The 19-year-old Pole Kacper “Inspired” Skoma is currently considered one of the best junglers in Europe in League of Legends. In an interview, he warns against playing solo queue in Europe if one wants to become a LoL pro. You don’t learn anything good there, but only get used to bad behavior patterns.
This is Inspired:
The 19-year-old Inspired has been the jungler for the LoL team Rogue since May 2019. They have been regarded as the fresh rising team in the LEC of League of Legends in recent years and have performed outstandingly well in the last 3 split-seasons.
Inspired is an important part of this team. He is known and feared for his play with champs like Kha’Zix and Lee Sin.
In an interview, he now reveals how he stays so good: He hardly plays solo queue in Europe, but watches videos from the Asian pro leagues for four to five hours every day, especially from the Chinese league LPL.
Everyone wants you to gank their lane and is super toxic
Why does Inspired warn against solo queue? In an interview with Hotspawn, Inspired explains why he hardly plays solo queue (via hotspawn):
„I feel that as a jungler, it’s pretty bad to play solo queue. You just learn the wrong stuff.”
Inspired, pro jungler in LoL
He then explains that the game in solo queue is very different from competitive League of Legends:
In solo queue, you are forced to gank as much as possible. Everyone is constantly toxic and pings the jungler to request a gank on every lane.
This would affect the junglers and they would develop bad traits.
As a jungler, you should rather play other roles to keep your mechanics fresh.
A “gank” is when a player (usually the jungler) comes to a teammate’s lane and unexpectedly kills the opponent in a surprise attack. This gives the teammate in the lane an advantage – but the ganker takes the risk of dying or falling behind.
In general, the rule in solo queue is: “If I lose my lane, it’s not my fault, but the jungler’s who didn’t help me enough.”.
4-5 hours of videos a day, 5 hours of practice games with the team – hardly any solo queue
How does Inspired improve? He says he watches a lot of videos from the Korean league LCK and the Chinese league LPL.
Especially the teams in the LPL are extremely strong, and one can learn a lot from the Chinese players, including which champions they play. To improve, you need to watch the best players in the world. From them, you can learn more than if you engage in solo queue and other nonsense.
He watches these videos for four to five hours every day and practices in scrimmages with the team for another five hours.
The jungler as a scapegoat for the mistakes of teammates
Do others agree with this? Yes, they do. One of the other strong junglers in Europe, the Spaniard Javier “Elyoya” Batalla (Mad Lions), explains the problem from his perspective (via dotesports):
“I agree with Inspired. When you play solo queue, it’s good for mechanics, but you don’t learn much about the jungler, because your top laner does not respect the opposing jungler’s gank at minute 3. That’s the most obvious gank in the whole game, which he does not respect, and from then on the match becomes unfair. Suddenly, you are forced into 2vs2 fights as a jungler that you’re likely to lose.”
Elyoya
Elyoya apparently sees the problem in that teammates expect their jungler to make up for the mistakes they make, as they play much more risky in solo queue than what is customary in pro LoL.
When you don’t see the gank coming and go down, you scream for help from your jungler.
What’s behind this: What Inspired says is interesting because many fans expect the pros to play as much solo queue as possible. Those who don’t are somehow considered lazy.
But as Inspired suggests, playing the jungler is primarily tactical. It is important that he serves the team and plays strategically. In solo queue, such considerations are foreign to the laners.
The Taiwanese Karsa is currently regarded as one of the best junglers in the world. He plays for Top Esports.
In pro LoL, the current meta has revealed the jungler as the dominant role: It is important that he levels up, gains gold and items to dominate the endgame. If you get used to playing everywhere as the firefighter and follow no plan, but just react, this is evidently the opposite of how a pro jungler wants to act.
The Twitch streamer Tyler1 is actually a bot laner. However, he found that jungler is actually the easiest role in LoL, but is played by too many idiots. He then wanted to prove to everyone that he has what it takes to be a world-class jungler:
Last week, there was a lot going on in various MMORPGs. We summarize the news for you in the latest episode of our podcast.
These are our topics: News related to MMORPGs has significantly increased in recent months, and it seems there is no end in sight, whether good or bad. In EVE Online, the lowest player numbers in the last 15 years were recorded last week.
In World of Warcraft, there was more trouble. The latest cinematic featuring Sylvanas from Patch 9.1 was received poorly by many players. With the entrance of the big streamer Asmongold into FFXIV, a large wave of WoW players migrating to the MMORPG from Square Enix is on the horizon. It is a sort of safe harbor for them.
There was also trouble in LoL, where players were upset about a sexy skin for an existing champion, despite there already being more than enough male champions with six-packs. Sony has reinstated Cyberpunk 2077 in the PS Store after its poor launch, and in China, kids are no longer allowed to play at night thanks to Tencent.
Besides the news, we also provide our expert opinions on the respective topics in the podcast, and you can share your own thoughts in the comments. Discuss with us!
This is important for you: At the beginning of July, the MeinMMO podcast was moved to the new platform Julep. Therefore, you now need to use the new podcast feed from Julep for your apps. The old feed will no longer be updated after the end of July.
If you follow us on a platform like iTunes or Spotify, then you don’t have to do anything. The platforms will automatically switch to the new feed. It may take some time, so please forgive us if the episodes appear a bit later.
Here you can listen:
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In addition to the weekly recap, there are also occasionally theme-specific podcasts that cover larger events or games. For example, we discussed the shows and games of E3 2021.
Suggestions or criticism?
This is how you can contribute: You can actively participate in improving the podcast. If you have feedback such as suggestions or criticism, or if you simply want to submit a cool topic proposal that urgently needs to be discussed, feel free to visit our Discord server.
Alternatively, you can also write an email directly to [email protected] and share your thoughts with us. Share your opinion with us and discuss!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
AMD’s DLSS alternative is getting support from 2 popular game engines. This means that many players are likely to soon benefit from the technology. MeinMMO explains what AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution is all about.
Which player would decline if they were offered significantly more FPS at the same performance? Probably very few, as high FPS are, especially for many fast-paced games such as competitive games, an important requirement.
Nvidia’s DLSS technology (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) promise exactly that, namely significantly better FPS at the same performance. And many players are excited to get significantly more FPS in their games.
With a beta update for the Unity engine and a patch for the Unreal engine, the development and dissemination of AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution is progressing rapidly (via pcgamer.com).
AMD’s FidelityFX offers you more FPS in games at the same performance
What is DLSS and FidelityFX Super Resolution, anyway? With Nvidia DLSS, the game is internally calculated at a lower resolution and upscaled to a higher resolution, such as 4K, using an AI algorithm to increase FPS.
AMD has introduced an alternative with FidelityFX Super Resolution that also aims to provide a scaling technique. However, AMD’s technology is still in its infancy compared to Nvidia’s DLSS.
Thanks to FSR, the framerate can significantly increase depending on the game and resolution.
What is special about AMD? AMD relies on open-source technology and works with both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.
Nvidia’s DLSS technology only works on RTX graphics cards, as DLSS requires specific computation cores known as Tensor cores on the graphics card.
How well does AMD’s technology work? So far, the new technology has been quite convincing. Especially the image quality suffers due to the so-called upscaling of textures. As a result, higher resolution textures, in particular, can appear slightly blurred.
Gamers Nexus has tested FSR thoroughly and is quite impressed. Although AMD’s FSR does not offer such a significant increase in framerate as Nvidia’s DLSS, the technology works with almost every modern graphics card.
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Why is the technology so important? To be a seriously strong competitor for Nvidia in the graphics card market, AMD also needs a strong DLSS alternative. Nvidia currently has the upper hand in this regard and is a strong argument for purchasing an RTX graphics card. However, AMD could have the advantage that the technology could theoretically support any newer graphics card.
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In CoD Cold War the battle against zombies rages in the new update Mauer der Toten in Berlin. But you don’t have to fight alone if you manage to assemble the helpful killer-bot Klaus. We explain here in a guide where to find his hands and the other parts of Klaus in the Mauer der Toten.
Who is Klaus and why should you have one? Those who know the zombie mode of Cold War may have already seen Klaus as an Easter egg on various maps. The harmless crash dummy was just hanging around in some corners, gathering dust.
But in the major zombies update “Mauer der Toten”, you can bring Klaus to life as a killer-bot. He will help you in battle, happily mowing down zombies and even reviving you when you go down. Ideal if you are out alone. In addition, Klaus is needed to unlock certain Easter eggs in the Mauer der Toten.
How to find the hands and all parts of Klaus in the Mauer der Toten
What parts do you need? You need three items to activate Klaus:
Microwave bowl
Battery
Mechanical hands
You need to use the items on Klaus. You will find him chained to a chair in the basement of the safe house. Where you can find these things in the Mauer der Toten will be explained in the following paragraphs or in the embedded video.
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Here’s where to find the microwave bowl: This item is found in the trash piles on the map. You will have to rummage through the pile until you find the thing. You have particularly good chances in the trash in the Death Strip region and around the watchtowers.
Here’s where to find the battery: To get the battery, you need to survive until round 10. Then the feared Krasny soldiers will appear. They drop the needed batteries as well.
Here’s where to find the mechanical hands: The final parts of Klaus are his hands. Without them, he can’t operate any weapons. However, the hands are tricky to obtain. First, you need to select the ammo-perk “Brain Rot”. This allows you to briefly turn zombies to your side and make them allies.
This is essential at a certain point because there is a locked door in room 305 of the hotel. You can’t open it yourself, but if you turn one of the zombies lounging around here with Brain Rot, they will smash the barrier and you can enter the locked room.
There you will find an unfortunate dead agent who was probably strangled by Klaus. At least his mechanical hands are still tightly around the neck of the corpse. Take the robo-flippers with you and attach them to Klaus. Voilà, your very own personal killer-bot!
Member of the Bundestag and professional youth Philipp Amthor draws attention to himself with a post on Instagram. He holds a controller in such a poor and faked manner that it brings him much mockery and ridicule, but also the attention of gaming influencer HandofBlood.
This is Philipp Amthor: The 28-year-old Amthor joined the CDU at 16. Since 2017, he has been a member of the German Bundestag. Although not the youngest member of the Bundestag, he is the youngest to win a constituency.
In the years that followed, he earned a reputation as the “shooting star” of the CDU. Due to his bold demeanor, Amthor quickly came into the public eye and became a target for satire. Memes formed around Amthor: some referred to him as the “Harry Potter of the CDU” or “Fipsi”.
His otherwise steep career stumbled in 2019 when he was embroiled in an awkward lobbying affair. Consequently, Amthor withdrew his candidacy for the state chairmanship of the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern but entered the federal elections of 2021 as the top candidate of the state association.
Memes about Amthor often revolve around his conservative “law and order” image.
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This is the new clip: In a clip from his Instagram account, the 28-year-old politician holds a controller and wildly presses some buttons. It is evident that Amthor
a) is not really playing.
b) probably holds a controller for the first time in his life.
c) apparently has never seen anyone else handle a controller.
Then he pauses, reflects briefly, and says: “So, enough of this nonsense.”
This phrase has already been used by Amthor several times, and it is supposed to become his trademark.
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What’s behind the clip? The Young Union is planning a “gaming event” on July 21. Amthor is expected to play Fall Guys starting at 7 PM. The event will be live-streamed on Twitch.
On its own website, the youth organization of the CDU is looking for people who want to compete against Amthor (via jugaming.gg).
He promises to “destroy the nerds while gaming” and to “put an end to nonsense.”
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This is how it’s discussed: One of the biggest German gaming influencers, HandofBlood, makes fun of the clip. He mentions the “Gamecube” controller that Amthor is holding, and the glasses.
Overall, there is much mockery over the strange finger movements that Amthor makes with the controller.
For many, it is clear that he is only pretending to game: “You can clearly see that he apparently has a controller for the first time in hand. You just can’t take that seriously.”
Others pity Amthor for lacking gaming experience: “I find the mockery here inappropriate. Philipp had friends in his childhood! They just were more interested in legal gray areas with tax loopholes.”
Another Twitter user adds: “That moment when you, as a politician, want to reach a new audience with sympathy, but are as far removed from the subject as the Earth is from the Sun.”
But one also says: “The bad thing about it, I only just realize now. I’m 99% sure he planned it that way. He wanted it to become a meme. Otherwise, no one would have cared here.”
Amthor uses “cringe” as a stylistic device
What’s behind it: The clip seems to have been created with a wink. Amthor is apparently aware of his image as the “oldest twenty-year-old in the world”.
Thus, a meme about him circulates: He is the first person to simultaneously receive child benefits and a pension. Amthor is also often compared to Benjamin Button, who ages backward.
Amthor is here apparently pretending to be a gamer and knows the “gamer language,” even though no one believes him. He is playing here – as in his reaction to the “Rezo video” – obviously with his image. He wants it to be clearly perceived as awkwardly trying hard to the point of being funny.
Handofblood is one of the largest German content creators. The largest German streamers on Twitch are introduced here. One can safely assume that Amthor will also make it onto this list in a few years:
The new MMORPG Elyon has not only announced a second closed beta but also a release date in autumn 2021. Additionally, the second beta is expected to offer more content than the first one. Whether the second round in Elyon is worth it, we at MeinMMO have examined.
What was announced? Developer Bluehole has announced a release window and a second closed beta phase for the upcoming MMORPG Elyon. Elyon is set to be released in autumn 2021 and shares this period with another highly anticipated MMORPG, namely Lost Ark. However, a precise date has not yet been established.
Moreover, a second closed beta has been announced, for which you can sign up from July 26 to August 11. The exact start of the beta will be announced following this period. The closed beta will last for five days and allow more players than the first beta.
What new content is there? The developers will provide us with a new version in the second closed beta, which is supposed to be closer to the Korean version. So you won’t be playing the same content as in the first beta phase. The new content includes:
How can you participate? You can sign up for the second closed beta directly on the Elyon website (via Elyon.Playkakaogames.com) or also through the Steam page of Elyon (via Steam). The possibility to do so will be enabled on July 26. You will then be notified via email whether you are allowed to participate in the beta.
Starting July 26, the game will also be available for pre-order. However, it is not yet known whether this will guarantee you a spot in the beta.
Why is the second round worth it? Due to the many new contents and a much more advanced version of the game, the excursion into the second beta is worthwhile even if you have already played the first one.
Since more players will be allowed, your chances of getting a spot are correspondingly increased, but there is no bonus for members of the first beta. For everyone interested in Elyon who could not participate in the first beta, the second beta is an optimal second chance to get a glimpse of the new MMORPG.
What do you think? Did you play the first beta and are you signing up for the second one? Are you excited about Elyon? Let us know in the comments!
The MMORPG Black Desert is finally getting a feature after five years that has long been standard in other representatives of the genre: a co-op dungeon. However, there is a catch.
What kind of dungeon is it?Atoraxion, the “last fortress” is a co-op dungeon in Black Desert. Players must solve puzzles and engage in battles together here. The dungeon is divided into four areas: Desert, Ocean Depths, Canyon, and Forest.
The first area is the Desert, with the subsequent themes becoming progressively harder. Each biome has its own challenges and battles.
Black Desert advertises that the dungeon is designed for five players – but that is only partly true.
How does Atoraxion work? The area is also integrated into the open world, like dungeons in the MMORPG so far. In most areas, you can encounter other players and explore together with them and defeat existing enemies. It serves as a “normal grind spot.” The official website states:
“While Atoraxion is a co-op dungeon, the areas outside the group-exclusive boss zones are an open combat field, similar to monster zones, where you can encounter other adventurers” (via playblackdesert.com).
Only the final boss of the area is instanced and can only be entered by your group of five players. Here you fight without randomly appearing other players, just like you know it from dungeons in other MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or ESO.
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When can I play the dungeon? On Wednesday, July 21, 2021, Atoraxion will open its doors on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. All players will have access to the dungeon at normal difficulty, while players on the Elvia server will have a higher difficulty level available.
However, you must fulfill some requirements for entry:
reach level 57
complete the main quest “Black Spirit”
gain knowledge about the “Seal of the Black Sun” in the Mediah quest line
complete the quest lines for “Awakening” and “Succession” for your class
As a preparation, there is actually an event until July 31 with voucher codes for various content. You can find the codes and rewards on the official Black Desert website (via playblackdesert.com).
How it has been so far: Black Desert previously had no instanced areas for co-op gameplay, as you would know from other MMORPGs. While there were “dungeons” and “raids”, these were more open-world areas where players could farm together or alone.
Particularly stronger players with strong equipment and good skills often played solo here. Black Desert is often known as a sandbox game and grinder. Atoraxion is only somewhat different here.
If the boss idea of Atoraxion is well received, it could be likely that more content in this form will come or at least MMORPG players will be attracted to play with friends. If the dungeon does not excite you, you can find in our list on MeinMMO the currently best MMORPGs of 2021
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO starts the GO Fest 2021. Here we have summarized all the details about the date of the event and the ticket price. We also report on which Pokémon and bonuses you can look forward to at the big summer event.
What is the GO Fest? Originally, Niantic held this festival once a year at a previously announced location, like in 2019 in Dortmund. However, due to the Corona pandemic, this live event at a fixed location had to be canceled last year.
Instead, there was a global live event – and in 2021, the GO Fest will take place again in this form. You can once again look forward to exciting challenges, great Pokémon, and many bonuses worldwide.
Update on July 16, 2021: The GO Fest is just around the corner! We have updated the article with all current information.
Update on June 25, 2021: We have updated the article with new information about the legendary raids as well as the costumes and the selection of a band. It is now known that on the 2nd event day, July 18, 2021, you can encounter all legendary Pokémon that have been in the game so far in raids. We will also show you the costumed Pokémon that you can put together into a band.
What is the date of the GO Fest 2021?
Like last year, the GO Fest will again be available worldwide. You can play it at any location.
These are the dates:
Saturday, July 17, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 18, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Update on July 2, 2021: As Niantic has now announced, there will also be smaller live events in several cities worldwide this year (via pokemongolive.com). These will take place exclusively on July 17, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM outdoors, following the applicable hygiene measures such as social distancing.
In Germany and Austria, the following cities will participate:
Dresden (Germany)
Essen (Germany)
Hamburg (Germany)
Linz (Austria)
If you want to be part of the live events at the GO Fest 2021, you should be quick, as the spots are limited. Please register in advance via this link through Nianticlabs.
On site, there will be “great photo spots” for the participants. In addition, players will have the opportunity to make new friends or trade Pokémon. No further bonuses are known for the live events so far.
Pokémon GO Fest 2021: Tickets and Prices
How much are the tickets? To fully enjoy the GO Fest 2021, you need an event ticket. You can obtain these in the in-game shop of Pokémon GO. The ticket is available this year at a reduced price of 5.49 euros and includes participation for the entire event weekend.
This price is a big surprise, because last year the ticket was about three times as expensive. The reason for the reduced price for GO Fest 2021 is the five-year anniversary of Pokémon GO. We looked into it for you, for whom the ticket purchase is worthwhile.
How does the GO Fest work? The Pokémon GO Fest spans two days.
You will have the opportunity to use all features of the event between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM each day. The first event day this year is themed “Catching”. The second festival day will focus on “Raids”.
Event Day 1: Saturday, July 17, 2021
According to official information from Niantic, this day will focus on catching Pokémon (via pokemongolive.com). There will be monsters from the following 4 habitats, which will change hourly:
Jungle habitat
Desert mountain habitat
Sea shore habitat
Cave habitat
For all ticket holders, there will also be an exciting special research as well as 4 collector challenges and additional bonuses available. In addition, you can choose between a rocker and a star Pikachu. This decision will also determine whether you hear rock or pop music in the background that day.
Event Day 2: Sunday, July 18, 2021
Sunday is dedicated to raids, and there will be many of them on this day. This day will also provide trainers of Pokémon GO the first chance to encounter all legendary Pokémon that have been in the game so far.
As on Saturday, July 17, 2021, the Pokémon in the raids will change hourly. These will be divided into the following thematic raid hours:
The Wind Hour (10:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM)
The Lava Hour (11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM)
The Frost Hour (12:00 PM to 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM)
The Thunder Hour (1:00 PM to 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM)
All ticket holders can also look forward to additional bonuses related to completing raids. You can also catch all Pokémon from Saturday on this day.
What bonuses can you expect with and without a ticket?
Without a ticket: Trainers who do not wish to purchase a ticket for GO Fest 2021 still have the opportunity to utilize the following bonuses. These will be available for all players in Pokémon GO on both days:
free t-shirt for the avatar in the shop
trainer photos in the today view
lures last 3 hours
1/2 hatch distance for eggs
exclusive research tasks & visual effects on the map
special music from Pokémon composer Junichi Masuda
crafting templates for trainers worldwide
Bonuses with ticket
All trainers holding a ticket for GO Fest 2021 will receive additional bonuses that are only available to ticket holders alongside the general bonuses. We have summarized how these look and when you will receive them below
Saturday:
Special research
Surprise after a snapshot upon completion of the special task
Global challenges in the today view: you will have the opportunity to complete a challenge together hourly to activate a bonus for the remaining hour
Collector challenge for each individual habitat
Sunday:
you receive an additional 10,000 XP for each raid battle won
up to 10 raid passes by spinning the gym
up to 8 remote raid passes from limited research
free event box with 3 remote raid passes (available July 18, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
both days:
special event stickers through gifts and PokéStops
surprise from snapshots
special Pokémon from incense
As dataminers discovered in their last leak, there will also be a golden medal for participation in the GO Fest 2021.
Hyper Bonus for GO Fest 2021
Update on July 16, 2021: As Niantic has announced, there will again be a global challenge for players this year (via pokemongolive.com). So, the trainers participating in the GO Fest must collectively solve a task hourly to unlock a bonus for the remaining hour.
Update on July 16, 2021: In addition, trainers can expect further bonuses and special attacks during the GO Fest:
For all trainers:
6 special trades from July 16, 2021, 10:00 PM, until July 19, 2021, 08:00 AM
Gardevoir with Synchronoise if you evolve Kirlia during the event period on Saturday or Sunday
Flygon with Earth Power if you evolve Trapinch during the event period on Saturday or Sunday
For ticket holders:
additional special attacks for various Pokémon
Star Pikachu
with special attack Thief’s Kiss
trainers receive an iconic pose
Rocker Pikachu
with special attack Star Shatter
trainers receive a rock pose
the chosen Pikachu variant can appear in a snapshot after the special research on Saturday.
choose between Gardevoir and Flygon with Meloetta hat in the special research
master their respective community day attack
can also appear in snapshots after the research
After completing the research, there is a Meloetta shirt for your avatar
Items for GO Fest from Google
Update on July 1, 2021: As Google announced via Twitter, there will be an additional free gift for GO Fest 2021 for all Play Store users of Pokémon GO (via twitter.com). This includes the following items:
A super incubator
A incense
30 Ultra Balls
As Google is the main sponsor of the GO Fest this year, this gift is only available to Google users. Unfortunately, Apple users miss out. When you can claim the gift and how it works is still not known. We will report on new information as soon as it becomes available.
Update on July 16, 2021:Further sponsored gifts are received by trainers in-game today via a pink balloon. This includes various items like berries, revives, and potions, but also stardust. What is included in each gift varies from player to player.
As Niantic has already announced, you can expect a variety of interesting Pokémon this year. Since the GO Fest 2021 is themed around music, there will also be corresponding musical monsters. You can choose between a costumed Pikachu as a pop star or a rocker.
Costumed Pokémon: In addition, Pikachu will be supported by costumed bandmates like Galar Ponyta, Galar Zigzagoon, Gardevoir, or Flygon. These will be dressed in a small hat during the event. Read here what the community says about the costumes for GO Fest 2021.
The costumed Galar Ponyta and Galar Zigzagoon can be obtained during raids on those days. Furthermore, as Pokémon GO announced on Twitter, these Pokémon are part of the planned experiences during the GO Fest (via twitter.com). You will be able to assemble your own band from the costumed Pokémon.
Costumed Pokémon for GO Fest band: Rock & Pop Pikachu (top), Galar Zigzagoon & Galar Ponyta (left), Flygon & Gardevoir (right)
Depending on which Pokémon you choose, this decision is likely to influence the further gameplay, such as solving tasks. However, what you can specifically expect when choosing the individual Pokémon is still unknown.
Kapoera, Trapinch, and Flygon will also be found in raids during the event. In addition, you can catch other musical Pokémon such as Whismur, Audino, or Palimpalim in the wild, alongside the costumed Pikachu.
Update on July 16, 2021: As Niantic has now announced, certain costumed Pokémon will appear for all trainers (via pokemongolive.com). You may be lucky enough to encounter a shiny Pikachu with a Meloetta hat. It is also now known which monsters can be found in which raid:
Level 1 raids: Galar Ponyta, Galar Zigzagoon with Meloetta hat, and Flygon (also as shiny)
Level 3 raids: Galar Weezing, Kapoera, and Trapinch
Which Pokémon do you get in which habitat? At the Pokémon GO Fest 2021, Pokémon from 4 different habitats will be available to catch. We have listed which those are below:
Habitat
Pokémon in the wild
Pokémon from incense (for ticket holders only)
Jungle
– Scyther – Drifloon – Froakie
– Unown F – Unown G – Darmanitan – Noctowl – Leafeon – Serperior
Desert- Mountain
– Pansear – Maractus – Hippopotas
– Flareon – Unown F – Unown G – Dusknoir – Flygon – Galar Weezing
Sea- Shore
– Dratini – Swablu – Mamolida
– Gyarados – Vaporeon – Azumarill – Unown F – Unown G – Karadonis
Cave
– Roggenrola – Galar Weezing – Flygon
– Umbreon – Unown F – Unown G – Gardevoir – Absol – Joltik
Are there special Pokémon from eggs? On both event days, you can hatch Pokémon like Klingplim, Fluffeluff, and Audino from 7 km eggs.
New Shinies like Hydreigon and Karadonis at GO Fest 2021
As Niantic announced, new shiny Pokémon will also be released in the game in connection with GO Fest. You may luck to encounter the shiny forms of Flurmel, Audino, Schallquap, or Palimpalim for the first time.
In addition, during the event time, Unown F, Hydreigon, and Karadonis will also spawn for the first time in their shiny variant. However, these will only be attracted by incense from ticket holders. According to Niantic, the chance of a shiny during Pokémon GO Fest, especially on Saturday, is increased (via pokemongolive.com).
Mysterious Pokémon at GO Fest 2021
Will there be a mysterious Pokémon? Niantic has confirmed that you can encounter a mysterious Pokémon at Pokémon GO Fest 2021. This will be a reward for successfully completing the special research. It is the singing Pokémon Meloetta, which was officially confirmed for the GO Fest.
Meloetta in Singing form
Meloetta is a mysterious Pokémon of the Psychic and Normal type. It is one of the monsters that can change its form. It can thus switch from singing form to dance form. This also changes the type from Psychic to Fighting. For Go Fest 2021, it is expected to be available only in singing form.
Update on July 16, 2021: Dataminers have discovered hints of another mysterious Pokémon in the game code just before the start of the GO Fest. This involves information from a special research, which is expected to be found in the game on the second event day.
As Niantic has already communicated on their page, the second event day, Sunday, July 18, 2021, will revolve around raids (via pokemongolive.com). They have announced that all legendary Pokémon in level 5 raids that have been in the game up to now will appear on this day. However, there will be no mysterious Pokémon in raids on that day.
Like the previous day, there will again be specific time windows in which the individual Pokémon can be found. When you can encounter which legendary Pokémon has been summarized for you.
The Wind Hour
The Wind Hour takes place from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM local time and from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM local time. During this time you can encounter the following Pokémon in the raids:
Mewtwo
Ho-Oh
Latias
Latios
Regigigas
Giratina in altered form
Cresselia
Virizion
Thundurus in Therian form
The Lava Hour
Following the Wind Hour, the Lava Hour begins at 11:00 AM and ends at 12:00 PM local time. It will repeat from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM local time. The following Pokémon will be in the raids during these times:
Moltres
Entei
Regirock
Groudon
Heatran
Reshiram
Terrakion
Landorus in Therian form
Yveltal
The Frost Hour
It will be frosty cold and wet in raids from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM local time and from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM local time. During these times, the Frost Hour will take place, where you can defeat the following monsters in the raid:
Articuno
Suicune
Lugia
Regice
Kyogre
Palkia
Kyurem
Selfe, Vesprit, and Tobutz are also available in their usual regions
The Thunder Hour
The conclusion of the thematic raid hours is the Thunder Hour. This takes place between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM local time and again from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM local time. Defeat the following legendary Pokémon in the raid during the Thunder Hour:
Zapdos
Raikou
Registeel
Rayquaza
Dialga
Kobalion
Thundurus in Therian form
Zekrom
Xerneas
This large number of legendary Pokémon in one day offers many trainers the opportunity to catch previously missing Pokémon. This is thus your chance to acquire rarer monsters like Mewtwo. With a bit of luck, you might even encounter some Pokémon in their shiny form.
Update on July 16, 2021: To ensure that GO Fest 2021 is a success for you, you should be adequately prepared. So that nothing goes wrong, we have put together 6 useful tips for preparing that you should definitely consider.
Therefore, it makes sense to think beforehand about which raids you want to participate in, given the number of raid bosses. Which legendary monsters are particularly worthwhile, we have checked out and summarized for you.
Please also note that Niantic is currently reporting problems with their shop in Pokémon GO. There may currently be delays in purchasing. Plan accordingly in your endeavors.
We will regularly update this article as new information about GO Fest 2021 becomes available.
If you’re interested in more about Pokémon GOthis might interest you as well:
What is your opinion about the Pokémon and bonuses at Pokémon GO Fest 2021? Which monsters would you like to encounter that weekend? Feel free to share your thoughts here on MeinMMO in the comments.
The Chinese software giant Tencent has registered a patent in China for a service that will allow users to effectively bequeath digital possessions to their heirs. This delights MeinMMO author Jürgen Horn, as he can finally pass on his ESO mounts and skins from Apex Legends and Fortnite to his son.
What is this patent about? Tencent, the Chinese giant corporation with the friendly penguin, has recently filed a patent for a service that makes digital possessions inheritable, according to industry expert Daniel Ahmad. It’s basically similar to the digital inheritance system that Apple has already introduced.
It’s about being able to legally transfer the ownership of individual digital possessions from one person to another. So not just by bequeathing entire accounts (which could already be done simply by passing on the username and password), but by specifically passing on individual items to the heirs.
And I think that is also badly needed because I want to know that my most valuable possessions are in good hands after my death!
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Digital possessions must be protected after one’s death
That’s why it’s so important to me: I have actually spent a lot of money on digital items. I even go so far as to say that I probably have more digital items than physical ones. Except for the necessary hardware and a few clothes, my immediate personal possessions are now almost entirely digital.
And while it’s relatively easy to distribute my few physical things to my heirs, it’s not that simple with my digital items. Therefore, I am glad that there are currently serious efforts underway that will allow me to bequeath my skins and mounts in Apex Legends, Fortnite, and ESO specifically.
It simply feels good to know that my beloved possessions won’t just be forgotten in data limbo when I depart from this earth. And I might be able to make my son happy someday when he pulls out daddy’s old rare Fortnite skins from Season 1.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the free-to-play MMORPG Albion Online by the German developer Sandbox Interactive, PvP is a major focus in the endgame. Recently, thousands of players have clashed in one of the largest mass battles yet. The outcome is impressive.
What is it about? In Albion Online, player conflicts between different alliances occur regularly. This is because areas in the game world can be claimed for one’s own team. Other groups can then challenge this claim, leading to battles. This not only offers some in-game advantages but also prestige for the owners, to the extent that there is a real “politics” in the game.
What happened? In the past few days, there has been one of the largest territorial disputes on the continent “Outlands”. This is a pure PvP area and consists solely of “black zones”. In the black zones, there are several individual areas and fortifications that guilds and alliances can claim. Additionally, every player automatically participates in “open-world” PvP here.
The following video provides you with a glimpse of what such a mass battle, also known as ZvZ (Zerg vs. Zerg), can look like:
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What makes this battle so special? Large confrontations between rival alliances occur regularly, but in this case, the scale was gigantic in all aspects:
The conflict lasted over 24 hours and consisted of several interconnected skirmishes
A total of 4,856 players participated
The number of players killed stands at 5,538 (some players were killed multiple times after being revived)
110 alliances and 438 guilds were involved
According to reddit user cheezyjaystick, on one side the alliances SQUAD, LAZYi, ARCH and POE fought together, while on the other side the alliances STEVE, SHREK, OOPS, CALL, BCTA and “NO ALLIANCE” allied.
And who won? That is indeed still unclear. The conflict between the numerous guilds and alliances continues, and the mass battle has yet to declare a final victor.
Are you playing Albion Online and have you ever experienced a similarly large “Zerg vs. Zerg” battle? Or would you like to participate in something like that? Albion Online is also available as a mobile version for Android and iOS tablets. If you are interested in other mobile MMORPGs, we have here for you a list of the 9 currently best mobile MMORPG titles.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The famous WoW streamer Asmongold has been adventuring in Final Fantasy XIV for about two weeks now and is generating a lot of buzz in the MMORPG community.
This is what happened: Since July 3, the WoW streamer Asmongold has been playing the MMORPG FFXIV almost daily. For a long time, he refused to touch the game. In the two weeks since his entry, he has already reached level 50 and fought his way through the endgame content of the base game “A Realm Reborn.”
And apparently he is enjoying it, as some peculiarities of FFXIV seem to be rubbing off on him. Right on the 4th day, Asmongold, like many players before him, succumbed to the allure of the popular character Y’shtola. It was notable that Y’shtola is a Miqo’te, a catgirl, which Asmongold had previously reacted to with “What the hell is that shit?” before his entry into FFXIV.
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His opinion on mounts in FFXIV changed very quickly as well. Before starting FFXIV, Asmongold watched a video by YouTuber Zepla, in which she presented various mounts of the MMORPG. Some of the mounts received no particularly flowery comments from the streamer, including Xanthos and other elemental horse mounts obtained from the ex-primals battles of “A Realm Reborn.”
After Asmongold himself died to Garuda for about 2 hours and eventually obtained the mount, his opinion on the horse changed very rapidly.
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Furthermore, it seems that Asmongold is making an effort to maintain a positive attitude, even when the raid group is collectively biting the dust. Instead of his WoW persona, known for raging and flames, he is trying to approach FFXIV with an open mind and diligently reads the story, even if he struggles with the correct pronunciation of NPC and place names.
His streaming colleague RichWCampbell, who also started with FFXIV, commented in a stream: “The guy [Asmongold] who made videos about ninja looting is now voluntarily foregoing loot! The game has changed him into a positive Andy. It rewired his brain in a millisecond.” (via YouTube).
“One of the most incredible streams I have ever had”
This is what Asmongold says about FFXIV: Besides the jokes and memes that are made about Asmongold both within his own community and among FFXIV players, the streamer seems to have found joy in the new MMORPG.
In a serious video, he spoke about his first impressions of the game. He noted that the truly worst aspect of the game lies in the fact that the FFXIV shop is very confusing and you have to rummage around for a long time to buy the game.
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He was also touched by the reception he received from the FFXIV and Square Enix community. Although there were many stream snipers on the first day, blocking his view with large mounts, the situation quickly normalized after the ban of one of the griefers a day later.
Especially the banning of the stream sniper seemed to have surprised and pleased Asmongold. On his Twitter account, he wrote: “It’s incredible how easy it is to solve a problem when the company actually makes an effort.”
Also in the subreddits and on social media, a large part of the reactions to his streams was positive. FFXIV players and fans of Asmongold created memes and even fan art about his streams and had fun with it.
One of the many memes circulating about Asmongold and FFXIV in his subreddit.
For the future, the streamer has set himself the goal of reaching level 80 in FFXIV and mastering all raid content in the game. This means that he also wants to attempt the ultimate raids Bahamut, Ultima, and Alexander. However, he still has a long way to go through the main story and other contents of FFXIV.
This is how Asmongold’s streams are going: Since his entry into FFXIV, Asmongold has also experienced a significant increase in viewer numbers on Twitch. While the streamer had about 40,000 to 60,000 viewers in June, the numbers skyrocketed from July 3 onwards.
With FFXIV, Asmongold reached his highest viewer numbers
On the first day, over 200,000 people watched him during his entry into FFXIV. Although the number declined sharply in the following days, Asmongold still maintains over 100,000 viewers. Additionally, the streamer gained 8,673 new subscriptions and over the entire duration of his FFXIV streams, over 100,000 new followers (via Twitchtracker.com)
With such high numbers, the streamer obviously did not expect it, as normally FFXIV is far below WoW in terms of viewer counts on Twitch. He expressed his astonishment in a tweet where he thanked everyone.
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Accordingly, the pace at which Asmongold is slicing through FFXIV is currently not slowing down. Last week, he completed 3 extreme primals and the first part of the Bahamut raid. He did so at level 50 and with the lowest item level to truly experience the mechanics of the fights.
Further parts of Bahamut are also on the agenda, so we can expect that his FFXIV streams won’t slow down anytime soon.
However, there are certainly fans who wish to see Asmongold return to WoW. They currently seem to be in the minority.
The legendary Pokémon Mewtwo is back in the raids of Pokémon GO. Here you will find the best counters against the strong attacker.
When will Mewtwo appear?Mewtwo has been available since Friday, July 16, 2021 at 10:00 AM local time in Level 5 raids again. You can challenge it until July 23, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
A special case is the second event day of Pokémon GO Fest 2021. All legendary Pokémon that have been in the game so far will appear in rotation in the Level 5 raids. On July 18, you’ll also encounter other legendary monsters in Pokémon GO. However, compared to others, Mewtwo is one of the most worthwhile legendaries.
Apart from the raids, you can also encounter Mewtwo as a reward in the GO Battle League starting from rank 20. On the second GO Fest day, the chance of encountering Mewtwo as a reward in PvP from rank 20 is even 100%.
The best counters against Mewtwo 2021
Use these Mewtwo counters: Mewtwo is a Psychic-type Pokémon. It is therefore vulnerable to Bug, Ghost, or Dark-type attackers. The Bug Pokémon in Pokémon GO are not necessarily strong – accordingly, Ghost and Dark monsters are more worthwhile.
Here is the overview of the best Mewtwo counters:
Pokémon
Moveset
(Shadow) Mewtwo
Psycho Cut and Shadow Ball
(Shadow) Tyranitar
Crunch and Bite
(Shadow) Sableye
Foul Play and Shadow Sneak
Giratina – Altered Forme
Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
Gengar
Heavy Slam and Shadow Ball
Darkrai
Foul Play and Dark Pulse
(Shadow) Houndoom
Foul Play and Shadow Sneak
Yveltal
Foul Play and Dark Pulse
(Shadow) Pinsir
Bug Bite and X-Scissor
(Shadow) Absol
Foul Play and Dark Pulse
Use these Mega counters against Mewtwo: Several Mega Evolutions are worthwhile against Mewtwo. Good options are:
Mega Gengar with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
Mega Houndoom with Foul Play and Shadow Sneak
Mega Gyarados with Bite and Crunch
Is there a Shiny Mewtwo? Yes, the shiny version of Mewtwo has been in the game for a while. You can encounter it in raids with luck.
Mewtwo is this strong: If you don’t have a Mewtwo yet, you should definitely secure one – as Mewtwo is an absolute top attacker in Pokémon GO. The Psychic Pokémon has a very high attack value and can still deal a lot of damage even when it doesn’t necessarily score with type effectiveness.
Additionally, Mewtwo raids are worth it to get candy for the monster. With them, you can power up already obtained specimens or the strong Shadow Mewtwo, if you have one.
Moreover, Mewtwo in the main games has two Mega Evolutions. Although they are not yet in the game, they have been hinted at. It is therefore to be expected that they will appear in Pokémon GO sooner or later as well.
Are you capturing a Mewtwo, or focusing on other raid bosses in the coming days? Let us know in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the zip lines, you can quickly traverse vertical paths in Call of Duty: Warzone, but until now you could only climb the ropes one by one. The Mid-Season 4 has changed that.
What’s it about? Are the developers of Call of Duty: Warzone falling back into old patterns? A major change was once again not found in the patch notes of Mid-Season 4.
For several months, the Warzone developers have become much more open and transparent about changes to the game. In the past, there were constantly secret adjustments that had to be discovered by dedicated players and content creators.
But this time it was probably just an oversight. Developer Raven Software has already confirmed the “secret” change and explains: Yes, you can now use the zip lines as a team and no longer have to wait until your teammate reaches the top.
Zip Lines are now capable of Multi-Tasking
What does that look like? On reddit, shortly after the major update of Mid-Season 4, the first videos of the change appeared:
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You can see that all 3 players arrive at the top almost simultaneously. However, there is a slight delay – just like on ladders, you cannot ride the zip line at the same height. As soon as a player rides up a few meters, a second team member can already start their way.
Until now, you had to wait until the zip line was completely free to also go up. Now, you almost arrive at the top simultaneously and can put any campers directly under pressure – or go down together.
What do the players say about it? Looking at the comments in the reddit thread, the change is very well received. The comment with the most likes reads: “This is possibly the most important change from the patch. This could be a game changer, especially at the airport tower.” User “Ok-Bag3000” also received many upvotes for their comment “GGs Raven – I love it”.
The thread also sparked an interesting discussion about tactics at the airport tower and what happens when the end zone of a battle royale ends at the popular camper stronghold.
However, some players do not consider the new zip lines to be so “groundbreaking”. As “PrussianEagle1871” writes: “Now your whole squad can be massacred instead of just one guy.” Another makes a further improvement suggestion and wishes that they could attach C4 to the rope to give the campers above a bit of a heat.
Even if there are no campers waiting above – thanks to the viable zip lines, you can proceed faster as a team, and the change makes complete sense. It was always very annoying to wait for a long time at the bottom until the zip line was free. With really long zip lines, you could stand around for several seconds, and the team was therefore unintentionally separated.
The next small but important change seems to be already in the pipeline: Dead Silence will get a counter and with a certain perk you can still hear your enemies.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Streamer Ludwig Ahgren made headlines in 2021 when he broke many records on Twitch with a marathon stream. However, he now warns: Streamers are jeopardizing their own streaming platform with their “Reaction” streams, a trend on Twitch. Some of them are really overdoing it.
What trend is it about? Ludwig is annoyed by “Reaction” streams. In this format, a streamer watches a clip or video from another streamer live and reacts to it. He pauses the video and shares his thoughts about it. Sometimes it is enough to make a face or a gesture.
These “Reaction” streams have become a large part of the content for many YouTubers and streamers. Some do nothing else but click through countless clips on the internet.
Some streamers spend hours having their fans send them videos to watch and react to.
When a major topic arises around Twitch or YouTube, many content creators, whether small or large, comment on this event in their own reaction streams.
Regarding controversial streams by Amouranth, many streamers gave their opinions and reacted to these videos, including Ludwig himself:
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“Someone has to create content that others can steal”
What bothers Ludwig about the trend: He says:
“There are now too many React Andys. It’s going too far. I feel like people go live and all they do is watch content from others. That’s okay, I do it too. But it’s just too much right now. I actually like it, but if everyone does it, then the whole system dies because someone has to create content that can be stolen.”
Ludwig Ahgren
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As an example of this “React” mania on Twitch, Ludwig mentions the current scandal surrounding the cryptocurrency “Save the Kids”: Because YouTubers from the FaZe Clan specifically promoted this crypto coin, their fans lost a lot of money. The FaZe Clan subsequently fired one of the YouTubers and suspended three others.
Ludwig says: He feels like every Tom, Dick, and Harry came along and had something to say about the “Save the Kids” nonsense. Every day, there was another one coming in and voicing their opinion.
What would be the solution for Ludwig? Ludwig says: What Twitch needs is “fresh content”.
For example, he is planning a new marathon stream. He wants to stay live on Twitch until he has completed all parts of “Dark Souls”.
But even the marathon streamer Ludwig is apprehensive: He has no idea how long it will take him.
The streamer xQc is known for reaction streams. There’s a video where he reacts to a reaction of himself reacting to his own video, where he fails at building a PC. So, a “threefold reaction”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh7uXCuQNaE
“Reaction-Ception”
“Reaction Streams” – Little effort, no preparation, high yield
The background: The “Reaction” streams are a template that works for YouTubers and streamers, requiring no preparation.
It is even seen as a prerequisite of the reaction videos that streamers actually watch the clips for the first time and are not prepared for them: This is precisely what gives the “authentic appeal” of these clips. You can see how a streamer reacts to something “for the first time”.
These streams have several advantages for streamers:
The streamers themselves and their personalities are the focus, not a video game. They are “personality” streams, which increases the bond between fans and streamers.
They can take a break anytime and interact with the chat
No special skills are required – unlike in video games or other activities. Basically, one risks nothing and can hardly do anything wrong.
These streams are also so popular because fans hope that some conflict arises between two streamers. The reaction streams also have synergy effects: the streamer being reacted to may react back – thus streamers reach new target audiences.
For streamers like xQc, who are on air for 10 to 16 hours a day, such “Reaction Streams” are a way to fill the stream with content. Because they do it so successfully, it has become a trend with many imitators.
Ludwig is right: Someone has to deliver the content that others can then react to. Someone needs to put in the effort to come up with something original. But that is so terribly exhausting and takes effort.
That such “I react to what fans send me” streams can also bring serious trouble was experienced by streamer Forsen. A fan tricked him with a GIF, which led to a ban from Twitch:
The developers of the well-known hardcore MMO Path of Exile have provided new information about the upcoming major update, Expedition, in a livestream. The game aims to return to its roots and become much harder again.
Why is the game becoming harder? Path of Exile is known for many things, such as the seemingly endless possibilities of its skill tree, but certainly not for being easy. Nevertheless, the developers announced a variety of changes to make the game harder, and there are good reasons for that.
Since the beta of Path of Exile, there have been 30 major updates, each aimed at making your character even stronger. Although the new content of the updates and leagues has always been adjusted to the current strength of the characters, the difficulty of the core content has not changed.
The story has thus become easier and easier to complete. The developers estimate that characters are currently about ten times stronger than characters were at the start of the game. This is not what was originally planned.
This shows how player strength has increased since the beta
The developers are aware that this could easily be solved by tweaking some numbers, but that wouldn’t work in the long run, and it’s simply “lame.” Instead, the developers want to implement deeper changes to resolve the issue.
What exactly is going to be harder? The changes encompass many systems and details; we would like to give you a rough overview:
Monsters now run faster. Until now, there was no monster in PoE that could run faster than you. That is about to change.
The potion system, or “flask” system, will be fundamentally overhauled as it was far too powerful.
Support gems that increase damage will be significantly weakened.
The monsters from the first chapter of the story of PoE will be stronger.
Numerous skills will be adjusted and changed.
What do the changes look like exactly?
Which monsters will run faster? Clear answer: All. The running speed of all enemy types is set to increase, but not every monster will fundamentally be faster than you. However, there will be some that are. It is important to mention that not all monsters can be directly adjusted with Expedition, but that is the big goal in the upcoming updates.
How does the flask system work? The developers note that it was a legitimate way to play to simply press the keys 1 to 5 on which the flasks are located. This provided short-term bonuses. Flasks refill by killing monsters – this created a perfect loop where players could maintain the buff that was originally intended to be temporary continuously.
This is fundamentally not a problem for the team behind PoE, because they want to support crazy builds. The only issue is that it is not fun. The developer says, “Players will always take the most efficient way to handle something, and it’s catastrophic when that’s not fun.”
As a conclusion, players will have to kill more monsters in the future to refill the flasks, moreover many flasks have been adjusted. Especially those that provide direct bonuses will be significantly weakened.
The flasks with clear advantages like 20% armor have been adjusted.
Additionally, the update brings new gems for the flasks into the game, which among other things will cause the flasks to automatically be consumed when a certain situation occurs. The basic idea of the build remains, it will just be slightly weakened, and no longer consist solely of spamming the keys 1 to 5.
The biggest change has been made to the flasks for elemental resistance. They previously removed an elemental status and then granted temporary immunity. However, they could already be activated before the start of the fight and used the temporary immunity to give opponents no chance.
This immunity will now only be granted when a status is actually removed. The pre-activation of these flasks is completely eliminated.
What changes are there with the support gems? According to the developers, the support gems that increase the damage of other skills were significantly advantageous compared to others. Real support gems were hardly ever used.
As a result, the support gems that only increase the damage of other spells will be significantly weakened. If you use a 6-link set that is only equipped with Damage-Support gems, you will lose about 40% damage. In other configurations, the drop is significantly less noticeable.
You can see all changes in the livestream recording of the developers:
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What are players saying? Opinions on the changes vary widely. Many praise the developers for delving deeper into the issue rather than just tweaking some numbers. Others believe that it is the wrong way to make players weaker after they have only gotten stronger over the past 30 patches.
The user The Epic Mango writes (via YouTube): “There has been a lot of negativity regarding the current state of the game and the PoE community. I am very satisfied with all the information we have been given and look forward to seeing how everything gets implemented into the game.”
Thijs Schrijnemakers writes (via YouTube): “I love the changes to the flask system. The new skills also look really good.”
User Filip agrees (via YouTube): “Well done, Grinding Gear Games. I’m really looking forward to the update!”
This is what the negative voices say:
The user -_ANTI-_ writes (via YouTube): “Regarding the balance changes, I am skeptical. For the average player who plays only occasionally and who has a family, the game is hard enough. I fear the changes could turn the game into a sort of Dark Souls experience for a large number of players, especially if multiple things are weakened at once.”
The user drdfrgplls humorously expresses his frustration and says (via YouTube): “Great, GGG, you are really geniuses. You’re finally fixing the server problems that have existed forever by elegantly minimizing the number of active players.”
One of the users referred to in the first comment also speaks up and writes: “Reducing character damage?.. Good luck to me and the other casual players who like to test and experiment with builds. In the long run, this may be cool, but right now it feels very demotivating.”
Are you playing Path of Exile yourself? What do you think of the changes? Or do you feel like starting with Path of Exile now? Feel free to leave us a comment!
Tomorrow, on July 17, 2021, the GO Fest 2021 will start in Pokémon GO. On this occasion, there are sponsored gifts for the trainers. We have looked into how you can get them and what is inside.
What is it about? This weekend, the Pokémon GO Fest 2021 will take place. Various bonuses and gifts for the Pokémon GO players have been announced in the past days. From now on, there are again sponsored gifts in the game. We will show you where to get them and what you will receive.
Where can you get the sponsored gifts?
For the first time today, on July 16, pink hot air balloons have been spotted in the game in Germany. They have also been sighted in other parts of the world. This type of balloon contains sponsored gifts. Since Google is the main sponsor of the GO Fest, the gifts in the balloon are also from Google.
Balloon with sponsored gifts
When will you receive this balloon? For most players, the pink hot air balloon appeared right after opening the game. Individual trainers, like reddit user TheRealHankWolfman, reported that they even received this balloon multiple times (via reddit.com). However, specific times for when the balloon appears in the game are not known.
What gifts are there?
The sponsored gifts from the balloon consist of items and stardust. However, these vary in type and quantity among different trainers. Overall, each balloon contains 3 items including stardust. According to reports from players on reddit, the following items have been received so far (via reddit.com):
(Max) Revive
(Max) Potion
Razz Berries
Silver Razz Berries
Nanab Berries
Poké Balls
In addition, the stardust varies between 125 and 250. However, not every trainer received stardust. Some received one extra item instead. Whether there will be other items from the balloons besides those mentioned is currently unknown.
Furthermore, Google uses this balloon to refer to one of their other bonuses, which currently exists. Trainers can earn quadruple points when purchasing through the Play Store in connection with Pokémon GO. Play Store users can collect these points to later convert them into vouchers. This action runs until July 18, 2021.
Who can receive the balloon? Unfortunately, there were restrictions on who could receive the sponsored bonuses from Google last time. In some cases, only Google users could enjoy the gifts. Whether this is also the case for the balloon has not yet been officially announced.
However, there are reports in the community from Apple users who have also received these sponsored balloons. Reddit user cobalt_phantom reports that he received two balloons via his iPad (via reddit.com). Thus, these gifts might be available for all trainers in Pokémon GO this time.
Have you already spotted a pink hot air balloon? And what items did you receive? Feel free to share your experience with us in the comments here at MeinMMO.
Have you actually bought a ticket for the upcoming GO Fest? We have looked at what bonuses you will receive at the Pokémon GO Fest 2021 with and without ticket and for whom the ticket purchase is worthwhile.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The European guild Echo is leading the race for the First Kill in World of Warcraft. But the Americans are catching up.
Currently, the “World First Race” is taking place in World of Warcraft, where the most successful guilds in the world are trying to defeat Sylvanas Windrunner in the Sanctum of Domination on Mythic difficulty first. The “usual suspects” are at the top – but America has now lost its time advantage.
America had an advantage, but lost it: As usual, the Americans started the race a few hours earlier, as their maintenance takes place sooner. Thus, the guild Limit was able to kill 5 of the 10 bosses before the European guilds could even start. However, Limit quickly had to give up that lead, as Echo overtook them at the 6th boss and also killed the 7th immediately afterward. You can see the kill video for the Guardian of the First here (pull begins around 37:17:30):
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However, Limit was not idle and organized “Split Raids” during this time to better equip their characters and bring more performance to the upcoming fights.
Which boss are the guilds currently stuck on? The majority of large guilds, like Big Dumb Gaming, Method, or Pieces, are still stuck on the Torturer Raznal. He is generally regarded as a real “wall” and has already held back many guilds on normal and heroic; on Mythic difficulty, he has a few more mechanics that can end in instant death and allow no mistakes.
The currently top guilds have now defeated 7 out of 10 bosses and have engaged in battle with Fate Scribe Roh-Kalo. Only Echo and Limit have reached the 8th boss and are currently racing against each other there. The official “lead” is still held by Echo (via wowprogress.com), as they were the first to defeat the Torturer and the Guardian of the First before Limit caught up a few hours later.
More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
Only 2 bosses now separate the professional guilds from the finale with Sylvanas Windrunner. It seems that the race for the World First Kill is going to be really exciting this time. Perhaps a few more guilds will join in the coming hours and manage to overcome the Torturer…
Are you following the race for the World First Kill? Or does it leave you completely cold?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Valve’s CEO explains that the price of the Steam Deck is “painful” for the company. However, the new Steam console needs an aggressive pricing policy if it wants to establish itself in the market in the long term.
Who is speaking? Gabe Newell is the CEO of Valve, which also owns the Steam platform. On the occasion of the official presentation of the “Steam Deck”, he gave an interview to the online magazine IGN.
What does he say? In the English interview with IGN, Newell explains that the price is a painful thing for him and the company. He says (via IGN.com):
I want to take this in hand and say, oh, everything works. Everything is fast. Everything is … and then the price point was secondary and painful. But that was clearly a critical aspect. But the first thing was performance and experience, [that] was the biggest and most fundamental limitation that drove this.
When it came to performance, one did not want to make compromises, and if you look at the specs of the “Steam Deck,” it certainly appears that way at first glance. Instead, one is clearly deviating from the pricing policy, which is likely to be “painful” for Valve.
Valve’s hardware director, Shreya Liu, confirmed Newell’s statement, saying that the price was crucial from the beginning. “We knew that the price point was very important, so […] we made sure from the beginning and worked very, very hard to reach the price point we are at now.”
That’s why such a policy is not unusual: Such an aggressive price is not uncommon in the hardware industry. Manufacturers like Sony have also deliberately sold their consoles below their value to establish their consoles and then recoup revenues through subscriptions or digital sales.
With the PlayStation 4, Sony learned something from the problems with the PS3 and sold the PlayStation 4 at a significantly lower price:
Valve pursues an aggressive pricing policy with the Steam Deck
That’s why the price is so important: The price is “painful” for Valve but serves a clear goal, as they want to establish their new console in the long term and “establish a product category” with the Steam Deck that should function in the long term and offer various advantages.
And in order to establish the product and bring it to market quickly, Valve is willing to adopt an aggressive pricing policy. Newell says: “So we are definitely… our viewpoint is… we are doing this for the long term. And there are a lot of possibilities.”
With a starting price of around 400 Euros, it ranks under the next-gen consoles PS5 and Xbox Series X, which cost 499 Euros. For a current gaming PC, you currently need to spend at least 800 Euros or more if you want to game properly. Because graphics cards are still very expensive and hardly available, but at least the prices for graphics cards are currently dropping again.
And that is likely to become a problem that Valve might face: The question remains whether Valve can actually meet the high demand for the “Steam Deck”.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Riot Games has announced some changes for the client of League of Legends. Along with a new lobby and an adjusted match history, new customization options have also been announced. All of this is set to be released in 2021.
What is changing? The focus of the updates is primarily on two things:
On one hand, players will be given more ways to showcase their progress and achievements in the game and stand out from others.
On the other hand, old UI elements will be adjusted to accommodate these new features.
Overall, 9 major changes are planned, which aim to strengthen the individual identity of players while also removing unnecessary elements and text. However, there will not be a completely new client as some players wish.
New personalization options, frames, and titles
What can you showcase in your profile in the future? Riot Games aims to give you the opportunity to customize your account according to your preferences. Especially in the queue and during the loading process, players should be able to stand out with their achievements.
These adjustments include the selection of special frames, icons, and other new customization options, including:
Special titles that you can earn which should match your playstyle.
Identity crystals that change with your progress and represent a kind of footprint of your adventures in LoL.
Banner accents that you can use to replace your banners in the loading screens and lobby. However, this feature is still in an early development stage.
The new interface for customizing your profile along with some titles that you can earn.
Additionally, an adjustment to the current prestige levels is planned. Until now, you received a new tier frame by reaching new prestige classes, but you no longer had access to the old versions. In the future, you will be able to select these again.
What changes will be made to ranked emblems? In the blog post about the changes, Riot Games emphasizes that success in ranked play is an important aspect in LoL that should be displayed outwardly. However, it is still unclear what exact changes will be made.
Several options have been shown, including this image where the characteristic helmets have been redesigned:
Here’s how ranked emblems might look in the future.
UI is getting some adjustments
What is changing in the UI? In terms of UI, the lobby, loading screens, and game summary will be adjusted. The changes are intended to align the game with the art style of 2021 and create space for new features that allow players to customize their profiles.
In this image, you can see the new progress crystal in the middle and some other new adjustments:
This is what a future new lobby might look like.
What do you think about the new personalization options and the adjustments to the UI? Do you like the updates or do you find them unnecessary? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
In addition to adjustments to the client and personalization, Riot Games is also addressing another issue, which is queue dodging. There may soon be stricter penalties for this:
Félix “xQC” Lengyel is currently the largest streamer on Twitch. But with fame come problems: xQc now believes he is putting people in his circle in danger. Apparently, crazy people are showing up at his home. xQc has since left the USA and is back living in Canada. Now he is considering selling his house.
However, recently things have been turbulent for xQc: He left his house, stayed with his friend Sodapoppin, and missed several streams due to “renovations” at his residence.
Now he explains what lies behind it. He fled from his old house after there were repeated swatting incidents and a man broke in with a crowbar. By now, xQc is back living in Canada.
A man breaks into xQc’s house with a crowbar, “looking for him”
This is what xQc says about the move: The streamer says: His living situation has gotten worse over the past few months. He talks about being “swatted” regularly.
In swatting, people call the police and describe a threatening situation, like a hostage situation, with the intention of sending a police SWAT team to a streamer’s address. This is a highly dangerous situation: There have been incidents where people have lost their lives. Perpetrators received long prison sentences.
The situation reportedly worsened the more xQc spoke about it in his Twitch streams:
“When I say: My house gets a lot of SWAT calls, then exactly the opposite of what you think is going to happen occurs. It gets worse, believe it or not.”
xQc
Even now, as xQc talks about it, one can tell that he is not speaking as fluently as usual. He says it is “very personal.”
The peak of the mess was reached when a man broke into his house:
“The swatting increased, and then a person broke into my old house with a crowbar. Apparently, he was looking for me. At that point, I thought: Holy shit, this is really crazy.”
xQc
xQc doesn’t know the man’s motives. It was said that the man claimed, “xQc owed him something” – but for the Twitch streamer, it is incomprehensible what that could have been. He doesn’t even understand what the man wanted from him.
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xQc considers selling house – Just wants to have fun
This is how it went for him: After he had to flee from the old house, xQc stayed with his friend Sodapoppin, also a Twitch streamer. But it didn’t last long.
xQc says: Even there, “weird stuff” happened after a short time:
“I felt it was unfair to everyone around me that I was putting them in danger.”
xQc
xQc is considering selling his old house now and starting anew elsewhere. He says he just wants to have peace, not worry anymore, and stream in peace.
He left the USA a few weeks ago, dismantled his setup in Austin, Texas, and is back in his home country of Canada.
Big streamers struggle with problems when their location becomes known
This is what’s behind it: Recently, there have been increasing horror stories of confused individuals breaking into streamers’ homes.
Apparently, the addresses of streamers are circulating in certain circles: Once the address is known, there is hardly any way to live there in peace.
Even in Germany, there are horror stories about the streamer “Drachenlord,” who lives in a village that is now regularly besieged by fans who make a sort of sightseeing event out of visiting the somewhat eccentric streamer.
One case we reported in detail on MeinMMO: An apparently mentally disturbed man broke into the house of a female streamer who was holding a cooking show at the time. The man apparently thought he had to “rescue a princess”:
