Amazon’s first MMORPG for Steam is considered a disappointment, but one thing was perfect

Nico Scheibel Nico Scheibel Reading time 4 minutes

The MMORPG New World from Amazon’s own studio was an absolute hit at launch. Only gradually did players realize how much was still missing to become a genre giant. However, one thing was perfect in this MMORPG, according to MeinMMO author Nico.

What was perfect about New World? Amazon Games didn’t rely on large servers but on a limited player count of 2,000. This turned the servers into something like a small town where almost everyone knows each other. New World perfectly implemented the core idea of an MMO, leading to new friendships but also a lot of drama.

Especially the division of the server into three factions contributed to the existence of rival companies and factions. Companies could claim different areas and thus influence all taxes through trade, crafting, and other revenue sources. This allowed certain communities to accumulate a pile of gold early on.

Particularly the areas in the center of the map, Everfall and Windsward, were popular destinations. They became hotspots for most players and could amass wealth that others could only dream of. 

Who is writing here? MeinMMO author Nico Scheibel was already excited during the New World beta. He was even more thrilled about the release and eventually spent countless hours in Aeternum. As more and more bugs crept in with each passing hour, his server turned into a drama series.

The atmospheric trailer for New World Aeternum:

Start video
New World Aeternum: Well-Staged Gameplay Trailer for Launch

War of the Bugs

In New World, it was possible to build influence in an area through PvP quests and then declare war on it with your company. If you won the war, the area belonged to you and you would collect the taxes.

Before most players had the strongest items and builds, there was a company on our server that occupied both important cities, Everfall and Windsward. Winning a war was considered a miracle as this company had much better armor and weapons.

The first major known bug was part of the Ice Gauntlet. A magic weapon with which you can cast ice spells like Blizzard. The trick involved placing multiple Blizzards on a targeted spot. This caused the entire instance of the war to crash, making it impossible for the attackers to win.

After the aforementioned company exploited this bug multiple times to avoid losing the two important areas, they became the arch-nemesis of the server: the “Empire of New World”, so to speak.

New World: Area division
The image exemplarily shows how the areas can be divided among the factions.

The Return of the King

While the “Empire” was on the rise, there were wild discussions in Discord about how to overthrow it. One player was very engaged from the start to deal with the politics and events on our server. “The King” wanted everything to go the way he preferred.

After we did not share his views, he secretly made a deal with the Empire. Areas were exchanged between his company and the Empire, allowing the King to present himself as a great conqueror and vanquisher.

When this came to light, he was banned from Discord. Most players fled from his company. This topic was present in global chat for weeks, besides pictures of sausages. Due to the betrayal of the King, the Discord admins became more cautious and accused many new players of being spies for the Empire.

We didn’t see the King again for months when he came back to our server under a new name and asked specific questions about himself while bragging about how great he was.

The Grind Fest from July 21 to 27
This week, you can expect exciting articles daily about MMORPGs. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.

You can find the program for the big MMORPG theme week 2025 from MeinMMO here.

New World was a special MMORPG experience 

On the first glance, New World did a lot right, but when you look at the endgame at release, you realize there wasn’t much. Beyond running from chest to chest to increase your gear score, there were only two dungeons, PvP, and interpersonal interactions.

But it wasn’t just drama that was on the agenda on the servers, but also beautiful moments. Daily trips to certain monsters to get the best gear for crafters, or just spending time in your favorite city with your friends and company… such things attracted players to the servers day after day.

Through New World, I got to know many great people with whom I still stay in contact today and travel through the rift of League of Legends or other MMORPGs. My time with New World was one of the most beautiful MMORPG experiences I’ve had, and despite its flaws, it reminded me why I love this genre so much.

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Die Macher von Rust wollen New World immer noch kaufen, Ex-Entwickler von Amazon erklärt, was dafür nötig ist
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Amazon’s MMORPG is actually already done, but today there is still an important update
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Feel free to share your own experiences from MMORPGs in the comments and what kind of drama you experienced or if you made lifelong friends.

After New World struggled to attract new players with Season 7, the developers hope that with the new Season 8 and some changes, more players will find their way back to Aeternum: The MMORPG from Amazon disappointed with the last season, is now mimicking WoW to get more people to log in

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers: Patch Notes for Update 1.3 in English – Developers want to address poor performance

Niko Hernes Niko Hernes Reading time 2 minutes

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has received its first update, which is primarily aimed at improving performance. MeinMMO presents the patch notes for Update 1.3 at a glance.

What changes does Patch 1.3? Wuchang: Fallen Feathers had a strong launch on Steam regarding player numbers. At release, the game had over 130,000 simultaneous players. However, not everything is optimal. Many players currently advise against purchasing, claiming that the performance is too poor.

The developers aim to counter this with Patch 1.3 (Source: Steam) by attempting to optimize the game’s performance with the patch.

  • For graphics cards with less than 8 GB VRAM, memory-saving optimizations will now be applied regardless of the texture level. If you have a graphics card with more than 8 VRAM, this optimization only applies if you have set the graphic quality to low.
  • These changes are intended to improve stability and reduce crashes and stuttering.

This is just the beginning of addressing the performance issues. In the patch notes, the developers announce a larger patch that is expected to follow in the coming days.

You can find the complete patch notes for Update 1.3 in English under the video.

Start video
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – New Action RPG from China Shows Boss Fight and Release Date

Wuchang Fallen Feathers: Complete Patch Notes for Update 1.3 Overview

What else is included in the patch? We have automatically translated the complete patch notes for Update 1.3 for Wuchang: Fallen Feathers using ChatGPT:

Performance-related Optimizations

  • Low-latency mode can now be manually activated in the options menu and is no longer enabled by default.
  • The limits for supersampling resolutions have been adjusted for certain GPU models to avoid unintended performance drops.
  • VRAM optimization for weaker graphics cards:
    • For GPUs with 8 GB VRAM or less, memory-saving optimization will be applied at all texture quality levels.
    • For GPUs with more than 8 GB VRAM, this optimization only applies when texture quality is set to “Low”.
    • These changes improve stability and reduce crashes or stuttering caused by insufficient video memory.

Bug Fixes & Stability Improvements

  • A crash immediately after the company logo when starting the game has been fixed.
  • Stuttering during finisher animations on certain hardware configurations has been resolved.
  • Issues related to the Standard and Deluxe Editions have been fixed – after the patch update, players of both versions now receive the correct rewards.
    • Players who have already purchased the Deluxe Edition package must log in again and collect the reward at the donation box in the Reverent Temple.
  • All owners of WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers on Steam will receive the original soundtrack (DLC) for free as compensation.

Gameplay Balancing Adjustments

  • Chapter 2 – Landmine encounter rebalanced:
  • The number of landmines has been reduced, as well as their damage output, to make the challenge fairer and more enjoyable.
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Performance seems to be quite a significant issue within the game, which is why the developers will likely need to make further adjustments in future patches. However, if things go well, the game can score points. At least for MeinMMO author Caro: I thought a new Soulslike would be too easy, but then I was beaten up by nasty monsters and beautiful women

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Twitch: The best insider jokes of the community about MontanaBlack && Co.

Johanna Johanna Reading time 3 minutes

Twitch-Germany is full of insider jokes. MeinMMO has gathered some for you and presents them here.

What kind of list is this? MeinMMO has done a deep dive into Twitch-Germany and compiled a list of insider jokes. These are the jokes that Twitch streamers share with each other or with their community.

Start video
These are the 5 most relevant German streamers on Twitch in 2024, according to Google

MontanaBlack hires a housekeeper

One of the latest jokes in the German Twitch bubble is that the streamer Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris would only be imagining his housekeeper Agatha. When she was hired by the Twitch streamer a few years ago, she was indirectly introduced to MontanaBlack’s community.

In 2025, both the Twitch community and other Twitch streamers began to claim they had never seen Agatha and speculated that MontanaBlack was only imagining his housekeeper. In reality, he was supposed to disguise himself with a wig while taking care of his household.

Streamer colleagues Zarbex and Max Schradin talked to MontanaBlack about Agatha and tried to “help” him:

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MontanaBlack himself joined in on the joke and made fun of himself for being so “old” and imagining things.

Mustache + Glasses = Rumathra

The Twitch streamer Wieland “Rumathra” Welte has a very specific appearance that many people share with him. Rumathra has black hair, wears black-rimmed glasses, and has a black mustache.

The community and streamers repeatedly find people or sometimes even objects that look like Rumathra.

On Reddit, the community makes fun of Rumathra look-alikes:

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Rezo keeps getting distracted

The Twitch streamer Rezo often watches current videos on relevant topics with his community during his streams. While he reacts to the videos and constantly animates discussions with his community, he also keeps getting distracted.

He often brings up a completely new topic in the middle of a reaction, which he then presents to his chat. Sometimes he watches other TikToks and then returns to the original video.

In a reaction to the latest video from MiiMii, which is about the YouTuber ApoRed and his criminal activities, Rezo suddenly talks about the origin of the word “helicopter”: “Speaking of responsibility: Did you know that ‘helicopter’ is not ‘heli’ and ‘copter,’ but ‘heliko’ and ‘npter’? Did you know that? That’s crazy, isn’t it?” (Source: YouTube).

Papaplatte can’t talk without Anglicisms

Kevin “Papaplatte” Teller is known for using many Anglicisms. Even German words that wouldn’t need an English equivalent in a sentence are replaced and Germanized by the Twitch streamer.

His unique way of speaking is so well known that a Pro7 show even hired a “translator” when he was a guest.

Once, a viewer challenged Papaplatte to not use any English words for 2 minutes, promising him 10 euros if he succeeded. Papaplatte only managed to hold out for a few seconds, as this clip on YouTube shows:

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Getting gronked

In a Twitch stream where Erik “Gronkh” Range played the game Potentia, he shot the cat Porsuk, thinking he could receive an achievement for it. However, that was not the case, so the cat’s death was completely in vain.

Since then, it has become established in the Gronkh community to say “gronkhen” or “gegronkht werden” every time an innocent being dies in a game.

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Trymacs pays to win

Twitch streamer Max “Trymacs” Stemmler began his career on the platform partly by playing Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. These are mobile games where you can progress more quickly if you buy and use in-game currency with real money. Something that Trymacs has always enjoyed doing.

Trymacs’ spending in the Apple Store has even gone so far that he once had to manually raise his monthly limit:

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This gave Trymacs the reputation of preferring to pay to quickly achieve success in a game than actually engaging with the game. For example, when he played Minecraft with his Twitch colleagues, he tried to “pay” streamer Rohat with Twitch subscriptions to provide him with items in the game (via YouTube).

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Do you have any more insider jokes from the German Twitch bubble? Feel free to write them to us in the comments. German Twitch streamers are not only known for their jokes about each other but also for their products. For the most important products of Twitch streamers from 2024, we have compiled a list on MeinMMO and sorted the products by Shitstorm: The 5 most important products by Twitch streamers in 2024 ranked

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Dune: Awakening must disable useful family function because cheaters exploit it

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 2 minutes

The developers of Dune: Awakening are fighting against users of cheats and exploits. As part of the necessary measures, they now have to deactivate a useful family feature.

What is this feature? The Steam family allows you to share the games in your Steam library with other accounts that you have defined as part of your family. Detailed information can be found on steampowered.com.

For Dune: Awakening, you can no longer use this “Family Sharing” for the time being. On duneawakening.com, the developers from Funcom explain:

Lastly, we are temporarily disabling family sharing, as this feature has unfortunately been frequently abused. We apologize to our players who have used this feature legitimately. We are actively working on changes that will allow us to reactivate the system as soon as possible. Although we currently cannot provide a timeline, we aim to implement these changes within this year. We will inform you as soon as we have a date.

The developers further explain that through hotfixes, several exploits have been fixed, hundreds of exploit users and cheaters have been banned, and large amounts of Solaris, obtained illegally, have been removed from the game.

Start video
Dune: Awakening presents new action-packed trailer for the release of the game

“This is not Amazon or Activision”

How is the community reacting to the announcement? In a current discussion on Reddit, many players are pleased that Funcom is working on the current issues of the game and is responding to community feedback. However, some remember previous games by the developer.

  • S-7G writes on Reddit: “I appreciate the communication and completely understand the decision.”
  • andizzzzi praises Funcom’s work on Reddit: “People have not realized that these are serious developers. This is not Amazon or Activision.”
  • Electronic-Clue6184 is still skeptical on Reddit: They said the same thing more than a dozen times during the lifespan of Conan. Guess what was never fixed? The cheaters and dupers. Every patch only caused new problems. It would be great if they could fix this issue in Dune, but after Conan, I have little hope.
More about Dune:
There is currently a golden age for survival games on Steam, and not just thanks to Windrose
von Ody
Dune: Awakening finally overcomes its identity crisis, fulfilling the greatest wish of PvE players
von Cedric Holmeier

What do you think: Are you satisfied with the work Funcom has done so far? The fact that the developers from Funcom are keeping a close eye on community platforms like Reddit also shows a different, very nice story about a player whose base was abandoned: The “Message to Ben” even reaches the developers of Dune: Awakening, now the community celebrates a happy ending

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

“It is sad to see” – One of the best co-op shooters on Steam has received a successor, but the release reveals many issues

Dariusz Müller Dariusz Müller Reading time 3 minutes

Killing Floor is one of the best co-op shooters on Steam. There is now a new installment, but it starts with mixed reviews.

Which shooter is it about? Killing Floor 3 is a co-op shooter that was released on July 24, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and can be played with up to 5 friends.

The predecessors, Killing Floor 1 and 2, were very well received by many players. The first part of the series has 93% positive reviews, making it one of the highest-rated co-op shooters on Steam (see SteamDB). The successor, Killing Floor 2, also stands out with 88% positive ratings.

What is Killing Floor about? Killing Floor 3 aims to continue the successful formula. Accordingly, in the third installment of the series, you also fight against the so-called Zeds. These are genetically modified monsters that pursue you in zombie-like hordes. You fight for your survival in co-op.

The “Killing Floor” games are considered extremely brutal and are therefore only suitable for players aged 18 and over, not for children.

Start video
Killing Floor 3 Gamescom

Shooter with an identity crisis

How did the release go? Mixed. Killing Floor 3 managed to record up to 30,000 concurrent players on Steam alone (via SteamDB), but the current reviews are barely balanced—only 55% of the roughly 3,700 reviews are positive.

What is bothering the players? Players have various points of criticism that currently bother them. The gunplay is okay, though somewhat unimpressive, and the graphics are quite good, but otherwise, it doesn’t feel like a finished game.

Fans also criticize that Killing Floor 3 lacks soul and has an identity crisis. It cannot decide whether it wants to be Call of Duty: Zombies or Killing Floor 2 (via Steam).

Other points of criticism on Steam include:

  • “Killing Floor 3 is a pale imitation of the last two games. It is no longer a horror wave shooter; it feels like any other unfinished, generic shooter.”
  • “It is an empty shell, disguised as Killing Floor.”
  • “They released/sold a game with an outstanding name that is not even close to being fully developed.”
  • “Where has the heavy, bloody horror atmosphere gone that kept you on edge until the last Zed? […] Killing Floor 3 may appeal to those who have not played the previous games and just want a simple, quick shooter with some modern online features. But for fans of the series and lovers of atmospheric, brutal co-op FPS games, this is one to avoid.”

Overall, it is noted that the shooter is not a real Killing Floor. They tried to reach a larger audience and lost their personality in the process. Only the name remains.

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Killing Floor 3 can also be fun

Is there also praise? Yes, at least just over half of all reviews are positive. The key idea is often: You get a modern shooter with Killing Floor that can be quite fun and has resolved many of the technical issues from previous tests.

For some, it still feels like a Killing Floor and offers the amount of gore they expect from the shooter. Overall, there is still potential for improvement, but players are satisfied to be able to mow down Zeds again.

A similar situation to the one Killing Floor 3 is currently experiencing also occurred with Payday 3. Some players had fun despite technical issues, but especially the fans were disappointed because it strayed too far from Payday 2 in gameplay and is considered a step back from its predecessor: Payday 3 was one of the most anticipated games on Steam – Now the shooter fails spectacularly, fans complain and are disappointed

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Elden Ring Nightreign fulfills a major wish from the community with the next patch, introduces a new mode

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 2 minutes

From Software has revealed the new features that Patch 1.02 is set to bring for Elden Ring Nightreign. A co-op feature is clearly in focus for the announcements.

What is known about Patch 1.02 of Elden Ring Nightreign?

  • The update is expected to be released on July 30, 2025.
  • The main highlight feature is the Duo Expeditions, a 2-player mode that allows you to go on a boss hunt with just one friend. Many players had wished for something like this after the launch of Nightreign.
  • Via X, the developers also confirmed that Quality-of-Life improvements are on the way, such as new filtering options for relics.

The new trailer for Elden Ring Nightreign prepares you for the new 2-player mode of the game:

Start video
Elden Ring Nightreign: Trailer introduces new 2-player mode

Great success despite idiosyncratic gameplay

What do I need to know about Elden Ring Nightreign? Building on Elden Ring and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the Nightreign spinoff has been delivering a standalone co-op multiplayer experience since May 2025, which, despite many similarities, differs significantly from the successful open-world soulslike.

Instead of getting lost in the vast realms, players of Nightreign must explore the map in groups of three or alone during a day-night cycle, find loot, and defeat enemies. When a day ends, a fire circle begins to take over the map and herd the players together, marking the start of the night. Those who survive 2 nights and defeat the respective boss can challenge one of the 8 Nightlords on the third day.

While the concept wasn’t well received by every Elden Ring fan, Nightreign is a huge success. Just now, the developers announced on bandainamcoent.eu that the spinoff has now sold 5 million copies. Meanwhile, the DLC Shadow of the Erdtree from Elden Ring has even found over 10 million buyers.

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Elden Ring: Nightreign will also be provided with new content over the coming weeks and months. Many fans are therefore asking for a roadmap, but is there one? And if so, what new features can players expect? We will show you what is currently known: Elden Ring: Nightreign – Roadmap and upcoming content

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The most famous background of Windows XP is a meadow: But 29 years later it looks completely different in reality

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 2 minutes

The green meadow from Windows XP is known to everyone, but the image is from 1996. Today it looks completely different there, as some users have to find out. And there is a good reason for that.

What kind of background is this? Those who installed Windows XP always see the standard background upon starting: A large green meadow with hills and a blue sky with a few white clouds. The background, officially called “Bliss,” has become synonymous with the “Windows XP” era for many.

But today, the place where the picture was taken looks completely different.

Start video
In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?

Today, a large vineyard stands in the place of the background

When was the picture taken? The image “Bliss,” which means “bliss/happiness” in English, was created by photographer Charles O’Rear in 1996. It shows the California wine-growing region of Sonoma County. In German, the background is rather unspectacularly called “Grüne Idylle.”

Why does it look so different today? Shortly before the photo was taken, the vineyards experienced a phylloxera infestation: These are root lice that cause significant damage in viticulture. In this context, the vineyard was cleared and in the photographer’s image, green hills are visible without the vineyards. The entire background story of the image’s creation has been explained by the magazine ARTE in a YouTube video.

If you look at current photos of the area, you can see that vineyards are growing again on the formerly green hillside. Depending on the photo and the season, it is sometimes greener or less green. On Reddit, you can see the status from 2025.

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In 1995, a year before the famous meadow photo, Microsoft released software for Windows, but a year later the project was discontinued. For years, the failed software remained hidden in Windows XP: Microsoft hid its biggest failure for years in millions of legal copies of Windows XP.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

MMORPG Tier List 2025: 76 Online Role-Playing Games in the Ranking

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 4 minutes

From S-Tier to Trash: For the MMORPG Theme Week 2025, our genre expert Karsten Scholz has compiled all currently relevant online role-playing games into a tier list.

How was the tier list created? Our genre expert Karsten Scholz takes all MMORPGs that meet certain criteria and ranks them in a tier list. For an online role-playing game to appear on this list, it must

  • be currently available
  • run on official servers (meaning no private servers)
  • exist in a final release version (so no early access, no playable alpha and beta versions)
The Grind Festival from July 21 to 27
In this week, you can expect exciting articles every day around the topic of MMORPGs. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.

Here is the program for the great MMORPG Theme Week 2025 by MeinMMO

The ranking includes the following tier levels:

  • S-Tier: The current best representatives of the genre. They are not perfect, but they do so much right that they rank among the largest (in terms of player numbers) and best-rated MMORPGs in 2025.
  • A-Tier: Recommended MMORPGs that appeal to a specific niche or target audience for various reasons, yet are among the best currently available.
  • B-Tier: Decent online role-playing games with several weaknesses, or those that have simply aged, but still provide fun for some players.
  • C-Tier: MMORPGs for the very niche market, which still maintain a (small) fan base due to few strengths or nostalgic memories, yet have too many “buts” or are simply too outdated to receive a recommendation in 2025.
  • D-Tier: Uff, don’t play. This is trash, with some outrageous payment models.

Our talk about the upcoming MMORPGs from Caggtus:

Start video
MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz and MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski discuss the current state of MMORPGs

Tier List of MMORPGs 2025

S-TierWorld of Warcraft / WoW Classic
Final Fantasy XIV
Guild Wars 2
The Elder Scrolls Online
A-TierAlbion Online
Black Desert
EVE Online
The Lord of the Rings Online
Lost Ark
New World
RuneScape / Old School RuneScape
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Throne and Liberty
B-TierAion / Aion Classic
Blade & Soul
Bit Heroes Quest
Broken Ranks
Dungeons & Dragons Online
Dark Age of Camelot
DC Universe Online
EverQuest 1 + 2
Guild Wars
Kakele Online
Mortal Online 2
Neverwinter
Ravendawn Online
Royal Quest Online
Rift
Star Trek Online
Tarisland
Trove
The Secret World
Tibia
Ultima Online
C-Tier4Story
AdventureQuest 3D
Age of Conan
Age of Wushu
Allods Online
Anarchy Online
Champions Online
Defiance
Dofus
Drakensang Online
Dual Universe
Dungeon Fighter Online
Final Fantasy XI
Fiesta Online
Flyff
Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted
Last Chaos
Lineage 2
MapleStory
Meridian 59
Metin 2
Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds
NosTale
ODIN: Valhalla Rising
Perfect World
Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis
Realm of the Mad God Exalt
Riders of Icarus
Runes of Magic
Shroud of the Avatar
Skyforge
Tera (Console)
Toram Online
D-TierAura Kingdom / Aura Kingdom 2
Bless Unleashed
Dekaron
Elsword
Entropia Universe
Kalonline
League of Angels: Pact
MIR4
Silkroad Online
Vindictus

The Current Best MMORPGs

Why do the games in the top two tier levels deserve the S and A ratings? Let’s briefly go through the MMORPGs!

The MMORPGs in S-Tier

  • World of Warcraft: Despite fluctuating quality in expansions, WoW has been one of the most beginner-friendly, comfortable, and content-rich MMORPGs on the market for 20 years. With the various versions of WoW, there is something for almost everyone.
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Thanks to the “A Realm Reborn” reboot and subsequent expansions and packed updates, FFXIV has developed over the years into one of the best theme park and story MMORPGs. Too bad that Dawntrail isn’t quite as well received by the community as previous expansions.
  • Guild Wars 2: There is currently no better MMORPG for casual players, collectors, and explorers who do not want a subscription and the genre-typical gear grind.
  • The Elder Scrolls Online: ESO has always struggled a bit in the MMO area. However, the game from Zenimax offers some of the most interesting characters and exciting stories of the genre, a wide range of content, the perhaps best console port of all MMORPGs, and the opportunity to dive into the popular Elder Scrolls universe with others.

Elder Scrolls Online is switching to a seasonal system this year – here is the first trailer for season 1:

Start video
Elder Scrolls Online: The Seasons of the Worm Cult in the New Gameplay Trailer

The MMORPGs in A-Tier

  • Albion Online: The currently best German MMORPG has been enjoying increasing player numbers for years, as it slowly breaks through its sandbox and PvP roots and can appeal to a larger audience through improved accessibility and optimized player guidance.
  • Black Desert: The grind factor is strong in this MMORPG. At the same time, there is no other online role-playing game where your own attacks and combos feel so powerful and satisfying. The character creator is also S-Tier. However, due to its sandbox experience and Asian characteristics, Black Desert can only shine in a niche in the West.
  • EVE Online: There are not many MMORPGs on the market that offer you a whole universe where you can unleash yourself with all the freedoms of a sandbox. EVE Online has always been somewhat unwieldy and quirky, but also special and unique. And if you want to participate in battles that go down in history, there is no better MMORPG.
  • The Lord of the Rings Online: Although LOTRO is more than two years younger than WoW, it looks ten years older. Still, in 2025 there is hardly a more atmospheric online world than Middle-earth, with all its entertaining stories and quests. Plus: You can finally experience the MMORPG on 64-bit servers located in Europe. No? Yes! Oh!
  • Lost Ark: The MMORPG from Smilegate and Amazon Games offers a unique genre experience through its perspective and shines with great combat feeling. Moreover, there is no other online RPG designed for Free2Play from the start that offers as many fun content for free. Due to its peculiarities in payment model and progression, it does not reach S-Tier.
  • New World: Exciting setting, immersive game world, powerful combat system, meaningful improvements through the Aeternum reboot … New World has many arguments for an S-Tier ranking. And indeed, as a newcomer, you can have a lot of fun in the MMORPG from Amazon Games. However, content has been lacking for years to keep players engaged long-term.
  • RuneScape / Old School RuneScape: In the two versions of RuneScape, genre fans currently find the best old school experience when it comes to MMORPGs. The high player numbers after all these years and strong user ratings speak for themselves. One factor is certainly that the community has a say in the introduction of new features.
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic: SWTOR has always excelled with its stories, characters, and class quests, and of course, with the great implementation of the popular Star Wars license. It’s a pity that it took way too long after the launch for developers to build upon these strengths.
  • Throne and Liberty: The new MMORPG from NCsoft shines with its – for today’s standards – unusual focus on the “Massively” and offers mass battles that are not found anywhere else in this form. However, this focus can also create significant frustration in combination with some idiosyncrasies of Asian MMORPGs.
More about MMORPGs:
MMORPG raised over €200,000 from fans, is now shutting down but will let you keep playing forever
von Cedric Holmeier
The tank of your raid group is again the biggest noob? Now you can prove what you can do without MMORPG
von Cedric Holmeier

Now, of course, the big question is, what would your tier list for current MMORPGs look like? Which genre representatives do you think belong in the S-Tier? Did we perhaps overlook a game that should be on the list? Let us know in the comments! When it comes to the best online role-playing games of all time, check out the following article: The best MMORPGs of all time for PC and consoles: The MeinMMO community has voted

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The new elite specializations of Guild Wars 2 sing ballads, control orcans or rely on holy fire

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 5 minutes

It is time for our MeinMMO format “MMORPG news in two minutes”. We summarize the most important news about the best genre in the world. You can look forward to WoW Patch 11.2, Patch 7.3 of FFXIV, beta tests, a discontinued MMO, and much more.

The highlights of the week:

What else has happened? Of course, the grind fest! From July 21 to July 27, there will be a full barrage of specials, anecdotes, analyses, and more on the topic of MMORPGs. You can find the full program for the grind fest here. You can watch a small portion of our two streaming evenings with GameStar below – featuring our guest Uncle Barlow:

Start video
The History of MMORPGs: MeinMMO, GameStar and Uncle Barlow discuss 60 years of online worlds

The most successful MMORPG from Germany has received a major summer update

This is what happened with the major MMORPGs:

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This is what happened with the minor MMORPGs:

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This is what happened with the MMORPGs in development:

More about MMORPGs:
More on the topic
The 16 MMORPGs with the most players according to official numbers from the developers
von Karsten Scholz
More on the topic
The 10 MMORPGs on Steam with the best ratings in March 2026
von Alexander Leitsch

Thus, we have summarized for you the most important news that has recently occurred in the world of MMORPGs.

What did you enjoy this week? What annoyed you? Please let us know in the comments. If you are looking for an overview of the history of online role-playing games, you will find it in this comprehensive special: The history of MMORPGs – From Habitat to Throne and Liberty, and everything that happened in between

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WoW urgently needs a revision, as there are too many abilities

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Too many abilities in World of Warcraft are overwhelming. The 1-button feature is therefore used for something that was not really the point.

Thanks to the talent system and a variety of classes, there is the possibility in World of Warcraft to adapt the character largely to one’s own playing preferences. However, even though this freedom is appreciated, it has led to increasingly larger problems over the years.

Many classes now feel overloaded, while dozens of abilities cause confusion and difficulties in dealing with the class at all.

Start video
Nur im Juli 2025: Diese 3 Mounts in WoW solltet ihr jetzt farmen

1-Button Feature – The solution to the wrong problem

The fact that World of Warcraft has too many abilities is also evident from the introduction of the “1-button feature”. This feature allows you to only press a single button. WoW then decides on its own which ability or spell would be the most sensible.

What is primarily a feature for accessibility, to allow those who may have physical or mental limitations to play the game, is also used by another group: all those for whom the game itself has become too complex.

Because when you want to try a new class, you often have to deal with it for a long time. In addition to the talent tree, a guide often needs to be read to quickly understand how the dozens of talents and abilities interact with each other.

The hurdle of playing a new character with an unfamiliar class has become increasingly larger over the years.

WoW PvP Warrior Human Male Yell title title 1280x720

Complexity can be appealing, but if many players then prefer the 1-button, it is quite clear: It has become too difficult and extensive. And this is not because players want everything easier and served on a platter. But the entry point must be more accessible – and in many cases, it is not.

One of the major problems is the new skill system that World of Warcraft introduced with Dragonflight. The new talent trees were supposed to fulfill several tasks and were generally well received. The only catch: extremely many active talents mean that you have a variety of buttons and abilities, in addition to the complexity that the talent trees already offer.

That World of Warcraft is now overloaded with abilities and complexity was also found by our MMORPG experts in the talk, when they had “Uncle Barlow” as a guest and discussed the highs and lows of MMORPG history.

How can the problem be solved?

In the past, World of Warcraft has done an “ability pruning”. There, the number of abilities of many classes was reduced. However, in the following years, many skills returned and entirely new ones made their way into the game.

This criticism does not apply to all classes. Some classes and specializations are relatively accessible after a recent rework. Retribution Paladins, Beast Mastery Hunters, or Fury Warriors are considered classes that only need to use a relatively small number of abilities actively, and are therefore accessible. This does not necessarily mean that these classes are particularly simple to play, but at least the hurdle for entry is significantly lower.

If Blizzard were to orient itself towards these classes that promote an easy entry, all other specializations in the game might regain popularity. Because currently, hardly anyone wants to tackle the complexity of an Outlaw Rogue if they cannot really invest a lot of hours.

More news about WoW:
Blizzard wins lawsuit against Turtle WoW, forcing the largest private server for Classic Plus to settlement
von Karsten Scholz
WoW hotfixes from April 15, 2026 make raids and dungeons easier, fix annoying bugs
von Karsten Scholz
The 16 MMORPGs with the most players according to official numbers from the developers
von Karsten Scholz

Whether World of Warcraft will find a good middle ground here to increase the accessibility of classes in the long term will likely be shown in the next expansion, Midnight. Because the “early game” is set to be revised. If you want to venture into WoW, we have here 3 classes for you that can particularly help with that.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Gen Z is increasingly abstaining from alcohol, but it is not only about reason.

Yana Yana Reading time 2 minutes

Drinking used to be taken for granted, but many young people today simply skip alcohol. Generation Z has different priorities and is currently changing how a generation celebrates.

Alcohol is no longer a given for many young people today, and the numbers reflect this. As reported by the US Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol consumption among teenagers and young adults has significantly decreased since the early 2000s. This is especially true for the so-called Gen Z, which includes people born between 1997 and 2012. For many of them, alcohol is no longer seen as cool, but rather as risky.

Furthermore, a survey conducted by the opinion research institute Gallup in 2023 confirms this: Only 62% of those under 35 in the US say they consume alcohol at all, compared to 72% two decades ago.

While Gen Z questions old habits like alcohol consumption, entirely new digital trends are emerging simultaneously. In this video, you can see how virtual models earn real money.

Select a MMO video…

The Conscious Abstention from Alcohol

The self-image as a reason against alcohol: As reported by Time Magazine, many from Gen Z are not morally rejecting alcohol but are instead focused on self-protection, clarity, and control. For many, alcohol today has nothing to do with maturity or freedom, but rather with loss of control, uncertainty, and health risks.

The self-image has changed: Instead of gaining recognition through escalation, many prefer to focus on balance, mindfulness, and a stable inner life. Mental health plays a central role here. Those who struggle with pressure, anxiety, or overwhelm do not want to risk getting drunk as well. Many consciously abstain to avoid further emotional destabilization.

The occasion for alcohol is lacking: An analysis by the US Department of Health shows that young people today spend much less time with friends than before. In 2003, it was an average of 30 hours per month – by 2020, only 10.

Fewer social gatherings also mean fewer opportunities to drink at parties or clubs. In many cities, so-called “Sober Bars” are opening, places entirely without alcohol. The social pressure to drink is completely removed there, and people appreciate it.

Do alternatives distract from alcohol? Young people today are more likely to turn to other substances to unwind – foremost among them is cannabis. In the US, the drug is legal in many states and is significantly more socially accepted than just a few years ago.

According to the annual health survey conducted by the US Department of Health, about 36.5% of 18 to 25-year-olds reported consuming marijuana in the past year in 2023. The study is considered the most important national source for data on drug and alcohol use in the US.

Even though alcohol is still consumed by 68.1%, according to the study, cannabis is increasingly becoming an alternative.

More on the topic
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One third of Gen Z is afraid of making phone calls: Google wants to take advantage of this fear to make money
von Benedikt Schlotmann
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The blank, lifeless stare of Gen Z has a name now – but no one really knows what it means
von Ody

While Gen Z is finding new ways to celebrate and consciously avoiding alcohol, the generation before them – the Millennials – is also significantly influencing social change. They are increasingly taking on leadership roles, focusing on mental health, flexible working models, and self-determination. Yet despite these positive developments, they face a unique challenge.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Time
  2. HHS
  3. NIH

The completely outdated Metin2 is still a successful MMORPG in 2025, especially in Germany – But why is that?

Jasmin Beverungen Jasmin Beverungen Reading time 4 minutes

The MMORPG Metin2 was released in 2006 in Germany. Almost 20 years later, it still has a large community, with many players being German-speaking. This is due to several reasons that MeinMMO highlights during the MMORPG theme week.

What is Metin2? The team behind Metin2 describes the game as an “Oriental Action MMO.” The MMORPG started in 2004 in Korea but only came to us in 2006. Initially, it had a paid model, but after a year, it removed the monthly fees.

  • You choose one of 5 classes and decide on a specialization. For shamans, for example, you can learn enhancement spells or healing spells.
  • The MMORPG takes place in a fictional Far Eastern world that was once united by the Empire. Today, there are three kingdoms you must choose from. If you join one nation, you can battle the other two in PvP.
  • Characteristic of the MMORPG are the meteorite stones of the same name, which fall randomly from the sky at a location on the map. They contain rare equipment.

Metin2 still relies on the graphics with which the MMORPG launched in 2004. Although the visuals are now quite outdated, the game can still keep afloat – and that without monthly fees. This is an impressive achievement, considering how many MMORPGs have had to shut down in recent decades.

The MMORPG is still popular among many fans today, especially in Turkey and Germany, as Gameforge confirmed to us upon request. We explain why in the following article.

Start video
Metin 2 – The MMORPG presents itself in the trailer

Metin2 has managed to hold on for several decades, thanks to several reasons

Metin2 has an active community in Germany

In the statement from Gameforge, it is clear that the community is still very active, especially in Germany and Turkey. Because so many players still gather on the servers of Metin2, the game can be kept alive:

Even almost two decades after its release, Metin2 impresses with strong player numbers. The number of monthly active players is in the seven-digit range. For an online role-playing game with such a long lifespan, this is absolutely impressive. A large part of the players comes from Western regions. The German community is one of the most active and engaged alongside players from Turkey. 

Gameforge, via E-Mail

Although the number of servers has significantly decreased in recent years, there are still so many players active that it likely remains profitable for Gameforge to operate. This is evident in part from the forum of Metin2: many threads are still discussed hourly today.

Furthermore, many users have helped create a wiki for Metin2’s content. This makes the game even more beginner-friendly for newcomers. There are also still regular updates, as evident from the plans for current events.

But the active community is not the only reason why Metin2 is still alive.

Metin2 made headlines in Germany

The MMORPG caused quite a stir in Germany during a theft case in 2009 (via Spiegel). The police from Bochum investigated a case where valuable items like Phoenix shoes and Siamese daggers were stolen.

The 45-year-old player stated that he had invested a total of 1,000 euros into the game and was understandably upset when he noticed that his equipment was gone. In fact, the police initially investigated whether it was a hacker or a malfunction.

Metin 2
The visuals are probably not the reason why players love Metin 2 so much.

The end of the story: It turned out that a 19-year-old acquaintance knew the login credentials of the victim and simply transferred the items to himself. Allegedly, the 45-year-old was aware of this (via web.archive.org).

The case drew attention primarily because, at that time, it was not common in Germany to file a criminal complaint for virtually lost items. Many laughed at the 45-year-old player back then. No wonder, then, that his case generated such a stir and helped bring more attention to Metin2 – and perhaps even more players.

A F2P game with German voiceover

At that time, there was hardly any competition for Metin2. It was one of the few MMORPGs that was free and had a German version available. 

Metin2 financed itself through microtransactions in the in-game shop after removing the monthly subscription fees. These provided players with cosmetic items, but also advantages that allowed them to level up faster, although it was no longer mandatory to invest money in the game.

The grinding festival from July 21 to July 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, as well as nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.

Here is the program for the big MMORPG theme week 2025 from MeinMMO

This likely attracted children and teenagers at the time, who did not want to or could not spend their pocket money on competitors like World of Warcraft. After all, for many, it’s a barrier to explain to mom and dad that monthly they put their money into a virtual troll or warrior.

At the same time, there were few games that were also available in German. One example would be RuneScape, which, however, was only available in German since 2007. This is one of the reasons why the German community remains so active even today.

More on the topic
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Thanks to an MMORPG, I became a loser in school, but I would play it again
von Jasmin Beverungen
More on the topic
Metin2 was my first MMORPG and I was really terrible at it
von Cedric Holmeier
More on the topic
New MMORPG resembles Metin 2 and will be released soon on Steam – Presents features in the new trailer
von Niko Hernes

Hard grinding that continues to this day

One characteristic that defines Metin2, is the hard grind. Similar to Black Desert Online, players must repetitively do things to get better. One example is leveling: It takes forever to level up after level 30 when playing solo.

When leveling, it can help to join a group and divide tasks: one pulls, one knocks out the mobs, and someone else handles the healing. Even better is if someone higher-ranked is in the group and quickly eliminates the mobs. Tools to level up faster are only available for real money.

While there are quests, they also end in grinding (“kill 50 rare mobs”) and reward very few experience points. Moreover, enhancing gear is based on luck. There is only a certain chance that the item will reach a higher level; otherwise, it may even downgrade. 

This way, Metin2 not only retains players for a few weeks but also for years. Those who want to be the best on the server must invest a lot of time in the MMORPG – or money. And those who have already invested a lot will not easily give up their characters.

Metin2 manages to deliver new content for players every year. However, there are also MMORPGs that currently look anything but rosy. Our MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz reveals 5 games that might close in 2025: Which MMOs will die in 2025? I’m worried about 5 games

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Who knows more about Azeroth, Eorzea, and Tamriel? MeinMMO faces the tough MMORPG quiz at GameStar Talk

Ody Ody Reading time 2 minutes

The Grindfest is in full swing: MeinMMO attended the GameStar Talk and faced a tough quiz, the topic of which could not have been more fitting – MMORPGs.

What kind of quiz is this? Quizmaster Felix Rick invited both MeinMMO colleagues Sophia Weiß (Managing Editor) and Karsten Scholz (Senior Editor) to the show. Since the themed week on MMORPGs is currently running on MeinMMO, all sorts of questions about the genre were asked:

  • What did players play before MMORPGs?
  • Which MMORPG made the YouTuber Gronkh famous, even before he broke through with Let’s Plays? 
  • And which MMORPG had the most simultaneous active players on Steam?

In addition, there were plenty of questions about specific MMORPGs, with which you can test your knowledge about titles like Final Fantasy 14, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Guild Wars 2 – or you can just watch how MeinMMO performs.

You can watch the MeinMMO quiz at GameStar Talk here:

Start video
MeinMMO macht mit GameStar das MMORPG-Quiz

At GameStar Talk on GameStar.de, you can find more video talks. The same applies to the YouTube channel of the colleagues, who would also be very happy about a subscription. You can also find the GameStar podcast on Spotify.

What to expect at Grindfest

As part of the Grindfest, many new articles have been published on MeinMMO that focus on the genre of MMORPGs: If you want to learn more about the history of MMORPGs from the 1960s to 2025, then you are in the right place. Or would you rather read an article about what makes MMORPGs so fascinating?

Maybe you also want to know how Sophia started playing WoW and quit immediately. You can find this and many more personal stories about MMORPGs as usual on the website.

More on the topic
28 years old MMORPG is re-released, earning up to 6 million euros daily
von Niko Hernes
Blizzard wins lawsuit against Turtle WoW, forcing the largest private server for Classic Plus to settlement
von Karsten Scholz

Although the Grindfest is slowly coming to an end, it is not over yet. Even on the weekend, you can expect numerous new articles about MMORPGs on MeinMMO. Here’s the overview: Welcome to Grindfest! The program for the great MMORPG themed week 2025 from MeinMMO

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

20 Years of World of Warcraft – Why play the same MMORPG for 2 decades

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 5 minutes

MeinMMO-Demon Cortyn has been playing World of Warcraft for 20 years. But why do you stick with the same MMORPG for so long?

When I started with World of Warcraft, I had very little knowledge of MMORPGs. I had played Silk Road before, but I wasn’t very good at it.

In World of Warcraft, I made countless mistakes with my mage. I wore agility gear, didn’t learn Polymorph from the trainer because turning things into a sheep sounded kind of stupid, and I had to be told the usefulness of Counterspell just before reaching level 60 in Scholomance. Such noob mistakes are just part of it.

That was 20 years ago. 20 years during which I have played World of Warcraft almost continuously, except for minor breaks at the end of an expansion. 20 years that Azeroth has delighted and shaped me like hardly any other game before it.

Start video
WoW mal so richtig ehrlich erklärt

WoW – A game for everyone and yet no one

What sets World of Warcraft apart from any other game is the fact that it offers an almost endless variety of content.

And yes, this abundance of different content often leads to exhausting discussions. Questions are always asked such as, “Why are there 10 new pets again when we haven’t had a new dungeon in 6 months?” or “Why are you bringing out new transmog while the rogue talent in row 7 still has bugs and doesn’t work in PvP?”

Many do not understand that World of Warcraft has survived for so long not because it has the best raids, the most pets, or the most interesting classes. It is the sheer abundance of content. The different interests that are catered to. Everyone can find something in World of Warcraft that they enjoy. Whether it’s achieving a high rating in “Mythic+”, collecting pets, experiencing all story quests, outsmarting the server economy in the auction house, trolling in the trade channel, role-playing in Stormwind, or finding the prettiest dresses.

WoW has something for everyone. If you can engage with multiple aspects of it, it offers even more.

WoW Goblin Gold Pet Battle title 1280x720
From earning gold to pet battles – WoW has something for everyone.

Euphoria at Expansion Launch

For me, the personal gaming highlight is always the launch of a new expansion. Whether it was “The Burning Crusade”, “Mists of Pandaria”, or the (rightfully) criticized “Shadowlands”, the first 3-4 days of an expansion are always a complete rush for me. It is always my “personal Christmas”, where I completely immerse myself in the game for a few days and adjust my daily routine to spend as much time in the game as possible.

I love to rush through the content at the start of an expansion – not hastily, but still focused. Completing all quests.

It’s not about being the first person – even though I do have a few of the old “Realm First!” achievements in my collection. I just enjoy exploring the new areas down to the last corner, absorbing the new story details, and experiencing the new mechanics. I fall into bed at sunrise and am awake 5 hours later, ready to play again.

WoW Realm First Archaeology
No one can take that from me.

Is that unhealthy? Yes, absolutely. These are the 3 days of the year when I essentially run on energy drinks and ramen noodles and need just as long to recover afterward.

And yes, that sometimes presents challenges for me. Because generally, I still have to work during this time and report on urgent news, patches, or my own experiences.

This thought of “maximizing time utilization” drives me to quickly type a few lines of news during flight trips or especially to make use of spontaneous maintenance work for work, keeping the next workday as short as possible. (Haha, Leya, that’s just a joke for the article, really, haha.)

These first days of an expansion launch are simply wonderful.

The Grind Festival from July 21 to 27
This week, you can look forward to exciting articles every day on the topic of MMORPGs. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, as well as nostalgic throwbacks, streaming evenings, interviews, columns, and analyses.

Here’s the program for the big MMORPG theme week 2025 from MeinMMO

The Dark Sides of World of Warcraft – A Dead End for Some

I don’t want to hide the fact that there are quite a number of people who have “sunk” into World of Warcraft. The game is captivating, and for some, it is so captivating that they cannot let go of it – even though they no longer find joy in the game. I am sure that on all larger realms, everyone knows a few people who criticize everything in World of Warcraft and cannot stand any changes – yet still log in daily after many years.

WoW Human Warrior Sad Cry world map title 1280x720
Some can simply not let go of WoW – and would need help.

For some, World of Warcraft has simply become a permanent escape from reality. Over the years, I have met some people who have basically structured their entire lives around WoW and find little satisfaction outside of it – particularly on roleplay realms, you unfortunately encounter such individuals more often.

In some cases, it is simply an unhealthy addiction. There’s nothing to sugarcoat. For a while, this escape can be something beautiful and empowering. But some cannot make the jump and elevate WoW to the only meaningful purpose in life. An addiction with all its downsides.

I don’t even want to start on the disgusting things you sometimes see in Goldshire.

WoW Through the Ages – From Hobby to Ritual

The meaning of World of Warcraft has also changed several times for me. In my late youth, it was my hobby where I could find like-minded people and a second circle of friends who didn’t throw a party with alcohol every weekend. Later, it became a nice, temporary escapist opportunity through roleplay. By now, World of Warcraft has become more of a ritual – some fixed dates, like raid visits in a new patch or occasional “M+” evenings.

But that’s exactly what I want from World of Warcraft. It’s a world that you can always return to. A world that simultaneously demands less and less of my time while still offering almost infinite content when I want to invest days or weeks of time again.

More about WoW:
Blizzard wins lawsuit against Turtle WoW, forcing the largest private server for Classic Plus to settlement
von Karsten Scholz
WoW hotfixes from April 15, 2026 make raids and dungeons easier, fix annoying bugs
von Karsten Scholz
The 16 MMORPGs with the most players according to official numbers from the developers
von Karsten Scholz

No, World of Warcraft is not the best game of all time in itself – neither now nor during Vanilla, Wrath of the Lich King, or at any other time. But no other game is like World of Warcraft and brings together so many people with different goals, wishes, and preferences. World of Warcraft has been my companion for 20 years because it has given me friends and acquaintances who have turned the MMORPG from a “good” to a “great” game.

I wish everyone has a similarly beautiful experience in WoW – because World of Warcraft can be all that you expect from a game. Or none of it, if you fail to find the right players.
For me, World of Warcraft is more than just any game. It is a little piece of home.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The publisher is now working with a fan-funded competitor to Diablo 4, but they are now afraid

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

Diablo 4 and Path of Exile both had only themselves as competitors. With Last Epoch, another candidate came into the ARPG genre that could get involved, but the studio behind the game had no publisher – until now.

What kind of game is Last Epoch? Last Epoch is a new ARPG that wants to compete with the big brands Diablo 4 and Path of Exile since its release in 2024. The game initially struggled to establish itself, but with its first season, it managed to regain the trust of its fans. Above all, due to the good progression, its endgame, and the great crafting.

But before its 1.0 release, Last Epoch was a Kickstarter project (Source: kickstarter.com) that was funded by passionate fans. The studio behind the ARPG still did not have a publisher like Diablo 4 and Path of Exile to finance itself after its major release. The studio was therefore looking for a partner and only recently they even found one.

Start video
Last Epoch shows Season 3 in the teaser trailer of Hunters and Prey switch

Good news for fans, but they are not happy

What has been revealed? In a large blog post, the game director of Last Epoch wrote about the future of the studio. It mainly discussed the recently mentioned financing and how the studio plans to move forward to survive (Source: forum.lastepoch.com).

The studio had actively been looking for a partner in the past year to realize the dream of becoming the best ARPG ever. Many conversations were held with potential partners, but only one could stand out, and that is Krafton.

For those who do not know Krafton: They are the company behind the battle royale “PUBG” – the competitor of Fortnite and Warzone. According to the game director, Krafton could offer exactly what they are looking for to achieve their goals and solve problems they have encountered over time.

One might think this is good news, as more content could be produced and Last Epoch could be better developed thanks to Krafton, but fans are skeptical.

More on the topic
Competitor steals the best mode from Path of Exile, proves in the new trailer how good it looks
von Cedric Holmeier
An ARPG keeps crashing Diablo 4 on Steam, now it wants to conquer the PS5 with the new expansion
von Cedric Holmeier
An ARPG grows by 1,400% on Steam, is larger than Diablo 4 and Path of Exile combined
von Lydia

How are fans reacting? If you look under the forum post, the news is met with mixed feelings. Krafton is not popular among many gamers, and there are many reasons for this, mainly due to their monetization methods and the debacle surrounding Subnautica 2. Here’s what can be heard:

  • “I had to Google Krafton because I didn’t know who they are, and I’ve never played PUBG. I played Tera and know how bad that was and how much money was made from it. There is nothing online indicating that they have anything to do with the ARPG scene. I’m not looking forward to it at all.” – PKERJOCK
  • “… I don’t like where this is headed. Only time will tell.” – ShadowDweller
  • “Well, I mean, for you as a studio and a company, it’s probably a good thing, but for us players, this is one of the worst possible outcomes.” – BokuHagath
  • “Krafton? Wow, that’s a bold step considering what’s happening right now and how the past generally looks. I personally have no trust in Krafton – good luck!” – HoodedTurtle

It remains to be seen how much Krafton will interfere in the development of Last Epoch, but so far the joyful news has not been well received. Apart from that, the ARPG is preparing for the release of its new season. You can find out more about this here: Path of Exile 2’s competition announces new season, but fans already have a concern

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

In Career Mode of EA FC 26, coaches can now also change teams – and that makes every season exciting

Thomas Dummer Thomas Dummer Reading time 3 minutes

In the new Career Mode of EA FC 26, there will be a dynamic Manager Market. This is intended to create more excitement from season to season. An EA employee explained the significant change for the Career Mode in detail in an interview.

What do the new manager transfers mean for Career Mode? The dynamic transfer market for managers represents the biggest innovation for the popular single-player mode. Until now, only players could be transferred on the market.

The manager transfers represent a new and simultaneously more realistic adjustment. In real football, it is often the case that when success is lacking, the coach is the first to pack their bags and a search begins for a new manager who can lead the club back to success.

Since EA FC 25, thanks to FC IQ, every coach has a predefined tactical setup that can be applied like a template to any club. This concept is now also intended to ensure that clubs looking for a new tactical approach can find a suitable coach on the transfer market in Career Mode.

In an interview with the well-known German FC-25 content creator Simon “GamerBrother” Schildgen, one of the EA heads responsible for Career Mode, Andreas Wilsdorf, explained how the Manager Market will work in FC 26.

Start video
Deep Dive trailer on gameplay shows 2 different gameplays and numerous adjustments

With manager transfers, every season is different, even in the 10th year

This is how manager transfers create more dynamics: According to Wilsdorf, the underlying idea behind the innovation is to have a varied gaming experience even in season 10. For example, a Pep Guardiola after 8 seasons at Manchester City could also say that he is looking for a new challenge at a new club.

Similarly, veteran managers can also announce their retirement. Unsuccessful coaches can be dismissed by the club, while successful coaches at smaller clubs can also become interesting for larger or the biggest clubs.

The vacancies created or the demand for the most successful coaches ensure that clubs can await you with new tactics and new player personnel from season to season. The new tactical focuses that a coach brings also change the transfer strategy of the clubs in the player market.

How do manager transfers work in Career Mode? Each coach has a rating in Career Mode, just like a player. The manager rating is not visible to the players, but it helps the AI behind the scenes to assess a coach’s standing in the transfer market. The rating for coaches is dynamic and is influenced by the following factors:

  • Performance of the manager at their current club: How successful is the manager?
  • Moral of the players: How does the manager treat their players?
  • Financial situation: How does the manager handle the budget at the club?
  • Successful transfers: How do the players signed by the manager perform?

For a coach to be interesting for other clubs, the playing style of the club must fundamentally match the tactical approach of the manager. As an example, Wilsdorf mentions that an offensively oriented club like FC Barcelona would not hire a coach with a destructive playing style like José Mourinho.

Manager Market turns no-names into tomorrow’s stars

What is special about the dynamic Manager Market? If vacant managerial positions cannot be filled adequately, previous assistant coaches could also take a seat on the bench as an interim solution. If they then manage to bring the club back to success, the previous shadow coaches may eye a permanent position.

This means that coaches we don’t even know yet could coach the biggest clubs in the world after 2, 3, or 4 seasons. Whether assistant coaches are already licensed and have been given their own game face is currently unknown.

Speaking of licenses: Aside from coach Kompany at FC Bayern, EA does not have licenses for Bundesliga coaches. However, EA employee Wilsdorf has hinted that all managers for the Bundesliga can be edited in Career Mode to create the most realistic gaming experience possible.

More information on Career Mode will be released in early August 2025 in the appropriate Deep Dive trailer. Further innovations are also expected to be presented. GamerBrother, as an avid Career Mode fan, has already praised the new Manager Market before the interview. He calls for 2 more changes that could make the mode even better.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

NNO founder Broeki quits HandOfBlood’s LoL team: “This has really brought me down”

Nico Scheibel Nico Scheibel Reading time 2 minutes

The founder of NNO, Broeki, has been playing League of Legends for over 10 years, both casually and professionally. Recently, he was used as a botlaner for HandOfBlood’s team. Now he is stepping away from playing there and discusses the reasons.

What is HandOfBlood’s LoL team? In 2021, the YouTuber and Twitch streamer HandOfBlood founded the organization Eintracht Spandau (EINS). With EINS, he aimed to shake up the esports scene and put together a team of LoL players. The team’s biggest success was achieving first place in the 2024 Spring EMEA Masters EMEA Masters (liquidpedia.net).

Why is Broeki stopping playing for EINS? In a YouTube video from the organization, Broeki and his EINS colleague talk about the reasons he is stepping away.

In the video, it is said that he was “benched”, meaning that he is leaving the LoL team due to performance issues, but he is not completely distancing himself from Eintracht Spandau. In the current Summer Split of the Prime League, EINS has yet to win any of the 6 matches played (liquidpedia.net).

What has been weighing on Broeki? Broeki talks about various things that have been weighing him down. In addition to declining viewer numbers, which are existential for him as a streamer, he has gone through a breakup. Broeki himself says that during this tough phase he lost his “drive”, meaning his ambition and motivation.

Due to his insufficient training, he performed worse than his opponents more often and realized himself that he was simply playing too poorly. Due to frustration, he also misbehaved in scrims (practice matches against other teams), as he noted himself.

Over 10 years ago, Broeki drew attention to himself with his behavior when he drove many players away from the German scene and then founded his own team, NNO.

In the video, you can see the trailer for Season 2 of 2025 in League of Legends:

Start video
The launch trailer for the new Season 2 2025 in League of Legends

Broeki is no longer playing for EINS, but is still a part of it

What is Broeki doing instead at Eintracht Spandau? In the same video about his end as ADC of HandOfBlood’s LoL team, the two discuss Broeki’s future within the organization. Broeki will continue as a caster, covering EINS’s games and also commenting on the upcoming relegation.

What do his fans say about it? Under the video, there are many comments with supportive words for Broeki. The user 123STK123 writes:

Given the absences, etc., in the last months, a bench player like Broekmann would be an incredible asset for the cast. Also as far as game knowledge, tactics, etc. are concerned. I thought it was great that he was on the team. But hey, it’s not a shame to acknowledge that others are better. You did your best, even in tough times.

Another user named bimraven writes that he is glad to have Broeki as a caster and that he is a significant gain for the club. He adds that he would look forward to a cast with Broeki and the substitute jungler Jokaa, as bimraven believes they are the most entertaining players from the EINS roster.

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Broeki himself was a rather unpleasant player over 10 years ago. After no one wanted to play with him in the German LoL scene anymore, he simply formed his own team and called it NNO. The former jungler of the Renter roster, Agurin, has once again drawn attention to his behavior in LoL and has not learned from his mistakes: German Twitch streamer banned in LoL for being too toxic, promises improvement, but continues as before

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New survival game on Steam reminiscent of Medieval Dynasty allows you to build your own medieval village – Now you can play it yourself

Ody Ody Reading time 2 minutes

On Steam, you can currently dive into a new survival game that strongly resembles Medieval Dynasty. It is being developed in Germany.

Which game is being referred to? This refers to Medieval Frontiers, developed by the Munich-based Active Fungus Studios. According to the developers, it is a “first-person village-building game” where you create a new home in a remote medieval world.

Steam is currently running the campaign “Games forged in Germany”. This puts a spotlight on video games from Germany. As part of this campaign, Medieval Frontiers released a playtest on July 24. Until August 7, you can try an early version of the game on Steam.

You can watch a trailer for the game here:

Start video
Medieval Frontiers: Trailer for the new survival game in the style of “Medieval Dynasty”

Surviving in a Harsh Medieval World

What is the game about? In Medieval Frontiers, you start alone in a wild and remote valley. There, you gather resources to build your new home. Later, you will also meet other people. You can bring them to you and establish a small village together. 

At first glance, it all looks very much like Medieval Dynasty. However, this could also spell trouble for the game. After all, Medieval Dynasty has years of development and content updates behind it. The bar is likely set higher for Medieval Frontiers than it was for Dynasty.

  • “This looks like the same game as all the others with this theme. What sets it apart from Medieval Dynasty?” asks @EliotJohnson under a trailer on YouTube

How Medieval Frontiers plays and whether it can distinguish itself from Medieval Dynasty may be revealed in the current playtest. According to the developers, it includes on Steam:

  • The early mechanics of settlement building
  • Gathering resources, crafting materials, and building a small settlement
  • The challenges and hardships of life on the frontier
  • Other survivors you can find in the wilderness

Of course, this is still an early version of the game. Bugs and performance issues can be expected.

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Survival games invite you to spend a lot of time with them. Recently, MeinMMO reported about a player who invested a five-figure number of hours into such a game – yet still leaves a negative review. Why, you can read here: Player has 35,000 hours in a survival game on Steam, now advises against purchasing because a patch ruined everything

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Developer on Steam creates a small game in 2 months, sells it for 3€ and is now a millionaire

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

On Steam, there are always various indie gems that go viral and generate a lot of attention in a short time. One of these games is Bugshot Roulette. The developer of the title recently reported on his sudden success and how the hit has changed his life.

What kind of game is Bugshot Roulette? Bugshot Roulette is a small indie game with rustic graphics. In the game, you find yourself in an underground club and play a round of Russian Roulette with a shady character, the dealer.

As a weapon, a shotgun is used instead of a revolver. The dealer loads the shotgun with blanks and real bullets. Whoever lasts until the end wins the game. If you get eliminated, you have to start over. The game can also be played in multiplayer mode with other players.

Bugshot Roulette was created by just one developer. He himself stated in an interview that success was not his goal. But now, almost 2 years after release, he has sold over 6 million units and is a millionaire.

Start video
Buckshot Roulette reinvents Russian Roulette and shows it in the release trailer

“The right game at the right time.”

What does the developer say about his success? In an interview with the American gaming site gamesradar+, Mike Klubnika, the solo dev of Buckshot Roulette, was asked about his success and how it has changed his life.

However, not much has changed for him: “I can fully focus on game development and don’t have to worry too much about the commercial side. I feel like I can develop an idea for a game and implement it at my own pace, knowing it’s not a big deal if it doesn’t sell well or reach enough players.”

Moreover, he has never cared much about success. As he further explains, he never thought about sales: “But it’s also not really different from before, because I never really thought about what if I release this game and it doesn’t sell well? I didn’t even sell that many games. It was more like: What if there are no downloads? I am very grateful for that.”

Appropriately to his success, there was a question on how Mike Klubnik explains the surprising success. On this question, he has a clear answer: “I think, in general, it’s obviously just luck. The right game at the right time. My final theory is that gambling is a lot of fun.”

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What is Mike Klubnik doing now? Although his surprising success has led to a considerable fortune, it is not the end for him. He has developed a new game – s.p.l.i.t.

In this game, you take on the role of a hacker who chats with various technicians to execute his plan. The dark atmosphere, rustic graphics, and self-made soundtrack are definitely striking.

Whether s.p.l.i.t will also be a huge success remains to be seen. Another indie game that also became a massive success is Schedule 1. In this game, you take on the role of a drug dealer and build your empire to earn money: Developer asks on reddit if a silly name ruins his game, now has a huge hit on Steam

(The title image is only a symbolic image and does not represent the actual developer.)

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Patch 7.3 of Final Fantasy XIV has a date; Bringing new dungeon in the most beautiful area of the game

Sophia Weiss Sophia Weiss Reading time 3 minutes

Patch 7.3 for Final Fantasy XIV is on the horizon: Square Enix plans to release the update in early August, completing the main story of Dawntrail. Additionally, there will be many new contents, such as updates for field explorations and a new dungeon in the most beautiful area of the game.

When is Patch 7.3 coming? The next major content patch for Final Fantasy XIV goes live on Tuesday, August 6, 2025. This keeps Square Enix true to the 4-month rhythm and delivers fresh content on time, which was further presented in the 88th Live Letter.

As usual, there will be a new chapter of the main story, which will end the narrative arc of the Dawntrail expansion this time. With Patch 7.4, the preparations for the next expansion will then begin. There will also be a new dungeon, a new trial, and a new Variant Dungeon: A deep cavern in Il Mheg, one of the most beautiful areas of the game.

The trailer for the patch provides initial insights:

Start video
Final Fantasy XIV: Neuer Trailer zu Patch 7.3 macht Bock auf „The Promise of Tomorrow“

New Dungeons, Trials, and Fan Requests

What are the new contents? On release on August 5, Patch 7.3 will bring the first fresh content for this patch cycle. Here’s what to expect:

  • New main story
  • New dungeon
  • New trial
  • New alliance raid to Echoes from Vana’diel: San D’Oria: The second stage
  • New PvP arena
  • New treasure map dungeon: Treasure Oneiron
  • NPC support for the dungeon Cutters Cry
  • Extended headgear support for Viera and Hrothgar
  • Chat bubble feature

The latter is a new feature that already exists as an external, player-created extension — its use was not previously allowed. However, the feature was so popular that it is now becoming an official part of the game. The text written in the chat appears above the head of the player character who said it — similar to what is already common with NPCs in combat content. The feature is particularly popular in the RP community.

In addition, there is also an update for the field operation Kreszentia: Starting with Patch 7.3, players will be able to start in exclusive instances with existing groups of 24 players. After five minutes, it will be displayed which players qualify for the Fork Tower. For each player, an Arcane Seal of Blood must be sacrificed at the sealing lantern.

This could be a response to player feedback, as it has been quite challenging to unlock the Fork Tower in the regular instances until now.

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What’s coming in the subsequent minor patches? After the large influx of content with Patch 7.3, updates 7.31 (approximately one month after Patch 7.3) and 7.35 (approximately two months after 7.3) are on the horizon. Here’s what to expect:

Patch 7.31:

  • New zone for cosmic explorations: Phaenna
  • New level for the phantom weapons

Patch 7.35:

  • New Deep Dungeon: Pilgrims’ Path
  • New friendly race of Yok Huy (crafters and gatherers)
  • More Hildibrand adventures

The new deep dungeon will be located in Il Mheg, a region that was introduced with the Shadowbringers expansion and is inspired by western high fantasy. Here, fairies and their king reside. The latter wishes for the Warrior of Darkness to explore the remnants of a church.

Prerequisites are that the Palace of the Dead is completed at Level 50 and the quest Endschreiter is finished. Starting level is 91.

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As soon as there are new updates about the patch, you will of course read it on MeinMMO. Until then, you can entertain yourselves with our articles about the MeinMMO grindfest. We conducted an interview with Naoki Yoshida, analyzed the polygon count of the flower pots in 1.0, and checked if a restart in the game is still worthwhile in 2025. You can find all articles, including those about other MMORPGs, here: Welcome to the Grindfest! The program for the big MMORPG theme week 2025 by MeinMMO

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Nova Crystallis
  2. X