A player realized that one should honorably flee from certain situations in Baldur’s Gate 3 to escape death. Too bad when one’s life is of no concern to the opponent.
What is the player reporting? A player was completely surprised when he wanted to run away from what seemed like a safe distance from a battle to get to safety in the camp. He was in the Underdark, a location from the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3, and realized that three raging Minotaurs might be a bit too much for a single character.
When he decided to flee and managed to gain a considerable distance through the various “levels” of the environment, he was promptly overwhelmed by the bloodlust of one of the Minotaurs.
In a video on Reddit, the player Subject-Spinach-5801 shows how the monster, after the player’s move, prepares for a brutal leap accessible only to Minotaurs, daringly plunging down to catch the player.
Due to the height, the creature itself took 118 damage from the impact and died – but it successfully dragged the player down with it.
Here you can see the clip of the situation that the player provided on Reddit:
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The only thing the player wanted to say about it was: “Great God, Almighty. I wanted to flee from the battle, but this friend here wouldn’t allow it.”
Here you can see the animated short film for Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3:
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Der animierte Kurzfilm zu Patch 8, dem letzten Update für Baldur’s Gate 3
“If this had ended my solo run, I wouldn’t even be angry”
How does the community react? The community shares the player’s surprise (and slight excitement) at how absolutely exaggerated this urge of the Minotaur was to kill the player. Sevro777 commented under the Reddit post that he wouldn’t even be angry if this action had ended his solo run.
However, the player clarifies that it was not a solo run, but a co-op campaign with his girlfriend, who was exploring somewhere else in the Underdark (via Reddit).
Player Sineddeta aptly summarizes the community’s reaction with a comment on Reddit: “What the… that’s kind of cool, one of those ‘BG3 battle moments’ that would be impressive even if it led to a TPK [Total Party Kill].”
What does the Minotaur’s jump remind us of? Many players see the similarity to another situation in Baldur’s Gate 3. Born_Faithlessness_3 comments: “[The Minotaur] thought he was an owlbear.” (via Reddit)
This refers to the fight against the Grym, which can only be found shortly after in the Adamantine Forge. A popular tactic is to transform a druid into an owlbear and then, like the Minotaur, pounce on the opponent. Due to the fall height and the accordingly long way, the impact causes a lot of damage that brings the otherwise strong Grym to his knees instantly.
MARUSHI-rdt fittingly writes: “Grym: HOW DOES THAT FEEL??” (via Reddit)
The Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of various places to explore. Especially the mentioned Adamantine Forge offers much to search, loot and battle. How to best navigate through the forge, how to utilize it, and how to defeat the Grym, you can find out here on MeinMMO: Baldur’s Gate 3: Finding Adamantine Forge, defeating boss, and crafting strong items
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen plunged into the zombie world of Dying Light: The Beast for about an hour at gamescom 2025. And she was relieved when she was finally redeemed from her play session.
Actually, I usually spend my free time playing cozy games or role-playing games with grand stories. Nevertheless, my then-boyfriend somehow managed to persuade me to play a round of Dying Light. We eventually had to stop the game in the middle because it was just too scary for me.
Accordingly, you can imagine my face when I was assigned to try out the demo of Dying Light: The Beast at gamescom 2025. Well, it shouldn’t be that bad, I thought.
However, after an hour of playing, I actually needed a break to recover from the whole atmosphere. And that could be the reason why fans of the first part will love the game so much.
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Dying Light: The Beast shows its mix of open-world and action-survival horror in the trailer
The graphics created the perfect vacation vibe
In the one-hour demo, I was able to complete a story mission with the protagonist Kyle Crane, known from the first part of the series. Our home base had its water turned off, so we were sent to look for the source. Over time, I went to several stations in the outside world, which had been overrun by zombies.
During my excursion into the game world, I noticed how beautifully everything looks. The new map, Castor Woods, is inspired by the Alps in Switzerland, according to the developers on the official site. And I saw that too: There were forests and mountains everywhere, their peaks covered with snow.
I could only briefly enjoy the colorful facades of the houses.
The city where the home base was located reminded me of a Central European holiday destination. If it weren’t for all the zombies, you could consider it a nice holiday spot that has seen better days.
At the beginning, I simply jumped over the roofs of the abandoned city to enjoy the scenery a bit. Dying Light: The Beast looked so beautiful that I would have loved to explore the landscape as a silent observer. But once I focused on the main mission, I had no peaceful minute left.
Dying Light: The Beast cost me a lot of nerves
That Dying Light looks so good and captivated me was unfortunately also to my detriment. Because the zombies seemed much scarier than in the first part, I constantly felt threatened. I couldn’t find a peaceful minute because even in quiet moments, new zombies could appear.
In a factory hall, for example, I thought I had exterminated all the zombies. Suddenly, another door opened, and a big soldier-zombie and several Sprinters charged at me. Panicked, I fled back, barricaded the door, and hoped that the Molotov cocktail would still have an effect through the closed door.
There were several situations where a jump scare was pre-programmed. In seemingly harmless corners, a zombie would suddenly drop on me, or when I thought I had finally found my peace, another undead would rush at me, one I had probably overlooked before.
The game tested my nerves tremendously because I found no peace since leaving the city. The gloomy atmosphere emanating from the abandoned buildings didn’t help either. The lack of ammunition meant I had to primarily defend myself against the zombies with a bat studded with nails.
There are several ways to deal with zombie hordes.
Things got even worse at night: special zombies appear that are not so easy to deal with. They hunted me down, and I quickly learned that fleeing was the only good option.
Additionally, I was only equipped with a flashlight to see anything in the dark. The constant moaning of the zombies was always audible, but I couldn’t always see them. This created a permanent feeling of tension in me that often released.
I was startled by every little jump scare or even just when I turned around and suddenly saw a zombie. For the developers who sat with me in the room, it must have looked incredibly funny as I flinched or screamed.
A nightmare for me, perfect for fans
I was relieved when the hour was up and I could step out of the zombie world. If I could have determined how long I played in one go, I would have needed some recovery breaks in between.
But this aspect shows that the game is perfect for all those who enjoy scares and want to experience a Dying Light with a bombastic atmosphere. In the community on Steam, there are many advocates who believe that part 1 is better than part 2. This is due to several reasons:
The combat system is more brutal
Stronger focus on survival horror
More threatening atmosphere
And if these three points are important to you, I can promise you: Dying Light: The Beast goes full throttle on these three points and is perfect for all those looking for an atmospheric zombie game.
What I also liked was the selection of weapons for the demo. Besides a flamethrower, I had a crossbow that killed zombies with one shot, and a regular pistol. So anyone expecting creative weapons is also well taken care of.
A Destiny with a gacha system. Every long-time fan feels their hair stand on end at the thought, yet NetEase recently released such a game. MyMMO’s Destiny expert Christos Tsogos has taken a look at the game, and although he is reluctant to admit it, it is actually not bad.
In the game, you take on the role of the wolf cub, but you can also choose and play well-known characters from the Destiny lore as protagonists. The problem is: to effectively access them, you need to pull them from the implemented gacha system with some luck. This is a gambling mechanic where you open boxes with random loot.
Apart from that, Destiny: Rising goes its own way and even brings back modes that fans of Destiny 1 & 2 thought were dead. I tested the game for several hours, and although I have a very strong aversion to gacha, I find NetEase’s work successful.
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Destiny: Rising shows first gameplay in the trailer
NetEase is doing something Bungie isn’t: listening
I have been watching the development of Destiny 2 since its release. What I’ve noticed over the years is that Bungie often insufficiently or not at all listens to the community when it comes to feedback. I think NetEase is taking advantage of this, as Destiny: Rising clearly shows that the Chinese developers value responding to the community’s wishes.
This is evident with the weapons. Many well-known firearms and exotics are available at launch. What impressed me the most is that NetEase provides variety with new weapon classes, such as the dual pistols, right at release.
The gameplay is fluid and coherent, which I didn’t expect at all. Each of the 12 available Guardians has unique abilities that differ significantly from each other. The shooting and especially the action-packed movements that create the brisk gameplay feeling in Destiny feel natural.
I’ve played several shooters on mobile, but Destiny: Rising feels better than most and is close to what I know from Destiny on console and PC.
Gacha is a scourge, but Destiny: Rising is somehow … fair
Another point is the gacha system. I’m not a fan of it and despise such features in games, but compared to other gacha games, Destiny: Rising is relatively fair. Many fans are already allergic to Bungie’s monetization in Destiny 2, and NetEase has probably noticed that as well.
Your chances of getting a Guardian in a loot box increase with each opening, and after 60 times, you are guaranteed to receive one. No chance, but a guaranteed Guardian. Those who want to play purely as free-to-play also have the chance to achieve 200 free pulls through quests.
Last but not least: It’s simply fun. Every exhausted veteran from Destiny knows this. You log in, stand in front of the menu or the star map, and wonder what to do, only to close Destiny again.
Destiny: Rising feels fresh. A new story that can entertain, gameplay that feels coherent, and the soundtrack pulls me directly into the world. After a long day, I can easily imagine playing the game for 1-2 hours to unwind.
Of course, I won’t spend a dime in the shop; rather, Rising will be a fun distraction where the grind after a good 10 years of treadmill in Destiny 2 is secondary.
What I definitely recommend is an emulator if you want to play the game on PC. NetEase even offers one on its website. You can’t expect 4K graphics, but it is more comfortable to play the game on a large monitor or TV with a mouse and keyboard, without bending your fingers to execute moves or kills.
I really thought NetEase would come up with a flop, but I was positively surprised. Whether the developers will decide to officially port the game to PC and consoles in the future remains to be seen. If that happens, surely more fans could enjoy the game. Until then, you can find all the necessary information about the shooter here in our overview: Destiny: Rising is now here – The most important information in 3 minutes
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Planescape: Torment is considered legendary among fans. 26 years after its release, there are now new contents for the RPG from a group of loyal fans from Poland.
Planescape: Torment is regarded as legendary by hardcore RPG fans and is counted among the best role-playing games of all time by many players. On Metacritic, the game receives a score of 9.1 out of 10 possible points.
A group of Polish fans has now, 26 years after the release of Planescape: Torment (the game was released in 1999, followed by the enhanced edition in 2017), introduced a huge modification and story expansion, calling their project “the first unofficial Planescape DLC ever.”
However, you will need a lot of patience: The modders do not expect the project to be completed before 2031, although they “really hope it will be much earlier.” There is, however, a consolation: The first part of the expansion should still be released this year and will take about a dozen hours, according to the modders’ estimates. This is reported by the English-speaking magazine PCGamer.
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Neverwinter Nights 2 shows in the gameplay trailer how cool the Enhanced Edition looks
“Blizzard in Baator” is supposed to bring a new area, new characters, and cutscenes
What kind of modification is this? In the modification “Blizzard in Baator,” the protagonist and his companions venture into a new region of Sigil, where they ascend through the Nine Hells of Planescape into the frozen wastelands of Cania. There, the companions become involved in an endless war between the lords of the Nine Hells, the titular “Blizzard in Baator.”
The mod adds far more than just a series of new locations to explore. In an interview with the Polish role-playing website girmuar.pl, the developers reveal, among other things, that the expansion will include two new recruitable characters, new planar creatures, original music, and even new cutscenes. You can watch the official trailer directly on YouTube:
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The first trailer for Planescape: Torment – “Blizzard in Baator”
What else is there? Additionally, the modification has even more in store: it restores several elements that were removed by the original developers. These include voice recordings, lost items, and even some graphical elements hidden in the game’s files. However, the developers emphasize that most of the content in the unofficial addon comes from them.
Plan B: Terraform is a building game where you have to colonize a planet while also terraforming it. Now the game has left Early Access. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann has followed the game through Early Access and finds: It has become a real insider tip.
What kind of game is this? In Plan B: Terraform, you get a randomly generated barren planet. Your goal: You should not only colonize the planet but also terraform it at the same time.
I purchased the game at the start of Early Access and played for about 30 hours. And at the official release, I can say that you should definitely give Plan B: Terraform on Steam a chance. About 2,500 people who rate the game 91% positively seem to feel the same.
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In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
The world is constantly evolving, but the water often ruins my plans
What makes the game so good? I start in Plan B: Terraform with almost nothing. There are only three city centers scattered across the planet. I slowly begin to set up my first production, lay roads, and build my first trucks for transportation. Meanwhile, I eventually start producing greenhouse gases to warm the world, because I want the ice to melt and the planet to become habitable.
My railway carves its way through forest and water. The world looks really impressive after a while.
In fact, you do almost nothing else in the game other than produce, transport, process, and then transport resources again. But the more you terraform the world, the stronger you feel it: suddenly, entire areas are flooded with water, and the resources are gone. And water can be really unpredictable. This has sometimes led to me having to relocate entire industries and railways.
While you can counter this with dams, the water relentlessly finds its way. And if your industry is too low, the water will eventually overflow even your dam, no matter how many pumps you have trying to keep the water at bay.
In this case, I fenced in my industry. But eventually, the water will be too strong here as well.
Are there things that are not so successful? You almost always do the same thing in the game: produce resources, transport them, process them, and then transport them again while supplying the cities that then grow. Yes, additional resources and buildings are added later, but the basic principle always remains the same. And that can become very monotonous over time. There is no exciting story, and there are no extensive researches or a proper endgame where you can unlock things for the next game.
Another thing that bothers me personally: at certain points, the balancing does not seem as perfect as it could be. While you can eventually recycle resources, I have always had the problem of having way too much of certain resources and too little of others. However, with recycling alone, you cannot autonomously supply an industry.
The random generator can sometimes throw a wrench in the works for you as well. Sometimes resources are placed so poorly that certain cities are hardly reachable or the paths are very long. Or the later space elevator, which is also randomly placed, is located in the middle of a mountain range and is hardly reachable.
After many hours of work, the cities grow, and the planet becomes slowly but surely green.
A real insider tip if you engage with it
After about 30 hours, I have now started numerous worlds, but have also abandoned several playthroughs. Due to the randomness, you get to see a different planet each time, which is pleasantly refreshing.
Where we would be back to the water: because that is also different on every planet and can definitely ruin plans. A lucrative deposit can quickly become unreachable.
Steam introduced the new feature “Steam Family” a few months ago. But you could already try out the feature in beta version since March 2024. I tested the beta and saved a lot of money together with my partner over the past six months. How the feature works and why I absolutely recommend it, you can read in the following article directly with us on MeinMMO: I’ve been using a new feature on Steam for months and have saved several hundred euros since then
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
It can happen again and again that a Pokémon flees in Pokémon GO. But when you encounter a really rare monster, it hurts even more. A father now reports how his son’s luck slowly but surely turned into misfortune.
What does the father report? The father and Pokémon trainer leroyyrogers reports in the subreddit of Pokémon GO that his son encountered an incredibly rare monster in the game – one of the rare Galar birds, a Galar Moltres, and then also in the Shiny variant.
But the luck did not last too long, as the situation became tighter with each Pokéball. What remained for the team of father and son is only a photographic evidence of the Shiny Moltres. They both had to witness how the rare Pokémon slipped away, and that was only because the boy did not have enough Pokéballs in his pocket, even though there were fifty of them. The only comment from the father in his Reddit post is: “That is really ridiculous.”
Here you see a video of the Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris:
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So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus
Preparation in Pokémon GO should not be neglected
How does the community react to the experience of father and son? The community realizes how annoying this must have been for both of them. If the boy had still had his rare Master Ball, the Pokémon would not have slipped away:
Dragonmodus: “Yes, that’s the reason why I haven’t used my Master Balls yet, it’s those rare moments when you really need one.” (via Reddit)
ju_free: “Funny in a way because the Master Balls in the main games always rot away in the inventory. And in [Pokémon] GO they suddenly become really important.” (via Reddit)
What kind of ball is recommended? The Master Ball is a Pokéball that is not very frequently available in Pokémon GO. Therefore, you should save it for extremely important monsters. For which Pokémon the Master Ball is most worthwhile, we will tell you here on MeinMMO: Pokémon GO: Using the Master Ball – Which monsters are worth it
What tips are there against the players? The Pokémon GO community sees the experience of the boy and his father as a kind of lesson. They comment under the Reddit post on how best to prepare for such situations, but not all of these tips are so easy to implement. Especially if the trainer is still a child.
Regarding the tips from players like ahawaiianbear and JuanG12, that one needs to have enough balls and enough inventory space in Pokémon GO as in the main games, Rappy28 points out with a comment that it doesn’t cost real money in the main games (via Reddit).
The main games don’t force you to use balls so ruthlessly… The poster literally said his child had FIFTY Pokéballs, which should actually be more than enough. Niantic should really stop making everything harder for no reason.
I’m so sorry for this child and all the kids who just want to have fun with the game. What if the child is not in a position to just spend 5 dollars (he’s a kid, they usually have no jobs)? […] Well done, Niantic, you are just a billion-dollar company, but what do I know.
Elijah Wood, the actor behind Frodo from The Lord of the Rings, was asked by the community what his favorite game is. He explains that answering that is difficult but names games that he has come to cherish. He also reveals what he is currently playing on the Steam Deck.
What did Elijah Wood get asked? Elijah Wood held an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit, where fans and gamers could bombard him with questions. Some people from the community wanted to know which game he likes to play the most.
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Epic Trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
Elijah Wood is passionate about 90s adventure games
What is his favorite game? Wood explains that he finds it difficult to name a game as his favorite. However, he added that he has grown very fond of adventure games. He writes (via Reddit.com):
It is hard to define a single game as my absolute favorite, but I have a real soft spot for the LucasArts adventure games from the 90s like The Secret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, and Sam & Max Hit the Road. I just love the adventure game format and the strong focus on great, often comedic writing.
And what is he playing on the Steam Deck? He has an answer for that as well. He writes:
Lately, I love Blue Prince (a modern puzzle masterpiece) and Wheel World on the Steam Deck.
What kind of games are these?
Blue Prince is a mystery and puzzle game, which has around 9,500 reviews with 86% positive ratings.
Wheel World is a bike racing game, which has approximately 400 reviews on Steam and also holds an 86% positive rating.
The producer of one of this year’s least popular movies with record-low ratings believes that he and his team still did great work. And he stands by that publicly.
Which movie is being discussed? It is the adaptation of the novel “War of the Worlds,” which premiered on Amazon Prime on July 30, 2025. The main roles in the sci-fi film are played by Eva Longoria and the American rapper and actor Ice Cube.
The film has, as of today (August 30, 2025), received an abysmal rating from critics of only 2% (from 44 reviews), while it stands at least at 21% from audiences (from nearly 2,500 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes and is also being torn apart in the comments. “Sloppy filmmaking,” “terrible garbage,” and “disaster” are terms used in the comments on Rotten Tomatoes by critics and audiences to describe the work of producer Patrick Aiello.
However, he has a very different opinion about the film: “For the money, we made a really good movie.” (Patrick Aiello in conversation with Toni’s Film Club, via GamesRadar+)
Here you can see the trailer for the “War of the Worlds” adaptation by Steven Spielberg from 2005, which fared significantly better than the new adaptation from 2025:
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War of the Worlds – German trailer for Steven Spielberg’s Sci-Fi film
“No one wants to make a bad movie”
What does the producer say about the criticism? Aiello states in the conversation with Toni’s Film Club that the studio behind War of the Worlds really wanted to make a good movie:
No one wants to make a bad movie. Period. Never. No one forces themselves out of bed in the morning to work 12, 14, 16 hours a day, sometimes, as was the case for us, 6, 7 days a week, just to produce something bad.
That the film failed with both audiences and critics is unfortunate for the producer – and he believes that the creators of War of the Worlds are not to blame for the hate. “We just wanted to entertain. It’s unfortunate that the film is so hated. We have no control over that.”
What else matters to the producer? The producer adds that there is only one way to really assess the success of the film. And that doesn’t depend on reviews but on the numbers.
You can only look at the results to figure out if the efforts were worth it. And if we make it to number 4, number 5, or number 6 of the most-watched movies on Amazon’s platform, then we have really succeeded.
Aiello draws the following conclusion from his conversation with Toni’s Film Club, which sounds like a kind of peace of mind for him: “We really wanted to make a good movie. I think that with the money we had, we made a really good movie. We will be fine.” (Patrick Aiello via GamesRadar+)
Riot has made some changes to League of Legends with patch 25.17. However, it has now been found that the game has become too easy as a result. Therefore, they want to adjust the changes, but not completely revert them.
What is this change? Riot has introduced native jungle timers into the game with patch 25.17 to provide players with information on the respawn times of jungle camps directly in the game. Previously, players used external tools to display the times, as many consider these times necessary to be competitive.
Riot wanted to curb this and therefore offer the timers themselves in-game. But now Riot has had to realize that they might have gone too far and has announced they want to change the timers. This is reported by the English magazine PCGamesN.com.
What is the problem with the update? The issue with the current implementation is that the timers are too generous: players receive exact cooldown times even for enemy camps that they have not seen before. At least not without additional tools.
The new timers now allow for very easy and precise tracking of the enemy jungler, which diminishes tactical depth because a crucial information barrier is removed: players can calculate counter-movements or ganks much better and more safely without having had to gather real information.
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The new trailer for Season 3 in 2025 of League of Legends shows a dark vision of the champion Xin Zhao
Riot plans to significantly reduce the timers but not make them irrelevant
This is Riot’s response: Riot’s balancing head Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison has now stated that they want to significantly restrict the display of information for killed camps in patch 25.18 again. Riot’s stated goal: less accurate timers than currently, but more than before, to keep tracking relevant but not too simplistic.
Because if they make the timers too inaccurate, players will revert to using third-party software, and then they will have achieved nothing. Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison explains on X.com:
In 25.18, we will drastically reduce the information you get from tracking dead camps. It is possible that we will release a hotfix for this, but the technical resources of the team are currently very strained, and the number of players exploiting this information is quite small (we will discuss this with the team at least).
We are still considering how much information we should display about this. Before 25.17, many overlays were shown up to a minute before the spawn, while our native overlay displayed it for up to ten seconds. We will probably settle on something in the middle.
What else will change? At the same time, Riot has also explained in the patch notes for 25.17 that it will update its guidelines for third-party apps to restrict external tools. It states among other things: “The disclosure of information that was intentionally concealed” already violates the terms of use. This is clearly aimed at corresponding tools.
Steam is now checking the age of its users in the UK. In Germany, such an age verification is also likely to come. Sooner or later, you will encounter such an age verification on Steam, whether you like it or not.
What exactly is Steam doing right now? Valve is conducting age verifications on Steam for some users. If you are located in the UK and want to try a game rated “Mature” (18+), you will need to provide Valve with proof of age.
What method is Steam using? To verify the age of users in the UK, Steam is relying on credit checks: In the UK, you must be at least 18 years old to own a credit card, and that is apparently enough for Steam to prove that you are old enough to buy the desired games or view content in the community.
As the English-speaking magazine PCGamesN reports, you can also purchase your games with other payment methods, but you must provide a credit card in order to access the store page at all.
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Commercial for the Joule Kitchen Appliance with Gabe Newell from Valve
Steam is bound by UK law and similar steps are likely to follow in Germany
Why is Steam even introducing such a regulation in the UK? The stricter age verification in the UK is based on new legal requirements that mandate providers to ensure that only adult users have access to certain content.
This primarily serves to protect minors from age-inappropriate games and content. Steam is the latest in a series of websites implementing similar measures to comply with the UK Online Safety Act (via Gov.uk).
What can German players expect now? It is also likely that similar measures will come for German users, as the European Union (EU) and the German legislature are increasingly pushing for stricter digital age controls with the Youth Media Protection State Treaty (JMStV).
In the EU, there is currently a debate about the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA). In this context, they want to introduce age verification to prevent minors from accessing certain content on the internet. The EU is currently testing a new age app in Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. However, such a system is not expected to be implemented across Europe until 2026 (via Europa.eu).
So you will also encounter such an age verification on Steam sooner or later. Whether Steam will implement a credit card requirement in Germany, rely on the new EU age app, or use identity documents is still unknown.
For German players, this also means that they will not be able to access certain content if they do not confirm their age.
Gabe Newell is known as a billionaire and co-founder of Valve, the company behind Steam. Now, the English article from Luxurylaunches reports that Newell has joined the Dutch shipyard Oceanco. Newell plans a new special project there: a high-end explorer ship with a budget of around 300 million US dollars: Gabe Newell invests 300 million in research, wants to make the results freely available to the world
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Measuring against opposing wizards, sorcerers, and other spellcasters in Baldur’s Gate 3 gives players a great feeling when using a powerful spell. It becomes all the more frustrating when the opponent can ruin all the fun with just one action – But the community explains how you can outsmart your opponents beforehand.
Which spell is being referenced? It is the powerful level-3 spell “Counterspell” (original: “Counterspell”), which can stop the casting and effect of an opposing spell. It can be learned by wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, and some bards (Magical Secrets) and is highly recommended for any playthrough, as it can prevent particularly dangerous spells from an opponent, especially against powerful bosses.
What is the problem? But you are not the only ones who can learn Counterspell. Many of your spellcasting opponents can ruin your beloved fireballs or cloudkill with just a short reaction. This can be particularly frustrating when it comes to powerful sorcerers who have enough spell slots to do this every round throughout the entire fight.
However, the community has found a trick on how you can outsmart the opponents to continue casting high-level spells without being interrupted. They just have to stop the “wrong” spell.
Here you can see the animated short film for Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3:
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Der animierte Kurzfilm zu Patch 8, dem letzten Update für Baldur’s Gate 3
The trick shows that the good old Dungeon Master unfortunately cannot be completely replaced
How can you outsmart the opponent? The player CipherNine0 comments under a Reddit post by user ozangeo about the most annoying opposing spells in the game, that there is a simple method to outsmart the opponent: “Counterspell is so funny because you can lure NPCs into wasting it on cantrips.” (via Reddit)
Cantrips are slightly weaker spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 that do not require a spell slot to cast. They generally do not deal as much damage, but can still be quite useful.
The described trick consists of casting a “weak” cantrip first, which then triggers the opponent’s reaction to stop the cantrip with Counterspell. Since the opponent has only one reaction per round, you can then cast your more valuable spells.
The character who is to perform the powerful spell must therefore act after the character who uses a cantrip. Another option would be to haste the spellcaster, allowing the character to take two actions. Then the first action could be used for the cantrip, and the second for the actual spell.
What is the community reporting? Other players show that there is another method to nullify an opponent’s Counterspell. MillieBirdie comments on Reddit that with two spellcasters, you can stop an opponent’s Counterspell with your own Counterspell. This can lead to a long chain of Counterspells, where it is hard to tell which spell will ultimately go through:
I definitely had a chain of Counterspells in the game. The paladin casts a spell, the opponent uses Counterspell, then the bard uses Counterspell, another opponent uses Counterspell, the mystic knight uses Counterspell …
Maladaptivism comments that this very trick demonstrates how Baldur’s Gate 3 differs from tabletop DnD: “This shows that it is a game and not tabletop, because a nasty DM [Dungeon Master/Game Master] will wait for spells like Healing Word or Revivify to reveal that the opponent actually has Counterspell available.” (via Reddit)
Path of Exile 2 has released a major update titled “The Third Edict”. Players are excited about the numerous changes. Especially regarding gameplay and performance, there are many improvements in the competitor of Diablo 4.
Path of Exile 2 has now published its largest update to date on August 29, 2025, at 10:00 PM German time. The update is called “The Third Edict” and continues the story around Wraeclast, introducing a new league, items, features, and many balance changes to the meta of PoE2.
The start of the new season has gone smoothly so far, and there have been no server issues. The initial reactions from the community to the new major update are overwhelmingly positive: not only does the gameplay feel significantly better, but the performance has also made a strong leap forward.
Select a MMO video…
Much praise from the community for the new update for Path of Exile 2
And there are several points that the community highlights as significant improvements (via Reddit.com):
The introduction of a dedicated sprint function instead of just dodging is seen as a significant advancement, as movement now feels much more dynamic and enjoyable.
The introduction of Act 4 and several interlude-acts is welcomed as a significant enhancement of the leveling experience, as the interlude-acts facilitate the transition to endgame and provide more story.
The removal of the “Cruel” difficulty in favor of a more streamlined progression is regarded as positive and time-saving.
Others praise the significantly improved performance: One player explains, “Everything looks better, runs more efficiently, and there are practically no frame drops/delays anymore.”
There are some critical voices regarding the defense, as the developers nerfed some strong warrior builds by reducing their health and block values. Overall, however, positive reactions dominate regarding the improved playability and dynamics.
We live in financially uncertain times. Generation Z is resorting to drastic measures to survive, especially to pay off high debts.
A report by Payroll Integrations examined the financial situation of the generations. It surveyed 250 individuals across all age groups about their income and expenses.
According to the report, an increasing number of young people are tapping into their retirement savings or selling personal possessions because the cost of living is steadily rising and salary increases are often absent.
What does the report say? Nearly half of Generation Z workers (46%) have already accessed their retirement savings. The share is significantly lower for Millennials at 31%. However, young people are not depleting their savings to finance vacations or other luxuries, but to cover unexpected emergencies or their high debts.
To afford their rent, an increasing number of young people are also skipping meals. This is reported by a Redfin survey that interviewed 4,000 homeowners and renters: 40% of Gen Z are skipping a meal or restaurant visit to be able to pay their rent.
Start video
Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds
Generation Z is particularly financially disadvantaged, and there are various reasons for this
Why is Generation Z particularly affected? Young people from Gen Z are hit particularly hard because many could not build financial cushions, and inflation, high rents, and expensive tuition fees put a heavy strain on their monthly expenses. In addition, Gen Z considers saving pointless and prefers to spend their money directly. And this is now backfiring:
The average income level required to feel financially “healthy” is much higher for Gen Z than for previous generations.
Gen Z has a higher share of debt, particularly due to consumer goods and education fees. In the USA, credit card debt is about 30% higher than that of Millennials at the same age, and young Germans often do not save adequately for retirement.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has eaten away many of Gen Z’s reserves, leaving little financial buffer.
Generation Z is financially worse off in many ways than previous generations: they suffer from high costs, low income, and burdensome debt, while psychological stress and societal trends further exacerbate the situation.
Actually, Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 should not be a true “service game”, but fans are certainly receiving good service. Even in year 2 post-release, there are many new contents, including some positive surprises.
Now, developers Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment have presented the roadmap for the second year of the game in a new trailer. And once again, it’s all about content, content, and more content.
You can watch the trailer here:
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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 presents its roadmap for the second year of the popular third-person shooter
New Monsters, Weapons, and a Playable Boss
What content is still to come? It should kick off on September 4th with Patch 10, and quite spectacularly. There will be:
A new siege map with 4 new PvE operations
The new PvP game mode “Helbrute Onslaught”, which includes a playable Helbrute
3 new PvP arenas
Gameplay modifiers
and much more
Here you can see the Year 2 Battle Plan once again in overview.
With the Chaos Spawn and the Mutalith Vortex Beast, 2 new monsters will appear, which need to be eliminated with one of the 3 new weapons in the name of the Emperor: The Pyreblaster, the Pyrecannon, and the Power Axe.
With Patch 12, a new class will be introduced in the first quarter of 2026: the Techmarine. He comes with his Omnissiah Axe. This is a special weapon awarded to Tech-Priests and Techmarines who have proven their faith in the Machine God on the battlefield.
This is a brief overview of the most exciting free content. You don’t have to pay anything for all of this if you already own the game. If you want, you can purchase the new Chapter, Champion, and Cosmetic Packs – separately or in the Season Pass.
The complete list of all announced innovations can be found on the publisher’s official blog at community.focus-entmt.com
Now it’s your turn: Are you still actively playing Space Marine 2 and looking forward to the new content? Feel free to let us know in the comments. While the developers are diligently working on content for Space Marine 2, a sequel is already in the works. There is little known about it so far, but Space Marine 3 is said to be more immersive than part 2.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the movies of Star Wars, the Death Star is built twice and threatens the security of the galaxy. However, there are other, far more sinister superweapons – five of which we present to you here.
The Death Star is the ultimate weapon of the Empire to control the galaxy. As demonstrated on Princess Leia’s home planet Alderaan, the weapon, resembling a moon, can completely destroy entire worlds in seconds. Fans are still debating a supposed logic error.
However, there are other superweapons in Star Wars that can easily match the Death Star. We will introduce five of them to you below.
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Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi – Trailer
Rank 5: Darksaber
The Death Star and the weapon known as Darksaber have much in common. Both were designed by constructor Bevel Lemelisk and utilize extremely powerful lasers to destroy their targets. Unlike the Death Star, however, Darksaber was not built for the Empire, but was a commissioned project ordered by Durga, a powerful Hutt.
In appearance, the weapon, as the name suggests, actually resembles an oversized lightsaber. In the Wookiepedia, you can see how the weapon looked. It is a battle station that omitted some of the Death Star’s gimmicks to make the superlaser even more effective. It surpasses the Death Star in terms of firepower and energy. Overall, Darksaber is much more agile than the sluggish, moon-like Death Star.
For operation, far fewer personnel are required, and Darksaber uses only one thousandth of the computer systems needed for the operation of the Death Star. The catch is: already during construction, there were problems; the materials were subpar, and by the time it was completed, the superweapon was in poor condition. During an attempt to use it, there was an accident where Darksaber collided with several asteroids and was destroyed. The superweapon first appeared in the novel “Darksaber” from 1995.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
One of the most well-known addons will become an integral part of World of Warcraft. But it is just one of many that will be part of the game.
At gamescom 2025, there was much talk about the new WoW expansion Midnight. However, there were also numerous pieces of information on much smaller panels that fell somewhat under the radar. One reveal: Blizzard is working on implementing its own Damage Meter. This could mark the beginning of the big addon ban.
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WoW Midnight shows gameplay – All new features
What are Damage Meters? A “Damage Meter” refers to interface addons that analyze the gameplay and neatly display how much damage is dealt during a fight, a dungeon, or on average per second. It is thus a tool that shows how well one’s performance is in comparison to other players.
Well-known Damage Meters in World of Warcraft include “Recount”, “Skada”, or “Details!” – they are among the most popular addons of this kind.
Why are Damage Meters controversial? Damage Meters, just like many other addons, are controversial within the community. While a large part uses these addons to see their own performance and to recognize when someone is underperforming or not performing at all, others feel pressured by it. They want to enjoy the game and not chase a “high score.” The performance pressure that arises from the display of a Damage Meter – whether for oneself or others – can be daunting for some.
For this reason, there are also MMORPGs that fundamentally prohibit such addons, such as Final Fantasy XIV – but even there, they are used by a part of the community.
Official Damage Meter in WoW will be better and more accurate than previous ones
Why is Blizzard creating its own Damage Meter? Blizzard has acknowledged that Damage Meters have been an integral part of World of Warcraft for nearly 20 years. When newcomers are trained by veterans, downloading such an addon is almost always at the top of the priority list.
Damage Meters will become an official part of the game.
However, Blizzard wants to ensure that new players rarely have to rely on external options. Therefore, all addons that are considered “standard” in the community will be gradually integrated by Blizzard and will become part of the basic equipment in World of Warcraft.
At the same time, this has the advantage that Blizzard’s Damage Meters will be 100% accurate – unlike the currently used addons. Because current addons read the combat log, which can be incomplete or erroneous – for example, if characters are standing too far away or are in a different phase of the boss fight. Then it becomes difficult for these addons to retrieve accurate data. An official Damage Meter from Blizzard can handle that without problems.
Ion Hazzikostas, the Game Director of WoW, said at gamescom:
You should not have to rely on external resources to find out if your current talent specialization is performing better than the one you used yesterday. The game should provide you with this information.That’s why we will have fully integrated Damage Meters.
What does this mean for existing addons? Blizzard is undertaking these efforts also to drastically limit the impact of external addons. Because many addons have become so powerful that they provide immediate perfect solutions to puzzles encountered in boss fights. Especially “WeakAuras” can be programmed so comprehensively that they eliminate a large part of the thinking required in a boss fight. This also prevents Blizzard from developing cool boss mechanics – because they are immediately resolved by a WeakAura.
Damage Meter is just one thing that Blizzard is adopting. They are also taking inspiration from addons like Deadly Boss Mods (DBM) or BigWigs and are starting to introduce their own timeline in the game, based on which players can see when particularly important boss abilities are used. What else is included in the upcoming expansion Midnight, our comprehensive overview of WoW Midnight reveals.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
It’s time for our MeinMMO format “MMORPG News in two Minutes”. We summarize the most important news about the best genre in the world. New content for Throne and Liberty, exciting gamescom interviews, trouble in Eorzea and much more await you.
By the way: The developers of The Elder Scrolls Online are currently working on enabling crossplay between PC and consoles. This was hinted at by Rich Lambert at gamescom and then confirmed by Community Manager ZOS_Kevin in the official forum of the MMORPG.
The developers of Throne and Liberty presented the new housing system in a detailed article on playthroneandliberty.com. The goal: Housing should offer more than just decoration but also functionality and benefits.
Speaking of which: In the new episode of Tico Talks, there was a lot of information about the next major content update of Throne and Liberty, which is supposed to go live on September 18. Look forward to Tier-3 gear, the new Orb weapon, boost servers, fresh co-op dungeons and more. You can find the Tico Talks episode on YouTube and below.
Additionally, the developers of ESO have released their September roadmap. You can expect the console version of Update 47, fresh Golden Opportunities, content testing, events and a look ahead at the innovations for the 4th quarter.
And here’s another date from Eorzea: Patch 7.31 will be released on September 2, 2025 for Final Fantasy XIV. Included: Planet Phaenna and tool improvements in cosmic exploration – Source: finalfantasyxiv.com.
A new patch for Black Desert went live on August 28, focusing mainly on class changes. You can find the patch notes on playblackdesert.com.
Guild Wars 2 is not only one of the highest-rated MMORPGs on Steam but can also attract more players to the servers through Valve’s platform. Last weekend saw a new player record.
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Der Cinematic Trailer zur WoW Erweiterung Midnight verrät, wie es in Azeroth weiter geht
This is what happened with the small MMORPGs:
On August 27, three retro open-PvP worlds for Tibia were launched: Escura (EU), Mystera (NA), and Penumbra (SA). You can find the details at tibia.com.
Neverwinter Online received the Slaughterhouse Arena patch on August 27. This involves new content where you have to defeat waves of enemies. You can find the patch notes at playneverwinter.com.
Until September 23, the Stone Cold Summer event is running in EverQuest, featuring new quests, missions, and rewards. You can find the details at everquest.com.
If you log in to EverQuest II before September 22, you can secure up to two free crates with nice in-game goodies from the marketplace. You can find info about it on everquest2.com. There was also a teaser for Update 129: Fear of Eternity on YouTube.
On August 26, a small patch for Albion Online went live, with adjustments for crystal offhand items, fog, balancing, and more. You can find the German patch notes at albiononline.com.
The developers of RuneScape have released another explanatory article regarding the Catalyst League starting in September. Where? On runescape.com.
From August 26 to September 22, the Homecoming event is taking place in DC Universe Online. You can find all the info at dcuniverseonline.com.
This is what happened with the MMORPGs in development:
The beta of the anime MMORPG Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is currently running. For the first time, players in the West can try out the new MMORPG in large numbers and already know after 3 days what they like and what they do not like.
On their official Discord channel, the developers of Pax Dei extensively answer questions from the community about UI, guilds, building, markets, PvE content and much more.
The developers of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen explain on X that they had to postpone the update planned for August 27 regarding Black Rose Keep to fix a critical bug. There is no replacement date yet.
On September 15, the Steam launch of the Free2Play MMORPG Eterspire is coming up. To prepare, the developers released Update 58.0 this week, featuring 2 new areas, quests, and more.
With Vampir, a new MMORPG for PC and mobile has launched in South Korea; you can find the official website at vampir.netmarble.com. It is unclear if there will be a global launch in the future.
Also from South Korea comes the “brutal dark-fantasy MMORPG” Raven II, which is definitely set to receive a global PC and mobile release, including on epicgames.com. Pre-registrations have started on the official website raven2w.netmarble.com. A trailer showcasing the classes can be found below:
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MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya checked out a gameplay demo of the new sci-fi RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn at gamescom. Like many others, she sees the inspiration from Mass Effect, but believes: The original, The Expanse itself, brings a very special highlight.
At gamescom, I got to see an exclusive gameplay demo of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. And yes: The comparison to Mass Effect is immediately obvious. But my real highlight was something that could not be more important in the universe of The Expanse – gravity.
For an hour, game design producer Yuliya Chernenko and director Leonid Rastorguev guided me through a mission. Cover shooter, dialogue choices, atmospheric space station – it all felt incredibly familiar. Visually and gameplay-wise, the comparison to Mass Effect was immediately apparent.
And yet: The original brings something that no other sci-fi RPG implements as consistently.
Start video
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn – Announcement Trailer from the Summer Game Fest
The story starts after the catastrophe
The story begins right after the Eros incident – an entire colony in the asteroid belt is infected by a mysterious alien substance and becomes a threat to the entire solar system. I play a pair of twins, where I can freely choose appearance, origin (Earth, Mars, Belt), and background. This sounds like classic RPG, but here it is politically charged: Where you come from determines your role in the universe.
At the space station, the first major hub, a colorful hustle and bustle reigns. Merchants, quests, conversations – everything an RPG heart desires. And: Even the station looks so high quality that it doesn’t need to hide behind AAA titles like Starfield.
The station is bustling with activity.
I particularly remembered Belter Larry: twice the size of my protagonist because zero gravity changes bodies. In a game, this can finally be depicted the way it was meant in the series. He wants you to bring a nice photo of him to his mom – sweet.
By the way, Leonid explains to us here that the RPG is also full of skill checks, whether you want to open a door, hack something, or conduct conversations.
Shooter action and physics fun
Of course, it doesn’t stay peaceful.
Imagine you have the nastiest, most secret, and morally flexible company in the solar system. And this company doesn’t just have a security firm, but a private army of guys who are so professional and ruthless that it makes you choke on your laughter.
These are the proton mercenaries. And they are the ones attacking now.
I decide whether to put the weapon down or take the direct approach. Leonid explains that such decisions trigger chain reactions and have long-term consequences. In this scenario, for example, how much help you will have available later. Of course, I choose a shootout!
The shooter gameplay strongly resembles Mass Effect: Cover, firefights, destructible environments. But here, the physical detail comes into play: bullets leave traces in the walls, debris flies around – everything feels tangible and realistic.
Zero gravity as gameplay highlight
And then comes the moment that made my heart race: I leave the station, float out into space with my spacesuit, held only by the magnetic soles in my shoes. A black void, stars shining – and suddenly everything changes.
The battles are free and three-dimensional. I push off walls, float through rooms, while projectiles appear slower but more dangerous in the void. Precision and timing become a true challenge.
Additionally, the space station is rotating and continuously turns everything upside down. Great cinema.
This is exactly where The Expanse stands out: Gravity and zero gravity are not just nice details in the series’ universe, they determine politics, physiology, and culture. They dictate how people look and live, and are the main reason for the conflict among the peoples. The Belters, who grew up in space, are the best evidence of this – their bodies show at first glance how much gravity affects life. That Owlcat takes this core seriously in gameplay is the big promise of the game.
Owlcat Studios understand that they must give gravity a special significance in the RPG. And that they take this into account in gameplay and combat makes me happy.
The Expanse is considered one of the most scientifically accurate sci-fi series ever. It strictly adheres to physical laws, from the realistic generation of gravity to the biological consequences for humans in space.
While zero gravity occasionally appears as a theme or in certain scenarios in Mass Effect, it is not a central or consistently present gameplay element. Here, The Expanse must go a step further and integrate exactly this aspect repeatedly into story and gameplay.
Game design director Leonid promised that scientific accuracy and gravity will be important in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. Of course, compromises are made for the player experience (yes, you hear sounds in space, albeit muffled through the helmet).
But the crucial point is: Gravity is not a gimmick, but a central gameplay element.
Early stage but a lot of potential
So far, the controls feel clunky, animations are stiff – typical of an early development stage. For Owlcat, it is also uncharted territory: After isometric RPGs like Pathfinder or Rogue Trader, they are taking their first steps into a narrative third-person action-RPG. For this, they have massively expanded their team – according to Leonid, over 250 people are now working on the project.
Conclusion
In the end, for me: Yes, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn strongly resembles Mass Effect – in gameplay, in look, and in decisions. But the truly special thing lies within the original itself. The significance of gravity and zero gravity, as Owlcat integrates them into battles and scenes, sets the game apart from others in the sci-fi RPG genre.
It is here that The Expanse shows that it is more than just an inspiration: It is the foundation for an RPG that combines scientific accuracy with engaging gameplay. If Owlcat can fulfill this promise, we can expect a sci-fi adventure that clearly distinguishes itself from genre giants like Mass Effect and Starfield – and that’s exactly why it already makes you eager for more.
One month before the official release of EA FC 26, only a few ratings have been officially confirmed so far. At MeinMMO, we take a guess at which players could receive the biggest upgrades to their overall rating for Ultimate Team.
What does a rating prediction entail? Predictions involve speculative assumptions about how good a player might become in the new FC 26. Since these are speculations, our predictions do not guarantee that the ratings will appear in the game as stated.
The ratings or overall ratings (OVR) are expressed in numbers from 1-99 in EA FC. The higher the rating, the better stats the player brings to his primary position.
Our predictions are based on observations and analyses from FC 25 and the real performances of the professionals.
Start video
Deep Dive trailer on gameplay shows 2 different gameplays and numerous adjustments
The 10 biggest rating upgrades in FC 26 Ultimate Team
How is the rating prediction made? For the prediction, we considered 3 aspects:
The collected individual awards in Ultimate Team, to see if EA has already given players upgrades in FC 25:
Team of the Week (TOTW),
Player of the Month (POTM)
Team of the Season (TOTS)
the squad updates in FC 25 for kick-off mode and seasons, which align with the live performances of players over the season
The real performances of the players based on various analysis tools:
Sofascore, to gather statistics and ratings about the player
FBREF, to compare the data with other players on the same position
From the overall consideration of these aspects, we make guesses about who might receive the biggest upgrades in FC 26.
Omar Marmoush (Manchester City): from 79 to 84 (+5 OVR)
Here’s how Marmoush’s rating developed in FC 25: At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Marmoush delivered cards for his individual performances like clockwork:
Standard card: 79 OVR (Gold Rare)
2 TOTWs (82 OVR and 85 OVR)
2 POTMs (84 OVR and 87 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, Marmoush received an 84 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Marmoush in FC 26: With his transfer to Manchester City in winter, there were no further individual awards added. Nevertheless, his record for the 24/25 season is outstanding overall:
despite Manchester City’s weak second half, he scored 7 goals, some of them spectacular
across competitions, he plays a strong season with 42 goal involvements in 48 matches
the best average rating (8.16) of all players in the Bundesliga up to his transfer
Prediction for FC 26: Marmoush has shown at Frankfurt and in parts at Manchester City that he is a difference maker. As a reward, his 84 rating, which was already given to him through the last squad update in FC 25, should remain as a new standard card in FC 26.
This could make him a highly sought-after striker with strong pace and good finishing quality, especially at the start of Ultimate Team.
Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool FC): from 76 to 82 (+6 OVR)
Here’s how Ekitiké’s rating developed in FC 25: In FC 25, Ekitiké collected 6 different special cards. Among them were also 2 individual awards for his strong performances.
Standard card: 76 OVR (Gold Rare)
1 TOTW (83 OVR)
1 TOTS (94 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, Ekitiké received a 79 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Ekitiké in FC 26: The Frenchman formed the deadliest attacking duo in the Bundesliga alongside Marmoush in real football. After the departure of his striking partner, he carried the offense of Eintracht Frankfurt alone:
34 goal involvements in 48 matches
top scorer for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga (23 goals) with a large lead over second place (9 goals)
among the top 5% of all forwards worldwide in many shooting and passing statistics
Ekitiké was one of the most sought-after players in the summer transfer window due to his overall package and potential. Liverpool paid around 95 million euros for the striker.
Prediction for FC 26: For the start, we expect Ekitiké to get a new standard card with an 82 overall rating along with good stats in pace, shooting, physical, and dribbling.
This could make him one of the most versatile strikers at the start of FC 26. His large, lanky player model could also be a special trait for the attack.
Rayan Cherki (Manchester City): from 75 to 81 (+6 OVR)
Here’s how Cherki’s rating developed in FC 25: In FC 25, he collected 4 different special cards, including 2 individual awards.
Standard card: 75 OVR (Gold Rare)
1 TOTW (85 OVR)
1 TOTS (89 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, Cherki received a 79 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Cherki in FC 26: Cherki experienced a performance explosion during the 2024/25 season, nearly tripling his scoring output compared to the previous season. His two-footedness and exceptional vision helped him:
32 goal involvements in 44 games for the 2024/25 season, compared to 12 goal involvements in 39 games in the previous season
among the top 1% of players in the categories of assists, expected assists, and key passes worldwide in his offensive midfield position
Due to his qualities, many European top clubs wanted to sign Cherki. Manchester City secured the services of the two-footed playmaker.
Prediction for FC 26: Based on the performances shown, the already earned awards in FC 25, and not least because of his transfer to Manchester City in the Premier League, we expect Cherki to receive a new standard card of 81 and thus to rise by 6 levels.
Cherki could be a very good choice in the offensive midfield for the start of Ultimate Team, as he will likely become a dribbling and passing strong playmaker who could feel very agile in the game.
Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain): from 76 to 83 (+7 OVR)
Here’s how Doué’s rating developed in FC 25: The young Frenchman was the player of the second half of the season. Also in FC 25, the offensive player collected numerous cards for his individual performances, especially from December/January:
Standard card: 76 OVR (Gold Common)
3 TOTWs (83 OVR, 87 OVR, 89 OVR)
1 POTM (90 OVR)
1 TOTS Honorable Mentions (95 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, Doué received an 81 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Doué in FC 26: His real statistics do not yet fully indicate how strong Doué already is. However, it must be taken into account that the winger only really took off in the second half. Moreover, despite being only 20 years old, he has already been an absolutely key player in finals twice:
a total of 29 goal involvements in 54 games
strong performances in important matches (3 goal involvements in the Champions League final, 2 goal involvements in the French Cup final)
Prediction for FC 26: The numerous special cards already give a hint that Doué could make a rating jump in FC 26. Since he stood out particularly in the finals with strong performances, we consider a +7 upgrade to the overall rating of his new standard card to be realistic.
With his immense speed and strong dribbling, he could be one of the most expensive and sought-after 83-rated players on the wing at the start of FC 26.
William Pacho (Paris Saint-Germain): from 78 to 85 (+7 OVR)
Here’s how Pacho’s rating developed in FC 25: The center-back collected 2 special cards in Ultimate Team, one of which was an individual award for his strong season:
Standard card: 78 OVR (Gold Rare)
1 TOTS (95 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, Doué received an 83 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Pacho in FC 26: Pacho formed one of the strongest center-back duos in Europe together with Marquinhos. This was also due to the excellent defensive performances from the Ecuadorian.
Comparisons with Virgil van Dijk, one of the best center-backs in football and in FC 25, show how strong Pacho defended:
Pacho reclaimed significantly more balls per game in both the league (4.3) and the Champions League (4.7) than van Dijk’s values of 3.1 in the league and 3.2 in the Champions League
with his low error rate, Pacho is among the top 13% of all center-backs worldwide
should a ball be lost, he belongs to the top 10% of center-backs in the world in terms of regaining the ball
Prediction for FC 26: In the last squad update, EA already showed which way it could go with Pacho in FC 26. We expect at least a +7 upgrade for his base card.
With his speed and tackling strength, Pacho will be one of the top 3 center-backs in Ultimate Team.
Joan García (Barcelona FC): from 76 to 84 (+8 OVR)
Here’s how García’s rating developed in FC 25: In FC 25, the keeper collected 2 individual awards in Ultimate Team:
Standard card: 76 OVR (Gold Common)
1 TOTW (85 OVR)
1 TOTS (95 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, García received an 80 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of García in FC 26: On the real football pitch, Joan García played his second strong season in a row after being promoted from the second Spanish league with Espanyol Barcelona:
7.49 prevented goals in the 2024/25 season is an outstanding figure across Europe; in comparison, world keeper Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa) only managed 1.16 prevented goals
At 24 years old, the Spaniard still has plenty of potential to improve in the coming years. FC Barcelona acquired the keeper in summer for around 24 million euros.
Prediction for FC 26: García is currently one of the most exciting keepers in football. With his transfer to FC Barcelona, he even displaced the first-choice goalkeeper and long-time captain Ter-Stegen (89 OVR in FC 25).
We expect that the Spaniard will make a big jump to an 84 for his new standard card in Ultimate Team and would be a really good goalkeeper for any starter team.
Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United): from 69 to 78 (+9 OVR)
Here’s how Woltemade’s rating developed in FC 25: In FC 25, Woltemade played long under the radar and only gained some attention towards the end of Ultimate Team:
Standard card: 69 OVR (Silver Common)
1 Futties (95 OVR)
in the last squad update, Woltemade received a 76-ratings
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Woltemade in FC 26: Similar to Ekitiké, Woltemade brings an interesting overall package. Despite his height of 1.98m, he is remarkably ball-secure, can set up his players strongly, and has a good nose for goals. After a strong second half of the Bundesliga season, Woltemade was also one of the standout players of the U21 European Championship.
For Woltemade, the data and statistics on the real football pitch speak more for an upgrade, where he cannot only be measured in goals and assists:
in the opponent’s penalty area, Woltemade belongs to the top 1% of players with the most touches, which indicates how well he can assert himself under great pressure from opponents – he is crucial in nearly every attack
a great quality of his are also his shot-creating passes and expected assists, where he ranks among the top 5% of all strikers worldwide
As an indication of his increased performance potential, the enormous interest from Bayern Munich in the German international, who wanted to sign Woltemade, also serves. Now Newcastle United is paying about 90 million for the player.
Prediction for FC 26: Woltemade has made a name for himself among many major clubs. The jump from a silver to a gold card should be guaranteed. We expect Woltemade’s rating to be between 78 and 80.
In the case of Woltemade, we almost assume that he will play even better than his rating suggests due to his unique player model.
Mika Biereth (AS Monaco): from 68 to 78 (+10 OVR)
Here’s how Biereth’s rating developed in FC 25: The Danish striker was one of the few players who could collect 4 individual awards for his performances:
Standard card: 68 (Silver Common)
3 TOTWs (80 OVR, 85 OVR, 87 OVR)
1 TOTS Highlights (95 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, Biereth received a 77 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Biereth in FC 26: On the real grass, Biereth played at the start of the season for Sturm Graz in the Austrian Bundesliga. In winter, he transferred to AS Monaco. In both leagues, he impressively showcased his qualities as a goalscorer:
27 goals and 7 assists in 44 matches
in terms of accuracy, Biereth ranks among the top 1% of all players and needs only a few shots to score a goal
Prediction for FC 26: Biereth made the seamless transition from Austria to France. In both leagues, he scored many goals. We expect that the Dane will be a little stronger than in his last squad upgrade and receive a 78 rating.
In Biereth, you will find a fast striker with a strong and powerful finish at the start of FC 26, who could also hold his own in aerial duels.
Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal FC): from 64 to 75 (+11 OVR)
Here’s how Nwaneri’s rating developed in FC 25: In FC 25, the quick dribbler did not stand out with many special cards. He only made it to one Dreamchaser (93 OVR) and one Future-Star-Evolution card (80 OVR), which could be developed into a 91 rating.
Standard card: 64 OVR (Bronze Rare)
in the last squad update, Nwaneri was given a 75 OVR
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Nwaneri in FC 26: Nwaneri just turned 18 this year but is already entering his fourth season with Arsenal FC. In the 2024/25 season, he made his first longer appearances in the Premier League and the Champions League. During this time, he achieved 8 goal involvements, collecting 3 more in the EFL Cup. On the pitch, Nwaneri shows the outstanding qualities he brings:
he significantly exceeded his expected goals in both the league and the Champions League, indicating that he can convert seemingly harmless situations into goals
among the successful dribblers, Nwaneri belongs to the top 1% of all wingers/attacking midfielders worldwide
Prediction for FC 26: Despite strong competition at Arsenal FC, Nwaneri is increasingly getting longer appearances and has been able to attract attention with some goals and assists. As a reward, a jump to a gold card should await him, which would be a huge step for a current bronze player.
In FC 26, Nwaneri could receive a gold card that will primarily impress with speed and dribbling, making it desirable for starter teams from the Premier League.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal FC): from 58 to 77 (+19 OVR)
Here’s how Lewis-Skelly’s rating developed in FC 25:s rating in FC 25: In FC 25, Lewis-Skelly collected 2 individual awards for his performances:
Standard card: 58 OVR (Bronze Common)
1 TOTW (87 OVR)
1 TOTS Highlights (94 OVR)
in the last squad update of FC 25, Lewis-Skelly received a 73 rating
These facts speak for a strong upgrade of Lewis-Skelly in FC 26: At Arsenal FC, the left-back made his breakthrough in the 2024/25 season and has been a mainstay on the left flank of the Gunners since the second half of the season. By switching from central midfield to left back, Lewis-Skelly can better utilize his speed.
He particularly shows himself as a reliable support in passing, which is an important prerequisite for Arsenal’s possession football:
among completed short passes, Lewis-Skelly is in the top 1% of all full-backs worldwide
additionally, due to his speed and robustness, he is usually only stopped by a foul and belongs to the players most often stopped unfairly
Prediction for FC 26: In FC 25, he already moved to a 73 rating in the last squad update. We expect another upgrade to 77. This would be a whole 19 points up.
Due to his many strengths, Lewis-Skelly could be a real hidden gem on the left back at the start of FC 26 and one of the players who could be played better than the rating suggests.
So we have come to the end of our prediction. Now it’s your turn: Do you think the ratings are realistic? Did we miss one or more players in your opinion? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Some ratings in FC 26 have now been officially confirmed: EA FC 26: Ratings revealed – Here’s how strong the icons of the Ultimate Edition are
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Soon you can slay your way through a dark version of Camelot in a real co-op gem on Steam, also on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Which game are we talking about? We are referring to Sworn, an action roguelike that you can play alone or with up to 4 players. The game is being developed by Windwalk Games.
Sworn launched in Early Access on Steam on February 6, 2025, and has already captivated many players there.
The title has a total of 2,278 reviews on Steam, with 82% being positive.
In particular, the diverse builds and the co-op mode are often praised (as in this Steam review).
There is now also a date for the full release. Sworn will leave Early Access on Steam on September 25, 2025, and will then also be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
On the occasion of this milestone, the developers have released a new trailer:
Start video
Sworn: Das Action-Roguelike mit Koop auf Steam hat jetzt einen Termin für den vollen Release und kommt auf PS5 uns Xbox Series X|S
Topple the evil King Arthur from the throne
What is the game about? In Sworn, you explore a fallen Camelot that is suffering under the reign of a dark King Arthur. Your goal is to free the land from him and his knights of the round table and to find the source of the darkness that is spreading over the land of Avalon.
On your journeys, you will also encounter familiar figures from the Arthurian legend. Some of them, like the wizard Merlin, are friendly to you. He can even teach you a trick or two. Others, however, will be your enemies.
What’s new in version 1.0:
In the Potion Lab, you brew your own potions for combat or to control the whims of the fairies that grant you their power.
Weapons and spells can be enhanced with new blessings, old ones have been rebalanced, and the system has generally been polished.
All fairy lords and NPCs will have new dialogues with English voiceovers.
King Arthur will be significantly harder to defeat at higher difficulty levels.
If you want to try Sworn again before the release, now you have the opportunity. Until September 1, you can play the game for free on Steam. Currently, Sworn costs €24.99, but the price is expected to rise with the full version – so early access is worth it if you like the game.
