. One program marked the vulnerabilities of the opposing vehicle, thereby granting the cheater unfair advantages.

Another program is said to have taken full control of the vehicle in “autoplay mode,” allowing it to earn in-game currency and experience points without being logged in.

More on the topic
World of Tanks: The CEO explains the 2 biggest mistakes in the history of the MMO
von Jürgen Horn

How is the procedure going so far? It is reported that the accused admitted his guilt fully during the investigation process but then retracted the confession in court.

The investigation was initiated by a special department, the “Bureau K” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia.

Today, on December 27, the court intends to examine the evidence in general and hear witnesses and victims. The accused has been ordered to remain available and apparently not leave the country.

The case is described as a “precedent in Russia.” Bringing someone to court for unfair interference in computer games has never occurred before.

More exciting articles about Russia and World of Tanks on MeinMMO:

“Should be treated like theft or fraud”

This is what Wargaming says: A lawyer from Wargaming states that they have obtained an expert opinion to assess the damage. The damage amounts to 670 million rubles, about 8 million euros.

According to Wargaming, creating and selling such programs is the same as theft or fraud and must therefore be covered by legal means.

In Russia, this is a new frontier, while in the USA such lawsuits against bot manufacturers are almost “normal.” Blizzard has fought and won a legendary battle against a German bot provider:

WoW: German bot manufacturer Bossland sounds surprisingly depressed

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny 2: Player completes Lost Sector in 34 seconds

Britta ♤ BeAngel Britta ♤ BeAngel Reading time 3 minutes

Lost sectors in Destiny 2 are the only place where you can earn Exotics specifically. A Sunbreaker Titan has now managed to complete a legendary Lost Sector in just 34 seconds for Platinum.

Since Beyond Light, new (as well as old) Exotics hide for Destiny 2 players in Lost Sectors. Depending on the active sector and the current difficulty level of the day, players are regularly on the hunt for Exotics they still miss or where they want differently distributed armor stats.

  • The types of obtainable Exo-armors and the active Lost Sectors change daily.
  • Players can choose between two difficulty levels.
  • In the sectors, normal enemies and Champions are waiting.
  • Only those who complete one of the marked Lost Sectors solo have a chance at an Exotic.

This saves a lot of time when farming Exotics: However, since there is not always an Exotic from the loot chest at the end or the armor stats were simply bad, the sectors are farmed. Even experienced players need at least a few minutes for this. But now, Guardian CrispoKringle has cut the process down to 34 seconds and “hammered” his way to the chest of the legendary Lost Sector “Star Light Chamber” in the Dreaming City.

This melee build used by the player: He managed this quick run with the middle Solar tree of the “Sunbreaker” Titan. This allows him to throw his small melee hammer and pick it up again immediately, dealing immense damage to even stronger opponents. To move faster, he additionally uses the new sword “Half-Truths” from the “30 Years of Bungie” activity “Trials of Eternity”.

In the video, you can see the 34-second run of CrispoKringle:

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This is the Titan build in detail:

  • Middle Sunbreaker Titan with the melee throwing hammer
  • The exotic gauntlets Synthoceps
  • In addition, CrispoKringle combines in his build the mods “Melee Source Creator,” “Elemental Charge,” “Protective Light,” “Overload,” and “Life Source”
  • As weapons, he takes a shotgun with “Double Punch” for additional melee damage, a pulse rifle for unstoppable champions, and the new sword “Half-Truths” with the perk “Bold Blade”
This combo promises speed and damage for Solar Titans

Optimized for speed and damage: The Exotic grants him increased melee range and additionally increases melee damage when surrounded. Moreover, the buff can also stack with others, like that of the exotic shotgun ” tractor cannon” or elemental sources mods.

This build combo has long been a guarantee for high damage. With a very similar Titan build, Destiny 2 YouTuber Vendetta recently killed the boss in the new dungeon “Siphon of Greed” as a one-hit kill. Although with a little support from his two teammates.

“Bold Blade” brought sword surfing back: Thanks to the sword perk “Bold Blade”, the Titan is literally catapulted through the sector, saving him most of the time. However, it is still unclear whether this immense forward thrust was intentional by Bungie. So far, there has been no fix for it.

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As long as this is still possible, players are still making use of this special form of movement. For example, on the Sparrow track in the dungeon “Siphon of Greed”. But not only the enormous speed boost of the sword has been discussed on reddit.

Why does the completion still count as Platinum?: Players were also surprised by how CrispoKringle was able to achieve a Platinum completion. In the video, you can see that he does not kill all the champions. He would have needed significantly more time for that.

For some reason, it could be a rare case that a champion does not need to be killed to obtain Platinum.

wrote HitooU2 on reddit

It seems that it is sufficient to take down the first two unstoppable champions to still achieve the Platinum completion of the activity and thus better chances at the loot. Additionally, there are also fewer champions in total because the sector was not played at Grandmaster. Not all champions had spawned yet.

What do you think about this? Is the sword perk deliberately so powerful in range, or is there a bug here? Will you maybe try the combo yourself? Or do you have other tips on how to complete Lost Sectors quickly and efficiently? Let us know.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. GameRant
  2. Reddit

WoW Classic: Naked AFK Paladin waits for poor Hordes

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

The Paladin Rextroy strikes again – this time in WoW Classic. Naked and seemingly afk, he lurks for his enemies, who meet a swift end.

In World of Warcraft Classic, the rules of the game world are a bit different. There aren’t as many opportunities to execute “one-hit combos” – but a few combinations do exist. The infamous Paladin Rextroy has made it his mission to find and exploit these mechanics to surprise a few unsuspecting players – and he can even do this as a virtually naked Paladin, equipped only with a weapon, helmet, and trinkets. And plenty of explosive toys.

What does Rextroy do? What he does best: Amusingly terrorizing other players. He seemingly sits afk and almost naked on some frequently visited road in the game world. On a PvP realm, a naked player from the opposing faction who is also afk is an easy target. It’s like a little “honor snack” just waiting to be quickly picked up.

However, Rextroy is not actually afk and is just waiting for this moment. As soon as he is attacked, he launches a combo that can knock many players completely off their feet. He can deal nearly 3,000 to 4,000 damage in a fraction of a second.

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What effects are used? Rextroy combines, as usual, a whole range of effects and explosive items that engineers or other professions can create:

  • Fire Helmet – A leatherworking helmet that has a “Use” effect and hurls a small fireball at the target.
  • Goblin Bomb Dispenser – A trinket that summons a small bomb that explodes on the next enemy.
  • Goblin Pioneer Charge – A consumable item that deals high damage.

Additionally, there’s a talent that Rextroy exploits for maximum efficiency:

  • Reckoning: After the Paladin has been critically hit, his next automatic attack hits multiple times. This buff can stack up to 5 times, allowing a single hit to strike 6 times.

Combined with “Seal of Command”, this results in so much damage that cloth wearers can almost be taken out by it alone.

Rextroy has often caused chaos in WoW:

What’s so nasty about it? Especially the spontaneous invisibility from the “Gnomish Cloaking Device” is nasty. Because it makes it look like Rextroy simply “phased out” to enter a battleground. So players would likely be surprised when Rextroy then pops out of invisibility seconds later and blasts the attacker away in a fireworks display of effects.

However: This is not a permanent, efficient farming method. The main reason is that invisibility alone has a one-hour cooldown. So the fun can only be executed once per hour and requires quite a bit of preparation and luck, as certain effects can be resisted.

So if you are out in Classic and see a seemingly defenseless, naked afk Paladin sitting on the road… it’s better to take a wide detour.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. wowhead.com

No money for a new PC? Here’s how to properly upgrade your gaming PC

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 4 minutes

You want more performance while gaming but don’t want to spend the money or effort to buy a new gaming PC? MeinMMO has some tips for you on how to properly upgrade your gaming PC.

Are you looking for ways to meaningfully upgrade your computer without having to buy a new one? Generally, you can easily swap out the following components in your computer:

  • RAM
  • Storage devices like SSDs or HDDs
  • Optical drives for DVDs and BluRays
  • Graphics cards
  • Processors
  • Fans and filters that are often built into the case

Since a computer is modular, unlike a console, you can swap out all parts as needed. For laptops, the options are somewhat limited, such as RAM, hard drives, and often optical drives.

We at MeinMMO have some ideas and tips for you on how to meaningfully upgrade your old gaming PC or computer. Additionally, we will explain when it might be more worthwhile to buy a new one instead of upgrading your old machine.

Install a new hard drive or SSD

If you still have an older PC or haven’t opened it in years, it might be worth installing a new hard drive or SSD. This is especially true if you’re running system data or important games on a slow HDD.

As of the current time (December 23, 2021), a 2 TB SSD costs about 150 Euros. A 2 TB HDD costs about a third (around 50 Euros), but you will have to forgo the high speed.

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Install additional RAM

RAM is necessary for many tasks on your computer. If you have too little RAM, the processor must access the swap file on the hard drive, which is significantly slower than RAM.

The more RAM you have in your computer, the more programs you can have running in the background or many tabs open simultaneously in your browser.

If you only have 4 – 8 GB of RAM, we strongly recommend increasing the RAM. 8 GB is no longer adequate for many games and even for Windows 10 and 11. You should have at least 16 GB installed, and even more future-proof would be 32 GB.

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Upgrade the processor

If you want to invest a bit more money, you can upgrade your processor. Here, prices are generally better than for graphics cards. However, you need to keep several things in mind, as you cannot simply replace your old processor with a new one.

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Buy AMD Ryzen 3000: Is an upgrade worth it for me?
von Benedikt Schlotmann

In the worst case, depending on the age of your computer, you may also need a new motherboard and new RAM for a processor. If you currently have an Intel chip and want to switch to AMD (or vice versa), you will definitely need a new motherboard.

It should also be a significant upgrade to truly be worthwhile:

  • Upgrading from a Ryzen 3 to a Ryzen 5 or from a Core i3 to a Core i5 can mean a noticeable boost in performance.
  • The jump from an old generation to a new generation can also result in more performance.
  • Replacing an ancient processor with a more performant but still old model is almost never worth it.
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Upgrade the graphics card

You can also upgrade your graphics card. This is generally not a sensible recommendation, especially at a time when graphics cards are extremely expensive. However, you should consider a new graphics card if the GPU is too weak.

Currently, prices for graphics cards are very high, and our current recommendation is to wait until the prices return to a reasonable level before buying a new graphics card. MeinMMO has explained to you why you can barely buy a graphics card right now.

  • With a GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600 (XT), you already get powerful performance for Full HD at 144 Hz, with even some reserves for WQHD.
  • If you prefer to game at WQHD with 144 Hz, then it should already be an RX 6700 XT or an RTX 3070. The premium for the RTX 3070 Ti is only marginally worthwhile, as you are paying nearly 200 Euros for just a few percent more performance.

A used RTX 2070 or RX 5700 XT is really only worth it if you can get the graphics cards significantly below current graphics card prices.

More on the topic
Your old graphics card might be worth more than you think now
von Benedikt Schlotmann

When is it worthwhile to upgrade my old computer?

In general, you should be clear about how much money you want to invest in an upgrade.

It’s best to compare with a computer that could replace yours. If the upgrade costs exceed the price of a ready-made PC by more than half, then a new purchase is likely to be more worthwhile for you in the long run. This is especially true at the current time when graphics cards have reached absolutely insane prices.

Here you should consider whether a new purchase might be more worthwhile in the long run. Especially since you can currently get newer graphics cards best through pre-built PCs.

In general, your computer hardware cannot keep up forever:

  • Newer games often require more performance and are more demanding on your hardware.
  • Additionally, you can only use or implement certain features with newer hardware.
  • Completely new hardware such as DDR5 is only available with a new purchase or a comprehensive upgrade.

Alternative to a PC upgrade: An alternative would be to bridge the current situation with a laptop instead of buying or upgrading a gaming PC. Here, you are not as stationary as with a desktop PC. However, you don’t necessarily pay less than for a powerful desktop PC. You can find all the pros and cons and what else you should consider when buying a laptop in the following article:

What should you consider when buying a gaming laptop?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

German Twitch streamer breaks world record on Christmas Eve – shocks donors

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The German Twitch streamer Anastasia Rose held a Christmas stream on December 24th and received donations amounting to over 1 million bits from a single viewer, which is more than 10,000 euros. She couldn’t believe the donation and repeatedly shouted at the donor to stop. It was just too much.

Who is Anastasia Rose?

  • The streamer actually works as a nurse in an intensive care unit in Berlin, but several times a month she turns her garage into a DJ station and performs as a DJane. A local newspaper called her the “vorpommersche Girl on Fire” (via prignitzer.de). Besides her Twitch channel, Anastasia Rose also runs channels on YouTube (12,400 subscribers) and Instagram (46,000 followers).
  • During the Corona pandemic, Anastasia Rose discovered Twitch for herself, and since March 2020, she has been streaming and has gained 111,000 followers during that time. According to Twitchtracker, she is currently the streamer with the most subs in Germany, ahead of MontanaBlack and her music colleague Sinitica. “Subs” are paid subscriptions that enable viewers to support their favorites on Twitch financially.
  • As revealed by the Twitch leak, music appears to be a good way to earn money on Twitch: The highest-earning streamer in Germany, namely Sinitica, is also a DJane and originally comes from radio.
More on the topic
Twitch Leak List: Hacker published earnings of the biggest streamers – This is how much the stars earn
von Kevin Willing

1 Million Bits – in small doses

What kind of record was that? On Christmas Eve, the streamer received several donations in the Twitch currency “bits” from the user GamblerHH. The donations ultimately totaled one million bits.

According to the streamer, this is a world record for the most bits from one person in a stream.

Warning, loud. The streamer can hardly fathom the donation.

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Link to the Twitch content

How many euros is that? It is not that easy to say because Twitch sells bits at different prices depending on the quantity:

  • If the donor had bought 40 times 25,000 bits, he would have paid 12,914.80 €.
  • If he had purchased 3,334 times the 300 bits, it would have been 10,468.76 € – that would likely be the cheapest rate.

What is the advantage of bits? Especially with large monetary donations, many streamers now flinch. In the past, these were often “fake donations” that were then reversed by the donor via Paypal, which is extremely frustrating for everyone involved.

A bit donation cannot be refunded.

Recommended editorial content

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Streamer reacts somewhere between panic and disbelief

How did the streamer react to the donation? Anastasia Rose reacted slightly panicked and incredulous to the incoming bit donations. She repeatedly shouted that the donor should please stop. She wondered if there might be a mistake and overall seemed quite incredulous about what happened to her on Christmas Eve.

She even forgot to play music: “My music is empty,” she said at one point.

It happens repeatedly that even “relatively small” streamers experience a surprising windfall on Twitch, which can sometimes be life-changing:

Man streams in front of 2 viewers on Twitch, earns 70,000 € in a magical night

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. LikeGamesNews
  2. twitch bits

Pokémon GO talks about the future – Trainers are concerned about their home bonuses

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 3 minutes

A new “Dev Diary”, the developer diary about Pokémon GO has been released. It discusses the future of the game, particularly a section on bonuses that is currently a hot topic among players.

What is this Dev Diary about? In the developer diary on the Pokémon GO blog (via pokemongolive.com), various staff members from the Pokémon GO team discuss different aspects of the game. The main theme of the current diary is the seasons in the game.

For instance, Dan Thomas from the Game Design department writes about the ongoing “Season of Heritage”, which aims to spotlight various locations in the Pokémon world, such as during the “Dragon Spiral Descent” event. The remainder of the season is expected to focus on such locations, ultimately leading to the upcoming Johto Tour.

Experiences from the previous seasons should also influence the future. For example, during the Season of Mischief, there was a long-term Special Research around Hoopa, which could also become a topic in the future: “We learned a lot from that, and we are working hard to make the next Special Research, which spans an entire season, even better. In the meantime, we are trying a different approach with the Season of Heritage, which focuses more on the monthly rotating Limited Research and seasonal bonuses,” explains Thomas.

Bonuses are being addressed: The seasons are expected to be expanded in the future. This is also highlighted by Live Game Director Michael Steranka, who points out another aspect of the changing seasons: “For us, every new season is an opportunity to assess the current state of the game and derive changes and optimizations to improve it further,” says Steranka.

Now, they want to focus more in the upcoming seasons on “Niantic’s mission to encourage trainers to move outdoors, to explore their surroundings, and to engage socially with other trainers,” explains Steranka.

 In this context, we are also reassessing some bonuses that were active in the last seasons. This includes the effectiveness of incense when standing still and the increased damage in remote raid battles. You may have noticed during the last Community Day events that we chose bonuses that encourage you to engage in social gameplay or local raids. Similarly, we want to encourage trainers all over the world with our seasonal bonuses to go outside and explore the world.

Michael Steranka in the Dev Diary (via pokemongolive.com).

And especially this paragraph is currently being discussed in the community.

Trainers fear weakened incense & remote raid damage

What is the problem? In Pokémon GO, there have been various bonuses since 2020, that facilitate playing from home. Originally introduced due to the pandemic, many players now see these bonuses as a fundamental improvement to the game.

It is important to note that in the current developer diary, only a reevaluation of the bonuses is mentioned, and not explicitly a weakening or removal. Nevertheless, players in the Pokémon GO subreddit are now concerned about the incense effectiveness and the remote raid damage due to the wording. They are instead suggesting other solutions:

  • “Ugh, please not,” comments user Bogdwin (via reddit): “Don’t make incense less effective when standing still, but make it more effective when moving. Don’t reduce damage for remote raids, but add bonuses for physical presence at the raid, like extra damage or premium balls.”
  • “They want us to explore, then let us find Pokémon nearby. I would visit a new location if I could see there’s a Snorlax or something exciting there… Instead, I only see two Metapod, four Pidgey, and the starters/Pikachu being featured,” thinks a user (via reddit).
  • “Give me double candy for physical presence at raids (including XL candy) and I will be much more active,” agrees “brokeguydtd” (via reddit).
  • “Incense should spawn a rare monster (Dratini, Salamence, etc.) for every X km walked,” suggests user “mwm5062” (via reddit) .

More about Pokémon GO on MeinMMO:

Not the first bonus discussion: Already in summer 2021, there was a big discussion when some “home bonuses” were taken away.

After Niantic reduced the interaction radius with PokéStops and gyms from 80 meters back to 40 meters, various community members wrote an open letter that garnered much attention and demanded the reversal of the change. Successfully: In the end, the radius was increased again.

What do you think of the topic? Would a change in bonuses bother you, or would it not be a problem for you? Tell us in the comments!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

What does DKP mean and what role does the system play in MMORPGs?

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 4 minutes

Every MMORPG veteran has probably heard of DKP – at least if they’ve ever seen a raid from the inside. Although the ancient system has largely become obsolete, it is still used in games like WoW Classic. But what exactly are DKP? MeinMMO explains.

What does DKP stand for? The abbreviation stands for “Dragon Kill Points” and they indicate a numerical value assigned to players in a raid group. DKP first emerged in the MMORPG Everquest in 1999.

The only raid bosses at that time were the two dragons Lady Vox and Lord Nagafen. The player Thott invented Dragon Kill Points for his guild Afterlife to make the loot distribution somewhat fair.

Trivia: Bill “Aftathott” Dyess founded the famous website Thottbot, which aimed to gather news for MMORPGs. The more or less official successor to the website is the famous WoW fansite wowhead, which was bought by Thottbot owner ZAM Network in 2007. The classic version of the site even features a Thottbot theme since 2019.

Where are they used? DKP are one of many different loot systems and they are mainly used in their original form by established guilds in raids. Since the system is quite complex to operate, random groups usually rely on simpler methods.

Accordingly, DKP mainly originate from the core area of MMORPG gamers who deal with the toughest challenges. Today, some guilds still use the system, especially in old-school games or remakes like WoW Classic.

Start video
Where does the term MMORPG come from? The history of the genre in 2 minutes

DKP as a loot system for guilds

How do DKP work? DKP are used to bid on loot items. For participating in a raid or a boss kill, players receive DKP with which they can then bid on items.

There are no fixed rules. The guild or guild leader determines how many points each player receives per participation and how many points an item costs. Depending on the approach, there are two common methods:

  • Fixed price: The item costs a certain amount of DKP and interested parties can pay that. If there are multiple interested parties, a roll or bid is conducted.
  • Bid: An item starts with a base value and players bid on it in chat or via silent bidding. The highest bid wins.

By the way, DKP can also be deducted by the raid leader, for example, in cases of excessive mistakes or bad behavior. This is intended to ensure a certain level of discipline.

What types of DKP are there? The standard system is often referred to as “eqDKP”. Over the years, however, the DKP system has continued to evolve. Nowadays, there are addons and websites for many MMORPGs that deal with exactly such loot systems – for example, Warcraft DKP.

At its core, these methods remain the same, but allow for adjustments such as separate points for attendance, kills, or participation as well as tracking purchases and the current equipment status of raiders.

A relatively new variant is the PerfectDKP or Gold-DKP (or GDKP). In this system, players bid directly with gold or the corresponding in-game currency. Whoever bids the most gold gets the item.

The total amount bid is then equally distributed among all participants, sometimes with a small “tax” for the guild. This system circumvents the excessive hoarding of points and ensures that everyone gains something from a kill – even without loot. It can lead to extremely absurd amounts:

More on the topic
A player in WoW Classic pays gold worth 9,570 euros for a mount
von Mark Sellner

An immature system with many alternatives

What is the downside of DKP? Without a tool, DKP are cumbersome to manage. The guild officers must maintain lists and update them manually. Looking up who got which item or checking one’s own DKP can often be cumbersome.

Since DKP are usually awarded for participation and kills, newcomers to guilds always have a disadvantage. Although there are occasionally things like a “welcome bonus” for newcomers, this is not always the case.

Moreover, in a DKP system, anyone can bid on anything by default. So if you’ve been waiting for a weapon for months as a warrior, but a hunter has more DKP and wants it too or wants to troll you, you’re out of luck.

More on the topic on MeinMMO:

What systems are used today? DKP have primarily arisen out of the necessity of not having a better loot system available. Today, however, there are plenty of other methods that are often more user-friendly and simpler:

  • Priority X: Before the raid, each member lists X items in descending order of priority that they would like. The loot is then distributed according to these priorities. In case of a tie, rolls or similar methods are used to decide.
  • Suicide Kings: Players are entitled to loot according to a hierarchical list. If you receive an item, you move to the end of the list.
  • Loot Master/Loot Council: A single player or a “council” of officers determines which member receives the loot. The end of the loot master in WoW led to a major controversy.
  • Random 100: The loot is rolled. The highest roll wins.
  • Need before Greed: Players who urgently need an item are prioritized. In case of a tie, rolls determine the winner.

There are also frequently addons or websites for the more modern methods that manage the loot system. By the way, if you’re wondering which items are particularly worth bidding or rolling on, just look at the color of the name:

Why is loot always white, green, blue, purple, and gold?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. WoW Wiki (Archiv)

New World: What is the Voidbent Armor and how can you get it?

Alexander Leitsch Alexander Leitsch Reading time 3 minutes

The Voidbent Armor (or in German Unheilsrüstung) is a legendary endgame armor in New World. It is suitable for both PvP and endgame farming. We reveal the stats available and how you can obtain them.

How to obtain the armor? The Voidbent Armor is a legendary armor that you can craft. You will need the following for crafting:

  • The armorsmith at level 200
  • A settlement with a forge at level 5
  • The suitable materials, which we will present to you

Alternatively, you can also buy the armor pieces at the marketplace. However, individual pieces often go for 8,000 to 19,000 coins. For that, you will have to farm and trade for several hours.

Why is the armor so interesting? The Voidbent Armor has the current maximum armor value of 600 and offers the following stats:

  • 25 Constitution (heavy armor), 25 Dexterity (medium armor), 25 Strength (light armor)
  • Toughness: Critical hits deal 4.8% less damage to you
  • Empowered: Debuffs, disease, exhaustion, and bleed effects fade 7.5% faster
  • Luck: 2.8% higher chance for rare loot

The attributes Toughness and Empowered are ideal for PvP and Luck makes the armor still useful for farming runs in PvE endgame.

Crafting Voidbent Armor – Here’s how

The light set:

  • New World Voidbent Helm Light
  • New World Voidbent Chest Light
  • New World Voidbent Gloves Light
  • New World Voidbent Pants Light
  • New World Voidbent Shoes Light

To craft them, you will need:

  • Between 6 and 26 Phoenix Weave
  • Between 2 and 8 Rune Leather
  • 1 Asmodeum
  • 2 Ruinc Thread (drops from humanoids level 45+)
  • 1 Voidbent Ingot (Legendary artifact that you can craft in a smelter from 1x Void Ore, 1x Void Essence, and 10x Energy Core – Void Ore is a rare drop when mining Orichalcum)
  • 4x Glimmerhide
  • 2x Bubble Cloth

The medium set:

  • New World Voidbent Helm Medium
  • New World Voidbent Chest Medium
  • New World Voidbent Gloves Medium
  • New World Voidbent Pants Medium

To craft them, you will need:

  • Between 6 and 26 Rune Leather
  • Between 2 and 8 Phoenix Weave
  • 1 Asmodeum
  • 1 Voidbent Ingot (Legendary artifact that you can craft in a smelter from 1x Void Ore, 1x Void Essence, and 10x Energy Core – Void Ore is a rare drop when mining Orichalcum)
  • 2 Infused Claws
  • 4 Infused Fangs
  • 2 Scarhide

The heavy set:

  • New World Voidbent Helm
  • New World Voidbent Chest
  • New World Voidbent Gloves
  • New World Voidbent Pants
  • New World Voidbent Shoes

To craft them, you will need:

  • Between 6 and 20 Asmodeum
  • Between 2 and 4 Rune Leather
  • Between 1 and 4 Phoenix Weave
  • 2 Infused Fur
  • 1 Voidbent Ingot (Legendary artifact that you can craft in a smelter from 1x Void Ore, 1x Void Essence, and 10x Energy Core – Void Ore is a rare drop when mining Orichalcum)
  • 4x Tolvium
  • 2x Cinnabar

The Voidbent Armor is one of the best armors that you can craft in the game. You can find more about crafting in New World here:

New World: How crafting works, through which you can get the best equipment in the game

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

FIFA 22 TOTW 15: The predictions for the new Team of the Week – Featuring Benzema

Julian Schröder Julian Schröder Reading time 2 minutes

For FIFA 22 the TOTW 15 (Team of the Week) is scheduled for next Wednesday. At MeinMMO, you will learn which players might be in the new Team of the Week. 

This is the Team of the Week: Every Wednesday it’s time for the TOTW in FIFA Ultimate Team, and since some leagues are playing even over the Christmas holidays, there is no exception this week.

Players who have performed strongly in the past football week get included in the TOTW. These players then receive enhanced Inform special cards that are available for a week in Packs .

These are TOTW Predictions: The TOTW Predictions are predictions from the community. They try to guess which players could land in the Team of the Week.

They provide a good overview of who might be in the TOTW. Potential Inform players can be used to earn coins on the transfer market. You can learn how to do that in the Trading Tips.

However, it is important to note that these are theoretical predictions and not guarantees. The TOTW 15 next Wednesday might look different than the predictions suggest.

The Prediction for Team of the Week 15 in Ultimate Team

The predictions for the next Team of the Week come from the FUT site fifaultimateteam.

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Goalkeeper

  • GK: Lafont (FC Nantes)

Defenders

  • LB: Blind (Ajax Amsterdam)
  • CB: Laporte (Manchester City)
  • RB: Dumfries (Inter Milan)

Midfielders

  • CM: Jorginho (Chelsea FC)
  • CAM: Kessie (AC Milan)
  • LM: Mavididi (Montpellier)
  • RM: Visca (Başakşehir)

Forwards

  • ST: Haller (Ajax Amsterdam)
  • RF: Bernadeschi (Juventus Turin)
  • CF: Benzema (Real Madrid)

TOTW 15 Substitutes:

  • GK: Provedel (La Spezia)
  • LB: Hickey (Bologna)
  • CB: Nicolaisen (Toulouse FC)
  • CB: Bednarek (Southampton)
  • CB: Senesi (Rotterdam)
  • CM: Mpoku (Konyaspor)
  • CM: Tchouameni (AS Monaco)
  • LM: Akturkoglu (Galatasaray Istanbul)
  • CAM: Musona (Al Tai)
  • RF: Pedro (Lazio Roma)
  • LM: Kluivert (Nice)
  • ST: Wilkinson (Walsall)

What about the Bundesliga in the new TOTW 15? Since the Bundesliga is currently on winter break, no games were played over the Christmas weekend, meaning there will be no Bundesliga players in the new TOTW 15.

If you are still looking for strong and affordable special cards for your team, then check this out:

FIFA 22: 5 strong special cards under 50,000 coins

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. fifaultimateteam.it

A legendary co-op building game offers you enjoyable hours for two, far away from the cold winter

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 5 minutes

Outside, the cold winter rages. But you don’t have to put up with the German temperatures, at least not on the screen. MeinMMO therefore recommends a Caribbean round in co-op with the building game “Tropico 6” as a change from the frosty climate.

Even going outside for just a moment in winter can become a real ordeal. Quickly taking the trash to the bin without immediately feeling frostbite can only happen when you’re well wrapped up – hat, scarf, gloves, long underwear.

But now quickly back into the warm abode. And then that moment when the biting cold gives way to the cozy climate in the apartment … wonderful.

Is there perhaps a game that brings a similar feeling to the screen? Preferably with Caribbean sounds and a dose of autocracy? Yes, there is. What a coincidence. And it can even be played in multiplayer? Well, excellent.

Welcome to Tropico.

tropico 6 vacation area
Build your own island paradise in the middle of the Caribbean.

Tropico provides Caribbean vibes and catchy tunes

What is Tropico? The legendary building game is now in its 6th installment and has been making Caribbean gamers’ hearts beat in rhythm for over 20 years.

The latest installment in the series, Tropico 6, is very much based on old mechanics and plays essentially like part 1 – just bigger and with better handling.

In the game, it is your task to develop a scarcely populated island into an economic power that educates its residents obediently and does not let itself be pushed around by the great powers of this world.

A large part of the game revolves around building production chains and providing satisfied and trained workers. You need to keep 3 things in mind to stay in power:

  • Don’t be too deeply in debt
  • Don’t be too cheeky towards the great powers
  • Don’t be too harsh on your citizens

But no one is stopping you from testing the limits now and then. Especially the population proves to be a pliable plaything of your whims.

tropico 6 presidential palace
Even if the mob is raging outside – it’s temperate in the presidential palace.

If you’re having a good day and want freedom and prosperity for all Tropicans? Then offer them free housing and allow even the poor population to roam the island in cars.

Do you prefer to rule with an iron fist and take out your daily frustrations on the residents? No problem – a civilized island society can certainly manage for a while without rum.

As long as you always diligently manipulate the elections … I mean … win the elections fairly while maintaining a balanced account, only a great power can overthrow you. And a bit of world politics can easily be handled by an aspiring dictator.

More features of Tropico 6:

  • Caribbean sounds tempt you to constantly sway along
  • Each of the maximum 10,000 residents is unique, has a name and individual opinions, as well as needs
  • Detailed micro-management even in the economy – every dollar can be traced
  • You must complete tasks for great powers in order to advance in the ages and obtain new technologies
  • If you push the citizens too far, a rebellion may occur
  • Through various sources, you gather money for your fixed deposit account in Switzerland
  • The military can be indirectly controlled through attack or defense orders
  • You can “borrow” well-known landmarks
tropico 6 sights
“What? Of course, the Statue of Liberty has always been here …”

In co-op, you build a paradise together – or annoy each other heavily

What can I do in co-op mode? The multiplayer mode of Tropico 6 is as simple as it is genius. Because you can play the game without restrictions, simply two players can join. A total of 4 people can be transported to the Caribbean at the same time.

Everyone gets their own piece of paradise and can work undisturbed on their vision of the perfect Caribbean utopia. Unless, of course, they are pestered by envious neighbors.

tropico 6 in co-op one island, two players
One island, two players – war or peace?

You can unleash troops on each other, establish trade blockades, aid rebels in their resurgence, and even seize the prized lands of your fellow players.

Nice neighbors, on the other hand, will provide some building assistance or send educated workers to you when the rum distillery is once again suffering from a skilled labor shortage.

To end the game, you set peaceful, military, and/or economic victory conditions before the round. If you just want eternal co-op building fun and to create a perfect island together, you can completely skip the victory conditions.

Personal conclusion: Tropico is a piece of vacation for home

Tropico is one of the best building and city simulation games for me, even in single-player. Experiencing the Caribbean adventure together on an island, however, is the crowning glory … of a mentally challenged dictator.

The depth of detail in the population and the economy, as well as the simple, beautiful construction of settlements and industrial areas makes me return to the island every few months. By now, I even take my girlfriend with me.

You can sink so deep into Tropico together – the Caribbean music is almost hypnotic. Since the game speed can be changed at any time, we are always ready for a quick chat or a brief discussion of the latest reprisals against the population.

Tropico 6 is the first part of the series that I can recommend to you in multiplayer. While it was already possible to create shared islands in the predecessor, the population limit was low, and you had to share the few residents as well.

Now you can jointly oppress up to 10,000 people and toast to a long, glorious reign. Best, of course, with rum from the Caribbean.

maik author profile

Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

What MMORPGs and addons are you most looking forward to in 2022?

Irina Moritz Irina Moritz Reading time 2 minutes

The year 2022 is just around the corner and brings a lot of new games with it. Which MMORPGs and addons are you most looking forward to in the coming year? Let us know.

These are the MMORPGs and addons: Another year is coming to an end. 2021 was a turbulent year, not only in the real world out there but also in the digital world. A whole series of new MMORPGs and addons celebrated their release.

And 2022 seems to continue at a similar pace. The outlook for the upcoming year promises a whole lot of new MMORPGs and expansions that fans can look forward to.

It can and will likely happen that some of the MMORPGs on the list will not be released until 2022. Delays are currently the order of the day in the gaming industry. So think about which MMORPGs and addons you would be most looking forward to if they actually manage to release in 2022.

This is how you can vote: You can cast your vote in our (functioning again) survey tool. Here you can choose your top 3 most anticipated MMORPGs or addons that are expected to be released in 2022. But keep in mind that you cannot undo your choice.

So, how does it look for you? What do you think of the outlook for 2022? Will it be exciting or rather uneventful? Is there an MMORPG or addon you are particularly looking forward to and can hardly wait for? Let us know in the comments.

Have fun voting and a happy new year to all of you!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

An important streamer and big fan says: “CoD Warzone feels dead with the new map”

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

TimTheTatman (31) has been one of the big streamers with thousands of followers for the Battle Royale since the release of Call of Duty: Warzone , first on Twitch, now on YouTube. Tim usually tries to maintain a good mood and a cozy atmosphere, but with the new version of Call of Duty: Warzone that came with Vanguard, he’s having some issues. He says the new map Caldera feels lifeless.

Who is the streamer?

  • Tim “TimTheTatman” Betar was long one of the big shooter streamers on Twitch. He built his career in Overwatch and as Ninja’s punching bag in Fortnite until he really took off on Twitch with the release of Call of Duty: Warzone. On Twitch, he became one of the top 10 streamers. Since its release in March 2020, he has been considered one of the major defenders of CoD Warzone.
  • He had his success gilded in 2021 and accepted a “Deal you can’t refuse” from YouTube, and now he still streams a lot of Call of Duty: Warzone on the new platform:
  • TimTheTatman is a bear-like streamer who can laugh at himself, often plays the “dad who’s slowly going bald and can’t keep up with the young folks” and always strives for a good mood in his chat. But he’s clearly struggling with the new map Caldera.
More on the topic
Twitch streamer gets killed by CoD pro at event, until he screams and whines
von Schuhmann

What bothers him about Caldera? TimTheTatman says the map change makes Call of Duty: Warzone now feel “dead”:

I don’t see anyone on the map, everything takes forever. In Verdansk, you really fought against people. The new map just feels lifeless.

Due to the design of the new map, you encounter fewer people than in Verdansk. Apparently, this really bothers him:

Five minutes pass and you don’t see a single other person here. On the old map, you would have seen ten times more people in the same time.

Streamer believes people might quit CoD Warzone because of the new map

This is his criticism: TimTheTatman criticizes the new map for making the game feel simply not as lively as on the old map. He can spend minutes in the game without encountering another player. This causes him distress.

This could be a “self-fulfilling” prophecy: If the game gives the impression that it is dead and nobody plays it anymore, more and more people might quit Call of Duty: Warzone so that it actually dies.

People die too quickly – objects prevent seeing others

What do his viewers think? TimTheTatman is seen as someone who has defended CoD Warzone for 2 years and thinks it’s great. So he is not like DrDisrespect, who threatens to uninstall CoD Warzone every 5 minutes and never look back.

In the current criticism, however, many of his viewers agree with Tim:

  • “You are completely right, Tim. It’s the way the map plays – the design. […] You can’t see anything, just palm trees and rocks.”
  • “Honestly: I think it’s because the map is so open. People just die much faster.”
  • “It’s because you can’t have a fight without a third or fourth person intervening – that’s why everyone dies quickly and the whole map is open.”
  • “You probably don’t notice it on PC, but almost everyone on console is having UNBELIEVABLE graphic problems that make the game UNPLAYABLE.”

At the beginning, the first reactions to the new map were still noticeably more positive:

First reactions to the new Caldera map in CoD Warzone: “The colors are amazing!”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. dexerto
  2. youtube

LoL: Players find the system ‘terrible’ and ‘poorly made’ because it wastes their time

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In League of Legends, players still have a problem with how Riot Games handles the situation when a teammate is afk for a long time at the beginning of a match or even leaves the match. While there has been a “Remake” option since 2016, many players find it frustrating as nonsensical games in LoL arise that drag on for a long time.

What is the problem?

  • In normal matches and ranked matches of LoL, it often happens that players go afk very early, in the first minutes of a match, or cannot participate in the match due to connection issues.
  • In such a case, the LoL match is basically already lost for the team with the missing player, and many find it pointless to continue playing when they are so at a disadvantage.
  • Although there is a way to cancel a game in such a situation early, the “Remake” system is considered inadequate.
More on the topic
LoL will solve one of its most annoying problems
von Patrick Freese

Voting must be initiated manually – Time frames are short

How does the system work? With the “Remake function”, it has been possible since 2016 to start a vote from minute 3 to decide that the game should be canceled:

  • The team has 60 seconds to type “remake” in the chat when a player is either inactive or when the connection is lost – then a vote starts.
  • During the vote, players have 30 seconds to vote yes or no.
  • If only 4 people are in a team, 2 must vote yes. If there are only 3 left in a team, a “yes” vote is enough.
  • A remake counts neither as a win nor a loss. The inactive player will be penalized.

This is the criticism of the system: A player has recently spoken out against the system on reddit. He says: In such a case, when one or more players are missing, a vote is simply unnecessary – in case one falls out so early, matches should always be remade.

Because the voting is difficult, someone who is playing with friends (a “premade group”) often lacks: The friends want to protect him and would therefore vote “no”.

Or the time window for the chat command /remake or the vote itself runs so quickly that not everyone notices it and therefore the remake does not come about.

When the match is running, the team in an advantage often takes pleasure in exploiting the situation to secure a win and extend a completely pointless match to 50 minutes and enjoy it.

The thread starter says that the system is a “terrible mechanic that has been implemented extremely poorly”.

Overwatch is mentioned as a model

This is the discussion: In fact, many see it the same way as the thread starter. The thread has over 470 comments and more than 5,800 upvotes.

They are also dissatisfied with the “voting” option in the remake. Especially because the whole mechanism depends on seeing the message in the chat and then hastily initiating the process so as not to miss it.

People wish that if there is already a vote, it should pop up automatically and a single vote should be enough to end the voting.

A user says:

“If they are a premade group of 5 and know that the afk player is coming back and it’s okay for them, then let them play outnumbered. But as soon as one person does not want to play 4 against 5 for the next 15-30 minutes, the game should be canceled because no one deserves to deal with that in a video game.”

As a positive example, Overwatch is mentioned: If someone leaves the match in the first minute, it simply closes – and there is no way to stop it.

LoL is one of the most successful video games and had a strong year in 2021. This can also be seen in the criticism that surgically addresses individual details, while in other games there are often major problems with the entire game, the criticism in LoL actually revolves around very specific decisions and seemingly minor details:

LoL: Players criticize the new skin inspired by Arcane as a dangerous “precedent”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit
  2. Support LoL

Valheim: Vegan Viking defeats all bosses without monster loot – “No one will try that again”

Maik Schneider Maik Schneider Reading time 4 minutes

In the Viking game Valheim, it’s all about the great hunt, the next important catch, the unavoidable upgrading of your gear … or is it? A player has now shown how to play the survival game “vegan” – without the loot from monsters and animals.

What it’s about:

  • Valheim is a ruthless survival game that starts off easy but then gets strict in difficulty
  • Better gear and restorative food comes from loot from monsters, animals, and bosses
  • A Valheim speedrunner has now completed the game while staying completely “vegan”

Player forgoes “meatly desires” in Valheim

What was the challenge? YouTuber “NickRawcliffe” enjoys taking on special challenges in Valheim and this time he has a truly strenuous idea. With his Viking “Vera the Vegan,” he aims to defeat all bosses without using any animal loot.

For Nick, this also includes drops from all kinds of monsters. All living beings and their parts are off-limits – only plant-based aids are allowed.

Additionally, Nick wants to chees the large bosses as little as possible.

That means he will not use the easiest strategy that exploits intended game mechanics to take down the bosses; rather, he wants to find the hardest way to defeat the bosses possible with his poor equipment.

Why was it so difficult? Valheim can be well compared to the rustic butcher around the corner. While you do get a selection of salads and perhaps even fresh rolls there, the counter clearly focuses on filleted cuts of meat and a variety of sausage spreads.

If you forgo the loot from animals and monsters in Valheim, you miss important mechanics:

  • Portals for fast travel are not available
  • Boats cannot be crafted
  • No armor without hides
  • Flint axe as endgame weapon
  • No mead, no food with meat

You have a disadvantage in almost every respect in the game: no armor, little damage, and few buffs from food.

On top of that, there are poor travel options. Without a boat, you can only sneak across the seas with a hand cart, and without portals, reaching old bases is a struggle.

Or to put it briefly: There is hardly any strenuous strategy to “enjoy” Valheim.

How did he manage it? Patience and hours of grinding. In total, Nick spent 55 hours on the challenge, spread out over 15 gaming sessions.

We will briefly show you the strategy he used to defeat the bosses and how long it took him. If you want to see his incredible patience for yourself, we’ll embed the English video here:

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  • 1. Boss – Eikthyr

The first boss was no problem. A little fire here, a few hits there, and the mystical stag was down. But the antlers can’t be used for the pickaxe.

  • 2. Boss – The Elder

To get a pickaxe, Nick uses the large trolls. With their attacks, they can mine copper, which you collect for your purposes. Nick also crafted a copper knife. That is to remain the strongest weapon he uses in his run.

Equipped with his high-end knife, he takes down “The Elder” in about 15 minutes. Constantly dodging and continuously attacking eventually brought down the tree. There was the first impression of how difficult the challenge will still be.

  • 3. Boss – Moder

To take down the dragon, Nick wanted to equip himself with the best food possible based on his plant-based diet. He found onion seeds for a delicious onion soup – but making it requires a spice rack for his cooking station. And for that, turnips are needed.

The turnips only grow in the swamp and Nick thought – “I might as well take my swamp key with me.” Wrong.

He lost the key while desperately fleeing from the swimming leeches and had to keep going back to the swamp to somehow get back to his stuff. He died a time or two in the process:

valheim veganer wikinger stirbt sehr oft
What one does for turnips. Source: YouTube

At this point, Nick began to use some speedrunner tricks. This way you can restart the game to regain full stamina and lose the aggro of the enemies. Eventually, keys and turnips were finally in the storage.

With his onion soup in hand, Nick now had to “only” find the location of Moder, search for 3 dragon eggs, and end the fight victoriously.

To withstand the icy cold of the mountains for longer, Nick uses his own graves. By interacting with the death marker, he regains full stamina and health, and he set up healing graves everywhere on the mountain.

With a small base under Moder’s spawn platform, the fight on the icy mountain was successful. Nick claims he had to fight for 90 minutes without making a mistake to take the dragon’s life.

The spawn point at the beginning of the world, because the base has gone, is not even accounted for yet. Eventually, the hits with the copper knife were enough.

  • 4. Boss – Bonemass

For the nasty sludge lump, Nick even went back to the wooden club. He built a small base back at the spawn point, this time above the spawn point.

Additionally, his graves helped him again. Many graves. Because every poison attack from the billowing beast would inevitably lead to death without the health and stamina boost.

Healing mead that neutralizes the poison was not an option for Vera the Vegan.

Nick needed steeled nerves and about 90 minutes with many deaths for this fight as well.

More crazy stories about Valheim:

  • 5. Boss – Yagluth

The last boss was almost a piece of cake compared to Moder and swamp monsters. In an earlier video, Nick defeated the bosses in reverse order and took down the last boss first.

So he already knew a fighting strategy in which he digs into the ground and ultimately took 30 minutes to bring down the final boss.

The longest time spent on this boss was searching for the location and the necessary totems to summon.

The 55-hour vegan Valheim feast was already extravagant enough. One almost looks forward to some light fare at the end. NickRawcliffe remarks in the video: “No one will try that again.”

How you find the bosses and engage normally, we show you here: Valheim Boss Guide: How to summon and defeat all 5 bosses – tips and tricks

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. PC Gamer

The Realms of WoW: Classic are dying – What can help?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

2 years after release, WoW: Classic is not doing so well. There are many reasons for this – but above all, the player base is too fragmented.

When World of Warcraft: Classic was announced a few years ago, the fan excitement was immense. Being able to dive back into the “original” Azeroth was a long-held wish that had not been possible since the expansion “Cataclysm” or could only be fulfilled on illegal private servers.

But now, 2 years after the release of “WoW: Classic”, not much of that joy is left. The original Classic realms have mostly turned into ghost realms.

What is the problem? In the WoW Classic subreddit, the state of WoW Classic and particularly the realms of the “Classic Era” has been discussed for some time. The players have largely disappeared. Taking a look at the realm population of the Classic Era realms makes it clear: Almost all are at “low” (via worldofwarcraft.com). It is becoming increasingly rare to encounter other players. This puts a core aspect of the MMORPG experience at risk.

The Reddit user Darkfirex34 published two screenshots to highlight the discrepancy particularly clearly. It shows the realm “Benediction” – once at Christmas 2019 and once at Christmas 2021.

  • It was so full in 2019 …
  • … and so empty in 2021.

While 2 years ago the city of Orgrimmar was still full of players celebrating together, the capital of the Horde was virtually empty in 2021.

Several games are fragmenting the player base: One of the biggest problems is likely that the player base in World of Warcraft is becoming increasingly fragmented. Not only are players splitting between “Retail-WoW (Shadowlands)” and “Classic”. No, the Classic players are also divided into “Classic”, “Burning Crusade Classic”, and “Season of Mastery”.

The end result is clear: The “pure” WoW: Classic is the loser, as it has failed to retain its players, who instead have set off for other adventures.

More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:

What could help? The community has been demanding for weeks and months: “Blizzard, merge the realms!” Many players are tired of wandering around in ever emptier cities – ultimately diminishing the fun of the game and driving the numbers of active players even lower. There are mainly two proposals:

  • Merging of the realms. Several realms and their active players should merge into a new realm.
  • Free server transfers allowing the remaining players to escape from “dead” realms.

Both might not be the perfect measures, but they would create enough time to think about a longer-term solution.

As WoW: Classic is currently set up in the Classic Era, there is fun with an active community only on a fraction of the realms – and this selection is getting smaller week by week.

Are you still playing WoW: Classic in the Classic Era? Or are you exploring TBC: Classic or the Season of Mastery?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit.com/r/classicwow/
  2. worldofwarcraft.com - Realmstatus