Since the pre-patch of WoW BC Classic was applied, you can buy a deluxe edition and a level boost separately. This may sound like a useful tool, but it is not necessarily advisable. Especially new players should be cautious.
What is this feature? The Blizzard shop now has two new items for sale, giving you access to digital extras in BC Classic:
the deluxe edition of Burning Crusade
as well as the “Dark Portal Pass”
In both cases, a character boost to level 58 is guaranteed. Boosted characters can immediately start with the new contents of Burning Crusade, as these are playable at level 58. They also receive a mount, as well as the regular riding ability, weapon skills, equipment, and gold, as well as bags and flight paths.
The boost is a one-time offer. You can only bring one single character per account to level 58 and cannot purchase further boosts.
In the deluxe edition, there are useful items – including a level boost.
In itself, this is an enormously practical offer if you want to check out Burning Crusade with friends or simply on your own. However, you should carefully consider whether to use the boost, and if so, how you want to do it. We’ll give you three reasons why you should not use the boost.
You will learn to value your time again
Leveling in Classic takes time. This may sound like an argument for a boost, but it actually speaks against it. Because through the time you invest in your character, you learn to appreciate the effort.
If you need an hour or more to level up, the familiar light column feels much more satisfying. Every new piece of equipment is a highlight because it means that the next level might come a bit earlier.
And items are associated with effort. You have no heirlooms that level with you or receive a reward from each quest that fits your level. Items from quests are rare, and dungeons also take some time, assuming there is anything there for you.
Armor or even a weapon that fits every level? Not in Classic!
It can easily take three or more runs through an instance just to get one of the pieces you want. The new weapon, the shield, or the breastplate will then be worn with pride and satisfaction until it is eventually replaced.
You will learn to love the world and the game
World of Warcraft has captivated millions of players over the years, and this enthusiasm is not without reason. The deep story and the vast world are some of the reasons why so many fans have fallen in love with WoW.
In Classic, there are still some quest lines that send you across the world – and back again. The running around can be annoying, but if you’re interested in the story, you’ll find many interesting details and information in quest texts and the environment.
Just the prequest line for Onyxia’s Lair is a huge story about betrayal, intrigue, and hypocrisy like something out of a thriller. If you use a boost, you won’t find all these wonderful stories anymore – or you’ll have to catch up later. And let’s be honest: who wants to do that voluntarily?
Today, in Retail, many of these quests have been trimmed to progress faster. So you don’t get that experience there anymore either. Furthermore, Azeroth is large enough to discover new things even with a second or third character per faction.
You will truly learn your class
The last and most important point is that leveling gradually introduces you to your class. You don’t have several action bars full of abilities right away, but you learn step by step.
This way, you not only consistently learn more about your class but can also better assess which spells you need and which you don’t. This keeps your action bars better organized and clear.
Since the leveling phase takes quite a while, you will spend dozens of hours with your character before your first dungeons or even raids and PvP battles in Burning Crusade. This way, fewer mistakes will happen, or you might even be able to salvage a runaway situation.
In Classic, there are still a lot of talent points – one for each level from level 10.
With a boost, this is usually not the case, and you risk possibly losing the enjoyment of the game. If you are thrown straight into endgame content, it can be frustrating not to understand any of it.
In the end, you will only need two or three abilities for many classes, but to know that, you need experience. Classic is not necessarily more complex than Retail, but it is more extensive.
If you are absolutely sure that you want to skip the leveling phase, you should at least be familiar with your class. It’s not about the gameplay of Retail WoW, but from back then.
Today, all classes play quite differently. Only if you still know very well how your character functioned back then, is a boost actually sensible – or if you are ready to learn it again.
In any case, expect that even with a boost, you will need to spend a few additional hours learning the class and sorting the spells. Even with a guide, it will take some time until you make no more mistakes.
In Destiny 2 the weekly reset takes place today, June 1st. Can the Guardians expect a quieter week in Season 14 or will it continue to be as hectic as the last few days? In any case, all activities are rotating, and you can once again grab the valuable pinnacle loot.
What does a Guardian’s daily life look like? The Splicer season is no longer brand new in Destiny 2 and has already unleashed quite a bit of content.
A look at the Season 14 roadmap reveals that this week will be rather quiet. Only a new expungement mission has been officially announced as content. You will delve deeper into the neon-colored Vex network to end the dark simulation.
In the Nightfall: The Heist, you can look forward to double loot.
If you’re looking for experience, glimmer, and seasonal materials, you have your hands full with the new weekly challenges. But no stress, you have the whole season to tackle these.
However, after the exciting raid days of last week, it may also be nice to have some time to collect the new catalysts and encounter the fresh exotics or search for hidden chests – if you haven’t done so already.
This week also sees the big Stasis nerf, which the Crucible enthusiasts have been looking forward to for over half a year. But what else should keep the Guardians occupied? MeinMMO takes a look at the weekly reset, and if something exciting happens, you will read about it here soon.
Playlist Strikes are available with the following modifiers:
Void Singe
Heavyweight
Iron
As always: The Singe buff remains the same each day. The other two modifiers change daily.
At the end of the twisted column, a mighty Vex awaits its beating
Crucible: Lord Shaxx takes pride in these PvP playlists:
Private Match
Rumble
Control
Elimination
Glory Survival
Glory Survival: Freelance
Dynamic Control
Petra Venj can now be found in the Dreaming City right at the spawn point – as always in the 2nd curse week. At the same time, the 6th Ascendant Challenge is active.
Sources for Pinnacle Loot in Season 14 of Destiny 2
This is the new max level: In the season of the Splicer, the maximum power level of your gear rises to 1,320. This is a rather small jump of only +10 (from the previous Season 13). This aims to reduce the annoying grind, and if you were diligent in Season 13, you only need to play the pinnacle activities to boost your level.
Here you can find pinnacle loot that can get you over 1,310:
Achieve at least 100,000 points as a team in Nightfall: The Heist (+2)
The manufacturer EPOS has introduced a new streaming microphone, the B20. MeinMMO presents the microphone.
The most important points at a glance:
The EPOS B20 is a wired streaming microphone.
The device is connected with a 2.9 m long USB cable and is compatible with PC, PS4 and Macintosh.
Testers are impressed by the good voice quality and the high-quality workmanship.
The microphone is now available for 199.99 Euros at various retailers.
The Danish manufacturer EPOS has introduced a streaming microphone with the B20. With the new microphone, they aim to appeal primarily to gamers, streamers, and content creators. Recently, the manufacturer published a good all-round gaming headset, the EPOS H3.
MeinMMO presents the microphone in detail. We also take a look at the first reviews of the B20. Subsequently, we will see what competition currently exists between 150 and 200 Euros.
The EPOS B20 features a robust design and easy handling
What the streaming microphone offers: The B20 is made of an aluminum housing and has a sleek, understated black finish.
Additionally, EPOS relies on a plug-and-use design. This means that you can use the device immediately once it is connected to your PC or console. Furthermore, switches and connections are located directly on the microphone:
On the microphone, you will find buttons for volume, gain, and mute. LEDs indicate whether you are muted or audible.
The B20 also features a headphone jack, allowing you to hear your voice directly if you wish.
On the Windows PC, you can also use the “EPOS Gaming Suite”. With this software, you can adjust fine settings like your voice volume or noise filter.
The microphone comes with a table stand, so you can set it up directly on your desk. Alternatively, a thread for an articulated arm is also included. This means you can hang the microphone with a mount over the desk.
Close-up views of the EPOS B20.
Which devices is the microphone compatible with? You can use the EPOS B20 microphone with a Windows PC, PlayStation 4, or Macintosh. You connect the microphone to your preferred device via a USB cable.
When and where can you buy the device? The EPOS B20 microphone is now available at selected retailers for a recommended retail price of 199 Euros.
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Initial testers praise the high voice quality and processing of the microphone
The testers from VG247 have already been able to test the microphone (via vg247.com). They praise the simple and elegant design as well as the ease of use. The software is easy to use, and you can adjust the device to your needs. The device also offers good audio quality.
Testers criticize primarily the noise sensitivity of the device. Sounds that are directly near the microphone can be strongly perceived, which can be distracting.
James Smythe from MightyGadget was also able to test the microphone (via mightygadget.co.uk). The tester praises the good workmanship and especially the high voice quality of the microphone. He is unsure about the effectiveness of some voice enhancements in the software but finds it good that these features are available. The microphone is suitable for various tasks like streaming or gaming due to its multiple capabilities.
There is criticism of the price of around 200 Euros, which is above the competition. The Blue Yeti X can be had for about 20 Euros less.
Is MeinMMO testing the microphone? We at MeinMMO will also test the microphone in detail for you. So check back regularly if you want to read the review of the EPOS B20.
With the Blue Yeti X, the EPOS B20 already faces strong competition
What does the competition look like? In the price range between 150 and 200 Euros, there are already several well-known microphone representatives for gamers and aspiring streamers.
The Blue Yeti X is the most notable representative for around 160 Euros. The robust microphone features an LED-lit control panel that displays the volume at a glance. The sound quality is very good. MeinMMO has tested the WOW edition of the Yeti X for you.
Elgato Wave 3 is a slightly cheaper representative, costing around 150 Euros. The microphone offers good voice quality, is easy to use, and is compatible with many desktop devices and mounts.
A third alternative would be the Rode NT-USB. You can get it for around 155 Euros. The device also relies on a USB connection and has an integrated headphone jack for monitoring your voice recording.
The official reveal date for the upcoming Battlefield installment has been announced. New information about the upcoming shooter will be available in June.
When will the new Battlefield be shown? As officially announced on the Battlefield Twitter account, the new Battlefield installment will be unveiled to the public on June 9th. The reveal will take place at 4:00 PM – so anyone who wants to get the latest information about the game should mark the date in their calendar.
However, any game content is still missing in the teaser. All that is presented is the text “Battlefield” – a numbering like “Battlefield 6”, or a subtitle, are notably absent.
This information is already available: In addition to the new reveal date on June 9th, there is currently little information available about the upcoming Battlefield installment. The release timeframe for the game has been mentioned as between October and December 2021 – by the end of 2021, Battlefield should be playable. In the past, Battlefield installments typically released between October and November.
On which platforms will Battlefield run? As of now, the shooter is set to be released on PC, Xbox Series X | S, and PlayStation 5. It is also expected to be released on the last-gen consoles Xbox One and PS4. According to information from a financial report, in which the release timeframe was also announced, the new installment is expected to be aligned with the performance capabilities of the new console generation.
However, it remains unclear what the setting and content of the game will look like. An insider claimed earlier this year that the game would draw inspiration from Battlefield 3 and would likely take on a modern direction.
It can be assumed that the reveal on June 9th will clarify many of the open questions about the new “Battlefield”. That is Wednesday next week – thus, the unveiling of the game is just over a week away. You can find a detailed overview of the new installment here: Battlefield – All known information about the multiplayer shooter.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, on June 1st, the new expansion Blackwood for The Elder Scrolls Online was released on PC. The release went smoothly and is accompanied by a new trailer that sets the mood for the dark story.
What is happening right now in ESO? Around 1:00 PM our time, the servers of The Elder Scrolls Online went live again after maintenance. Since then, the first players can already explore the new area of Dark Forest, experience the new story, and unlock companions.
So far, there have been no server problems or major bugs during the release of the Blackwood expansion. This was quite different at the release of Greymoor the previous year.
If something should happen, we at MeinMMO will inform you about it in this article.
For those who want to get into the story of the expansion, you can watch the new cinematic trailer for the Gates of Oblivion. In it, the heroes from ESO fight against the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon:
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How do you start with Blackwood? If you want to start directly with the story of Blackwood, you can open the group window (default key “P” on PC) and there open the area guide. Click on Dark Forest and then select “Begin story”. This way, you will be shown on the map where you can start the first quest.
Alternatively, you can travel directly through the wayshrines in the Dark Forest and search for the quest yourself.
How do you get the new companions? For that, you first need to complete a quest:
Bastian Hallix is available through the quest Competition and Contracts. You can find it south of the Etched Vale on the coast. To start the quest, you need to speak to the companion directly.
Mirri Elendis has the quest Shattered and Scattered and you can find her north of the Doom Vault Vulpinaz in the north of Dark Forest. It starts by reading the note Adventurers wanted for an exciting matter!, which you can find on the ground. Or you can speak to Mirri a bit further north directly.
If you want to start completely fresh with Blackwood, there is a new tutorial available. There you will learn the basics of the MMORPG and can then decide whether to start with the original story, an older expansion, or directly with Blackwood.
The Twitch streamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel loves role-playing on the No Pixel server in GTA 5 and is enormously successful at it. But he behaves so villainously that he has been banned from the server repeatedly. Now he is rising up: Apparently, he brings so much money to the server owner that he is supposed to get his own server. There, the rules for the bad guys will be more lenient.
This is the situation:
The Canadian Félix “xQc” Lengyel is the most successful Twitch streamer in the world in 2021. When he role-plays in GTA 5, tens of thousands watch him. However, on the “No Pixel” server, he plays a villain and behaves so badly that he gets banned from the server: He cheats, insults people, and does not follow the rules.
xQc has surely been banned from the server at least half a dozen times, but he always came back. However, the last time it seemed as if the ban was permanent. xQc realized that although he loves role-playing on the server, he simply cannot adhere to the strict rules of the server.
Now, however, the boss of the server announced: xQc and anyone who wants to play as villainous as he does will get their own new server.
xQc loses control because he is terrible at losing
How did xQc mess it up? The Twitch streamer was incredibly successful with his adventures in GTA 5, but something always got in his way. xQc is known to be a notoriously bad loser: When another streamer came at him in GTA 5, xQc would harshly insult him, threaten to get him banned from the server or use his massive audience against the other. Additionally, xQc also resorted to cheats and tricks to gain an advantage.
Other streamers on the server did not like this: They found xQc egocentric and annoying. They did not want to be “milked” by him for YouTube clips.
Ultimately, xQc’s rule violations repeatedly led to him being banned from the popular server, sulking for a few days while his success on Twitch dwindled, and then he was allowed back on the server.
The last ban, however, seemed truly permanent: xQc had resigned himself on May 23 that he simply could not play GTA 5 anymore, despite his love for the role-play.
He just couldn’t control his temper:
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xQc apologized after bans repeatedly: He had lost control and acted out violently.
Super Server for GTA 5 gets “Sister Server”
This is now the new message: xQc tells his fans that the founder of “No Pixel”, Koli, has now agreed to open a sister server where the rules are supposed to be more lenient.
As xQc says, he spoke with Koli off-stream. The server is already ready to launch and will go live in a few days:
The server is supposed to provide significantly more money – about twice as much.
The penalties are supposed to remain the same, but because there is more money, the penalties will be indirectly halved.
The most important thing is that xQc cannot be banned from this server.
According to xQc, the server is already a big success for Koli: The server is already sold out.
Koli has confirmed in his own stream that the server is essentially supposed to be a copy of the “No Pixel” server, with significantly more money (via twitch). The server is supposed to be more about fun. Koli himself says he will not take it too seriously.
Here’s the thing: This is a prime example of “Good streamers go to heaven – bad streamers everywhere.”
xQc has gathered a massive audience around him with his portrayal as an outlaw who does not follow any rules and follows every impulse, wanting to see him break the rules.
A normal streamer would have disappeared after ban number X. But xQc is apparently “Too big to fail” and gets a special pass.
The question is whether a server “just for the bad guys” will have the same success as the old one. Because a large part of xQc’s joy was to misbehave on a server where many others play by the rules and even embody police officers who enforce the rules.
Together with the first expansion of WoW Classic, the Deluxe Edition of Burning Crusade Classic was also released. This includes some cosmetics as well as useful items. A handful of players seem to find these items a significant thorn in their side.
What are people spitting about? Since the pre-patch launched on May 19, you can buy a Deluxe Edition of BC Classic in the Blizzard Shop for €64.99. This edition includes some goodies:
a mount for all characters in BC Classic
a mount for all characters in Retail-WoW
“Illidan’s Path”, a toy
the Dark Portal as a hearthstone
30 days of playtime
a character boost to level 58 (one-time use and separately available for €39.99)
Most of the content is purely cosmetic. However, the boost and the mount do offer actual advantages. Some players apparently find these advantages so annoying that they spit on players and even use addons for it (via WoW Forums).
Does this happen often? When I played, it only happened twice on the way to level 60 that a player from the group was spat on because of their mount. Unfortunately, I realized too late and thus have no screenshot ready.
These are the contents of the Deluxe Edition. The phase hunters are hard to miss.
The biggest WoW streamer, Asmongold, even explicitly called on his community to spit on players with a shop mount (via Twitter.com). There are even weak auras (a kind of setting for a popular addon) that automatically spit on players when a player with a deluxe mount walks by (via wago.io).
My group and I, on the other hand, were generally spat on more often, for example, when we could attack a quest opponent before someone else. So nothing too unusual in Classic, which has even occurred in the past (via reddit.com).
If you want to fight back: There is another weak aura that automatically laughs at people who spit on you (via wago.io).
How “bad” are the contents really: To be precise, buyers of the Deluxe Pack actually have a gameplay advantage. The phase hunter serves as both a normal and an epic mount. Normally you would pay for these mounts at the vendor:
10 gold for a normal mount
100 gold for an epic mount
somewhat less at revered reputation
In total, you can save up to 110 gold pieces per character if you opt for the shop mount. While this is a considerable amount in Classic, the actual difficulty of riding comes from the skill, which is significantly more expensive (35 gold for normal and 600 gold for epic riding).
These skills still need to be learned, which somewhat relativizes the savings for the mounts. The character boost, on the other hand, comes with a compromise: Those who want to skip the leveling phase can get to their friends faster but forgo the leveling experience of Classic. Leveling is considered by some players to be the best time in the game, and whether to skip the phase is a personal decision for everyone.
When will BC Classic be released? In the night from Tuesday, June 1, to Wednesday, June 2, at exactly 0:00 German time, the Dark Portal will open for the second time. From then on, you can experience the shattered realm and The Burning Crusade for the second time.
However, BC Classic will not be exactly as it was released for the first time 14 years ago. There will be some changes, but that doesn’t have to be bad:
In Call of Duty: Warzone, there are currently as many weapons considered strong and usable as ever. Nevertheless, there are still certain meta weapons that dominate the battlefields. Warzone pro Nicholas “Nickmercs” Kolcheff does not care about this – he plays with a loadout of two weapons that currently hardly anyone has on their radar.
For many months, Call of Duty: Warzone was limited to a few strong weapons. Sure – no one forced players to only use the meta weapons. But often, you were at a disadvantage without the strong firearms.
In Season 3, everything is different, and many weapons are considered strong. But Warzone streamer and shooter pro “Nickmercs” disregards the recommendations. He is currently using an aggressive loadout featuring the “AS VAL” and the light machine gun “PKM” and can only recommend that everyone try these weapons for themselves. MeinMMO shows you his setups and why the combination actually looks very powerful.
Nickmercs shows off-meta loadout with PKM and AS VAL
Nickmercs’s aggressive loadout:
Primary: PKM
Secondary: AS VAL
Blue perk: Fast Hands
Red perk: Overkill
Yellow perk: Eager
What makes his loadout so strong? With his weapon selection, he makes few compromises, completely specializing in close combat and long-range combat. You should avoid engagements at medium range with this loadout or only play from a good position.
That is also the strength of the loadout – if your positioning is right, you can disregard medium range in Warzone. You should approach enemies in this area differently:
Only attack enemies between 30 – 70 meters if they have not spotted you
Increase the distance to your opponent and take a well-covered position
Get closer and eliminate enemies in close combat
Depending on the situation, preferences, and instructions from your team leader, you should decide: Should I push the opponent with the VAL or eliminate the enemy from long range with the PKM?
Nickmercs swaps the Overkill perk for the Ghost perk during a match.
If you want to see gameplay with the loadout, we are embedding an English video from Nickmercs here. In the end, he ends up with 19 kills:
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CoD Warzone: AS VAL with setup, advantages and disadvantages
Warzone: AS VAL setup
Barrel: VLK 200mm Osa
Stock: Stovl 6P30 Base
Underbarrel: Merc Foregrip
Ammo: 30-round magazine
Grip: Rubberized Grip Tape
What makes the AS VAL strong? The assault rifle from Modern Warfare is the winner in the DPS ranking of automatic weapons in Warzone and has the lowest time-to-kill (TTK) for chest hits. With this weapon, you can clear your opponents out of the way in no time – if the enemies are close enough.
The AS VAL remains pleasantly stable and is a real powerhouse in close combat.
What can the AS VAL not do so well? A drawback of the AS VAL is its increasing recoil at greater distances and its tiny magazine. Especially due to the small magazines, it is not seen as a meta weapon in team matches in Warzone.
You can load a maximum of 30 rounds into the magazine – too few when multiple opponents show up. Therefore, the AS VAL is considered a weapon more suited for solo mode. In solo rounds, you encounter multiple opponents at the same time less frequently.
Nickmercs still recommends the weapon for team matches and believes that the disadvantages are more than compensated for by the high damage. He says that you can easily get 2 kills with the small magazine before you need to reload if you surprise a team from behind.
What’s important are the 1vs1 engagements, where your opponent knows that you are coming around the corner. And in these situations, you have the advantage with the AS VAL – as an aggressive player, you even have a visual advantage.
CoD Warzone: PKM with setup, advantages and disadvantages
Warzone: PKM setup
Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
Barrel: Extended 26.9″ Barrel
Sight: VLK 3.0x Scope
Stock: FORGE TAC Stalker
Underbarrel: Grip
What makes the PKM strong? The light machine gun offers you good damage, controllable recoil, and lots of ammunition. With this setup, the damage drops at around 50 meters but still remains at the level of the popular Krig 6.
PKM vs. Krig 6 – TTK comparison chest hits
PKM: TTK up to about 50 meters – 560 milliseconds, then 640 milliseconds
Krig 6: TTK up to about 42 meters – 644 milliseconds, then 736 milliseconds
You can deal the high damage effectively due to the good stability. The PKM is among the 10 most stable weapons in Modern Warfare and is very easy to use with a bit of practice. Plus, you get 100 rounds in the standard magazine for your attack.
What can the PKM not do so well? The PKM shares the fate of most light machine guns in Warzone – it is terribly slow. The important mobility is lost with the weapon in Warzone:
Low aim down sights speed
Poor movement speed
Long reloading time
For Nickmercs, this is not a problem – he is a fan of light machine guns. While you take the disadvantages of such a weapon into account, if you adapt your playstyle and only use the PKM for your long-range and surprise kills, the negative aspects rarely disturb you.
Warzone has become more exciting since the start of Season 3. The action hero event makes you want more, the communication in the patch notes is now better, and the weapon meta includes as many weapons as ever.
This is also proven by Nickmercs – instead of rushing to the “overpowered” meta weapons, he chooses two rather unpopular weapons as his favorites in Season 3. A few months ago, this was virtually unthinkable; in the current Warzone, it’s the order of the day.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The recent discussion on the internet about whether the heroine Aloy from the new game Horizon Forbidden West should be deemed “feminine” and “beautiful” has made our author Jürgen Horn really angry. He wonders: Why do we still have to have this discussion in 2021?
What happened? There was a recent presentation of gameplay scenes and cutscenes for the upcoming action RPG Horizon Forbidden West. This immediately sparked a controversial discussion.
However, the reason was not the displayed gameplay or the graphics, but mainly the appearance of the heroine Aloy. She has supposedly become intentionally “uglier” and “chubbier” and is entirely un-feminine.
A user even posted on Twitter (now no longer publicly accessible) a fan art of a made-up and beaming Aloy next to an image from the cutscene and claimed:
Is it just me or is Sony making their female protagonists totally masculine… Almost no curves or just rough non-feminine facial features. Unlike average women. […] Picture from the game on the left, fan-made picture on the right. Hire your fans lol
Why, the hell, do we still have to have this tedious discussion about female characters in media and especially games in 2021?
Why is it still so important to some people that utterly unrealistic beauty ideals must consistently be implemented for all female characters?
Especially the image of the “beautiful” Aloy looks like the perfectly styled (and often photoshop-enabled) profile pictures of Instagram models and doesn’t fit at all with the tough heroine of a post-apocalyptic action RPG.
Where is Aloy supposed to get her makeup and other beauty products in the apocalypse? She crawls through the jungles of the distant future and hides from dino-machines in dirty bushes. I wouldn’t buy her glossy appearance at all, and the immersion of the setting would be severely disturbed.
The same goes for other games. Nothing annoys me more than when female warriors wear absurd “chainmail bikinis” or extra detailed “booby armor” instead of heavy armor. Or completely impractical plate boots with stiletto heels. The list of fashion sins among female warriors is long… This becomes all the more apparent when you compare them to the male heroes in the same games.
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That’s why male heroes don’t have these problems: Men in video games do have armors and outfits that allow for epic battles with a clear conscience. Additionally, there is much more diversity in body shapes among male protagonists. There are strong noble athletes just as well as nimble rogues, skinny wizard boys and overweight brawlers.
However, the female heroes are usually of the supermodel type and are intended to impress mainly with attractiveness. When was the last time you saw a tall, strong woman, preferably also overweight, as a playable heroine anywhere? I can’t think of one!
Especially in games from Asia, this trend of overly sexualized and reduced to looks heroines is still widespread, while it is slowly coming to an end in the West.
More stories from the gaming community on MeinMMO can be found here:
That’s why the whole discussion ultimately has a silver lining: The reason for this development is probably the discussion that is currently swirling around Aloy and Horizon Forbidden West. Because as tedious as the topic is: The more we talk about it, the more it becomes apparent how unfair and foolish the one-sided ideals and representations of women in games are.
Because while in the 90s even in the West female characters were mainly “beautiful” and “sexy”, a change in thinking has now occurred. With the new Lara Croft, the bust does not immediately stand out as the most prominent feature.
Games like Apex Legends, For Honor, and ESO deliberately refrain from one-sided, sexualized depictions of women and stand out mainly for their diversity and original, relatable, and fitting designs.
Even if we probably still have to have this discussion for a few years: It’s getting better!
For Honor doesn’t need to put women in “boob armor”.
By the way, there is also a noteworthy commentary on the differing portrayal of women and men in games on our sister site GameStar.
As Cryptic Studios announces, tomorrow, on June 2nd, the ninth class of the MMORPG Neverwinter will finally be revealed. It will be the first new class since 2016. Fans are now speculating: Is the Druid finally coming?
Not many probably expected this. After more than 5 years, the MMORPG Neverwinter is receiving a new class.
Developer Cryptic Studios announced this via their official Twitter account. It will be the ninth class overall. Now another class is being added. Which could it be?
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What was speculated back then? Back then, a tarot card depicting the Druid was published on the Facebook page for Neverwinter. For many players, a definite hint. Since then, however, nothing has happened.
This card caused speculations in 2018.
What can the Druid do? Druids are one of the standard classes in D&D. In almost every setting of Dungeons & Dragons, nature mages appear.
Their specialties are nature magic, summoning various pets, and transforming into large monsters. Druids are very versatile and are a popular class in D&D.
In the D&D MMORPG Neverwinter, however, you will look in vain for Druids. The class is simply not present.
When will there be more information? From June 2nd, we will know which class will now come to Neverwinter. According to the Twitter post, there should be details about the new class via IGN (via Twitter.com/IGN).
What classes are currently available? These are the 8 classes from Neverwinter:
Oathbound Paladin
Guardian Fighter
Tactical Wizard
Beware Ranger
Two-Handed Weapon Fighter
Cleric of Faith
Devastator Warlock
Trickster Rogue
Each of the classes has their MMO-typical characteristics and fields of application. For example, Clerics of Faith and Oathbound Paladins serve as healers, while the Guardian Fighter is more suitable as a solo class. Which class is best for which situation can be read on our site: Neverwinter – Which is the best class?
Which class could come next? Do you also believe it will be the Druid? Or do you have another candidate? Discuss with us in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, on June 1, 2021, the Spotlight Hour featuring Lithomith starts in Pokémon GO. We will see who the event is worth it for.
This is a Spotlight Hour: This event regularly takes place on Tuesday evenings in Pokémon GO. During the Spotlight Hour, a specific Pokémon is highlighted, which then spawns significantly more frequently. In addition, there is always a small bonus that you can secure.
This week you will find the Pokémon Lithomith in the Spotlight Hour. It comes from the fifth generation of the game and belongs to the Rock and Bug types.
Spotlight Hour with Lithomith – Start Time and Bonuses
When does it start? As usual, the Spotlight Hour starts at 6:00 PM. From this time, Lithomith will appear everywhere, until it ends again at 7:00 PM.
This is the bonus: During the Spotlight Hour, you will receive double catch XP. This means you should catch as many monsters as possible if you want to boost your XP account. If you use a Lucky Egg during this time, you can further increase the XP count for the caught Pokémon.
Here’s what you need to know about Lithomith: Lithomith is the base form of Castelith, which you can evolve for 50 candies. However, both monsters do not play a significant role in Pokémon battles. Neither as an Arena or Raid counter, nor as PvP monsters are they suitable.
Is there Shiny Lithomith? Yes, you have been able to get Shiny Lithomith for some time now. It has been available since the Bug Catching event in June 2020. It is characterized only by a slight change in color:
This is what the Shiny family of Lithomith looks like
Is today’s Spotlight Hour worth it? Primarily, today’s Spotlight Hour is good for gathering XP and thus securing some points on the way to the next level. Additionally, shiny hunters can benefit who do not yet own a Shiny Lithomith. With many spawns occurring, one might get lucky and encounter the shiny version.
In terms of battles, however, today’s Spotlight Hour is less worthwhile. Lithomith and Castelith are not Pokémon that you should necessarily include in your battle teams.
More exciting articles about Pokémon GO on MeinMMO:
Are you participating in the Spotlight Hour today, or are you skipping the event this time? Let us know in the comments on MeinMMO and exchange ideas with other trainers.
With the Lithomith Hour, the new month is just beginning. Which Spotlight Hours, Raid Hours, and other events are coming up next can be found in our overview of all events in June in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, some aliens are set to appear on the map for the next Season 7. Now, the first hints of the actual existence of the extraterrestrials can be found in the game. Are they coming to the game soon?
This was discovered: When exploring the Season 6 map, a crop circle that was likely created by aliens can now be found. The crop circle is located at Colossal Crops, after a cornfield there was completely removed a few days ago. Instead, a depiction with various patterns that cannot yet be identified can now be found there.
Depending on the distance, the crop circle can be seen from afar while still in the air. Here is what the new crop circle looks like:
Dataminers had already found several hints that UFOs and aliens will soon be on the map. However, it was still uncertain whether they would appear at the start of the new Season 7. But now the first traces of their existence can already be seen in the game – could the encounter be closer than expected?
Will we soon see the first UFO?
How might things progress with the aliens? So far, this crop circle is the first “official” hint that aliens will soon move into Fortnite, but it may not be the last circle. There are still other cornfields at Colossal Crops that have been flattened – it is possible that crop circles will appear there too before the aliens reveal themselves.
Dataminer HYPEX believes that the first UFO could appear in the game today. The leaker says that there is nothing else in the data that could be activated except for the UFOs. Since updates typically occur on Tuesdays, he thinks that the first UFO might be activated today (via Twitter).
What the UFOs are supposed to do and be capable of has also been found by the dataminer and posted on Twitter:
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According to the dataminers, these UFOs will simply appear, abduct players or even entire teams, and then release them at a random location with full health points. Now that the first clue has surfaced, it is quite possible that a UFO is hovering around – but keep in mind that activation has not yet been officially confirmed, and it is still unclear how often the aliens will actually appear.
Since we now know that the aliens are out there somewhere, you should keep your eyes open in case a UFO suddenly appears in the sky. Maybe you can actually see the first UFO today. It won’t be long before Season 6 comes to an end.
Hate, hate speech and intolerance have no place on MeinMMO and our sister sites. This is why we are taking a stand against it again this year and promoting diversity.
Throughout the year, we are committed on MeinMMO, GameStar and GamePro against hate and intolerant behavior. This is why we are also taking a stand against intolerance and hate again this year and letting the colorful banner shine on our sites.
The core essence of MMOs and multiplayer games is that they bring people together. It is various people from different corners of the earth who can have fun together and celebrate gaming. That’s why it is even more important for us to position ourselves as an MMO site against hate and hate speech. They have no place in gaming. Games do not differentiate who plays them – We are all gamers and in that we are equal.
We do this every day in the comments under our articles and want to make it very clear during Pride Month that we strictly reject discrimination and dehumanization of others. What we stand for in our online gaming communities also applies to us outside of that.
For us, diversity means appreciating the diversity of all our employees, their personalities, thoughts, and perspectives. We see diversity and respect as an important pillar of our success. We tell stories and create experiences that should give every customer and community member the feeling that they can enjoy our portfolio without reservation, transcending age, cultures, and languages.
Our goal is to connect the unique talents, values, and experiences that make each employee special. To grow, we must accept and integrate all personalities with whom we work unchanged. We believe that our goals are achievable if our teams understand and represent different cultures and backgrounds.
We are an employer where every employee should have equal opportunities. There is no discrimination based on skin color, ethnicity, origin, nationality, political opinion, religion, sexuality, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected categories.
Webedia Germany is committed to creating a respectful, open, and tolerant work environment. Our creativity is based on our diversity.
This year, we also chose the Progress-Pride-Flag (via them.us) for our banner. With its additional stripes in brown, black, white, pink, and light blue, it is even more inclusive. It additionally represents People of Color, the trans community, and people who suffer from or have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.
About the background of the statement: On June 28, 2021, the Stonewall Riots marked their 52nd anniversary. They are considered internationally as the starting point of the civil rights LGBTQ movement, which fights for equal rights worldwide and is annually commemorated with PRIDE marches (many of which are only held digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic) to remind us of the ongoing struggle for equality for all – regardless of skin color, ethnicity, origin, nationality, political opinion, religion, sexuality, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected categories.
Thank you, MeinMMO community
We would like to take this occasion to say a big thank you. Every day we see in the comments how you stand up against hate, racism, and intolerance. You confront it verbally, stand up for others, discuss, educate, and report comments that are not welcome on MeinMMO. So thank you for your amazing efforts, you are great!
Of course, things won’t always go perfectly, and there will always be comments that we will not tolerate on our site. But your support gives us extra strength to stand up against it. We are therefore glad to count you among our MeinMMO community.
And whether in our comment section or in MMORPG chats and in voice chats of multiplayer shooters. Keep it up, as you can actively combat discrimination. Together, we can ensure that hate speech and hate have no chance.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMORPG Swords of Legends Online starts today, June 1st, the second beta test. In connection with this, there was a livestream the day before discussing innovations in the beta and the upcoming release.
What changes with Beta 2? Compared to the first test nearly 2 weeks ago, there are several changes:
The dungeons have been made more difficult in Normal Mode
Reaching the maximum level has been simplified. There are improvements in accepting quests and leveling the levels 33 and 36
The two factions Celestial Alliance and Mysticism have been brought into the game, along with a new PvP area
The PvP mode Combat in the Sand has been temporarily disabled
Further content has been localized in German and English, but there are still gaps
There have been numerous bug fixes, which you can read about in the official patch notes (via Gameforge)
What has been said about the release and the time afterwards? In the livestream, it was mentioned that the release of Swords of Legends Online is supposed to take place “a few weeks after the end of Beta 2.” So you can expect a release around the end of June to the beginning of July.
It was also confirmed once again that future updates and expansions for SOLO will be free and that shortly after the release, raids, dungeons at epic difficulty, and the Battle Pass will be introduced. The paid part of the Battle Pass is only supposed to contain cosmetic items.
A major innovation in Beta 2 are the factions.
New PvP factions come with their own area and daily quests
What are these factions? In Swords of Legends, you can join one of two factions starting from Beta 2:
The Celestial Alliance (blue) is an order committed to order and morality
The Mysticism (red) on the other hand worships multiple deities and is very nature-oriented
The two factions fight against each other and can kill each other in the open world without receiving negative Qi. To join a faction, you must complete a quest. However, you can also choose to remain neutral.
Neutral players, on the other hand, do not have access to the Sword Sound Valley, a new war zone where the battle between the Celestial Alliance and Mysticism is at the forefront. There, you will receive daily quests and special rewards.
Can you switch factions? Yes, theoretically you can do this every 7 days for 50 Gold. However, you will lose your earned progress with the respective faction.
In Fortnite there was a tournament series where millions of US dollars in prize money were at stake. But a Russian teenager ruined his team’s chances for the big money and possibly a professional career. He wildly insulted others and then said: He couldn’t handle the pressure and lost control.
The tournament started in mid-April and ended last weekend. In Europe, there was a prize pool of 1.35 million US dollars, and in North America, there was also one million US dollars distributed across the two regions. These are lucrative tournaments that run over 6 weeks, giving especially young professionals a chance to shine. Many young Fortnite professionals play for small orgs and dream of the chance to earn big money with a major team.
The series is played in trios.
Awful “Your Mother” insult leads to disqualification
Here’s how the 14-year-old messed it up: The player 97Default claims on Twitter to be a 14-year-old Russian. He had qualified for the finals with his trio. The 14-year-old plays with his partners for the relatively small French e-sports organization Luminox Esports.
But before the finals, he managed to get himself disqualified. He sent another trio a completely crazy and hateful message, something about a mother, accusing her of being a prostitute, and also something about the stepfather.
This message was made public.
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Epic intervened and disqualified the trio before the final started, even though they were really looking forward to competing there.
Teenager says: Pressure became too much
This is how the player reacted: He apologized for his words (via twitter). However, he asked for understanding: Everyone is nervous before such a final; one feels a lot of pressure.
He accepts the blame for being disqualified from a tournament he worked so hard for.
Some people may play well enough, but it might never be enough for a professional career. It could be different for this boy:
“I’m only 14 years old and already have a disorder that I can’t deal with and that completely destroys my life. I have fallen out with many of my friends; I started playing Fortnite to escape from the problem, but in the end, here I am, suffering this fate again.”
Default 97
He says that he has been working with a psychologist for 1.5 months to control his anger, but he hasn’t succeeded yet.
Does this happen often? Yes, indeed. Before the semifinals, another trio was disqualified. They too had put themselves on the sidelines with wild flames. Someone sent a message to an opposing trio saying they were fat and retarded and would be homeless pussies in a year, quitting Fortnite and getting run over by a bus.
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In Destiny 2, the Season of the Splicer celebrates successes with a lot of nostalgia. The Vault of Glass and iconic weapons from the first part attract numerous Guardians, while everyone complains about Bungie’s rehashing of old content.
The Season 14 is currently running in Destiny 2, and the action MMO is soon celebrating its 4th anniversary. Despite its age, Destiny 2 has recently set records, and player numbers on Steam are at their highest in 7 months. This is quite paradoxical, as the criticized recycling is now bringing success:
The recent success is largely due to an old raid from 2014: The Vault of Glass attracted tens of thousands of Guardians right at its re-release.
At its peak, there were 187,504 Guardians on Steam (PC). This is far above the average, which stabilized at 60,000 – 90,000 concurrent players last year.
Keep in mind that we only have a precise look at the Steam numbers here. Active players on PlayStation 4 and 5 as well as Xbox Series X/S and One cannot be tracked as accurately – the population is higher on consoles (via Warmind.io).
But Bungie is not only embarking on a fabulous nostalgia trip with the veteran raid; Season 14 largely relies on the oversized, old names.
The success currently justifies the Destiny developers – but actually, the Guardians do not want anything old anymore and condemn Bungie’s recycling at every opportunity.
MeinMMO examines why nostalgia is so successful, why some memories would have been better left in the past, and what exactly the Guardians have been complaining about for years.
What the players are complaining about: The Destiny community argues about many things, but most Guardians agree on one thing: Bungie is the world champion of recycling.
At the developer in Bellevue, nothing is thrown away. Years-old concepts certainly re-emerge from some drawer later. But especially well-known content keeps coming back like the proverbial boomerang. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but for many, Bungie definitely stretches the bow too far.
Destiny 2 would likely receive the eco-label “very good”
What was fun in 2014 is currently providing satisfied Guardians in 2021
That’s why Bungie is overdoing it:
The content returns partly for the umpteenth time. First, well-known weapons like The Last Word were introduced in Destiny 1 Year 1 but then fell by the wayside.
Even in Destiny 1, those weapons later returned as “new”.
At the start of Destiny 2, there was a hard reset; all equipment was left behind. This was explained by the complete destruction of all vaults (where all items were stored).
However, during the course of Destiny 2, more and more of these lost items have appeared. Many Guardians wonder: How can this be possible? Everything was gone.
Things become particularly critical when old content returns as new paid content.
And as described, it’s not just the most famous Exotics that are affected. For some time now, there has been the Destiny Content Vault – a kind of resource pool where all content from Destiny 1 and 2 is now included and where developers can draw from anytime. So all content – even from Destiny 1 – can be reused and find its way into or out of the game.
The ecological recycling wonder Destiny 2 is bringing back legendary weapons, strikes, entire areas, and so on from the Vault. Even retired weapons appear on the battlefield again with slightly polished perks, returning to service without signs of age. Recently, the first raid from Destiny 1 also returned.
The Content Vault is now making this possible on a large scale. You can find more about the Content Vault here on MeinMMO.
When we spoke with Nexxoss Gaming, the largest German-speaking streamer for Destiny, he continued the community’s criticism: For veterans, there is currently a lot of repetition on the agenda.
Why is the nostalgia plan successful despite the criticism?
Well, the Guardians complain, demanding less old content in a new guise. But why is Bungie still successful with recycling? One could assume that the Vault of Glass is a one-off case. But that’s not true.
When it became known before the launch that in Season 14, weapons like the Divinity or the Succession were returning, the topic was on everyone’s (Guardians’) lips. When such cult Exotics as the Vex Mythoclast were confirmed, players basked in pleasant nostalgia.
Whether the weapons really live up to their hype remains to be seen. After all, the Vex Mythoclast and Divinity would likely have been better left in the past. Unlike the raid, which was updated in the right places, many returners struggle in practice.
The mere mention of Divinity in Destiny 2 delighted many Guardians even before the first tests
That’s why the Vault of Glass is convincing: In the case of the raid, the success is simply measurable:
Veterans want to know if they still have what it takes, whether the trip to Venus and the fight against Atheon is still as epic as in their memory.
The Vault of Glass is a nostalgic trip into Destiny’s “gold rush era.” Back then, everything was new and had never been seen before in a shooter or on consoles.
New Guardians want to understand what the old hands have been raving about for years. And fresh content is generally not turned down.
Bungie has introduced the raid completely free of charge, anyone can discover it with the free-to-play version of Destiny 2. Moreover, the required power level is so low that even casual Guardians or returnees can easily participate in the first encounters.
On MeinMMO, you can see such comments:
“Our clan really enjoyed it. There was a bit of the D1 feeling. We also made it to the Templar on the first day. But then we had to wait for the reset to take down Atheon. We did the same silly stuff as back then and had a lot of laughs. Now please bring back King’s Fall and Wrath of the Machine.”
As nice as nostalgia is: Why, despite rejection and the demand “Bungie, bring in new and creative content!” do we still keep falling back into nostalgia and welcome the classics again? This could be explained as follows: We remember the past selectively. Bad memories are mostly pushed aside, leaving only the good.
When we are then presented with a weapon like The Last Word as a proverbial carrot again, we want to bite – after all, the taste was so delicious before. Despite the intention not to want the old stuff, we deep down still want those old feelings to resurface. It’s rather absurd when one says that the PvP of Destiny 1 was better, but then doesn’t give a thought to the really poor servers and the completely non-diverse meta.
Does Destiny 2 really only offer old stuff?
Fresh ideas are also appealing: Was everything better back in the day? Yes, no, not really. While the highlights of Season 14 are indeed the classics, simultaneously, fresh content is waiting in the shadows of the nostalgic giants.
The absurd “story” of Destiny was a mosaic of lore texts and snippets that were mostly stored outside the game in the first installment. In Destiny 2, the story takes on a more tangible narrative from season to season. Recently, we can see that our enemies, the Fallen are not just black-and-white evil. That they fear us as we fear them. The storytelling is definitely better today than it was before.
The creepy excursion on the ghost ship in the Presage mission was the highlight of the last Season 13. This content is considered among the best there has ever been in both installments. And just before that, the Omen mission also convinced the Guardians – even if the classic Taken King was a strong selling point.
The thick atmosphere of the Presage mission positively surprised players
Will the nostalgia end soon?
Probably not. Destiny 2 will also bring new content; the studio is expanding and is committed to the game for years to come. But especially the success of nostalgic Season 14 will show Bungie one thing: Nostalgia is a strong driving force.
In the future, we can almost certainly look forward to a visit to the King’s Fall raid and are curious to see how Oryx will be adapted to today’s circumstances. While each season will bring new exotic toys, many exotics that we have not seen in Destiny 2 (so far) are still slumbering in the “lost” vaults of Destiny 1.
Which exotics are “missing”? Here’s the complete list of missing exotic weapons – excluding the later “Adept Exotics”:
Necrochasm
Khvostov (exists as a legendary gun)
Zhalo Supercell (Risky exists as “MP Brother”)
Fabian Strategy
Tlaloc
First Curse
Red Death (Scharlach exists as “Handcannon Brother”)
Boolian Twin
Malicious Touch
Pocket Infinity (Bungie said: “will never return”)
Defiance
Universal Device
Zen Meteor
Patience and Time
Beyond
Icebreaker
No Land Beyond (Devrim in ETZ carries the weapon model)
Dreg’s Promise
Unapproved
Nova Mortis
Abaddon
Nemesis Star
Extremely Good Advice
The 4 Exo Swords (are now quasi legendary weapons)
Dragon’s Breath
Gjallarhorn
The list shows that among the 81 Exotic weapons from Destiny 2 (as of June 1, 2021), there is still plenty of room for returnees. Not as many weapons from the original game as suspected made it over to Destiny 2. Everyone surely has a favorite they would give a critical eye to recycling for. And don’t get me started on the armors.
It is important for the future that Destiny finds a healthy balance between nostalgia and new content. With the Content Vault, they have a tool that, if used correctly, can create a vast Destiny universe that many Guardians have long wished for: Destiny 1 should have continued running and ideally been gradually expanded with new content. Now we have it the other way around; Destiny 2 continues and gradually brings back nostalgia in the form of content from the first part.
Do you also condemn the old stuff but somehow still get excited about the nostalgic classics? Let us know in the comments how you stand on the topic of recycling in Destiny.
Do you want to know which MMOs you should definitely stay away from? YouTuber Josh Strife Hayes has made it his mission to play the worst representatives of the genre. And his series on the worst MMOs is strangely fascinating.
What kind of MMOs are these? YouTuber Josh Strife Hayes searches for unique gems of the genre in his series “Worst MMO Ever?” looking for those that impress with their miserable execution. Or rather, do not impress at all.
Since July 2020, new videos of the series have been released. Hayes has already presented 31 MMOs. You can find all videos in his playlist (via YouTube.com). Among the games are also more well-known and larger titles like:
Who is the YouTuber? Josh Strife Hayes has been making videos on YouTube since 2017, primarily focusing on MMOs and MMORPGs. He started with tutorials and Let’s Plays of Dark Souls and Neverwinter Online.
He currently has his YouTube channel with over 121,000 subscribers, and the series on the worst MMOs along with scams and other criticism makes up the majority of the content. Hayes is a trained actor and acting teacher, which often shines through in the punchlines and presentation of his videos. This can be seen in the currently latest video of the series about the MMO Secondhand Lands:
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Hayes’ video on Secondhand Lands. The thumbnail also comes from this video.
Thieving Spiders and Furry Fetishes
Why is this so fascinating? No one really wants to play such games, or rather: find out why they don’t want to play them. After all, MMOs consume a lot of time, and hardly anyone wants to invest that time when they could be enjoying something good.
However, Hayes wants to document exactly what hardly anyone else gets to see, show people what they are missing… and why missing out is not a big deal: “I wanted to find the strangest projects, play them, and archive them […] because it has a strange, occult-esoteric nature when people look at something they would never have come across. They are fascinated by the unknown – or at least that was the case for me” (via PCGamer.com).
On his journey through the worst MMOs, he has had some particularly bizarre encounters. In the aforementioned Secondhand Lands, for instance, he suspects that someone wanted to live out their fetish and implemented it in an MMO.
In another case, he shows the MMO Dreamscapes Dimensions. Here, according to Hayes, he had to stop testing after four hours when a guard beat him up for entering a forge – and he couldn’t defend himself. According to his own statement, he couldn’t even manage four hours of testing because the game was too bad:
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Isn’t that a bit unfair? Hayes paid attention to how the games were developed when making his selection. If a single programmer manages to create a decent MMO, he also highlights that accordingly.
However, if the cash shop is in the foreground and the game offers nothing else, it receives a poor rating. He explains that it depends on how the game was made:
“A guy who makes a reasonably playable game is impressive. But when I look at companies that make huge cash-grab Pay2Wins… I would consider them worse because they know they could do better. They just intentionally don’t” (via PCGamer.com).
Which MMO do you think is the worst? Do you know some of the games from Hayes’ list and absolutely disagree that they ended up there? Let us know in a comment!
Away from bad games and towards recommendations – you will find some games here that you should keep an eye on this June:
Among Us was able to quintuple its active player base in just two days. The perfect time to get started.
Although the massive hype around Among Us has significantly subsided in recent months, the game is still very popular. Last weekend, the hunt for the traitor even increased the number of players by over 450%.
What is Among Us? If you have completely missed the game: In Among Us, you team up with up to 9 other players as little space technicians who need to get a spaceship or space station back in order. While most of the crew tries to solve small tasks, there are also a few traitors who want to kill everyone else. The goal is to repair the ship and expose the traitors in order to identify and ban them from the game during discussion rounds before they can kill everyone else. Essentially, it’s a modern, digital version of the classic “Werewolf” campfire game.
Why did the number of players rise so massively? If you think the sudden increase in player numbers for Among Us is pretty “sus” – don’t worry. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, the number of players generally increases slightly on weekends. Naturally, more people have time then. However, the deciding factor is likely that Among Us has been available for free on the “Epic Games Store” for several days.
Anyone who had heard of the game but had not yet purchased it was able to secure the game for free there.
The extent of the impact was revealed by Community Director Victoria Tran on Twitter. She presented two graphs showing the usual player trend on a weekend compared to that of the past days.
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From June 26 to June 28 alone, the number of players rose from just under 350,000 to slightly below 2,000,000 – an increase of nearly 470%.
It should also be noted that the graph only shows PC players and does not include data from other platforms (such as Mobile). It does not necessarily have to be new players, as some might have played Among Us previously on a smartphone and now wanted to try the PC version.
Can you still get the game for free? Yes. Until June 3 at 5:00 PM, Among Us is available for free in the Epic Games Store. You can simply add it to your collection there, and it will belong to you forever. For maximum enjoyment, however, we recommend playing Among Us especially with a group of friends or acquaintances. Especially with voice chat, the game unfolds a completely different impact than just through text chat.
The graphs clearly show how strong the effects on a game’s player base can be when it is offered for free in the Epic Games Store. Since Among Us also offers some microtransactions for cosmetic items, it is quite possible that the game will benefit from this action in the long run.
The German development studio Klang Games is currently working on a sandbox MMO that aims to revolutionize the MMO landscape. The studio employs special techniques and intends to simulate the future of humanity. The first dev update was released on May 28.
What kind of game is it? Seed is a sandbox MMO that mixes elements from MMORPGs with features from games like The Sims or Civilization. Players are to colonize the Earth-like planet “Avesta” and build their own colonies.
You control not a single character but a group of 10 settlers who settle on the planet Avesta.
A thriving colony is to emerge, and you are part of the society consisting of groups of many other players.
You assign tasks to each of your settlers and ensure that their needs are met. For example, by mining resources and crafting, you participate in the economic system.
The goal is to simulate the “future of humanity”.
NPCs have needs, thoughts, and behaviors.
Players can decide how to interact with others. Will they work together or fight over resources?
Who are the developers? Behind the game is the Berlin-based development studio Klang Games, founded by former developers from large and well-known companies. The founders previously worked on games like EVE Online and Dust 514 and thus bring a wealth of experience. The studio was originally founded in Iceland and later moved to Berlin.
The ambitious MMO has been in development since early 2016 and has raised over 37 million US dollars for the project (via klang-games.com).
According to the developers, the latest and most innovative technologies are being utilized for the MMO. Seed is based on the “wonder technology” SpatialOS.
SpatialOS is designed to enable developers to create gigantic, persistent game worlds that allow significantly more simulation than is currently possible in online games. All of this should be easy to control and manage, which is why even small teams can create massive, simulated worlds. An example is the survival shooter Scavengers, which is set to enable mass battles for thousands of players on a server.
Klang Games has now released the first dev update for the game. (via seed-project.io)
How they plan to simulate the future of humanity and thinking NPCs
This is the focus of the first dev update: In the post, the developers emphasize that Seed aims to simulate a version of future humanity. Therefore, it is important to include the individual aspects of people. Who are they? What drives them? What do they need?
The dev update focuses mainly on the role of the thoughts of each settler.
You can see the character’s needs in the overview. (via seed-project.io)
This is how thoughts work in Seed: The thoughts of the settlers can also be described with status effects. They help the player understand the needs of the NPCs. If an NPC is hungry, he will think that he is hungry.
If he is lonely, he will think: ‘I feel all alone.’ These thoughts are an indication that you should change certain aspects so that your settlers are well.
For each individual NPC, vital things are therefore simulated:
Food
Sleep
Hygiene
Social
Leisure
Thoughts
One of the biggest challenges for developers will be to make the whole thing realistic. ‘Real thoughts’ are endless and change constantly. How should this be simulated in a game? Klang Games wants to address these questions in the next update.
When will Seed be released? Currently, there is no fixed release date for the MMO.
Can you try Seed yet? Not directly. Since the end of 2019, there has been an unusual closed alpha for Seed – Seed Pioneers. Unlike usual, players could not test the game, but play the backstory of Seed.
Can you still participate? You can sign up for Seed Pioneers through the official website when new players are sought as alpha testers. Here is the link to register: seed-pioneers.io
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Warframe introduces a new class (Frame) once again. However, instead of more grim characters that fit the dark theme of the game, the new Warframe Yareli resembles a cute anime girl. Does that fit together?
What’s the deal with the new Warframe? Regularly, new Frames, as the classes in Warframe are called, are added to the game. Usually, these are dark figures that shred enemies with shards of glass, tear their souls apart, or even devour them.
But the latest creation from the developers is named Yareli and is inspired by a cute anime girl:
Yareli has a fluffy skirt and ruffled sleeves
She is designed to be very delicate and feminine
Among her special weapons is a pistol that fires bubbles
All her animations are super cute. She frolics around when she has nothing to do and draws large hearts in the air with water. Moreover, she giggles happily to herself.
All of this sounds like a rough stylistic break from the dark, creepy world that Warframe usually represents. In that world, our solar system in the distant future is overrun by disgusting, rotting clones, and an inhuman megacorporation ruthlessly exploits everything and everyone. Add to that monstrous mutant creatures and a threat from ancient times.
How does an anime girly frame fit into this?
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Here’s how the new Frame is being received by players: In the above Dev Stream shown by the developers, Community Manager Rebecca “Space Mom” Ford already praises the sweet Yareli and is sure that fans will love this new class and her look.
And indeed, she is right. The voices from the community sound positive. For example, players have already commented on YouTube and elsewhere:
Zenicical says: “Yareli has knee-high socks! I already love her!”
Supercalifragic says: “I really love her look!”
Friendly Neighbourhood Moth Boy: “Yarfeli reminds me of a mermaid. Maybe she can call space sharks? I’m really looking forward to the update!”
Kata Cutie: “The artwork for the new Warframe is so beautiful!”
Negative feedback seems to focus more on the developers teasing “a unique way” to obtain Yareli. Some players suspect an absurd grind for rare fish.
Fun Fact: Yareli and her special look originated from a Warframe anime fan art that the developers liked so much that they decided to develop a new Warframe around it. This approach is not unusual for the developers of Warframe, as a Warframe was already once developed with the help of the community.
The original anime fan art from which Yareli originates. Fans are meanwhile hoping for the other four Frames. Source: ArtStation
