The genre of MMORPGs has been stagnant for years. While there are currently many exciting projects in development, even these have frustrating meme potential.
What is the current occasion for the discussion? The post on Reddit by SrGrafo refers to a video by YouTuber Lucky Ghost, who recently provided an overview of the most exciting upcoming MMORPGs on YouTube.
The message of the attached meme image: The games all somehow look the same. The result: More than 4,600 upvotes (which is a lot for the MMORPG subreddit) and over 380 comments. Remarkably, the thread creator provides countless additional comic memes in the comments, criticizing the state of the genre as well as current projects like BitCraft Online.
How is the community responding specifically?
Mehfisto666 writes on Reddit: “We’ve been playing old MMORPGs for 30 years and now 10 old-school-like MMORPGs are coming out at once.”
Wadarkhu jokes on Reddit: “In the next video: 10 MMOs that were canceled.” Jzerox8K adds under the post: “Plot twist: It’s the same video.”
sampaiisaweeb sees on Reddit a culprit: “MMOs will always be formulaic, and that’s due to WoW. Once a new MMO breaks out of that mold AND is very successful, it will set the new standard. It also doesn’t help that UE5 games have a certain visual similarity due to their hyper-realistic style.”
Both-Award-6525 criticizes on Reddit: “Most MMORPGs released in the past 5 years have been Pay2Win MMOs from Korea. I have zero hope for a good MMORPG […].”
Chrono Odyssey does not seem typical of MMORPGs from Asia with its fantasy-sci-fi-cosmic-horror mix:
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Chrono Odyssey: Trailer from Summer Game Fest 2025 shows action-packed battles and a dark world
Depressing, yes, but …
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz evaluate this? It is really depressing:
Since World of Warcraft, the genre of MMORPGs has indeed evolved – for example, in terms of story presentation or combat systems – but other genres have made significantly greater strides.
Most MMORPGs that have been released in the past decade or are announced for the next 1-2 years come from Asia – which always brings particularities that make it harder for them in the western market. This was also a topic in this GameStar Talk.
Many still unfinished MMORPGs currently in early access fall short of fan expectations – Pantheon, Corepunk, The Quinfall, BitCraft Online, or Pax Dei, for example.
As game development becomes increasingly expensive and complex, the genre seems to even regress in certain areas. An example: Black Desert has been king of action combat systems for many years, and all subsequent games have been worse. Many players even focus on reviving the old-school experience of the past, but often fall short of their predecessors like RuneScape, Tibia, and others.
However, the truth is that Asian publishers like NCsoft and Kakao Games are targeting the western market with their upcoming projects more rigorously than in the past. This can be seen with titles like Aion 2 and ArcheAge Chronicles, which place a much greater focus on story and PvE content than their predecessors.
And: With projects like the Lord of the Rings MMORPG, Guild Wars 3, the Warhammer MMORPG, or the MMORPG for League of Legends, ambitious genre representatives are finally being created again in the West, for which we can at least hope that they can become highlights for the beleaguered genre. Unfortunately, it will likely take several more years before we can play these – if at all. For now, let’s keep our fingers crossed that they don’t face the same fate as the ZeniMax MMORPG.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Online role-playing games that have received a sequel are relatively rare. For the MMORPG Theme Week 2025, MeinMMO looks at some of the attempts and explores why there has never been a World of Warcraft 2, for example.
When looking at future release lists, the same picture has emerged for many years: sequels to well-known franchises, as far as the eye can see! This includes many franchises that have meanwhile transformed into services. Such as FIF … pardon … EA Sports FC, for example. The NBA2K series. Call of Duty.
However, there is a genre that has only occasionally played the seemingly safe sequel card since its inception: the genre of MMORPGs. And when someone has tried to give an online role-playing game a second part, it mostly backfired.
Or they pulled the handbrake early and stopped the attempt – as with EverQuest Next or Landmark or Ultima Online 2 and Ultima X: Odyssey (via Wikipedia).
Who is analyzing this? Karsten Scholz is the MMORPG expert at MeinMMO. He has been dealing with the best genre in the world almost daily for over 15 years and has played all major (and some of the less important) new online role-playing games since the launch of World of Warcraft – often into the endgame or over many months and years.
For the MMORPG Theme Week, we illuminate some of these cases and analyze why it is so difficult to develop a sequel for a game like World of Warcraft. You can jump to the sections that interest you the most via the summary.
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EverQuest versus EverQuest II
EverQuest II was certainly not the first sequel in MMORPG history (for that title, Astonia III, the sequel to Mercenaries of Astonia from 1998, and The Legend of Mir 2, both released in 2001, might compete), but it was the first for one of the most important genre milestones.
There were only five and a half years between EverQuest and EverQuest II. According to the developers at the time, the sequel was not supposed to replace the first game but complement it, as they wanted to target a different audience with part 2.
Internally, however, they likely expected that all players from EverQuest would switch to EverQuest II, as Executive Producer Jenn Chan reveals in a video interview on the YouTube channel MinnMax from November 19, 2024:
“EverQuest II was a curse for EverQuest. Because we thought that everyone would leave EverQuest and switch to EverQuest II. But that did not happen” – via YouTube. Instead, the two games cannibalized each other. A mistake they do not want to repeat with the new EverQuest MMORPG.
This year, development of the new EverQuest MMORPG is set to begin.
Guild Wars versus Guild Wars 2
The ArenaNet team did a somewhat better job with the sequel to Guild Wars. There are more than 7 years between Part 1 and Part 2. Additionally, both games differ significantly in areas such as the structure of the game world (instance-based gameplay vs. open world).
And perhaps most importantly: The first Guild Wars was not a service game in the modern sense. After the three campaigns Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall, only the expansion Eye of the North was released. After 2007, the first Guild Wars was practically finished. There were only a few bonus missions and story content such as “War in Kryta” to prepare for the transition to the second part.
Guild Wars 2 continues to receive regular expansions and updates – here is the trailer for the latest content patch Remorse:
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Guild Wars 2: Repentance – Trailer for the Second Update of Janthir Wilds
However, the developers shelved a planned fourth campaign for Guild Wars called Utopia in 2007 to focus entirely on the production of its successor. The fact that they are looking for a sandbox expert for the now announced third part could mean that the series wants to reinvent itself again.
The grinding festival from July 21 to 27 In this week, you can expect exciting articles every day about the topic MMORPG. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, as well as nostalgic retrospectives, streaming evenings, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Similar to Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV can coexist quite well to this day. The simple reason for this is that there are more than 8 years between the two MMORPGs from Square Enix, in which the genre has developed significantly.
The trailer for the original version of Final Fantasy XIV:
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Final Fantasy XIV Trailer for Version 1.0 Shows a Past Era
Additionally, Final Fantasy XI has only served a relatively small niche outside of Japan. The later releases on PC and Xbox 360 did not change that. Certainly, Square saw a lot of untapped potential after the success of WoW, considering the prominence of the “Final Fantasy” franchise.
By that time, Final Fantasy XI was already 11 years old and had become quite rusty in gameplay. The more modern Final Fantasy XIV, on the other hand, was more oriented towards the colorful theme park that EverQuest II, WoW, and Co. had set. In the end, success proved Square right: By January 2024, over 30 million players are expected to have played FFXIV.
On the next page, we continue with another negative example, the lessons from the past, WoW 2, and already announced MMORPG sequels.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the new movie about Superman and Creature Commandos, the new DC universe by James Gunn has begun. Soon, the universe will be visited by a “hero” who is not exactly known for good deeds.
Which hero is it about? Peacemaker, played by John Cena, made his first cinema appearance in 2021 as a character in The Suicide Squad by James Gunn. Just a year later, a TV series about the silly anti-hero, who is not exactly heroic, followed. This makes him similar to the Guardians of The Galaxy by James Gunn.
In his series, Peacemaker does not act alone. He has his own group, which also includes Vigilante, a crazy admirer who dresses as a superhero. His best friend and sidekick is not a human, but the eagle Eagly, who occasionally listens to him but mostly just accompanies him.
Peacemaker originally belonged to the old DC film universe, which James Gunn is now renewing. First, there was the series Creature Commandos, and lastly in July 2025, the first film of the new universe: Superman.
It seems that Gunn does not want to part with Peacemaker, as the anti-hero makes it into the new universe with Peacemaker Season 2. This is already shown in the first official trailer.
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Peacemaker Season 2 – Trailer for the Continuation of the Silly Superhero Series
Peacemaker is set to turn its back on his original universe
What can be seen in the first trailer for Season 2? Actually, everything should be fine for Peacemaker. The villains were defeated in the last seasons, and now he can relax. But his life does not seem to be going well. His beloved does not want to be with him, and the terrible deed of his past is haunting him. Forgiveness does not seem possible.
Fortunately, Peacemaker comes into possession of a dimensional portal that transports him to another universe. There he experiences love, great fame, and everything seems perfect. But with portals and new worlds also come new problems.
The first trailer for Season 2 seems to continue exactly the atmosphere one knows from the first season. Peacemaker is not showing his smartest side, and his silly friends are just as over-the-top as in Season 1. However, there also seems to be an emotional component again, which is a hallmark of James Gunn.
In Season 2, there will likely again be no shortage of action aimed at adults. The most exciting part are the portals, as one does not just see one, but a large room with many gates, not all of which seem harmless.
When does Season 2 of Peacemaker premiere? In the USA, Season 2 of Peacemaker is set to start on August 21, 2025, on HBO Max. When the season begins for us is currently unknown. However, Season 2 is expected to air on Sky or WOW. One can assume that the series will likely launch simultaneously.
How does Season 2 fit into the new universe? As James Gunn has already announced, Peacemaker seems to land in the new universe. Whether he stays there and how he fits into the future of the DC films will probably be revealed at the end of the season. With Rick Flag Senior, there is definitely a character involved who has already appeared in Superman and Creature Commandos.
Gunn confirmed (via Gamesradar), that most things from the first season are canon and will be included in the new universe. Smaller things, like the constant jokes about Aquaman, will not be part of it. He does not exist in the new universe at all.
Many of you might know Yu-Gi-Oh! from the anime on RTLZWEI. If you are as clumsy as MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen, you might have thrown away your old cards with which you battled on the schoolyard. But that would be no excuse to start with the card game today.
A silly mistake I made in my youth was throwing away my collectible cards. I used to collect TCGs like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! because I was a huge fan of the associated animes. On my TV, the channel RTLZWEI played over and over, and even off the screen, I wanted to immerse myself in the animes.
It was just dumb that at some point it became “uncool” to duel each other with cards during recess. So, I threw away my entire collection – which is probably why I lost valuable cards.
That would probably be the reason why I started collecting Magic the Gathering as an adult – the mistake from my youth weighs too heavily. But recently I got the chance to take a look back into the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.
Konami provided us with a total of six decks. Four of these decks are designed for beginners, two of them have more complex mechanics. I will tell you how complicated the decks have become and whether it is even possible for fans of the anime back then to get started today.
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Yu-Gi-Oh! – Official trailer for The Dark Side of Dimensions (2017)
Yu-Gi-Oh! is easy to learn, but hard to master
Many of you might still remember how the duels in the anime deliver. Each round a card is drawn, monsters are summoned, and trap and spell cards are activated. Over time, however, new rules were added, for example regarding the maximum number of cards in a deck.
Moreover, the anime did not always adhere to the rules of the official card game. But that’s not a problem. Especially the starter deck, which simulates a guided duel, helped me.
Konami designed a starter deck intended for two players. It explains step by step what mechanics exist, how to calculate damage, and how to perform basic summons. The manual is designed like a comic. After the test duel, I felt extremely well prepared.
The starter deck manual for 2 players is a guided duel.
For actual dueling, the 2-player starter deck is not a good solution. Players who are already familiar with the rules and just want to quickly look up terms won’t find anything useful in the 2-player set. However, for players who haven’t had any contact with the card game for decades, this box is perfect.
For such players, the God starter decks with Obelisk the Tormentor, and Slifer the Sky Dragon are more suitable. I also remembered these two decks from the anime back then. They were among the strongest creatures in the game, alongside Exodia.
I played several matches against friends with these two decks. Although I had trouble understanding the text on some cards, the majority was understandable. At times, I really felt like Yugi, summoning Slifer the Sky Dragon. All that was missing was the Duel Disk.
However, it became clear with these starter decks that they really only serve as a foundation and need to be optimized with additional cards. With the Obelisk deck, I noticed that I had no chance if I didn’t draw the God card. The deck was completely focused on drawing that card. If the heart of the cards let me down, it looked bleak for me.
Additionally, there was a monster named “Demaskierter Drache” through which I can summon another Wyrm monster with 1,500 or less DEF upon death. After checking twice, I found out: There is no other monster that fits that description. Great.
What also stands out to me: Over the years, either my eyes have gotten worse or the card texts have gotten smaller – maybe even both. Many of the cards feature such a gigantic long text in an even smaller font than I am used to from Magic. One has to concentrate extremely hard to both understand the text and be able to read it.
On the left, you see the card text from Yu-Gi-Oh!, on the right, it’s compared with Magic the Gathering.
Furthermore, Konami sent us two more Structure Decks for testing: One is the Blue-Eyes White Destiny Deck, where I realized how many variations of the White Dragon with the cold gaze there actually are. The other deck, Beware of Traptix, was filled with cute anime girls, which of course delighted me as an anime author.
What I also noticed is: In contrast to other trading card games like Pokémon or Magic, there are no particularly beautifully designed cards (Borderless or Full Art) that cover the entire card. Instead, nostalgia kicked in when I recognized a monster from back in the day. You can tell that Yu-Gi-Oh! is more intended for playing than for collecting.
At first, I found it significantly more difficult to understand the card texts with the Structure Decks. Because here, in addition to normal, flip, and tribute summons, synchro summons and XYZ summons are also included. The latter are my personal end boss, as it took me a long time to even understand the principle.
But with the duels and after a revelation, the duels run much more smoothly. I have yet to encounter the absolute end boss of the game, the pendulum summons, through the decks. Even the starter handbook admits that they are extremely complex.
Is it still worth starting today?
If you want to play casual matches with your friends and have some experience with other trading card games, you have the best prerequisites to get started with Yu-Gi-Oh!. It requires some time to understand the different types of summons. However, the principle of how damage is calculated is easy to grasp.
If you have no experience with collectible card games at all, you will need a bit more time to get into the card game. With the manual, it’s easy to get accustomed to the rules. However, looking up specific rules that you’ve forgotten over time is more tedious with this.
To reach tournament level, you will need to invest much more time and money than the pre-made decks offer. So if you want a full entry and to become a professional player because you loved the anime back then, then you have a long way ahead of you.
Even in the anime, Yugi and his friends started small. They had to work their way up through various tournaments to become top duelists. Who has the best statistics at the end of the original anime, MeinMMO reveals: The Top 5 duelists from Yu-Gi-Oh! show who is truly the King of Games
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Currently, it seems to be the perfect time for games from Asia. A new action RPG that is set to be released on the PS5 has now shown over 20 minutes of gameplay. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes was convinced after just 5 seconds.
Which game is it? Phantom Blade Zero was originally announced in 2023. Back then, the action RPG from China showed off a dark look and a setting that seemingly mixes folklore with historical background.
Even in the first trailer, the game, which looks a bit like a Soulslike, presented itself with elaborate animations that seem to wonderfully stage the battles.
Now, over 20 minutes of gameplay has been released, and after just the first 5 seconds, I have to say: This could be my game of the year. That’s not only due to the visuals but also because of the look of the fights, which remind me of old classics.
Here you can watch the announcement trailer of the game:
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Phantom Blade Zero Announce Trailer
After the first seconds, you know where the journey is headed
What does the new gameplay video show? IGN India released a nearly 22-minute exclusive gameplay video of Phantom Blade Zero. In it, you see fights against regular enemies as well as larger bosses.
Even the first 5 seconds immediately catch my eye. The character jumps onto an opponent, stabs him with his sword, only to turn his attention to the next enemy after another button press. The character performs a twist in the air, jumps behind him, and finishes him off with a fine animation.
I was immediately reminded of Kung-Fu movies from my childhood that my father enjoyed watching. It’s not about realistic fight movies, but about classics that focus on spectacular jumps and choreographies with swords.
Well-known examples would be Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or House of Flying Daggers. Like these films, Phantom Blade Zero seems to belong to the Wuxia genre. This genre mixes historical backgrounds with supernatural elements. One could say, these are the classic Chinese superhero stories.
In the gameplay video, you repeatedly see spectacular animations that vary significantly depending on which weapon you carry or which opponent you face. Even just watching, I feel the excitement of the battles. I’m fully engaged. This is likely also due to the sound of the weapons and fights. Additionally, there is the soundtrack in the video that captures the setting well.
Phantom Blade Zero looks to me like a subgenre of a Soulslike. Not every hit has to be perfect, but almost every hit looks damn good. I am not alone in this opinion.
You can watch the gameplay video here:
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Players are convinced too, not just by the animations
What does the community say? The mood under the YouTube video is quite positive. Especially the animations of the fights are well received.
@DarkRaider-Z writes: Every normal move looks like an ultimate special move.
@JapanDaisukiii is impressed by the details visible in the fight: I’ve never seen a game that is this detailed. When he fought against the boss, he pushed his weapon so far that the dust covered our camera, and we couldn’t see anything anymore. That’s so cool!
@ac5b0se is reminded of iconic actors: It’s like back when I was a kid and watched movies with Jackie Chan or Jet Li. Man, I love these animations.
@mohammadalirashed3103 praises the soundtrack that can be heard: The soundtrack is fantastic; it sounds like an electro/heavy-metal version of Chinese folk music. Games developed in China are reaching unprecedented levels of quality, and I am excited about it.
Among the comments, there is also praise for the one who played the showcased gameplay, as he seems to master the combat system quite well.
Tibia is one of the most successful games from Germany. MeinMMO has talked with CipSoft for the current Grindfest theme week about the beginnings of the MMORPG, the hurdles overcome, and current projects.
In our special on the history of MMORPGs, the name Tibia is mentioned several times. Released in 1997 and still playable today, this online role-playing game from CipSoft is one of the first Free2Play representatives of the modern MMORPG era, which Meridian 59 had initiated a year earlier.
Additionally, the first mobile MMORPG comes from Regensburg. TibiaME was launched in May 2003 as a mobile spin-off of Tibia. The franchise currently boasts over 32 million players and more than 200 million euros in revenue. In 2019, Tibia won the German Developer Award in the “Long-lasting Hit” category.
On the trail of the secret in “Tibia Talk”
During the Grindfest, MeinMMO had the opportunity to speak with CipSoft about the beginnings of the studio, the creation story, and the evolution of Tibia. Managing directors Benjamin Zuckerer and Stephan Vogler provided exciting insights behind the scenes of one of the most successful game companies from Germany.
You can watch the nearly 70-minute talk below – enjoy!
https://youtu.be/TFkxBtmFm74
MeinMMO on YouTube: The MeinMMO YouTube channel has been around for a while, but we have been noticeably expanding it for several months, investing more time, energy, and passion into our videos.
Much like on the website, the channel focuses on online multiplayer games, gaming culture, and communities. Feel free to visit us on YouTube and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss our new videos!
A new class was recently added to Tibia with the Monk:
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Tibia: The successful fantasy MMORPG gets a new class
What should I know about CipSoft? CipSoft was founded in 2001 in Regensburg, Bavaria, after the MMORPG Tibia, released in 1997, had developed into an enduring success. Accordingly, the studio has been able to grow sustainably, with currently more than 100 employees.
The upcoming MMO Persist Online started as a hobby project by two long-time CipSoft employees. This is possible because the team is allowed to use 20 percent of their working hours for their own game ideas. Also cool: Employees share in the success of the independently operating company and are expected to receive ten (!) additional monthly salaries in 2024 alone.
Final Fantasy XIV has been one of the best and most well-known MMORPGs on the market for many years. MeinMMO author Nico Scheibel now sees it the same way. But he had to overcome some initial hurdles.
With just an axe in hand, I was brought to the harbor city of Limsa Lominsa. My first impression was rather disappointing. The many cold and colorless stones hardly gave me the feeling of being in a fanciful world.
Skeptically, I walked to the first quests of the main story and, unfortunately, had to realize that many cutscenes were missing voice acting. This unfortunately did not help identify with my character and get to know the world of Final Fantasy XIV.
Who is writing here? MeinMMO author Nico Scheibel has been playing video games since his early childhood. Besides classics like Zelda or Mario, he got lost in MMORPGs early on and preferred spending his time in virtual worlds. In addition to relaxed grinds in FFXIV, he spends too many hours in various MOBAs.
After taking on the first quests, I ventured into the vast regions of Eorzea, and again I noticed something bothering me. The so-called tab-targeting felt slow and sluggish.
Pressing a skill in the right order every 2.5 seconds was boring. Especially coming from another MMORPG like New World, which has a fun action combat system. When I realized that the generic story beginning of “A Realm Reborn” left me cold, I put FFXIV aside again. A second attempt came only a few weeks later.
The trailer for the current patch 7.2 for Final Fantasy XIV:
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The new trailer for Patch 7.2 of Final Fantasy XIV shows the new, highly anticipated content
The second and final attempt
When I got bored in the endgame area of New World, friends convinced me to give FFXIV a second chance. “It gets better,” they said. But I wanted to judge that for myself, and since I’m happy to give a second chance, I started the MMORPG again.
Due to my initial aversion to the harbor city and because I aimed to take on the healer role for our group, my buddies advised me to travel to the forest city of Gridania.
When I arrived there, I was immediately overwhelmed: The music, the tree houses, the green ground, and the entire atmosphere felt just homely, almost like the Shire from “The Lord of the Rings.” With my new job as a White Mage, I found much more enjoyment in the combat system. Healing and supporting the group was exactly my thing.
The forest city of Gridania
Although I still didn’t find the story of “A Realm Reborn” captivating, Final Fantasy XIV was able to truly grab me at one point. The last cutscene of the base game, followed by the iconic Heavensward trailer, made my eyes shine. Now it really gets going!
The first experiences with the community
While the stories of Heavensward and Stormblood were up next, I started dealing with the content outside the main story. Raiding, crafting, gathering, or rather heading to the next house party in the neighborhood?
While I was searching for every opportunity to grind something, I noticed how caring the community in FFXIV is. At every corner, someone is there to briefly help you with something or simply gives away minions, mounts, or gil.
These little interactions between players make the world feel so alive; be it just a quick exchange of emotes or a whole group of small Lalafell looking for the next petting session.
The grind fest from July 21 to 27 This week, exciting articles about MMORPGs are expected every day. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Many video games have beautiful and great worlds, but with Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix has created something that many developers can still learn from. I have never experienced such an immersive world.
After I learned that there was a disastrous version 1.0 of the MMORPG and that it was not simply thrown in the trash, my curiosity was awakened. While I was reading about the stories of the Seventh Umbral Era in Eorzea, I realized how intricate and deep the world actually is.
The world map of Final Fantasy XIV
With the help of a three-part encyclopedia, almost every little detail is adorned with lore and new details. A multitude of short stories provide more background information about our beloved characters, and the cookbook lets you dine as if you were in the kitchen of Limsa Lominsa.
The world with all its stories simply fascinates me. After more than 3,000 hours, I still like to log into FFXIV and feel a sense of comfort and home. Even the harbor city of Limsa Lominsa has grown dear to me over time, and every visit feels like a nice trip to the big city when you usually just wander around cozy Gridania.
If an MMORPG evokes such a feeling, the developers can gladly pat themselves on the back.
One brings shadow, one brings the light
Warning, spoilers: This section contains spoilers for the main story of Shadowbringers and Patch 5.3
With the Shadowbringers expansion, I believe the creatives at Square Enix have outdone themselves. The entire drama and development of characters like Ardbert or the Crystal Exarch to the antagonist Emet-Selch and the fate of the first shard is something truly special.
A snippet of the Shadowbringers trailer
Through the newly gained knowledge of the Ascians’ motivations and backstory, they were no longer just the big bads who want to destroy everything, but rather human-like.
The entire adventure of the first shard ended in a finale that I still like to look back on. The dungeon “The Battle for Norvrandt,” where you must fight alongside all the familiar characters from Norvrandt against the Warriors of Light from Elidibus, is a true cinematic experience. I was even more overwhelmed by the subsequent trial against the first of all Warriors of Light.
Music that tells stories
Many of the soundtracks by lead composer Masayoshi Soken are more than just music; they tell a story about characters or the world. If you listen closely, there is a lot to discover between the lines and notes.
In addition to the stories told by the lyrics, there are also purely musical Easter eggs to be heard. For example, certain melodies from earlier soundtracks can be found in new works, or the music contains light foreshadowing, which you only notice when the story reaches a certain point.
With emotional piano tones, epic battle music, and rocking guitars, the composers have turned Final Fantasy XIV into a musical masterpiece that I have joyfully listened to for years.
Advance until the end
Warning, spoilers: This section contains spoilers for the main story of Endwalker.
Whether it was the first trial where almost everyone thought, “Now already?” or the long path to the end. Endwalker simply captivated me. The story ends with a great and emotional conclusion that cost me a tear or two.
The wallpaper after the Endwalker credits
After hundreds of hours with the beloved characters, I was truly sad that it was over.
Endgame for everyone
Aside from the story, I particularly enjoyed raiding. After the tab-targeting initially felt dull and boring, I must admit that I really like it today. The fixed jobs with their optimal rotations just feel right and are easy to learn but difficult to master.
In addition to raiding, there is still incredibly much to do in Eorzea. It’s up to you whether you want to mindlessly grind for the next glowing weapon, try your luck at the Gold Saucer, or simply go on the next big fishing trip with your friends. In our endgame guide, you’ll definitely find the next big grind.
Final Fantasy XIV has something to offer for everyone and a world where one can feel at home.
Thank you for this great MMORPG
Not only the director Yoshi-P or Square Enix make Final Fantasy XIV the best MMORPG I have ever played, but also the players, that is, you.
FFXIV is like a big playground full of wonderful play equipment and attractions – a place that evokes memories of the best childhood days with friends. It is all the more astonishing that a simple MMORPG allows me to experience similar feelings once again. Fortunately, I gave the game a second chance back then!
Feel free to share your own thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV in the comments and why you like or dislike the MMORPG!
The developers of Ashes of Creation have postponed the launch of the third phase of Alpha Two for the second time. For many genre fans, it seems clear: The MMORPG will never be released in a reasonable state.
The responsible parties also explain the second postponement by stating that they want to take enough time to launch the next Alpha phase with sufficient refinement and optimizations.
Compared to the currently running phase 2, Ashes of Creation is expected to take a significant step forward with the upcoming milestone and offer significantly more content – for example, a second starting area, additional races, and comprehensive adjustments or expansions for core areas such as economy, crafting, and nodes.
The Rogue is the latest class from Ashes of Creation:
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Ashes of Creation: Trailer shows gameplay of the rogue class
Skepticism dominates the comments section
How does the community react to the postponement? Certainly, there are fans who appreciate that the developers are taking an additional 3 weeks to optimally prepare the ambitious MMORPG for phase 3. However, in a current discussion by reps_up on Reddit, many harshly criticize the postponement and the entire project.
BroxigarZ writes on Reddit: “I have said this a million times, and I will continue to say it – Ashes of Creation will never be released in its final form.” As evidence, he refers to the mathematics and points to other MMORPGs that were in development for much shorter periods. According to his calculation, AoC cannot be released before 2040 based on current progress.
Silveryo draws a conclusion on Reddit: “Everything indicates that Steven is hiring noobs. And the more noobs you place on a project, the worse it will get and the longer it will take. […] Hiring good game developers and designers seems difficult nowadays, especially considering why many other projects fail.”
Braveliltoasterx has a different theory on Reddit: “The reason they are so slow is that people keep giving them money! If no one were buying the alpha and skin packages, they would damn well hurry up.”
ballsmigue compares AoC on Reddit with another crowdfunding project: “Fantasy Star Citizen – It will never come out.”
BuffaloJ0E716 criticizes parts of the community on Reddit: “How blind must one be to still believe that this game will ever get a successful full release? Are there really still people holding on to that?”
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz evaluate the criticism of the postponement? I can understand the frustration of many genre fans. Major MMORPG launches, especially from the West, have become rare.
Time and again, exciting projects are canceled before release. Often, there is a lack of money to complete development. And where revenues are already flowing, there have been consistent progress, yet after many years, there is no foreseeable release.
However, I cannot agree with the currently very harsh criticism of Ashes of Creation. For example, one cannot compare the development of a WoW with today’s MMORPGs, as BroxigarZ does.
The duration and costs of game development have skyrocketed over the past decades. Additionally, MMORPGs have always been among the most elaborate, complex, and expensive genres to develop.
Where 3 to 4 years used to be the standard, it is now rather 8 to 10 years – if one wants to keep up with the big players. That’s why hardly anyone makes large online role-playing games anymore. Perhaps AI can help accelerate developments in the future… but will everyone like that?
What speaks for Ashes of Creation: The developers document the development progress relatively clearly, they allow testers to freely report from the alpha, and one could recently observe significant progress. Anyone who does a little research beforehand doesn’t buy the unknown cat in the bag.
Zombies are now indispensable in the video game industry. There is a great action game currently on sale for PS4 and PS5, but escaping from the undead is harder than one thinks.
What game is it? In 2022, Dying Light 2 was released, a zombie game that doesn’t just focus on mindless shooting or exploration like in Resident Evil, but on parkour and vertical level design.
The best part: You can experience the entire game in co-op, but the zombies in Dying Light 2 are not slow corpses; they remind one of 28 Days Later.
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Everything you need to know about the new survival game Dying Light 2 – with gameplay
You can’t just hide on the rooftops
What kind of game is Dying Light 2? Dying Light 2 takes place 20 years after the events of its predecessor, and the zombie virus has wiped out most of humanity. You play as Aiden, who takes care of various deliveries of goods and messages.
As is usual in a post-apocalypse, there are not only nice survivors. In addition to the undead, there are of course opposing factions that get in your way and exploit the post-apocalyptic situation for their own purposes.
The main stars are of course the zombies. They are not slow here, but quite fast and remind one of the movie 28 Days Later. Thus, fighting is not always the right way to solve every situation. Sometimes it’s worth it to simply run away.
In addition, there are parkour abilities that allow you to jump on roofs, as well as other means of transportation like zip lines. However, you can also actively defend yourself against the undead. With various melee and ranged weapons (and an effective kick), you can also traditionally deal with zombies.
If you don’t feel like jumping from roof to roof alone, you can also play the game with up to 3 friends. However, keep in mind that only the host retains progress.
How much does Dying Light 2 currently cost on PS4 and PS5? Currently, the game is discounted by 65% in the PSN Store and costs only €24.49. If you have a PlayStation Plus-subscription, you only pay €20.99. The offer is valid until July 31, 2025.
In line with the great MMORPG theme week, genre enthusiasts from MeinMMO, GameStar, and GamePro reveal which online role-playing game sparked their love for fantastic online adventures.
With their vast worlds and large player populations, MMORPGs potentially offer an experience that cannot be found in any other genre. There’s simply something special about being part of a community for weeks, months, and years and making a name for yourself on a server.
To experience friendships and relationships forming all around you. To be able to encounter foreign avatars everywhere in the world, with whom you can interact via chat, emotes, or gameplay. To develop a character through your actions and achievements that truly means something to you.
The Grinding Festival from July 21 to 27 In this week, you can expect exciting articles every day on the topic of MMORPGs. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, along with nostalgic reflections, streaming evenings, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Many MMORPG enthusiasts fondly remember their first time. The one online role-playing game where they first experienced what is possible in the genre. The one where they simply had the best time ever.
In line with the great MMORPG theme week, editors from MeinMMO, GameStar, and GamePro remember which online role-playing game sparked their love for fantastic online adventures. First up is video editor Magdalena from GameStar.
Which MMORPG do you fondly remember? In which world was it your first time? Share it in the comments!
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The best thing about New World is … chopping wood
Game: New World | Developer: Amazon Games | Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox | Release Date: September 28, 2021 | Model: Buy2Play
Magdalena Ihsen: New World undoubtedly has its weaknesses – but one thing was never up for debate: chopping wood was and is great. Really. I mean that completely seriously – and maybe a tiny bit in love. It doesn’t feel like a tedious side activity, but like a fully-fledged part of the game world, executed with a lot of attention to detail.
The gameplay trailer for New World Aeternum:
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New World Aeternum: Well-Staged Gameplay Trailer for Launch
Hardly anything has captivated me as much as the feeling of roaming through the forests with an axe in hand. Always searching for the next tree. The rhythmic swing of the axe, the rich sound upon impact with the bark, and finally the satisfying crack as the tree slowly falls – it was almost meditative.
I spent more time in the forests than in dungeons, and I regret nothing. It was never just about materials or progress in the profession – it was this simple, calming gameplay that brought me so much joy.
I often think back to my days as a woodcutter. To the early hours in the game when the fog still hung over the treetops and I roamed the forests alone with my axe. Those moments were pure gaming joy for me – and one of the reasons why, despite all its problems, New World remains so vividly in my memory.
On the next page, MeinMMO editor Karsten continues, who lost his innocence in Azeroth, followed by MeinMMO author Paul, who knows his way around Pokémon.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The story of the Souls series oozes with complexity that only a few understand. All players are thrown into the broken world of Lordran for the first time and must comprehend what is happening in the land of the gods. One thing is certain: a greedy man with great power is to blame.
What you need to know first: Those who paid sporadic attention in Dark Souls will know what it’s about. You are the legendary “Chosen One,” must defeat all the Lords and snatch their souls, and bind the fire again – all just to ensure that the Age of Sunlight can continue.
From some NPCs, one learns that Gwyn was the first Lord who could bind the fire with his power. One might think Gwyn was an honorable Lord who wanted to stop the end of the world, but… that is not the case.
Behind the facade of the mighty Sun Lord hides a cunning figure that is brimming with selfishness, greed, and fear. To understand this, we present details that are not immediately obvious but illustrate how Gwyn has plunged all beings into ruin.
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The Dark Souls Remastered in the Trailer
The impossible goal of a desperate Lord
Whoever comes to Anor Londo for the first time is greeted by a magnificent and opulent city – the city of the gods. After Gwyn ended the Age of Ancients and nearly wiped out the Everlasting Dragons, he, along with other gods, built Anor Londo to provide a home for the gods. The Age of Sunlight was born.
In the Age of Sunlight, everything seemed splendid, and it was for a long time for most gods, but not for Gwyn. The Sun Lord already knew before the war against the dragons that his age would not last forever, for there was the furtive dwarf.
The furtive dwarf
He found alongside the other Lords a very special soul, the Dark Soul. This soul, more powerful than those of the other Lords, had the potential to usher in a new age – the Age of Men.
The interesting thing about the Dark Soul was that it did not lose power when split into several parts. However, this was the case with Gwyn’s soul and the other gods.
The furtive dwarf split his soul into multiple humanity aspects and thus created humanity.
This posed a danger for Gwyn because he wanted to avoid being overthrown at all costs. The knowledge of the Dark Soul and the emergence of humanity was far too dangerous. To prevent this, the Sun Lord played the friend of the dwarves:
He established the Ringed City at the edge of the world to give the dwarves and some humans a “home”.
He entrusted his youngest daughter to the city, who sealed the place with her magic, isolating it from the rest of the world
This spell was so powerful that it lasted for millennia, preserving the city while Gwyn was long dead.
But that was not enough. Even though the remaining furtive dwarves were now “banished”, there were still humans in Lordran with their humanity, and as long as they possess humanity, they are also a danger.
To see the extent of the destruction wrought by wild humanity, one need only refer to the DLC of Dark Souls 1. Manus, the antagonist of the DLC, plunged an entire city into darkness and corrupted its inhabitants.
Gwyn knew even before the disaster with Manus that humanity could plunge entire cities into darkness, and to banish this threat, he created the Dark Sign.
He cursed humanity and ensured with this seal that humanity would come under control. The Dark Sign is also connected to the bonfires – everything that the humans possess concerning souls or humanity is slowly consumed by the Dark Sign in order to keep the First Flame alive.
One might think Gwyn has banished the darkness, but the natural cycle dictates that the Age of Sunlight must end, leaving the Sun Lord with no choice but to sacrifice himself.
His efforts were in vain, and as desperate as the Lord was, he divided his remaining power among his children and descended to the First Flame. He used his remaining Lord’s soul to rekindle the First Flame and maintain his age.
However, he did not do all this to protect all beings, but to secure the power of the gods. That this was in vain, we all see with the beginning of Dark Souls 1. No one can change a natural cycle, but Gwyn, in his pride, plunged all beings into ruin – gods, giants, and humans alike.
The consequences of his extended age can be seen in Dark Souls 3 as the world clung to life for far too long, ultimately causing reality to collapse in on itself. Whether an age of humanity would have been the lesser evil remains debatable.
Note that the lore in Dark Souls allows much room for personal interpretations. However, we have mostly adhered to details that are supported by the lore, item descriptions, and conversations with NPCs. Dark Souls also offers a wealth of bosses alongside its profound lore, but which of them is the strongest? We show you here: The strongest bosses in Dark Souls 1, 2, and 3 according to lore in the power ranking
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Echo of Lilith is considered the toughest boss in Diablo 4. An annoying bug makes the fight even more frustrating than it already is. The new patch addresses the issue and also provides a few more bug fixes on top. We summarize the important information from the patch notes for Patch 2.3.2 for you.
These are the highlights from the patch: In Season 9, “Horadric Vaults” were introduced to Diablo 4, which can spawn in Nightmare Dungeons. Here you will get loot, materials, and seasonal arcane for your Horadric Spells. A new seasonal quest line was also added.
However, there are some errors with the seasonal content that Blizzard wants to address with the new patch – for example, that you cannot leave the vaults. Additionally, the arcana were simply dropping too infrequently at the beginning, so Blizzard already responded with a hotfix and increased the drop rate.
Furthermore, there is the error that Lilith does not lose health at a certain point during the boss fight. Blizzard will fix this in the upcoming patch, along with other bugs. The Patch 2.3.2 comes on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, into the game. You can find the detailed German patch notes on page 2 of the article.
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Diablo 4 shows Horadric spells and new endgame content in the trailer for Season 9
What bug exists with Lilith? The fight against the Echo of Lilith is considered the toughest in Diablo 4, her attacks are brutal and can take you out in one hit. Players reported that the boss eventually does not lose health, even though players normally deal enough damage. But that’s the point: they are doing too much damage.
To face the Echo of Lilith and have a chance against the tough boss in Diablo 4, you need not only good nerves but also a strong build. You can see which builds are currently the strongest in the endgame in our tier list – including explanations and links to replicate: Diablo 4 Season 9: Tier List with the best builds
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a new, challenging soulslike from China. As in most games, players wonder if they can install mods. MeinMMO explains everything you need to know about it.
Can you install mods? For Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, there are already some mods that you can install. The best place for that is Nexus Mods, a platform where users provide their mods for download.
So far (as of 26.07.2025), there are 45 mods on the platform for the new soulslike. These include not only mods that adjust gameplay or game aspects but also visual packs that make adjustments to the UI or playable character. Due to performance issues at launch, there are also some mods designed to help with that.
The respective mods usually also have instructions on how to install them properly. Most use the Wuchang Mod Enabler (via Nexus Mods), which is supposed to help you with that.
However, keep in mind that mods always come with a certain risk. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a singleplayer game, but installing mods always carries the risk of damaging your save file, the entire game, or even something on your PC. Keep that in mind when deciding on mods.
Which mods are popular? Looking at the current downloads of various mods, the following modifications seem particularly popular:
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers actually had a pretty good launch on Steam. The game managed to reach over 130,000 players on Steam simultaneously. However, performance issues cast a negative light on the game. Patch 1.3 is supposed to address the issue: Wuchang: Fallen Feathers: Patch Notes for Update 1.3 in English
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since Stranger Things, Dungeons & Dragons is back in vogue. The series Vox Machina has even been adapted into a series based on a famous role-playing campaign. This seems to be just the beginning, with the next series following in November.
Editor’s Note: In the original version of the article, it was stated that Vox Machina already has 4 seasons and that the 6th would be the last. Vox Machina currently has only 3 seasons and will conclude with Season 5. The error has been corrected.
Vox Machina is a special fantasy series, as it is based on a DnD web series by the group Critical Role. These are professional voice actors and performers who go through a campaign. In Vox Machina, viewers follow the characters and story of the campaign in the form of an animated series.
The series now has 3 seasons, and as confirmed at the recent San Diego Comic Con, there will be a 4th and 5th season to conclude the series.
But before that happens, fans of Critical Role can enjoy a new series. Already in November of this year, “The Mighty Nein” will debut, adapting another campaign from the group. The first clip is being well received by fans.
You can watch the first sneak peek here:
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The Mighty Nein – First Sneak Peek of the New Fantasy Series on Amazon Prime
In the first material, Amazon Prime shows the main characters
What kind of series is this? “The Mighty Nein” is based on the second campaign of Critical Role. It again follows a group of adventurers comprised of various races and classes from the DnD universe. The series takes place in the same universe as Vox Machina. In the first sneak peek, you can already see the group members:
Caleb Widogast, voiced by Liam O’Brien
Fjord Stone, voiced by Travis Willingham
Beauregard Lionett, voiced by Marisha Ray
Jester Lavorre, voiced by Laura Bailey
Nott the Brave, voiced by Sam Riegel
Mollymauk Tealleaf, voiced by Taliesin Jaffe
Yasha Nydoorin, voiced by Ashley Johnson (She is not shown in the first clip)
All characters are voiced by the actors from the original campaign. The first material for the series is well received by fans. Under a Reddit thread with over 9,500 upvotes and nearly 600 comments (as of 26.07.2025, 12:50 PM), fans are celebrating the sneak peek:
ffwydriadd (via Reddit) was initially not impressed with Jester’s design, but is satisfied with the expressions from the video: She definitely stole the show. As she should.
SpyroESP (via Reddit) can hardly contain his excitement: Oh my God, it’s perfect. THEY are perfect. I’m losing my mind.
SuperVaderMinion (via Reddit) is especially a fan of one character: Jesus Christ, Caleb is so damn cool, man, I’m so damn ready for this show.
Overall, it is clear from the thread that Critical Role fans are quite enthusiastic about the portrayal of the various characters. The trailer has also already garnered over 1.2 million views on YouTube (as of 26.07.2025, 12:50 PM). Since this is only an initial sneak peek video, one can expect a full trailer to follow soon.
In the history of MMORPGs, there are numerous games that have been inspired to varying degrees by World of Warcraft. One game that copied WoW particularly well failed due to a particularly foolish idea from the developers. Welcome to the new article from our MMORPG theme week!
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” This does not come from us, but from the Irish writer Oscar Wilde. However, this is not what we’re here to discuss; we are here to talk about an MMORPG that, like many other representatives of the genre, has been heavily inspired by World of Warcraft.
So much so that it even appears in our list of WoW copies. We’re talking about Allods Online, developed by Allods Team and published in October 2010 by the Mail.Ru Group. However, the game did not just borrow cheaply from WoW; it copied the Blizzard MMORPG very well in many aspects. Unfortunately, the greed of the developers got in the way of Allods Online’s success.
Grind Festival from July 21 to 27 In this week, you can expect exciting articles about MMORPGs every day. Among other things: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming evenings, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Our talk from Caggtus about the current status of the MMORPG genre:
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MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz and MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski discuss the current state of MMORPGs
The “Russian World of Warcraft”
What kind of game is Allods Online? The free-to-play MMORPG features a colorful graphic style, two battling factions, races like elves and orcs, classes such as warrior, paladin, or mage, and an interface that could easily come from World of Warcraft. The model for Allods Online is, in any case, quickly identified.
Gibberlinge
The online fun also has some exciting characteristics, such as the adorable Gibberlinge, a playable race where you control three characters at once, who have wonderful animations. Or classes like the bard, who supports allies with his music or weakens enemies.
The story also leads you into a world that has been shattered into countless islands after a cataclysm, which spread across the entire astral space. These islands can be explored with flying ships, with which you can even fight against other ships in the astral realm.
MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz played the beta back then and remembers: Up to that point, no other MMORPG designed from the start to be free-to-play had brought me as much joy as the beta of Allods Online.
Questing and leveling were fun with my Gibberlinge, the graphics were quite nice, and much was simply well copied from WoW. I was really looking forward to the final release and the endgame of the MMORPG. However, it was exactly at that point that Allods Online quickly caused a huge uproar…
What was that uproar? The developers of the MMORPG simply went overboard with the prices and offers in the in-game shop. Overall, the prices were very high, which drove many players up the wall. For example, a 24-slot bag was to cost around 20 US dollars (via tentonhammer.com).
Worst of all was that the Allods Team wanted to make real money from player character deaths. Specifically, the developers built a punishment into the endgame in the form of a debuff named “Fear of Death,” which could only be prevented or lifted with a perfume item from the shop.
With flying ships, you navigate to the flying islands in Allods Online.
The price of the perfume at the US launch: 13.50 US dollars for a stack of 20. So whoever played content where they could frequently die had to pay significantly. Due to the resulting shitstorm, the developers quickly lowered the prices. At the EU launch, a stack of 20 perfume now only cost around 2 euros.
However, a bad taste remained. Allods Online was stamped with a pay-to-win reputation that still clings to the game today. This was also due to other shop offerings like runes, which directly affected character strength.
When the developers later removed these pay-to-win mechanics, the damage was already done. Today, Allods Online on Steam is played by a maximum of 40 to 50 people simultaneously. Very unfortunate, as it had much more potential. If you’re looking for the best free-to-play MMORPGs for the least amount of money and maximum fun, check out the 12 best free-to-play MMORPGs 2025 in comparison
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Actually, the tech billionaire Bill Gates is currently enjoying his retirement, which practically means he is engaged with humanitarian organizations. However, he made an exception for his daughter and sought direct customer contact.
Why did Bill Gates work in customer service? His daughter, Phoebe Gates, co-founded the startup Phia with her former Stanford classmate Sophia Kianni. The company offers an app and a Chrome extension that is supposed to search over 40,000 websites for the best clothing deals, prioritizing second-hand purchases and pointing to sustainable alternatives.
A week ago, the proud father announced on linkedin.com that his daughter asked him if he would take a shift in the company’s customer service. Bill Gates emphasizes that there can only be one right answer: yes! The founder of Microsoft further explains:
I have thought a lot about how to make technology systems more efficient, fairer, and more accessible. But over the years, I’ve learned that you best understand how something works or where it breaks when you talk directly to the people who use it.
Tech billionaires and their clothes … :
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Why do tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg keep wearing the same clothes?
A lot of praise from the community
There is an important tip for the entire industry: If you want to understand your customers, get to the front line, get your hands dirty, and seek direct contact with your target audience.
Many people in the industry praise Bill Gates for the action. Community manager Hassa Alsuwaidi writes: “A great example of how to stay grounded while supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.”
The premiere of a new crab monster may only be a footnote in the new update of Old School RuneScape, but this creature is currently causing a stir in the community.
What is behind the crab? In RuneScape, it is somewhat of an old, beloved tradition to use harmless crabs for AFK training of combat skills. They can take quite a beating, hardly fight back, and are thus the perfect punching bags on 6 legs.
The only downside is that the rock and sand crabs do not live in the immediate neighborhood and have not been very efficient for XP farming lately. Here comes the new “Gemstone Crab” from the newly released update Varlamore: The Final Dawn.
The gem-encrusted giant crab appears approximately every 10 minutes at 3 fairly accessible locations in the “Tlati Rainforest”, is said to have virtually unlimited health, and causes almost no damage.
In the official patch notes on runescape.com, the crab is thus referred to by the developers as a “social PvM training method” – that is, a social player-versus-monster training method.
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Old School RuneScape – Trailer for the Steam Release
Not harmless enough for some hardcore players
How does the community react to the new addition? They celebrate the “Gemstone Crab” with numerous posts and memes on Reddit.
SFX200 jokes on Reddit: “Nothing beats rock crabs! I don’t have time for some gemstone crab!” – accompanied by an image that should show: Back then, we had nothing (except rock crabs).
MsGuggy celebrates on Reddit: “The Gemstone Crab is the best addition of 2025” – accompanied by an image that raises the question of what hands are for. Of course, to pet crabs, hold them, celebrate them, and give them all your earthly possessions.
CauliflowerHealthy20 is already busy hitting the crab, via Reddit: “I’ve been hitting the crab all day while working. Good update, 10 out of 10.”
Biggsmustache0131 goes even further on Reddit: “The crab is love. The crab is life. I think I love the crab more than myself. We need a crab pet.”
In Snesonix123’s post on Reddit, the community is thinking about a fitting name for the crab. Among the favorites are Mr. Krabs, Gemma, Geminem, and Tomatoa.
That the seemingly harmless crab should not be underestimated is shown by the fate of several hardcore players who have been killed by the “Gemstone Crab”. The developers remind on X: “We want to remind all hardcore players that the maximum hit of the gemstone crab is 1, so please be careful!”
In Destiny 2, countless teams faced the toughest mode in the new raid The Eternal Desert. It has now turned out that the majority of the top 100 were not fair players. Almost 70% of them are said to have been cheaters.
What kind of raid is this? On July 19, 2025, the new raid The Eternal Desert (Eng: The Desert Perpetual) started in competition mode. In the World First race, several teams tried to finish the difficult raid as quickly as possible to memorialize themselves on a leaderboard.
However, it has now become clear that 70% of the teams in the top 100 are cheaters. According to journalist Paul Tassi on the Forbes website, many teams apparently cheated during the World First race.
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The launch trailer of “The Edge of Fate” showcases the new expansion of Destiny 2
Community not particularly surprised about the cheaters
How were the cheaters detected? As Tassi reports, user @aquativityy (via x.com) compiled a list showing the alleged cheaters. He also explained the evidence:
One team member has an unbelievably high number of kills, while the rest of the team has hardly any
Incredibly quick clear times (10-20 minutes) for sections that took other teams hours (for comparison: The currently best team took over 15 hours (Source: raidhub.io))
Specific weapon combos (Duality and Lorentz Driver) and special armor
New accounts that hardly have completed raids
You can find the list of cheaters as a Google Doc. The leaderboard site RaidHub has also commented on this. They explain on x.com that cheating is said to have occurred in almost 400 of the 600 runs. The leaderboards should now be finalized.
Paul Tassi explains in his article that the big, well-known teams likely do not fall among the cheaters. This includes Team Nuts.
How is the community reacting to the many cheaters? In a Reddit thread, the community shows little surprise about the cheater report.
Shacck691 (via Reddit) writes: Manipulating leaderboards is nothing new.
SenseiJae (via Reddit) thinks that gaming in general has a problem: Online gaming is terrible nowadays. Almost every game is full of cheaters. This is especially true for you, Apex.
_NOT_PENNYS_BOAT_ (via Reddit) does not understand why anyone would cheat at all: I will never understand how people can find cheating fun.
Some major MMORPGs approach the topic of housing relatively late or not at all. One genre representative had the feature so early in the game that it even holds a world record.
What does housing mean? Housing refers to the ability for players to own their own house in an MMORPG. Depending on the game, various decorative or useful elements can be placed here. Additionally, other players may be given the opportunity to visit the home created by the player.
While housing is available as a feature in some MMORPGs since their respective launch, others completely forgo the feature. One of the largest MMORPGs of the past decades, World of Warcraft, announced housing as a new feature only after many years.
When delving into the topic, a fundamental question may arise: Which MMORPG actually had the feature first? During our MMORPG theme week, MeinMMO explored this question. We show you in which game you could first engage in housing and in what form it was available.
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Ultima Online: Trailer introduces new legacy server of the cult MMORPG
The first housing existed over 20 years ago
Which MMORPG had housing first? Ultima Online is considered in many ways as one of the pioneers in the MMORPG genre. This also applies to the topic of housing. As early as 2003, you could engage in housing within the game and focus on building and furnishing your own house. The feature was introduced with the “Age of Shadows” expansion.
Thus, Ultima Online is not only a very early representative in which the feature was available, but also a world record holder. On the page of Guinness World Records, there is an entry for the first MMORPG with housing for players.
The Grinding Festival from July 21 to 27 In this week, you can expect exciting articles every day around the topic of MMORPG. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Houses in the open world: What is also interesting is the way housing works in Ultima Online. In many MMORPGs, such as ESO, there is so-called instanced housing. This means that your houses are not found in the open game world, but each player’s house represents its own instance.
If you buy a house in ESO, and your friends purchase the same house, then each player has their own version of that house.
In Ultima Online, however, you can freely place your house in the world. This means that your house is visible to all players in the world who pass by.
Besides Ultima Online and soon WoW, there are of course other MMORPGs where you can acquire and furnish a home. Which genre representatives have implemented the feature best, you can find out in our list of 5 MMORPGs with the best housing in 2025.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
When the first trailer for the action RPG Wuchang: Fallen Feathers was released, MeinMMO author Ody never thought it would quench his thirst for more Bloodborne. Yet now, having had the chance to try it himself, that’s exactly what happened. Even more – there’s one thing he would wish for in a Bloodborne 2.
I have played Wuchang: Fallen Feathers for about 13 hours now and I am surprised by how much the game reminded me of Bloodborne. You know, the PS4 hit that is regarded by many as the best Soulsborne game (myself included) for its aggressive gameplay, trick weapons, and nightmarish designs. The same game that was simply forgotten after a brilliant DLC and you can’t even play it on the PS4 Pro with over 30 FPS because there was never a patch for it.
One thing they both have in common: Just like in Bloodborne, dodging is your most important tool in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers to stay alive. Moreover, perfect dodges enhance your offensive capabilities.
If you dodge an attack at the right moment, you gain Heavenly Power
You then use this for special weapon skills and spells
This system rewards an offensive playstyle: If you dive right into the action and expertly dodge attacks, you can follow up with powerful spells and other special attacks.
Apart from the many similarities that Wuchang and Bloodborne share, there is even one thing that surprised me greatly. I would definitely wish for such a feature in an upcoming Bloodborne 2.
Here you can see a trailer for the game:
Start video
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – Showcase trailer for the new action RPG on PC and console
One thing even makes the game better
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has especially convinced me with its freedom in builds and weapons and makes me wish that Bloodborne 2 (if it should ever exist) would take a similar approach.
Instead of upgrading each weapon individually, you do this through the skill tree.
If you improve your skill with spears in it, it applies to all weapons in that category.
In the skill tree, you also level attributes that increase your health and stamina.
The biggest advantage, in my opinion: You can redistribute your points in the skill tree at any time. This way, you don’t find yourself in a situation where you can’t use a cool new weapon because you’ve already invested your upgrade materials in another one.
I constantly had this problem in Bloodborne: Yes, the Kirkhammer is a powerful weapon that you get very early on. But sometimes I just want to try something else. However, I can’t because my character stats are tailored to this weapon and I’ve invested so many upgrade materials in it that it’s not worth switching to another one. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers does not put you in this dilemma.
The additional freedom in changing your build does not necessarily make the fights easier. These still require quick reflexes and recognizing attack patterns. Soulsborne fans should still feel at home here. I have been having a lot of fun with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers so far, even though I still have many bosses ahead of me.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will be released on July 24, 2025, for PC on Steam and in the Epic Games Store, as well as for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Furthermore, the game will be included in the Xbox Game Pass.
