In Pokémon GO, the Wild Area 2025 has been announced. We show you what information about the big event is currently known.
What kind of event is this? The Wild Area, or in English Natural Zone, is an event that took place for the first time in Pokémon GO in 2024. It represents the third major annual event alongside the GO Fest and the GO Tour.
In addition to various regular and legendary Pokémon, the Wild Area in 2024 also brought the powerful Pokémon and the Safari Balls.
The Wild Area 2025 has now been officially announced. The announcement was made in the form of a trailer, which also teases a new Pokémon. Here we embed the trailer for you:
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When does the event take place? As can be seen from the trailer, there will be a local and a global version of the Wild Area 2025. The local version will take place from November 7, 2025, to November 9, 2025, in Nagasaki.
The global variant will take place on November 15 and 16, 2025.
What content will the event bring? There is still no further information about the content of the event. It is not yet known whether the powerful Pokémon, the Safari Balls, and the variety of different legendary Pokémon will be included again or if this year’s event will bring other content.
However, in the trailer, a Pokémon is hinted at through footprints and a silhouette. Additionally, at the end of the trailer, the symbols for the types Dark and Fairy appear.
Start video
So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus
What does the community say about it? The community is confident that they can identify the Pokémon from the trailer. It is said to be Grummsnarl, a Pokémon with the types Dark and Fairy from Generation 8, which evolves from the pre-evolutions Impidimp and Morgrem.
Some of the comments under the video say:
“Olangaar hmm, that could be good,” says Goofy-Goober-Of-Memes
“Finally, we are getting Olangaar,” rejoices rylanmcclanahaan6655
“Bring back the powerful Pokémon! Bring back the diverse raids! Safari Balls! Everything! This event was awesome, just change the spawns,” writes Thec0rruptedNeko
“So much better than the finale of the GO Fest, WOOO,” comments Shleerp
Recently, one of the biggest changes in Pokémon GO was announced. This concerns the level system. In addition to a new maximum level, the distribution of the previous levels will also be adjusted, as well as the requirements for the various levels: Pokémon GO completely changes its level system – Here’s what you need to know.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A study has investigated how strongly artificial intelligence affects the job market. It was found that AI especially makes it harder for newcomers to find a job. People with many years of experience are significantly less affected.
What kind of study is this? Stanford University, together with economist Erik Brynjolfsson, has released a study (PDF) on how artificial intelligence affects the job market and wages. The study reportedly examined data from the payroll company Automatic Data Processing and considered payroll records from thousands of companies with millions of employees in total.
And Stanford University found that artificial intelligence significantly complicates job searches for newcomers in the USA in areas such as software development and customer service.
Start video
Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds
Overall employment is growing, but young people are still finding jobs less frequently
Overall, the study establishes its findings based on 6 key insights.
The 6 key insights:
Decline in employment for newcomers: Young workers (22–25) in highly AI-exposed professions such as software development and customer service are losing employment significantly.
Uneven employment growth: While overall employment is growing, employment for young workers has stagnated since the end of 2022; a decline of 6% for them compared to +6–9% for older workers in the same professions.
Difference by AI application: Job losses primarily occur in roles that can be automated by AI. AI that complements tasks does not negatively impact entry-level jobs.
Robust pattern despite control: Declines among young workers persist even after controlling for company and time effects; a possible explanation: industry-specific shocks.
Stronger impact on employment than on wages: Differences are primarily observed in employment, not in salaries.
Broad applicability: Findings apply regardless of profession, remote work, or outsourcing potential and cannot be explained solely by previous AI exposure metrics. An “exposure metric” indicates how much a profession, task, or group of workers is affected by artificial intelligence (AI) and the likelihood that tasks in a profession can be automated or replaced by AI.
However, these developments may not be the end, the study warns. As AI continues to advance rapidly, Brynjolfsson warns that the impacts on younger workers could also extend to those with more experience.
We need to develop an early warning system in the form of a dashboard to monitor this in real time. This is a very consequential technology.
On the weekend (August 24, 2025), the first league match for the football club of Twitch-Streamer Elias “EliasN97” Nerlich took place. At the start of the season, the ambitious Delay Sports only managed a draw.However, President Nerlich rated the behavior of many players before the game as much worse and took the first consequence even before the whistle.
What does EliasN97 find disrespectful? Despite the thin squad of Delay, which is currently struggling with many absentees due to injuries, many players were not aware of the responsibilities of proper game preparation. Numerous players spent the Friday and Saturday before the match at a festival in Berlin, celebrating excessively until the early hours of the match day.
The streamer expressed his disappointment on YouTube with a reaction to the match and feels disrespected by the players of his club. He had even accommodated the players by allowing them a training-free Friday to attend the festival that day. In return, he expected his players to conduct a proper preparation on Saturday, meaning: no alcohol and an early bedtime.
Why is EliasN97 angry? Especially the disrespect towards the coaching staff and the other staff is inexcusable, as they invest a lot of work into the club. He also feels betrayed by his team, as he always makes efforts to ensure that the players at Delay are provided with the best conditions.
This is Delay Sports: The football club was founded in 2021 by friends and streamers Elias ‘EliasN97’ Nerlich and Sidney ‘SidneyEweka’ Friede. The ambitious club started in the lowest league and has managed to secure promotion each season so far. Due to the founders’ fame and network, Delay manages to attract players who have previously played in much better leagues. Therefore, some view the project critically because no fair competition is possible in the league. There are also rumors that players are switching to Delay for money. However, according to Nerlich, no player receives a salary or a bonus. The players are there because they are passionate about the project.
For the public image of the already critically viewed club, such a start with the accompanying stories of the first match day seems very unprofessional.
Nerlich is currently applying for a loan for a club facility and is concerned that the bank would not grant him the loan if they saw that work in the club is not professional enough.
Furthermore, the players must internalize that they are not an ordinary district league club but that the project has much larger ambitions.
The result is only secondary. In terms of sports, Nerlich is convinced that promotion can be achieved again despite the bumpy start. In hindsight, he is glad that the players were brought down from their arrogance with this unsatisfactory start, as otherwise the danger would have been greater that they could behave like this again in the future.
However, Nerlich did not want to simply let the unprofessional behavior of his players pass. Even before the whistle, he and the coaching staff took the first consequences and did not hold back even from his co-founder and buddy.
Start video
Deep Dive trailer on gameplay shows 2 different gameplays and numerous adjustments
Co-founder of Delay Sports warms the bench for 90 minutes
What consequences does EliasN97 draw? After consulting with the coaches Kevin Pannewitz and Andreas Schild, co-founder and streamer buddy Sidney “SidneyEweka” Friede was even removed from the starting lineup. Likely knowing that he is the best player in Delay’s squad and that only 2 other substitutes would be available.
Friede was reportedly one of those who had excessively celebrated according to Nerlich. As proof, Nerlich cited a video that would show Friede partying between 6:30 AM and 7:00 AM on match day. Friede even posted this video in the story of his Instagram account.
When Friede appeared at the meeting point before the match, he was told that he didn’t even need to change. President and buddy Nerlich held a long monologue to Friede, making it clear that such behavior is unacceptable.
How does the co-founder react? Friede has not yet made a statement. Nerlich expressed disappointment in the reaction since he allegedly has shown no remorse and claimed that the partying had been agreed upon beforehand.
What will happen next with Delay Sports? In conclusion of his emotional statement, Nerlich emphasized that he will always support his passion project and continue to stand by his players.
For the new week, he announced that 2 new players from Delay’s second team would get a chance in the first team. It remains to be seen whether the confrontation and the action taken will lead to a change in mindset among some players.
With Pokémon Legends Z-A, the tradition of the main series is broken – at least when it comes to combat. MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen faced the challenge at gamescom 2025 with a 20-minute demo.
As a child, I always dreamed that there would be a game where I could walk around in an open world with my Pokémon. The main series of Pokémon only offers the opportunity to walk around with a character in a 2D world and engage in turn-based battles.
Every time I watched the anime, I knew that the pocket monsters hardly waited for each other. Trainers shout commands to their partners like crazy, who then execute them immediately. No “Hey, you need to wait, it’s my turn now,” but fast and dynamic battles. This always bothered me about the main series, and my childhood dream remained unfulfilled for a long time – until Pokémon Legends Z-A was announced.
If you’ve seen the trailers for Pokémon Legends Z-A, you may notice that there’s no time to think about your moves in battle. The game abolishes turns, which you might remember from Pokémon Red or other representatives of the main series.
Instead, you now have to react in real-time and direct your Pokémon to deal as much damage as possible while also taking as little damage as possible.
At gamescom 2025, I faced several trainers and Pokémon in a 20-minute demo. I was able to test whether the real-time battles were indeed as overwhelming as some journalists experienced.
In the first 10 minutes, I battled in the namesake league, where players must advance from rank Z to rank A. Afterwards, it was on to a tougher battle against Mega-Absol.
Start video
Pokémon Legends: Z-A presents a new story trailer for Switch
From the End of the Alphabet to the Winner’s Podium
In the first 10 minutes, I visited the battle zone where the ranked battles for Pokémon Legends: Z-A take place. Several trainers were waiting to be defeated by me. For the battles, I had several weaker Pokémon like Voltilamm at my disposal. The opposing Pokémon, including Scoppel, were also maximally at level 10.
Basically, the battles were like in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, only delivered in real-time. With my character, I could quickly select a Pokémon and just as quickly switch again. On the side, I was shown the 4 attacks that my Pokémon could use.
As I walked around, my Pokémon followed me closely. Only when I gave the command to attack did it position itself and attack the opposing Pokémon.
By the way: In this part, I could also try sneaking up to make a first strike. However, I failed to do so, perhaps I was too impatient.
During the demo, I was able to challenge two trainers. The damage dealt by the opponents was still manageable, which is why I did not find the battles too difficult or tactically demanding. So, I just spammed the attacks, which had their recast time reset.
And I must say: This is exactly how I imagined Pokémon battles as a child. Just walking around, commanding the pocket monster, and watching it fight in real-time. Just for that, the demo was worth it. But there was an even bigger challenge waiting.
You need to keep several things in mind during battles.
Fights Against Mega-Pokémon Are Even Harder
In the second part of the demo, it was then time for the battle against Mega-Absol. I got Lucario and had to reduce my opponent’s health to zero. The battle was significantly harder than the previous ranked battles, as even a single hit from Mega-Absol cost a large part of my health.
Therefore, it was all about dodging. In true Soulslike fashion, I rolled around as if I were an armadillo. Mega-Absol followed a specific attack pattern that included both area attacks and attacks that shot in one direction. I had to observe my opponent and figure out when the best time windows for attacks were.
Another aspect comes into play here that would also make sense in a “real” real-time battle with Pokémon. It’s important WHERE the pocket monsters are positioned. When Absol fired its attack, I had to make sure that Lucario was out of the line of fire.
The big saving grace were the orbs that Mega-Absol dropped whenever I hit it. They filled my mega-evolution gauge, which I could then apply to Lucario.
In the end, I actually managed to defeat Mega-Lucario. The battle took significantly more nerves than the ranked battles, but that’s how one should feel when facing another trainer with your own Pokémon, right?
Overall, I would say that the difficulty has indeed increased with the real-time battles. However, those who have experience in the action genre should handle it well here. You don’t need Soulslike game skills to succeed in Pokémon Legends Z-A.
And for those who have always dreamed of walking around with their Pokémon and battling, it is finally fulfilled here.
The big comic giants Marvel and DC are not only competitors; in the past, they also collaborated for crossovers. Now a new collaboration is following, and it has Batman clashing with an unusual hero.
What is this crossover about? On September 17, 2025, the comic Deadpool/Batman No. 1 from Marvel will be released in the USA, followed by Batman/Deadpool No. 1 from DC on November 19, 2025. As the name suggests, the gloomy Bruce Wayne meets the anti-hero with the loose tongue, who is probably not well-liked by any hero.
The DC variant is written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Dan Mora, while the Marvel variant is created by Zeb Wells and Greg Capullo.
This is the first time that the two heroes meet. In Deadpool/Batman No. 1, Deadpool receives a mission in Gotham City, but Batman cannot just let a chaotic hitman run around.
DC itself describes Batman/Deadpool as a metaphysical car crash between two narrative philosophies. One character broods in the shadow of trauma and justice. The other one flips through the chaos, breaks the fourth wall, and occasionally the laws of physics.
In the announcement, various aspects are promised, such as cosmic horror, slapstick, and also breaks with the fourth wall.
Although the two are the main characters in the comics, they are not the only heroes that clash.
Last year, Deadpool already annoyed another grumpy hero:
Start video
Wolverine is back: Official Trailer of Deadpool & Wolverine
A crossover not only for Deadpool and Batman
Who else will clash? The two one-shots will also contain smaller stories showcasing encounters between other DC and Marvel heroes.
In Deadpool/Batman, there are also crossovers, including between:
Daredevil and Green Arrow by Kevin Smith and Adam Kubert
Captain America and Wonder Woman by Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson
Jeff the Land Shark and Krypto by Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru
And in Batman/Deadpool, you can look forward to the following crossovers:
Constantine and Doctor Strange by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, and Hayden Sherman
Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Wolverine (Laura Kinney) by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo
Harley Quinn and the Hulk by G. Willow Wilson, Mariko Tamaki, and Amanda Conner
Static and Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Denys Cowan
This is not the first crossover between the two universes. As early as 1976, the comic Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man featured a crossover between the two heroes, who had to defeat Dr. Octopus and Lex Luthor together.
Nearly 20 years later, the comic event DC Versus Marvel followed, where both universes had to compete against each other. There, the universes even merged into the Amalgam Universe, and heroes like Wolverine and Batman became one. This is one of the weirdest variants of Wolverine.
In 2003, the Avengers faced off against the Justice League of America. This event started in 2003 with JLA/Avengers No. 1 (via DC Database).
When will the crossover be released in Germany? So far, only the English release dates are known. Deadpool/Batman No. 1 will be released on September 17, 2025, and Batman/Deadpool No. 1 follows on November 19, 2025. Currently, the English versions are also not available for pre-order at common retailers in Germany.
Additionally, it is unclear in what format the crossover will be released here. If you want one of the special cover variants, you will likely have to import the crossover.
Will there be a crossover between the two universes in movies and series? While one can never rule it out, it is quite unlikely. The films and series of the two comic giants want to build a large universe that implements multiple products. Such a crossover would not fit well. Sometimes, aspects should also stay in the comics: Superman can almost do anything, but no one has yet brought his most absurd ability to the cinema
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new RPG on Steam is currently impressing many players with a new trailer. They are especially reminded of Hytale and are already calling it Hytale 2.
What game is it? Everwind is an upcoming sandbox RPG on Steam that initially resembles Minecraft at first glance. Not only do the graphics and blocks look similar, but the building of structures with blocks also looks like in the original. The game was previously known as “Skyverse,” but is now called “Everwind.”
Unlike Minecraft, the RPG focuses more on combat, technology, and exploration. Despite its sandbox nature, there are bosses to defeat, loot to collect, and vehicles to build.
This trailer is currently catching fans’ attention:
Start video
The new sandbox RPG Everwind looks like Hytale, features action-packed battles in the trailer
Hytale 2 before Hytale?
What do fans say about the trailer? The new trailer has generated over 330,000 views on various channels on YouTube within 5 days, bringing smiles to many viewers. They often associate what they see directly with the failed Hytale from a few months ago, which will likely never be released.
This is mainly due to the block aesthetic and the procedurally generated worlds that both games have taken from Minecraft. Both titles additionally emphasize RPG elements and a crafting and progression system for the character, offering action-packed boss fights.
Features such as character customization and a co-op and multiplayer mode, where the game can be experienced together, are also included in both games.
Everwind incorporates many elements that fans hoped for from Hytale and now inherits the fame and hype that Hytale lost due to its cancellation.
When is the game supposed to be released? Everwind has not yet been released and is currently in development. While the official Steam page for the sandbox RPG only mentions an upcoming early access release, the Kickstarter page for the project offers insights into the release timing.
There, players are expected to receive their rewards, including access to early access on Steam, starting March 2026, which could mean that the developers will also make the game available to the general public. However, there is no exact date mentioned.
That Everwind has inherited some hype due to its similarities to Hytale is likely a fortunate circumstance for the RPG. According to the developers, the development has been ongoing for 2 years and did not start only with the end of Hytale. There is also still a chance for a reunion with Hytale: Abandoned game reminiscent of Minecraft, now the creator offers 25 million to Riot to save his work
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new controls for League of Legends have gone live on the test servers. However, along with it come some problems that make an already bug-prone champion unplayable.
Which champion is it about? The champion Viego was already released in January 2021. Only 6 months after his release did he gain access to professional matches. His passive ability is fertile ground for bugs, as through the skill he can transform into other champions he has defeated and copy their abilities, stats, and items.
Often, there were faulty interactions due to his special ability. For example, he created infinite towers as the champion Azir. Now, however, he is unplayable on the test server if you are using the new controls of League of Legends.
What is the new control scheme of League of Legends? The team at PORO (Player Onboarding Retention Org) is responsible for implementing the WASD control scheme. With the controls, you can use the well-known movement keys WASD instead of a right-click to steer your champion.
In a Reddit post, PORO addressed various difficulties with the controls. Besides the major problem with the auto-attack function, they also offer suggestions to improve the WASD experience. One of these suggestions is simple: “Don’t play Viego.”
In the video, you can see the trailer for the new Season 3 of 2025 in League of Legends:
Start video
The new trailer for Season 3 in 2025 of League of Legends shows a dark vision of the champion Xin Zhao
Viego has become unplayable with the WASD controls
What is the problem? In the Reddit post, the developers at PORO state that Viego’s second ability can no longer be charged if he has used the passive. This means that Viego loses an important part of his champion identity and is significantly weaker for the rest of the match.
What else does PORO recommend to improve the experience? Besides stating that you should not play Viego, the developers point out the auto-attack function. You should preferably turn it off as unwanted attacks could sneak in if you walk into a minion wave with WASD.
WASD controls receiving nerfs to balance
How will the WASD controls be balanced? To balance the controls, Riot wants to implement some nerfs, such as making attacks slower if you are constantly moving and attacking. Another point is prematurely interrupting animations to move faster after an ability, which does not happen at the earliest possible moment when using WASD (input delay).
What do players say about the controls and the associated nerfs? The X user Ismalakoi shares his concerns about the plan: “Why are you adding a feature that will simply feel bad, just to justify it with balance? Input delay is really not the right way.”
Twitch streamer Drututt also commented under the X post and holds a clear opinion: “Solution: Don’t activate WASD in ranked or professional games, make it available only in normal games.”
Are there also positive opinions? Yes, not as many as the negative ones, but there are voices that are happy about the new controls. Especially new players could have an easier access to a complex game like League of Legends. X user OMG_its_Yi writes the following about WASD in LoL:
I am super excited about this change. Many new players will significantly improve the game. A slow, cautious rollout through the test server before it goes live is a good decision. I was already worried that it wouldn’t happen, as things usually only stay there for one or two patch cycles.
Under the Reddit post on the topic user TaTalentedSpam writes: “I can’t wait to test it and help with the improvement. Thank you for your hard work and forward-thinking.”
What other changes or nerfs and buffs the WASD controls will receive remains to be seen. Depending on player feedback, a lot could still change before you can safely traverse the Summoner’s Rift on the right servers.
Some are having a hard time in World of Warcraft. Because a system that is actually good is being used for dark purposes.
Depending on whom you ask, you will get very different answers about the state of World of Warcraft. Some love the social interaction, the shared evenings with guild mates in dungeons or raids. Others complain about the toxic community and that you can’t really go on adventures with “randoms,” because someone’s always leaving a dungeon prematurely if even a small detail doesn’t go 100% as planned.
Blizzard has heard these voices and incorporated a punishment system. Anyone who leaves a dungeon is branded as a “leaver” – so that everyone can see that they are leaving early. The problem: Tanks are now getting caught, and others are finding ways to circumvent these penalties.
Start video
WoW Midnight – The opening cinematic of the new addon shows the attack on Silvermoon
What kind of system is this? With patch 11.2, Blizzard wanted to fulfill a long-held wish of the WoW community. When players leave a “Mythic+” dungeon prematurely, they will be marked as “leavers” after repeated offenses – as someone who does not complete dungeons until the end. Everyone else then sees in the group finder: This person has not been reliable before, and maybe they should not be invited.
If the group feels that the dungeon is no longer manageable, they can start a vote using the “/abandon” command. If at least 4 out of 5 people agree, then the dungeon is canceled, and there is no penalty.
The system received praise beforehand because it could improve the environment for all honest dungeon fans. At least in theory.
But as often in World of Warcraft, things turned out differently in the end. Because shortly after, some villains had already figured out how to exploit the system.
This is how tanks look when they are trapped in the wrong dungeon.
Tanks are taken hostage and must tank dungeons
How are tanks exploited? Some victims are the tanks who are being exploited by this new system. They are told that they would sign up for a high-level dungeon – such as a “Crucible +12.” However, once they are in the dungeon and insert the key stone, the tank realizes: “Wait a minute, this is only a +5!”
The group has simply lied to them and wanted a strong, well-equipped tank for the dungeon – a tank who is so strong that it actually poses no challenge for them.
The tank is now faced with a problem. They can leave the group, but risk being branded as “unreliable” – and that, even though they ended up in a dungeon they didn’t want to participate in at all. The result: Some tanks bite the bullet and quickly tank the dungeon just to regain their “freedom” without long-term consequences.
System is being circumvented in various ways
But other methods have also emerged on how to circumvent the system. If the group refuses to cancel the dungeon, but two members feel they don’t want to play until the end, then such experiences occur:
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Again and again, the characters throw themselves intentionally to their deaths. Because each death reduces the remaining time on the timer they have left to complete the dungeon. Once the timer has dropped to 0, the dungeon is counted as “failed” – and they can leave the group without consequences.
It should be clear that Blizzard needs to address this soon, as the current solution cannot be the ultimate answer. Whether there will be a hotfix or if we can expect improvements only in the next major patch remains to be seen. But there is more frustration – WoW Legion Remix is on the verge of becoming a total flop.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Path of Exile 2 launches this week with its latest expansion “The Third Edict”. What you should know about the release and the new features for version 0.3 is covered in our overview.
When is the release of 0.3? Path of Exile 2 will receive its largest update yet on August 29, 2025, at 10:00 PM German time. The update is called “The Third Edict” and continues the story of Wraeclast, bringing a new league, items, features, and lots of balance changes to the PoE2 meta.
In a lengthy stream, the developers went through the changes mentioned above, but if you missed it and don’t want to listen for over an hour, we provide the key changes in a compact written format in our overview.
Start video
Path of Exile 2 shows Season 2 in the new trailer, brings Act 4 and 3 interludes into play
The Third Edict: All Innovations for Trade, Classes, and Features
What can I expect in The Third Edict? The new expansion of Path of Exile 2 is expected to bring a major update and a lot of innovations that fans can look forward to. You can find the most important ones here:
Act 4 and three interlude acts
Improvements in the endgame
Offline trading through adjustments and a new NPC
New league: Rise of the Abyssal
Improvements in crafting
New feature: Sprinting
Balance changes for all classes
Adjustments for skill and support gems
Additionally, with our directory, you can quickly jump to the point that interests you:
[toc]
Act 4 and Interlude Acts
With update 0.3, the Cruel difficulty is removed. Therefore, you no longer need to complete the campaign twice for the endgame. Instead, GGG has packed in two additional contents that even lore fans will appreciate.
Act 4 is the first addition. In this act, you will have the opportunity to travel to various surrounding islands of Wraeclast. The selection of the order is up to you. Each of these islands has its own biome, enemies, and bosses awaiting you. In total, you can expect 16 new areas and 12 new bosses.
You have a wide selection ahead
Since Cruel is now gone, PoE2 needs something to get you close to the lowest endgame level – level 65. To achieve this without having to farm mobs for hours, there will be three interlude acts that will present you with challenges – fitting to the story. The interlude acts are called:
The Curse of Holten
The Stolen Barya
Doryani’s Contingency
Exciting stories until Act 5 appears
Note that these interludes are just fillers. With the release of Act 5, they will be removed from the game. Only the 19 new areas and 12 new bosses will be integrated into the endgame. So if you want to pick up some background knowledge in the story and play something new, you should participate in these interludes.
Improvements in the Endgame
The endgame in 0.2 felt repetitive, boring, and therefore unexciting. But with 0.3, this is supposed to change, because GGG has planned the following drastic changes:
For endgame activities, you no longer have to waste special boss keys to challenge them; instead, there are now shards
You can obtain these shards from maps and then choose between 3 difficulties at the realm gate
Each difficulty has a different cost to challenge the boss:
Level 1: 50 shards
Level 2: 75 shards
Level 3: 100 shards
Points on the Atlas no longer affect the difficulty of the Atlas bosses
Arbiter of Ash functions differently:
To challenge him, you still need fragments
But now there are 2 types of fragments:
Normal and Calamity
With the Calamity fragments, you can challenge the Uber Arbiter of Ash
You will receive the fragments as usual from citadels, but to obtain the fragments for an Uber invocation, you must have fully equipped your boss Atlas tree with maximum points
Offline Trading through Adjustments and New NPC
For years you had to wait, but now it’s here: asynchronous trading. Once you reach Act 4, you can welcome the new NPC Ange in Kingsmarch. Thanks to Faustus, she can not only carry out currency exchanges, but you can also trade with other players while you are offline. Anyone who already has a camp can set it up immediately and benefit from her talents.
Ange, your new loyal merchant
To offer products with Ange, you need a Merchant’s Tab. This stash tab is sold individually for 40 points and in a bundle with 6 tabs for 200 points. Without such a tab, you cannot offer products with Ange.
Anyone who owns premium tabs before the release of update 0.3 can convert their tabs on the official Path of Exile site at no additional cost. Each product you want to list must be individually priced – Quad-tabs cannot be converted.
The Abyss is set to return from PoE1. With it, fans will have the chance to craft special, corrupted items with new effects. Maps can be infested with undead, and rifts will form on the terrain.
If you seal these, you have the chance for strong rewards, but ideally, the Maw of the Abyss opens. In the Abyss, you can then earn further rewards and even defeat one of the 4 tough bosses.
Improvements in Crafting
As for crafting, it has also been refined. Each lesser currency, including:
Orb of Transmutation
Orb of Augmentation
Regal Orb
Exalted Orb
Chaos Orb
Are now supposed to improve, as they will have three levels. The higher the level, the higher the stats you’ll gain from the orbs with your perks. Essences are also supposed to get better. They now have 4 levels:
Lesser
Normal
Greater
Perfect
With them, you can now place guaranteed effects on your items, and depending on the level used, the effects are stronger. New omens are also there, and old, unusable ones have even been removed.
Finally, there should be a new item type, “Exceptional Items”. These are much better than normal items as they drop with up to 30+ in quality or even provide you with an additional socket for your runes.
New Feature: Sprinting
Movement, especially when mapping, was too slow for many fans, and this is supposed to change now. A feature will be implemented that allows you to sprint. You will need to press the dodge button once and then hold it. While sprinting, you will be much faster. However, if you are hit by a projectile or attack while sprinting, you’ll fall to the ground and be much more vulnerable to enemy attacks.
Balance Changes for All Classes
With update 0.3, many balance changes are also being introduced. For GGG, all classes deserve a new look and therefore there will be adjustments. Since these are extensive, we will list the official English patch notes for you:
Warrior
Warbringer
The Answered Call Notable Passive Skill now also provides +1 to Maximum number of Summoned Totems.
The Ancestral Spirits Skill granted by the Answered Call Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Minions from this Skill have 1% increased Accuracy Rating per 3 of your Dexterity. Instead, Minions from this Skill now have 1% increased Attack Speed per 3 of your Dexterity.
The Greatwolf’s Howl Notable Passive Skill has been removed, and the Warcaller’s Bellow Notable now also provides Ignore Warcry Cooldowns.
The Renly’s Training Notable Passive Skill now grants Gain 35% Base Chance to Block from Equipped Shield instead of the Shield’s value (previously 40%).
The Turtle Charm Notable Passive Skill no longer grants 25% less Block Chance, or Can Block Damage from all Hits while Shield is not Raised. Instead, it now provides You take 30% of damage from Blocked Hits, and Maximum Block chance is 75%.
Stacks of Jade granted by the Jade Heritage Notable Passive Skill are no longer lost when taking Physical Damage from a Hit.
Ancestral Spirits from the Answered Call Notable Passive Skill have also been improved. They now appear faster and start using skills sooner.
Ancestral Jade Hulk no longer Charges, it instead uses a Warcry to buff nearby Allies to have 50% increased Damage. Their Leap Slam has also been improved.
Ancestral Jadecaster has had its Spell Casting range increased. The Pinning Jade Storm has had its Area of Effect increased and the delay between it forming and exploding has been reduced.
Ancestral Warhorn’s horn buff and horn slam have had their Area of Effect and Duration increased.
Ancestral Spirit Turtle’s Aura has had its Area of Effect increased.
Smith of Kitava
The Flowing Metal Notable Passive Skill now causes Body Armour to grant 50% of Armour to also applies to Elemental Damage from Hits (previously caused Body Armour to grant +5% to Maximum Fire Resistance).
The Leather Bindings Notable Passive Skill now causes Body Armour to grant regenerate 3% of maximum Life per second (previously 5%).
The Manifest Weapon Skill granted by the Living Weapon Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Minions from this Skill have 1% increased Accuracy Rating per 3 of your Dexterity. Instead, Minions from this Skill now have 1% increased Attack Speed per 3 of your Dexterity.
The small Passive Skills providing Fire Resistance now have values of 8% (previously 15%).
The small Passive Skill prior to Living Weapon now grants 5% increased Strength, instead of Minions deal 20% increased Damage.
Mercenary
Gemling Legionnaire
The Advanced Thaumaturgy Notable Passive Skill no longer grants 30% less cost of Skill, or Skill Gems have 30% more Attribute requirements. It now grants the Thaumaturgical Dynamism Buff, which while active causes you to passively generate a Power, Frenzy or Endurance Charge once every eight seconds. The type of Charge you generate is determined by the Attribute Requirements of your socketed Skill Gems. The higher the total Strength Requirement total of your socketed Skill Gems, the more likely you will be to generate an Endurance Charge. Higher total Dexterity Requirement corresponds to a higher chance for Frenzy Charges, and Intelligence to Power Charges.
The Gem Studded Notable Passive Skill no longer grants You can use each type of Support Gem an additional time in different Skills. Instead, it now provides For each colour of Socketed Gem that is most numerous, gain:
Red: Hits against you have no Critical Damage Bonus.
Blue: Skills have 30% less cost.
Green: 40% less Movement Speed Penalty from using Skills while Moving.
Tactician
The Cannons, Ready! Notable Passive Skill now also provides +1 to maximum number of Summoned Totems.
The Right Where we Want Them Notable Passive Skill now also grants Projectile Damage builds Pin.
The Polish That Gear Notable Passive Skill now provides Gain Deflection Rating equal to 20% of Armour, and no longer grants Gain 100% of Armour as extra Stun Threshold.
The Suppressing Fire Notable Passive Skill now provides 40% more Immobilisation buildup instead of Projectile Damage builds Pin.
The Supporting Fire Skill granted by the Unleash Hell! Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Minions from this Skill have 1% increased Accuracy Rating per 3 of your Dexterity. Instead, Minions from this Skill now have 1% increased Area of Effect per 3 of your Dexterity. The Death from Above command for Supporting Fire now deals approximately 3 times more Damage at all Gem levels.
The Whoever Pays Best Notable Passive Skill now provides “There is no Limit on the number of Banners you can place” and Banners gain 5 Glory per Second, instead of “Can Place Multiple Banners”.
Added a new Strategic Embankments Notable Passive Skill, which requires Cannons, Ready! This causes your Totems to grant Embankment Auras to players when placed, which grant a different effect depending on the variety of totem:
Dark Effigy grants 40% increased Damage over Time.
Mortar Cannon grants 15% of Damage Gained as extra Fire.
Siege Ballista grants 50% increased Damage against Immobilised Enemies.
Shockwave Totem grants 30% increased Area of Effect.
Huntress
Ritualist
The Wildwood Persistence Notable Passive Skill now grants 10% increased Life Recovery Rate per 5% missing Unreserved Life (previously 5%).
The As the Whispers Ask Notable Passive Skill has been removed, and the As the Whispers Demand Notable now also grants the Ritual Sacrifice Skill.
Amazon
The Critical Strike Notable Passive Skill now has Gain additional Critical Hit Chance equal to 15% of excess chance to Hit with Attacks (previously 25%), and no longer specifies it ignores Hobble on the target.
The Elemental Surge Notable Passive Skill (previously Elemental Infusions) now grants 3 Surges when consuming a Power, Frenzy or Endurance Charge (previously 2).
Ranger
Deadeye
The Avidity Notable Passive Skill no longer grants a 30% chance to gain maximum Frenzy Charges when you gain a Frenzy Charge. Instead, it grants a 50% chance to gain an additional Frenzy Charge when you gain a Frenzy Charge.
The Called Shots Notable Passive Skill no longer lets you apply an additional Mark. Instead it causes your projectiles to chain to marked enemies, and grants the new Called Shots Meta Skill that repeatedly marks enemies near you, bypassing your Mark limit.
The Eagle Eyes Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Bulleseye. No longer removes the distance-based accuracy penalty. Instead, it applies 10 stacks of Critical Weakness to enemies when you consume a Mark on them.
Monk
Invoker
The Elemental Expression Skill granted by the …and Scatter Them to the Winds Notable Passive Skill now deals 8-244 to 12-366 Fire Damage with the Fiery Explosion at Gem levels 1-20 (previously 5-152 to 8-228), 7-200 to 10-300 Cold Damage with the Icy Wave (previously 4-125 to 7-187), and 3-84 to 16-477 Lightning Damage with the Arcing Bolt (previously 2-53 to 11-298).
The Meditate Skill granted by the Faith is a Choice Notable Passive Skill now has a Cooldown of 7-5.1 seconds at Gem levels 1-20 (previously 10-8.1 seconds). Meditate now provides 24-100% more Energy Shield Recharge Rate at Gem levels 1-20 (previously 0-28%).
Acolyte of Chayula
The Reality Rending Notable has been renamed to Sap of Nightmares, and no longer grants chance to gain a percentage of Damage with Hits as Extra Chaos Damage. Instead, it now grants Leech recovers based on Chaos Damage as well as Physical Damage.
The Lucid Dreaming Notable Passive no longer provides any benefits itself, instead now being a multi-choice Notable with the following choices: Choice of Life – All Flames of Chayula you manifest are Red, Choice of Mana – All Flames of Chayula you manifest are Blue, or Choice of Power – All Flames of Chayula you manifest are Purple.
The Into the Breach Skill granted by the Waking Dream Notable Passive Skill now grants Remnants spawned by Supported Skills have 0-50% increased Effect. Quality now provides 0-15% increased Effect of Remnants (previously A Flame of Chayula manifests nearby every 0 to -0.3 seconds).
The Grasp of the Void Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Illusory Void, and no longer requires Embrace the Darkness. It no longer provides Gain 1% of Extra Chaos Damage per 20 Unreserved Darkness, and instead grants a new Skill, Void Illusion!
The Embrace the Darkness Notable Passive Skill now has Darkness Reservation lasts for 5 seconds (previously 10).
The Inner Silence Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Deepening Shadows, and no longer grants 50% reduced Darkness Reservation Duration. Instead, it now grants 1% increased Maximum Darkness per 1% Chaos Resistance.
The Ravenous Doubts Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Inner Turmoil, and no longer grants Mana Leech Recovers based on other Damage Types as well as Physical Damage. Instead, it now grants Gain 1 Volatility on inflicting an Elemental Ailment, and Take no Damage from Volatility.
The Consuming Questions Notable has been renamed to Unravelling, and no longer grants You cannot Recharge Energy Shield, or Mana Leech effects also Recover Energy Shield. Instead, it now grants Chaos Damage from Hits also Contributes to Ignite Chance and Magnitude, Freeze Buildup, or Shock Chance, changing every 2 seconds.
Witch
Blood Mage
The small Life Passive Skill prior to Sanguimancy has been removed.
The Sanguimancy Notable Passive Skill is now free to allocate. The Life Remnants Skill it grants now Spawns a Remnant on Hitting a Target, instead of on Critically Hitting.
The Gore Spike Passive Skill now grants 1% increased Critical Damage Bonus per 50 Life (previously 40), and has swapped locations with the Sunder the Flesh Notable Passive Skill.
The Between the Cracks Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Sanguine Tides, and no longer provides Critical Hits ignore Monster Armour. Instead, it now provides Gain 1 Life Flask Charge per 4% Life spent, and 50% less Life Recovery from Flasks. It also now has when your Life Flask reaches full Charges, 40% of its Charges are consumed, and Gain 1% of Damage as Physical Damage for 3 seconds per Charge consumed this way.
The Open Sores Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Whispers of the Flesh, and no longer grants Your Curses have Infinite Duration. Instead, it now grants Enemies affected by your Curses have at least 15% of Life Reserved.
Infernalist
The Infernal Hound, granted by the Loyal Hellhound Notable Passive Skill, now Ignites Enemies within 2.5 metres (previously 1.5 metres).
The Pyromantic Pact Notable Passive Skill now grants Infernal Flame equal to twice your Mana (previously equal to your Mana), but causes you to lose 25% of your Infernal Flame per second if you haven’t gained any in the past 2 seconds (previously 50% per second).
Demon Form, granted by the Demonic Possession Notable Passive Skill, no longer disables your weapons or has its own weapon set. It no longer grants level of all Spell Skills while in Demon Form, or increased Spell Damage per Demonflame. It now grants 3% more Spell Damage per Demonflame, and Quality now provides +0-10% increased Cast Speed while in Demon Form (previously had no Quality). Life Loss per second from Demonflame is now lower beyond Skill Gem 20.
Lich
The Dominion over Flesh Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Incessant Cacophany. It now grants Your Curses have infinite Duration instead of Your Curses can affect Hexproof Enemies.
The Eldritch Empowerment Notable Passive Skill no longer provides Non-Channelling Spells cost an additional 3% of Maximum Energy Shield, Non-Channelling Spells deal 30% more Damage, or Spending Energy Shield does not interrupt Recharge. Instead, it now provides Spells deal 30% more Damage when Sacrificing Energy Shield, Sacrifice 5% of maximum Energy Shield when you Cast a Spell, and Sacrificing Energy Shield does not interrupt Recharge.
The Price of Power Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Non-Channelling Spells consume a Power Charge if able to deal 25% more Damage. Instead, it now provides Spells consume a Power Charge if able to deal 40% more Damage.
Sorceress
Chronomancer
The Flood of Echoes Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Inevitability. It no longer grants the Unleash Skill. It instead now grants the new skill Inevitable Agony, which Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, causing a portion of Damage they take from Hits to be stored in the Curse debuff. When the debuff’s duration expires, they take that stored damage again, all at once.
The Quicksand Hourglass Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Every 10 seconds gain 50% more Cast Speed for 5 seconds. Instead, it now grants Sands of Time, which grants 60% Cast Speed, scaling down to 1% over 10 seconds at which point it will then scale back up to 60%. Sands of Time also grants 1% increased Area of Effect, scaling up to 60% over 10 seconds, at which point it will then scale back down to 1%.
Stormweaver
The Elemental Storm Skill granted by the Tempest Caller Notable Passive Skill has had its cooldown lowered to 3 seconds at all levels (previously 5).
The Rain Dancer Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Multiplying Squalls and no longer provides 150% more Cooldown Recovery Rate for Elemental Storm. Instead, it now provides +1 to limit for Elemental Skills.
The Force of Will Notable Passive Skill no longer grants 1% increased Effect of Arcane Surge on you per 25 Maximum Mana. Instead, it now grants 20% of damage is taken from Mana before Life, and 20% increased magnitude of Arcane Surge on you per 10% missing Mana.
The Scouring Winds Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Storm’s Recollection, and no longer grants Exposure you inflict lowers affected Resistance by an additional 12%. Instead, it now grants Remnants you create reappear once, 3 seconds after being collected.
The Heart of the Storm Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Refracted Infusion, and no longer grants 40% of Elemental Damage taken Recouped as Energy Shield. Instead, it now provides 50% chance when collecting an Elemental Infusion to gain another different Elemental Infusion.
Adjustments for Skill and Support Gems
As for skill and support gems, there are also changes. In the future, there will be three levels for support gems. The higher the levels, the stronger the bonuses. Also new: You can now socket multiple of the same support gems in a build, not just one.
This will ensure that you have more options to modify your skills. Many skills have also been adjusted to make them even stronger in the endgame.
Maps contain hard bosses from the interlude acts, but you must unlock them first:
e.g. sandy areas must be freed from sandstorms
e.g. Vaal treasures need a special key to unlock
Waystones have more modifiers to be more diverse and rewarding
You now receive 2 points for your Atlas tree for specific activities when you complete special tasks:
For Delirium, you must defeat one of the two bosses from the Delirium activity
For endgame activities, you no longer have to waste special boss keys to challenge them; instead, there are now shards
You can obtain these shards from maps and then choose between 3 difficulties at the realm gate
Each difficulty has a different cost to challenge the boss:
Level 1: 50 shards
Level 2: 75 shards
Level 3: 100 shards
Points on the Atlas no longer affect the difficulty of the Atlas bosses
Arbiter of Ash functions differently:
To challenge him, you still need fragments
But now there are 2 types of fragments:
Normal and Calamity
With the Calamity fragments, you can challenge the Uber Arbiter of Ash
You will receive the fragments as usual from citadels, but to obtain the fragments for an Uber invocation, you must have fully equipped your boss Atlas tree with maximum points
Offline Trading through Adjustments and New NPC
For years you had to wait, but now it’s here: asynchronous trading. Once you reach Act 4, you can welcome the new NPC Ange in Kingsmarch. Thanks to Faustus, she can not only carry out currency exchanges, but you can also trade with other players while you are offline. Anyone who already has a camp can set it up immediately and benefit from her talents.
Ange, your new loyal merchant
To offer products with Ange, you need a Merchant’s Tab. This stash tab is sold individually for 40 points and in a bundle with 6 tabs for 200 points. Without such a tab, you cannot offer products with Ange.
Anyone who owns premium tabs before the release of update 0.3 can convert their tabs on the official Path of Exile site at no additional cost. Each product you want to list must be individually priced – Quad-tabs cannot be converted.
The Abyss is set to return from PoE1. With it, fans will have the chance to craft special, corrupted items with new effects. Maps can be infested with undead, and rifts will form on the terrain.
If you seal these, you have the chance for strong rewards, but ideally, the Maw of the Abyss opens. In the Abyss, you can then earn further rewards and even defeat one of the 4 tough bosses.
Improvements in Crafting
As for crafting, it has also been refined. Each lesser currency, including:
Orb of Transmutation
Orb of Augmentation
Regal Orb
Exalted Orb
Chaos Orb
Are now supposed to improve, as they will have three levels. The higher the level, the higher the stats you’ll gain from the orbs with your perks. Essences are also supposed to get better. They now have 4 levels:
Lesser
Normal
Greater
Perfect
With them, you can now place guaranteed effects on your items, and depending on the level used, the effects are stronger. New omens are also there, and old, unusable ones have even been removed.
Finally, there should be a new item type, “Exceptional Items”. These are much better than normal items as they drop with up to 30+ in quality or even provide you with an additional socket for your runes.
New Feature: Sprinting
Movement, especially when mapping, was too slow for many fans, and this is supposed to change now. A feature will be implemented that allows you to sprint. You will need to press the dodge button once and then hold it. While sprinting, you will be much faster. However, if you are hit by a projectile or attack while sprinting, you’ll fall to the ground and be much more vulnerable to enemy attacks.
Balance Changes for All Classes
With update 0.3, many balance changes are also being introduced. For GGG, all classes deserve a new look and therefore there will be adjustments. Since these are extensive, we will list the official English patch notes for you:
Warrior
Warbringer
The Answered Call Notable Passive Skill now also provides +1 to Maximum number of Summoned Totems.
The Ancestral Spirits Skill granted by the Answered Call Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Minions from this Skill have 1% increased Accuracy Rating per 3 of your Dexterity. Instead, Minions from this Skill now have 1% increased Attack Speed per 3 of your Dexterity.
The Greatwolf’s Howl Notable Passive Skill has been removed, and the Warcaller’s Bellow Notable now also provides Ignore Warcry Cooldowns.
The Renly’s Training Notable Passive Skill now grants Gain 35% Base Chance to Block from Equipped Shield instead of the Shield’s value (previously 40%).
The Turtle Charm Notable Passive Skill no longer grants 25% less Block Chance, or Can Block Damage from all Hits while Shield is not Raised. Instead, it now provides You take 30% of damage from Blocked Hits, and Maximum Block chance is 75%.
Stacks of Jade granted by the Jade Heritage Notable Passive Skill are no longer lost when taking Physical Damage from a Hit.
Ancestral Spirits from the Answered Call Notable Passive Skill have also been improved. They now appear faster and start using skills sooner.
Ancestral Jade Hulk no longer Charges, it instead uses a Warcry to buff nearby Allies to have 50% increased Damage. Their Leap Slam has also been improved.
Ancestral Jadecaster has had its Spell Casting range increased. The Pinning Jade Storm has had its Area of Effect increased and the delay between it forming and exploding has been reduced.
Ancestral Warhorn’s horn buff and horn slam have had their Area of Effect and Duration increased.
Ancestral Spirit Turtle’s Aura has had its Area of Effect increased.
Smith of Kitava
The Flowing Metal Notable Passive Skill now causes Body Armour to grant 50% of Armour to also applies to Elemental Damage from Hits (previously caused Body Armour to grant +5% to Maximum Fire Resistance).
The Leather Bindings Notable Passive Skill now causes Body Armour to grant regenerate 3% of maximum Life per second (previously 5%).
The Manifest Weapon Skill granted by the Living Weapon Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Minions from this Skill have 1% increased Accuracy Rating per 3 of your Dexterity. Instead, Minions from this Skill now have 1% increased Attack Speed per 3 of your Dexterity.
The small Passive Skills providing Fire Resistance now have values of 8% (previously 15%).
The small Passive Skill prior to Living Weapon now grants 5% increased Strength, instead of Minions deal 20% increased Damage.
Mercenary
Gemling Legionnaire
The Advanced Thaumaturgy Notable Passive Skill no longer grants 30% less cost of Skill, or Skill Gems have 30% more Attribute requirements. It now grants the Thaumaturgical Dynamism Buff, which while active causes you to passively generate a Power, Frenzy or Endurance Charge once every eight seconds. The type of Charge you generate is determined by the Attribute Requirements of your socketed Skill Gems. The higher the total Strength Requirement total of your socketed Skill Gems, the more likely you will be to generate an Endurance Charge. Higher total Dexterity Requirement corresponds to a higher chance for Frenzy Charges, and Intelligence to Power Charges.
The Gem Studded Notable Passive Skill no longer grants You can use each type of Support Gem an additional time in different Skills. Instead, it now provides For each colour of Socketed Gem that is most numerous, gain:
Red: Hits against you have no Critical Damage Bonus.
Blue: Skills have 30% less cost.
Green: 40% less Movement Speed Penalty from using Skills while Moving.
Tactician
The Cannons, Ready! Notable Passive Skill now also provides +1 to maximum number of Summoned Totems.
The Right Where we Want Them Notable Passive Skill now also grants Projectile Damage builds Pin.
The Polish That Gear Notable Passive Skill now provides Gain Deflection Rating equal to 20% of Armour, and no longer grants Gain 100% of Armour as extra Stun Threshold.
The Suppressing Fire Notable Passive Skill now provides 40% more Immobilisation buildup instead of Projectile Damage builds Pin.
The Supporting Fire Skill granted by the Unleash Hell! Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Minions from this Skill have 1% increased Accuracy Rating per 3 of your Dexterity. Instead, Minions from this Skill now have 1% increased Area of Effect per 3 of your Dexterity. The Death from Above command for Supporting Fire now deals approximately 3 times more Damage at all Gem levels.
The Whoever Pays Best Notable Passive Skill now provides “There is no Limit on the number of Banners you can place” and Banners gain 5 Glory per Second, instead of “Can Place Multiple Banners”.
Added a new Strategic Embankments Notable Passive Skill, which requires Cannons, Ready! This causes your Totems to grant Embankment Auras to players when placed, which grant a different effect depending on the variety of totem:
Dark Effigy grants 40% increased Damage over Time.
Mortar Cannon grants 15% of Damage Gained as extra Fire.
Siege Ballista grants 50% increased Damage against Immobilised Enemies.
Shockwave Totem grants 30% increased Area of Effect.
Huntress
Ritualist
The Wildwood Persistence Notable Passive Skill now grants 10% increased Life Recovery Rate per 5% missing Unreserved Life (previously 5%).
The As the Whispers Ask Notable Passive Skill has been removed, and the As the Whispers Demand Notable now also grants the Ritual Sacrifice Skill.
Amazon
The Critical Strike Notable Passive Skill now has Gain additional Critical Hit Chance equal to 15% of excess chance to Hit with Attacks (previously 25%), and no longer specifies it ignores Hobble on the target.
The Elemental Surge Notable Passive Skill (previously Elemental Infusions) now grants 3 Surges when consuming a Power, Frenzy or Endurance Charge (previously 2).
Ranger
Deadeye
The Avidity Notable Passive Skill no longer grants a 30% chance to gain maximum Frenzy Charges when you gain a Frenzy Charge. Instead, it grants a 50% chance to gain an additional Frenzy Charge when you gain a Frenzy Charge.
The Called Shots Notable Passive Skill no longer lets you apply an additional Mark. Instead it causes your projectiles to chain to marked enemies, and grants the new Called Shots Meta Skill that repeatedly marks enemies near you, bypassing your Mark limit.
The Eagle Eyes Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Bulleseye. No longer removes the distance-based accuracy penalty. Instead, it applies 10 stacks of Critical Weakness to enemies when you consume a Mark on them.
Monk
Invoker
The Elemental Expression Skill granted by the …and Scatter Them to the Winds Notable Passive Skill now deals 8-244 to 12-366 Fire Damage with the Fiery Explosion at Gem levels 1-20 (previously 5-152 to 8-228), 7-200 to 10-300 Cold Damage with the Icy Wave (previously 4-125 to 7-187), and 3-84 to 16-477 Lightning Damage with the Arcing Bolt (previously 2-53 to 11-298).
The Meditate Skill granted by the Faith is a Choice Notable Passive Skill now has a Cooldown of 7-5.1 seconds at Gem levels 1-20 (previously 10-8.1 seconds). Meditate now provides 24-100% more Energy Shield Recharge Rate at Gem levels 1-20 (previously 0-28%).
Acolyte of Chayula
The Reality Rending Notable has been renamed to Sap of Nightmares, and no longer grants chance to gain a percentage of Damage with Hits as Extra Chaos Damage. Instead, it now grants Leech recovers based on Chaos Damage as well as Physical Damage.
The Lucid Dreaming Notable Passive no longer provides any benefits itself, instead now being a multi-choice Notable with the following choices: Choice of Life – All Flames of Chayula you manifest are Red, Choice of Mana – All Flames of Chayula you manifest are Blue, or Choice of Power – All Flames of Chayula you manifest are Purple.
The Into the Breach Skill granted by the Waking Dream Notable Passive Skill now grants Remnants spawned by Supported Skills have 0-50% increased Effect. Quality now provides 0-15% increased Effect of Remnants (previously A Flame of Chayula manifests nearby every 0 to -0.3 seconds).
The Grasp of the Void Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Illusory Void, and no longer requires Embrace the Darkness. It no longer provides Gain 1% of Extra Chaos Damage per 20 Unreserved Darkness, and instead grants a new Skill, Void Illusion!
The Embrace the Darkness Notable Passive Skill now has Darkness Reservation lasts for 5 seconds (previously 10).
The Inner Silence Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Deepening Shadows, and no longer grants 50% reduced Darkness Reservation Duration. Instead, it now grants 1% increased Maximum Darkness per 1% Chaos Resistance.
The Ravenous Doubts Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Inner Turmoil, and no longer grants Mana Leech Recovers based on other Damage Types as well as Physical Damage. Instead, it now grants Gain 1 Volatility on inflicting an Elemental Ailment, and Take no Damage from Volatility.
The Consuming Questions Notable has been renamed to Unravelling, and no longer grants You cannot Recharge Energy Shield, or Mana Leech effects also Recover Energy Shield. Instead, it now grants Chaos Damage from Hits also Contributes to Ignite Chance and Magnitude, Freeze Buildup, or Shock Chance, changing every 2 seconds.
Witch
Blood Mage
The small Life Passive Skill prior to Sanguimancy has been removed.
The Sanguimancy Notable Passive Skill is now free to allocate. The Life Remnants Skill it grants now Spawns a Remnant on Hitting a Target, instead of on Critically Hitting.
The Gore Spike Passive Skill now grants 1% increased Critical Damage Bonus per 50 Life (previously 40), and has swapped locations with the Sunder the Flesh Notable Passive Skill.
The Between the Cracks Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Sanguine Tides, and no longer provides Critical Hits ignore Monster Armour. Instead, it now provides Gain 1 Life Flask Charge per 4% Life spent, and 50% less Life Recovery from Flasks. It also now has when your Life Flask reaches full Charges, 40% of its Charges are consumed, and Gain 1% of Damage as Physical Damage for 3 seconds per Charge consumed this way.
The Open Sores Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Whispers of the Flesh, and no longer grants Your Curses have Infinite Duration. Instead, it now grants Enemies affected by your Curses have at least 15% of Life Reserved.
Infernalist
The Infernal Hound, granted by the Loyal Hellhound Notable Passive Skill, now Ignites Enemies within 2.5 metres (previously 1.5 metres).
The Pyromantic Pact Notable Passive Skill now grants Infernal Flame equal to twice your Mana (previously equal to your Mana), but causes you to lose 25% of your Infernal Flame per second if you haven’t gained any in the past 2 seconds (previously 50% per second).
Demon Form, granted by the Demonic Possession Notable Passive Skill, no longer disables your weapons or has its own weapon set. It no longer grants level of all Spell Skills while in Demon Form, or increased Spell Damage per Demonflame. It now grants 3% more Spell Damage per Demonflame, and Quality now provides +0-10% increased Cast Speed while in Demon Form (previously had no Quality). Life Loss per second from Demonflame is now lower beyond Skill Gem 20.
Lich
The Dominion over Flesh Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Incessant Cacophany. It now grants Your Curses have infinite Duration instead of Your Curses can affect Hexproof Enemies.
The Eldritch Empowerment Notable Passive Skill no longer provides Non-Channelling Spells cost an additional 3% of Maximum Energy Shield, Non-Channelling Spells deal 30% more Damage, or Spending Energy Shield does not interrupt Recharge. Instead, it now provides Spells deal 30% more Damage when Sacrificing Energy Shield, Sacrifice 5% of maximum Energy Shield when you Cast a Spell, and Sacrificing Energy Shield does not interrupt Recharge.
The Price of Power Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Non-Channelling Spells consume a Power Charge if able to deal 25% more Damage. Instead, it now provides Spells consume a Power Charge if able to deal 40% more Damage.
Sorceress
Chronomancer
The Flood of Echoes Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Inevitability. It no longer grants the Unleash Skill. It instead now grants the new skill Inevitable Agony, which Curses all targets in an area after a short delay, causing a portion of Damage they take from Hits to be stored in the Curse debuff. When the debuff’s duration expires, they take that stored damage again, all at once.
The Quicksand Hourglass Notable Passive Skill no longer grants Every 10 seconds gain 50% more Cast Speed for 5 seconds. Instead, it now grants Sands of Time, which grants 60% Cast Speed, scaling down to 1% over 10 seconds at which point it will then scale back up to 60%. Sands of Time also grants 1% increased Area of Effect, scaling up to 60% over 10 seconds, at which point it will then scale back down to 1%.
Stormweaver
The Elemental Storm Skill granted by the Tempest Caller Notable Passive Skill has had its cooldown lowered to 3 seconds at all levels (previously 5).
The Rain Dancer Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Multiplying Squalls and no longer provides 150% more Cooldown Recovery Rate for Elemental Storm. Instead, it now provides +1 to limit for Elemental Skills.
The Force of Will Notable Passive Skill no longer grants 1% increased Effect of Arcane Surge on you per 25 Maximum Mana. Instead, it now grants 20% of damage is taken from Mana before Life, and 20% increased magnitude of Arcane Surge on you per 10% missing Mana.
The Scouring Winds Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Storm’s Recollection, and no longer grants Exposure you inflict lowers affected Resistance by an additional 12%. Instead, it now grants Remnants you create reappear once, 3 seconds after being collected.
The Heart of the Storm Notable Passive Skill has been renamed to Refracted Infusion, and no longer grants 40% of Elemental Damage taken Recouped as Energy Shield. Instead, it now provides 50% chance when collecting an Elemental Infusion to gain another different Elemental Infusion.
Adjustments for Skill and Support Gems
As for skill and support gems, there are also changes. In the future, there will be three levels for support gems. The higher the levels, the stronger the bonuses. Also new: You can now socket multiple of the same support gems in a build, not just one.
This will ensure that you have more options to modify your skills. Many skills have also been adjusted to make them even stronger in the endgame.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the most wanted game on Steam, which is set to be released later this year. An enthusiastic player has already managed to set a speedrun record for Hollow Knight: Silksong – and this, despite the fact that the game isn’t even out yet.
How did the player set the record? The mentioned player and YouTuber BlueSR accomplished two things that might seem impossible at first. He managed to play Hollow Knight: Silksong a total of 6 times at this year’s gamescom 2025, which is already impressive given the number of eager fans and the corresponding high attendance.
However, he also managed to set the first speedrun world record for the game simultaneously. He shared his attempts on his YouTube channel, where he refers to himself as “Hollow Knight Speedrunner”.
Here you can see the trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong, where the player demonstrated his skills:
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Hollow Knight Silksong – Xbox Game Pass Reveal Trailer
A speedrun that will remain unbeaten at least until September 4, 2025
What is the exact record? BlueSR spent the first two runs of the game traversing the “Deep Docks” environment as quickly as possible, achieving a time of 2 minutes and 26 seconds. This is currently regarded as the best time in this speedrun category. He himself describes the record run in his YouTube video as “pretty okay”, as it wasn’t completely flawless and he was “forced to play with a controller”.
Here you can see the corresponding video of the run under 3 minutes:
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A few days later, he attempted a speedrun of the entire demo, including both environments and collectible items. For the items he accidentally missed, he added a penalty of 6 additional seconds to his final time. Thus, with his sixth attempt, he achieved a time of 10 minutes and 36 seconds. He also shared this on YouTube.
Until the official release of the game, he will be regarded as the unbeaten record holder. It couldn’t be otherwise, as no one else will likely be able to play the demo until then.
What do we know so far about Hollow Knight: Silksong? Silksong is the sequel to the first part of the popular indie game Hollow Knight. Since its first announcement 6 years ago, fans have been (im)patiently awaiting the continuation of their favorite and now know since this year’s ONL that Silksong will be released on September 4, 2025.
It will be released on Steam, for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X/S.
Currently, you can secure rewards for Battlefield 6, but only if you play the unpopular predecessor. One player tried it out and found: He actually had fun.
What are these rewards? In Battlefield 2042, there is currently the free “Road to Battlefield” battle pass, where you can snag 30 exclusive rewards for Battlefield 6. However, the items are available at levels 8, 19, 30, 40, 49, and 60. This means: If you want to get everything, you have to invest a significant amount of time. According to a post on X, the campaign runs until October 7, 2025.
The cosmetic items are all inspired by previous titles in the series – such as Battlefield 1, V, Bad Company 2, 3, and 4.
Now a player is speaking out on Reddit who just wanted to quickly farm some rewards and was positively surprised.
Spieler fragen, was eigentlich aus „Niemals vorbestellen“ geworden ist, während Battlefield 6 die Charts auf Steam erobert
What does the player say about Battlefield 2042? The user LuaAstar posted on Reddit two images of a crying Hulk, with the text: “Guys… I am having fun with 2042.” Originally, he explains, he only played because of the BF6 rewards.
But after a single day with 9 hours of playtime, he draws a different conclusion:
“In the beginning, I actually just wanted to play for the BF6 rewards from the battle pass, but after investing a whole 9 hours in a single day, I can say: The game feels really good right now. Not as strong as BF1 or BF4, but still a pretty solid game.“
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Battlefield 2042 is a completely different game today than at launch
What do other players say about it? The top comment with over 3,500 upvotes from ImmolateSociety states: “It’s fair to say that the game is in a better state than at release.” And SatisfactionLimp5304 goes even further: “‘Better state’ is an understatement. It’s literally a completely different game than at launch.”
The user Sir_Caerulus adds: “I randomly put in about 100 hours a while ago, and it was not buggy at all, the gunplay felt good […]. It’s still not an S or A-tier Battlefield for me, but it has its moments and is definitely a different game than the disaster at launch.”
WolfhoundCid expresses a similar view: The game is now in a much better state. However, one cannot overlook the disastrous launch and the wasted first year. And melanko dryly compares it to “the last week at a job” – you can enjoy it because you know it will be over soon.
The user Maverick_Hiro even states: “In a way, Battlefield 2042’s failure was a necessary step to bring Battlefield back to a more grounded approach.” Today, you can appreciate this installment more, as you know it didn’t kill the franchise – BF6 looks promising.
In the comment, the post creator explains that he will likely stick around until the release of Battlefield 6. Other users seem to feel similarly. If you want to secure the rewards, you still have a few weeks left – almost until the release of the new installment. You can find the most important information about the release of Battlefield 6 here: Battlefield 6: All important info on release, beta, and crossplay
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Elden Ring: Nightreign is such a fast game that for most players, the priorities are already set at the beginning of a run: Get good loot, quickly gather good smithing stones, and then grind runes. You should be on the lookout for a strong item that is more powerful in critical situations than an ultimate.
Which item is being referred to? It is a throwable item that can be argued as one of the most effective and game-breaking items in Nightreign: the poison pot.
An inconspicuous and not too rare item that can often be found in poison camps and not in too small numbers.
It is already a nice attack method since the pot bursts, and the poison cloud continues to deal damage in a certain radius. This is already known to many players, but it does not make the item an absolute “must-have” … but here comes the point that decides between a successful or less successful run: the elaborate reviving of the team.
Here you see the trailer for Elden Ring: Nightreign, which could better market the efficiency of its items:
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Elden Ring Nightreign: Trailer introduces new 2-player mode
“That can’t be true” – Players finally recognize the value of the item
What makes the item so OP? The poison pot can not only be used to attack enemies but also to revive your team. A thrown pot can heal a whole bar of the death meter and accordingly help players directly when they go down for the first time. But the advantage of the poison does not stop there.
The poison cloud continues to deal damage … which also affects the bars of the death meter. This has not been clear to many players so far, but a Japanese player (@jochan39) showcased a perfect use of this strategy in a video on X.
One of his teammates throws a poison pot during the battle against the final night boss Gladius at the two downed heroes, allowing both to get up again thanks to the poison cloud. This cost the rescuer only one throw, allowing him to save his ultimate for the attack.
I thought there was a crazy guy who kept wanting to go back to the poison ruins and ignored my pings the whole time, but it was because of that!! Sorry! You were a genius! I never thought the poison pot could be used so effectively.
What is the community’s reaction? Other players realize under the post that they have indeed overlooked a game changer (or better said “run changer”) in Nightreign. And some others finally feel validated in their love for the items.
@Thea_ArtsFox comments on X: “I don’t know why people ignore these items. These pots, even the fat ones and the throwing knives are really reliable when it gets tight and can deal great damage […]”
Maybe some players will pay more attention to the precious and highly efficient items at their feet. If you enjoy hunting for legendary weapons, you shouldn’t give up on the strategy, though. There are actually more ways to get powerful weapons than just defeating bosses. Because they can be, just like “banal” items, right in front of you: Elden Ring: Nightreign News – Current news about the game
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Keen Games, the German studio behind Enshrouded, was at gamescom 2025 and presented the new update “Wake of the Waters” for their survival hit on Steam. MeinMMO was invited to take a closer look at the new content, and survival expert Benedict Grothaus was there to get a clearer picture. Perhaps the biggest surprise is a feature that was supposed to play a minor role.
During the Opening Night Live of gamescom 2025, a brand new trailer for Enshrouded aired around the middle of the show. Content: The upcoming update “Wake of the Waters” featuring a new biome and, above all, water as a new feature – something fans have been demanding for a long time.
Enshrouded is the surprise hit from Germany, a game that is still in development, but has already won many awards with prize money that benefits the development.
The fact that the new trailer aired during the Opening Night Live is due to a wildcard that the studio received, as the Creative Director Antony Christoulakis reveals to me in a live conversation at gamescom.
But it’s actually about something completely different. For half an hour, he and a developer show me the new update for Enshrouded, which is set to be released in October. And although it brings many new features, our conversation mainly revolves around one.
Start video
In the new biome of Enshrouded, you’ll all get pretty wet
Fishing excites many more players than it should
Water is the big overarching theme of the new update. A clear consequence is to include a small fishing minigame, according to the developers. After all, one should also make use of the new bodies of water.
I was instantly intrigued: Fishing is a feature that receives an inordinate amount of attention. No matter what game it appears in, it almost always guarantees to attract a lot of players. Players sometimes even exaggerate and fish for the same fish a million times for 3,500 hours.
Enshrouded won’t be a fishing game, as Antony explains, but fishing is supposed to become at least an interesting aside. What I’ve gathered about the new feature:
You can fish anywhere there is enough water. The game knows the concept of lakes, even if they are artificially created.
There will be a minigame where you catch a fish. This might even be expanded in the future.
Fishing itself can be improved, but whether there will be a dedicated fishing skill is still open.
You always catch fish whole, meaning: You can also collect them and create a small fish pond at home. There is water now, after all.
There will also be special fishing spots where biome-dependent or legendary fish can be found. These fish will only be available there, not in self-created lakes. The fish have uses as well and should be useful for cooking.
In a small aside, Antony mentioned that originally only one developer was working on fishing with support from graphic artists and others. Based on my suggestion, the team might be getting larger now…
“Wake of the Waters” delivers much more than just fish
The actual highlight of the update is, as already mentioned, the water. Since Enshrouded is a voxel-based world, this means that water actually flows. It has pressure, knows boundaries, and can displace other things – such as fog.
A fog valley can be flooded with water to free it from fog. However, Antony explains: This isn’t supposed to be really beneficial. The breath timer is expected to be shorter than the time one can spend in the fog. Because yes: There will be swimming and diving as well.
As for graphic requirements, work is still being done. Currently, everything is supposed to run quite smoothly, but Enshrouded players are known to exaggerate – so much that developers have to intervene with hotfixes. This issue is high on the list, even before the update is released.
Wake of the Waters expands Enshrouded with a new area in the northwest along with new enemies – dangerous lizardmen that will even pursue you into the water – and new locations to explore. These resemble ruins in a Mesoamerican style with treasures and traps.
The exact direction after the update is still uncertain. Although there is a rough roadmap with the clear goal of celebrating a 1.0 release, what exactly will come next will mainly be determined by the community. On the agenda, according to the chief, is an improvement of the combat system and especially the release on consoles with version 1.0.
High damage numbers are almost a given in Diablo 4. Now a build of the Spiritborn has reached new heights and the community is amazed at the crazy values.
This is the situation with the Spiritborn:
The Spiritborn was introduced with the Vessel of Hatred expansion in Season 6 and shot straight to the top of the endgame builds.
With the current Season 9, the class finally received buffs again, and a new unique: the leg guards “Balazan’s Maxtlatl”, which inflicts thorn and poison damage on nearby enemies when attacking.
Diablo 4 shows Horadric spells and new endgame content in the trailer for Season 9
“Number squish? Probably not”
How much damage does the player deal?On Reddit, the player JungleSabas shares a screenshot showing him cutting through the pit at level 120. Numerous damage numbers fly across the screen, and one of them is circled: 141,364T. The “T” stands for “trillion”, which means in German it stands for billion. So: The hit was a staggering 141,364 trillion damage.
When asked how he even achieves such absurd damage numbers, JungleSabas writes that he has already played 300 hours in the season. He is using a variant of the pit push build from mobalytics.gg.
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This is what the community says about it: The top comment comes from TheSpanxxx. He wonders how any enemies are still alive with such damage numbers. JungleSabas replies that the elite enemies at pit level 120 simply “have an insane amount of health points”.
After the OP start of the Spiritborn at release and the later nerfs, it remains exciting how the class will perform in Season 10. With the new season, not only fresh uniques are coming, but also chaos uniques that can completely turn your builds upside down. And systems designer Aislyn Hall even challenges players openly to “break the season” with the new items. You can find out more about the uniques here: Season 10 brings numerous new uniques to Diablo 4, but differently than you think.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
At gamescom 2025, MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen took on the role of a blacksmith. The upcoming DLC “Legacy of the Forge” for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 revolves around the mechanics.
Here, Heinrich takes over the blacksmith shop in Kuttenberg, where his father began as an apprentice. He must spruce up the rundown building and fulfill blacksmith orders from the locals. One becomes a real blacksmith.
However, it is not as easy as I initially thought. The expansion takes blacksmithing very seriously, which is why there is no automated sequence. Rather, I had to swing the hammer myself during the roughly one-hour demo session at gamescom 2025 – which I only managed to do on the 4th or 5th try.
As a small note: I myself have unfortunately not played the main game, so forging was still unfamiliar to me. And how clumsy I was at it, you can read in the following text.
Kingdom Come Deliverance takes “Blacksmithing takes practice” seriously
In the playable demo, I started directly at the rundown blacksmith shop. Two quests were waiting for us: A lady whose husband has toothache, and I should help, and a man who wanted a dueling sword. I initially started by crafting the sword.
To forge items, you first need to take a blank according to the recipe.
You then place it in the forge to heat it up.
After that, you go to the anvil and work the hot iron with hammer blows, which you have to execute precisely – otherwise, you’ll just hit the anvil.
This is repeated until Heinrich gives the signal to cool the iron – tada, the new weapon is ready. It sounds easier than it initially appears.
I messed up so many times while forging in the demo that I ended up losing so many materials that I was missing a deer leather to forge the item at the end. I couldn’t complete the quest, as I would have first needed to visit a merchant to forge the sword again.
You first need to establish a reputation as a blacksmith.
The reason I probably messed up the blank multiple times: My iron wasn’t hot enough. I took it out of the forge when it was glowing red. Consequently, I had to hammer so much that the attempt eventually failed.
On the 4th or 5th try, I figured out that the iron needed to stay in the forge longer so that I could work on it longer without breaking it. The iron was glowing white when it was ready for forging. In my defense: when I peeked at my neighbor’s screen, he had the same problems!
There are no indicators or bars to guide you through the forging process. Forging must be done completely according to your feeling to create a weapon. This greatly enhances the immersion but also has the downside that you feel abandoned by the mechanics at the beginning.
However, I can only blame myself for messing up the quest with the husband’s aching tooth. Instead of using a pair of pliers to pull out the rotten tooth, I unfortunately had a hammer in my hand – and realized it too late. The problem was solved, at least the tooth no longer hurt! But unfortunately, the wife became a widow due to the accident – oops.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 lets you practice blacksmithing in the new DLC “Legacy of The Forge.”
Blacksmithing is more than just a side job
Besides the lack of displays, there are further reasons why I felt like a real blacksmith in the DLC.
On one hand, you can design your forge yourself. I immediately started with my budget to beautify the outer walls of the forge and replace the furniture. I noticed that some pieces of furniture even had positive effects.
Among the placeable furniture was also a bed where Heinrich can sleep, and an alchemy table. This way, everything is gathered in one place without long-running distances. The forge truly feels like a cozy home that you don’t want to give up on.
Already, in that one hour, I had become quite fond of my cozy home. As a cozy fan, my heart particularly soared here.
At the bottom right, you can see the forge before renovation, and at the top left after improvement.
On the other hand, you cannot just accept all possible orders directly. To repair more complex things like clocks in towers, you first need to build up a reputation. You can increase this by completing smaller orders first and then working your way up. It would also be weird to start as a master blacksmith right away.
To increase the reputation as quickly as possible, there are daily quests in addition to the story quests that you can complete. This way, you can choose how many hours a day you want to spend forging.
The DLC is suitable for all those who haven’t had enough of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and prefer a more relaxed gameplay experience. The expansion is rather slowed down, as you design your own house and manually forge weapons. In the demo, I didn’t have to fight once, which indicates that it is less action-packed.
If you expected that forging really means FORGING, then I can reassure you. Forging takes up a large part of the DLC and is not as easy as I initially thought.
The developers of Helldivers 2 have announced their next major expansion. With “Into the Unjust,” they are going after the bugs.
What kind of expansion is this? The developers of Helldivers 2 have announced their next major expansion “Into the Unjust.” The Helldivers will head to the home worlds of the bugs, who have previously fallen out of favor with the Over-Earth government. The expansion is set to launch on September 2, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox.
However, the planets have been under the control of the Termites for so long that they have been completely transformed, presenting a new challenge for the soldiers.
You can see the last War Bond here:
Start video
Helldivers 2 x Halo: ODST – Trailer for the next legendary war loan
Everything different with the bugs
What can players expect from the Termites? The bugs have made themselves comfortable on their home worlds and have altered them to their liking through terraforming. The bugs have dug tunnels that they use for their purposes, which you now need to breach in order to defeat them.
The tunnels are dark, and the ceiling prevents support via spaceship. Consequently, soldiers must equip themselves beforehand and hope for small holes in the ceiling to allow for resupply.
In the darkness, the use of flashlights becomes more important. The developers explain in a video that Helldivers should equip themselves in such a way that some use weaker weapons but provide light. Others, on the other hand, resort to heavier weapons for more firepower, but then rely on their teammates for illumination.
Additionally, there are supposed to be new mission types. You must penetrate deep into the tunnel systems and ignite a hell bomb to heavily damage the bug worlds. Another mission has you using a mobile drilling unit to mine for valuable Termite oil for Over-Earth.
What about new enemies? On the home worlds of the Termites, you will encounter new and altered foes that will cause trouble for the brave soldiers.
Some bugs like the “Acid Spitter” now dig into advantageous positions to attack players from there. The powerful “Chargers” now burrow through the earth to avoid being easily attacked during their assault.
A new enemy, the “Dragon Roach,” joins in, circling over the heads of the Helldivers like a dragon. Instead of breathing fire, he spits acidic bug slime on the heroes of Over-Earth.
The developers also hinted at an additional large enemy in the video, but what monster it is remains unknown.
Are there also fitting weapons for that? Yes, with the launch of “Into the Unjust,” the developers are also bringing a new War Bond to the shop. In line with the theme, you will be able to equip yourself with new weapons such as a mobile napalm rocket launcher, a spear cannon, and a mobile rocket silo. There will also be new skins, emotes, and armor available at the “Dust Devils” War Bond.
These items are part of the new War Bond “Dust Devils”
For players on Xbox, this expansion will be the first major one they can experience as active players. The last major add-on was about aliens threatening Over-Earth, and the entire player base had to work together to save the world. You can read here about how it went: Helldivers 2 doubles its player count on Steam, and the reason could not be worse
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Originally, the superhero MMORPG Ship of Heroes was supposed to launch on August 18, 2025, on Steam. After a first delay of one week, it did not launch as hoped on August 25 either.
Why was there no release? Those visiting the Steam page of Ship of Heroes currently see 2 pieces of information. One is listed under “Release” as “August 2025”. The other is a blue-colored notice from the developers under “Release Date and Monetization”, informing interested parties about the targeted date of August 25, 2025.
Anyone wanting to know why there was no release on that day must check the official forum of the game at shipofheroes.com. There, in a message from the developers dated August 23, 2025, it states:
Our launch will be delayed again. Yesterday, we received the message that Steam did not approve our application. They wanted something that they had not requested before, and we resubmitted the application the same day.
If the approval takes 5 business days or we need to submit a new application, our launch could be delayed until September. The good news is that there were no objections to the game itself, only questions regarding the implementation of the subscription.
Furthermore, the developers explain that the delay has a positive side. This means they can now add some things they had planned for after launch.
Here is the original release trailer for Ship of Heroes:
Start video
Ship of Heroes: Trailer for the new superhero MMORPG on Steam
In the Footsteps of City of Heroes
What kind of game is Ship of Heroes? The new superhero MMORPG from Heroic Games lets you create personal avatars that belong to one of the 5 archetypes, utilize some of the over 250 superpowers, and be customized individually. Thus, it resembles City of Heroes from NCsoft by Cryptic, which also had no notable license but many character options.
You can expect missions for groups of up to 10 players, 60-player raids, crafting, and a housing system. Except for the two raids, all content is reportedly able to be completed solo as well. Those wanting to team up with other players must use the chat or other social channels. The developers intentionally forgo an automated dungeon finder.
The developers promise that there will be no in-game shop or other microtransactions in Ship of Heroes. Instead, you will need to pay a download fee and subscribe monthly to access all content for the next 2 years.
MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus had the opportunity to talk with the head of the new role-playing game at gamescom 2025. Dark Heresy follows the already successful Rogue Trader and addresses many issues that were criticized – Benedict learned this during the conversation, as he already knew more in advance than others.
The developers gave us at MeinMMO and our sister sites internationally at Webedia an exclusive look at the new game. New gameplay even premiered with us in the FYNG show – shortly after Hand Of Blood crashed it.
During the press presentation with Executive Producer Anatoly Shestov, I had a rare opportunity to gather more information: Firstly, the other journalist who was with me in the appointment had to leave after 10 minutes. So we could dive deeper into the Warhammer material.
On the other hand, I already knew most of the gameplay that Anatoly wanted to show me – much to his confusion. After he looked skeptically at me for a few minutes, wondering where I had this actually secret information from, we did go into detail. And it was worth it.
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Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy in the Announcement Trailer
Dark Heresy improves exactly what annoyed many about Rogue Trader
To summarize briefly what we already knew: Dark Heresy aims to revise the combat and especially the class system of Rogue Trader. These were the biggest points of criticism in the first role-playing game.
Leveling was cumbersome due to too many options available, some of which didn’t even fit the chosen class. Combat became trivial at the latest by Act 2, as many mechanics were no longer really relevant. While this didn’t completely disrupt the flow of the game, it did cause a few complaints here and there.
In Dark Heresy, combat is significantly changed, for example, through:
the ability to target specific body parts to hinder opponents
Morale instead of Momentum, which influences the combat effectiveness of individual fighters
or cover, which plays a bigger role and can prevent injuries.
In terms of the class system, Dark Heresy remains true to the known schema by continuing to provide archetypes, careers, and backgrounds. However, you no longer have dozens of options available, but instead, specializations are available.
Have changed what a career actually is
Anatoly explains to me in the conversation that the old system was designed to give people the opportunity to create builds as freely as possible. However, only about 10% of the skills were actually relevant, the majority were unimportant:
Therefore, we have changed our approach to what a career actually is. The soldier as a career, for example, is a person who can shoot in various ways. That’s all.
For example, you have Epione here. She is a soldier, and these are your options from the career: Run and Gun and Shockwave. Run and Gun says: You perform an attack that fires twice. Each shot does less damage. Shockwave says: Your area attack covers double the area and everyone in the area must make a saving throw or become staggered. That’s all the soldier career gives you, but it unlocks specializations.
Each specialization is a subset [of abilities] that were previously simply in your career, such as: single-target specialist or anti-armor specialist or AoE specialist or movement specialist. A small set of active abilities, some passive skills, boosts for skills, boosts for characteristics […]
If you simply want to oneshot opponents, there is a specialization for that. Every decision therein is interesting for you. So if you want to be a oneshot specialist, but don’t want anything to do with crowd control, you won’t see anything from that. […]
Anatoly Shestov, Executive Producer of Warhammer 40.000: Dark Heresy
Building builds will be easier and a bit “like Diablo 3”
The second part of the improvements, which Anatoly “didn’t plan to explain as part of the presentation” (heh), are modifications. He compares this to the gems and runes from Diablo 3:
Whenever a specialization is chosen, you basically get a “gem” that can be inserted into any ability to change it. For example: Every ally hit receives +2 Morale – just as an example. This effect can then be applied to a buff that already increases the morale of all companions.
Additionally, the team aims to reduce the degree of unnecessary details within the skills. Instead of a wall of text per ability, everything is now divided into dedicated, separate areas like specializations and modifications. The whole thing is meant to be understandable and as simple as possible.
By the way, if you want to become a psyker, every direction, like pyromancy, is its own specialization. How many specializations you can choose has yet to be decided – the team is still playing with different numbers. It will probably end up roughly around 5.
Dark Heresy already sounds like an excellent successor to Rogue Trader
In the conversation, Anatoly explained a few other things to me, such as the concentration system. Some abilities now last or need to be prepared – and can accordingly be interrupted. You should keep this in mind when attacking as well as when defending.
As for the content, we talked a bit about the hints system, and I saw in the gameplay how the inquisitor tries to solve a detective puzzle. Various approaches and solutions are possible, depending on how you want to behave.
A “secret ending” will also be present again, possibly a bit more hidden than in Rogue Trader. Back then, they wanted to appeal to “the normal player” as well, not just the absolute Warhammer nerds. With Dark Heresy, they are now daring to do a bit more.
At the gamescom 2025, MeinMMO editor Niko spoke with the CEO of BigFire Games, who were representing their MMO shooter Cinder City. In the interview, he explains what fans of the genre can look forward to and why South Korea is a special country for games, movies, and series.
With Cinder City, NCSoft and developer BigFire Games showcased a new trailer for the upcoming MMO shooter Cinder City. The game visually resembles titles like The Division and is set to release in 2026.
After trying it out, I could talk to the CEO of BigFire Games, James Bae, and asked him what players can expect and how they designed the world.
Start video
Cinder City – Trailer for the MMO shooter in a sci-fi setting
Horror Elements and Shooter Inspirations
MeinMMO: First of all: I really enjoyed it. I am a big fan of third-person shooters. And especially the section in the hospital – I love horror games and survival horror experiences. Is horror an element you plan to incorporate more often, or was that just for this segment of the game?
James Bae: First of all – I am also a huge shooter fan. I grew up with Doom, Wolfenstein, all the classics, and so on. And I also love horror elements, both in movies and games. I think this will be a recurring concept in our game – in all parts of our game, not just in the demo.
Outside it will be rather bright, but dominated by gang members. And inside, in the underground or subways, we will have different places that are hidden. Inside, there will be creatures, like you saw in the demo, and in our final product, there will be even more variety among the creatures. So we tend to continue employing horror elements.
MeinMMO: Regarding the setting: How are you approaching mixing sci-fi with South Korean architecture and culture?
James Bae: We started building based on the city of Seoul because it is the city we are most familiar with, more than any other city. And it is now also very well-known worldwide. So that was our first idea, just to use the city we love the most and know best.
But using it just like that would limit the diversity; it might not feel as exciting and interesting. So, we wanted to adapt it because we incorporate many different types of NPCs, not just humanoids, but also creatures. For that, we needed to change the city of Seoul, not just leave it as it is, destroyed and devastated. So we also wanted to incorporate some sci-fi concepts to create a different version of the city of Seoul.
Giant Mechs, Post-Apocalypse, and Content for Solo Players
MeinMMO: When we talk about the trailer and sci-fi: You showcased mech gameplay with these giant robots – are they only for specific missions, or are they a core feature that I can use in various aspects of the game?
James Bae: To answer your question directly: Yes, you can use the mechs in other missions as well, not just in scripted ones, but in all sorts of combat. What you played today is like a tutorial and will not be the main content of our final game.
It will lean more towards open-world PvE or co-op, with a large number of players fighting side by side. Of course, mechs will be involved there too, and if you want, you can use them – and enemies will also use mechs to fight against you. There will also be not only open-world content but also instanced dungeons, inside buildings or underground.
MeinMMO: When I think of MMO shooters, I often think of very colorful, very fast, and vertical games. Why did you choose a more grounded gameplay approach?
James Bae: As you said, we leaned more towards realistic gunplay, just like real soldiers would fight on the ground. While we incorporate some sci-fi concepts and creatures, we wanted it to feel really tactical and strategic.
And our AI opponents will also move strategically to outmaneuver you. So we also built in ADS [Note: aiming down sights] and some tactical shooting elements to make it feel like legitimate, strategic gunplay instead of more casual jumping around and flying.
MeinMMO: Can you tell us a bit about the story and the world? For example, how did these sci-fi weapons and elements come into our time?
James Bae: Essentially, the game does not take place in a distant future, but in 10 or 20 years from now. But the planet Earth is being attacked and completely devastated by this threat from outer space, so it’s more of a post-apocalyptic theme. And you are a super soldier using time travel technology, so you have been given some future technologies from different time periods to use those technologies to save humanity and the world.
MeinMMO: Regarding the gameplay – how will it be for solo players? Is it accessible, well playable, also concerning activities outside the story mode?
James Bae: Absolutely! Solo players will definitely be able to enjoy the open-world content, almost all will also be accessible for solo players. There are some contents that require a specific number of players to start, like 4-player instanced dungeons. But otherwise, all content will also be accessible for solo players.
MeinMMO: I assume I can also play the co-op content with random players? Not just people I know?
James Bae: Yes, of course.
MeinMMO: A question about the trailer from two years ago, I believe? There was this really cool hook that could pull enemies toward you or allow you to jump to enemies. Is that still a thing?
James Bae: I’m not quite sure which clip you’re referring to, but regarding the grappling hook mechanic: We are trying to develop one, but it is not implemented yet.
MeinMMO: The last question concerns more about South Korea. Personally, I am a big fan of South Korean films; I love this one film called Oldboy. And I feel that Korea has become a major gaming country in recent years, with smaller games and large games, even AAA titles. I find that these products from South Korea feel so different – any idea why? So why do people and artists from South Korea create movies, series, and games that feel so different from western developers?
James Bae: That’s so cool! First of all: That’s really a profound question. But when I think about it – as someone who is a huge fan and consumer of films, series, and games – I believe Korea had the opportunity to have a really unique experience as a country. People from other countries might not know this, but we have been producing our own content since the 1950s/60s, which was mostly consumed domestically and did not include external investments.
So, it was like: domestic consumption, production, everything domestic. I guess that’s why we weren’t really influenced by other cultures or large foreign companies, and so on. So we had this experience of purely domestic production and consumption. And we had a war that devastated the country, and afterward, the fastest economic and cultural growth ever, from the poorest country to today. So I think this unique experience has somehow influenced how we produce and consume content.
South Korea has become an increasingly major country for entertainment products over the past years. Series like Squid Game, games like Stellar Blade or Lies of P, and movies like Parasite are media present and successful. Together with China, South Korea seems to have a significant influence in the future. Japan also remains a large country for games, especially Capcom: Capcom showed me 2 strong zombie games on the PS5, but their new sci-fi shooter is my big highlight
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Experience the future of technology live at IFA 2025 with us! We will be broadcasting 35 hours live from the fair. Join us as we showcase product highlights of tomorrow and engage in exciting discussions with experts and creators!
A live show directly from the world’s largest tech fair? For the fourth edition of Find Your Next Tech (FYNT), 2024 was the next logical step. We moved our studio to Berlin for the IFA and took you along to the fair.
In 2025 we will do it again and elevate FYNT to the next level: We want to think much bigger than just a little for our live show.
Our goal: To provide you, as the official media partner of the IFA, with the coolest live show for the fair – from September 5th to 9th on our website, in the livestream, and directly at our stand in Berlin.
We have a lot packed for this: Product highlights that you can partially experience directly at the stand, talks, and discussions with high-profile guests, and our own award show.
What is Find Your Next Tech?
Find Your Next Tech (FYNT) is our annual live event focusing on tech. From the comfort of your living room, we want to take you along to the fair.
On our IFA stage, we present the tech highlights of the IFA, discuss the opportunities and risks of technology, and also have a little fun with tech in between. You, as a community, are always with us, both on-site and in the chat.
Our 400 square meter booth (Hall 5.2a at Stand 175) with livestream studio, LED wall, seating for viewers, and new tech that you can experience right on site.
Dozens of news articles, hands-on reports, guides, and comments about the fair and the new products showcased there on GameStar Tech, GamePro, and Mein-MMO
Videos, talks, and shorts from the fair on the YouTube channels of Tech like Vera, GameStar Talk, and GameStar Tech
Our first award show as a crowning highlight, where we will honor the most exciting innovations around the tech fair
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Find Your Next Tech 2025: Unser Trailer zum Live-Event von der IFA in Berlin
How to join us
Of course, we are particularly pleased about everyone who comes to visit us personally at our stand in Hall 5.2. But even if you cannot be on-site at the fair, we will deliver the highlights of the fair live to your home.
Our hosts Vera “Tech like Vera” Bauer, Felix Rick, and Magdalena Ihsen will guide you through the program. In addition to tech professionals from the GameStar editorial team, you can also look forward to a number of high-profile creators and experts.
Enough organizational stuff, what exactly do we have planned? You will find our entire program in the coming days along with all other important information on our theme page for Find Your Next Tech.
But I still want to give you a small selection of highlights:
On Friday, the experts of our editorial team will discuss with Kilian from iKnowReview about the end of the smartphone era … and what could come next
On Saturday, you can be part of the live podcast with Marco and Yves from Nerd & Kultur discussing AI in movies
On Monday, we will look back with Alexibexi and IFA CEO Leif Lindner at the tech history of the IFA and what it tells us about the future
The FYNT conclusion on Tuesday: We will present our IFA Awards for the products that will stay in our editorial memory even after the fair
We are already very excited to celebrate tech and the IFA with you in the livestream!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
