The federal government wants the German population to work more. However, most are already working far too much. This is shown by a report from the Federal Statistical Office.At least: Compared to the previous year, overtime has decreased slightly, but it is still high.
What is Merz’s demand? Chancellor Merz stated at that time in front of present managers and businesspeople (via Welt.de): “With a four-day work week and work-life balance, we will not be able to maintain the prosperity of our country.” More and more efficient work is needed again, thus he demands more work from the Germans. And ideas have been proposed in the government and Bundestag:
Away from the known 8-hour workday. Instead, towards a weekly working time that should be more flexible.
Even the elimination of one public holiday has been discussed to enable Germans to work more.
Additionally, there is discussion about making overtime tax-free to make extra work more attractive (via Süddeutsche.de).
However, the report from the German Statistical Office now shows that many people in Germany are already working significantly too much.
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Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds
Every 5th person in Germany already works too much, sometimes up to 15 hours per week
What does the current situation look like? The German Statistical Office has now investigated how much people in Germany are overworking. To do this, the Statistical Office published a report. “The data,” says the report, “is based on the preliminary results of the labor force survey of the microcensus for the year 2024.”
According to the Statistical Office, around 4.4 million employees in 2024 worked an average of more than what was agreed upon in their employment contracts. This corresponds to 11% of all employees or one in five currently employed persons. Specifically, those surveyed stated:
45 percent indicated that they had worked an average of less than five overtime hours.
73 percent had worked less than ten hours.
15 percent of those affected had at least 15 hours of overtime in the week.
The different professions are affected to varying degrees. While many overtime hours are accumulated in the fields of finance and insurance services as well as energy supply, the hospitality and security services are hardly affected.
Also interesting: Men performed overtime slightly more frequently at a rate of 13% than women, who only reached 10%.
At least: Those who have worked overtime could transfer these hours to a working account to compensate later. Alternatively, depending on the employment contract, they were paid for their extra work.
More and more developers are offering Classic or Legacy servers for their online role-playing games to provide fans of the original gaming experience with a virtual home. As part of the MMORPG theme week, MeinMMO presents the games for which there are these types of nostalgic journeys.
Online role-playing games evolve progressively throughout their lifespan, receiving updates and changes that can significantly alter the player experience over the years.
Unfortunately, fans of the original version often get left behind. It’s also a shame to show up late to the party and miss the beginnings of a particular game – and be unable to catch up.
It’s great that more and more developers are offering so-called Classic or Legacy servers for their MMORPGs to provide this part of the community with a home as well. As part of our big theme week, MeinMMO presents the most important online role-playing games for which there are these types of nostalgic journeys.
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Both parts of EverQuest have countless expansions behind them – here’s one of the trailers:
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Trailer for the 21st expansion of EverQuest II: Scars of Destruction
EverQuest’s Progression Servers
Setting: Fantasy | Developer: Darkpaw Games, Daybreak | Platform: PC | Release Date: March 16, 1999 | Model: Free2Play
No other still-active MMORPG has as many years (26) and expansions (29) as the first EverQuest. If you want to experience this journey again or for the first time from the beginning, you can do so regularly since 2015 on the so-called Progression Servers.
12 of these servers have already existed over the past decade, with the two latest – Teek and Tormax – starting on May 22, 2024. These Progression Servers go through the release cycle of the expansions much faster than the original and often include special rule sets to spice up the gameplay and appeal to different types of players.
You can find all details about the EverQuest Progression Servers on everquest.com. By the way, there’s now also an Origins server for EverQuest II called Anashti Sul, which launched in June 2024 without expansion content (via everquest2.com). For both games, you need an “All Access Membership” if you want to embark on the nostalgic journey to Norrath.
Alternatively, you can just wait for the developers at Daybreak to finish their current EverQuest project, announced in September 2023. The new MMORPG is supposed to be a modern remake of the first EverQuest. You can find the development roadmap here: 25-year-old MMORPG is set to soon have a successor – What we know about EverQuest 3
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Helldivers 2 a player has discovered that an emote supposedly protects you from explosions, but the community has doubts about its validity.
Which emote is it? In Helldivers 2, player SomeRandomBirdMan shared a video on Reddit that claims to show an emote protecting you from explosions. In the clip, he uses the emote where your character covers their ears while an explosion occurs nearby.
The Helldiver near him gets blown up, but he remains unharmed. For him, this is a good enough reason to share the experience and tip with the community.
Here you can see the mentioned video:
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How are players reacting to the trick? Many players are celebrating the new trick and giving the Reddit post a thumbs up. Some players also attempt to explain it. For instance, Real_Garlic9999 writes on Reddit: “In crouching and prone positions, a certain resistance to explosions is achieved; it must be so.”
However, there is also criticism of the method, as some believe it is just coincidence or that the player was out of the explosion’s range, unlike his companion:
Butter_Eterno says on Reddit: “I don’t think so; he was closer to the explosion than you.”
woycraft says on Reddit: “I find it amazing how standing just 5 meters away has absolutely no effect while the other guy gets blown to bits.”
Charming-Village-603 says on Reddit: “30 meters is the safe zone for a 500-kg bomb. I always stick to that and do fine unless the bomb unfortunately hits a rock.”
Whether the trick really works, for example, because it triggers the same mechanics as crouching or lying down in the game, or if it is just pure coincidence, cannot be definitively clarified. The community is divided on this issue.
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Spieler erhält zum Geburtstag eine Nachricht von einem Helden aus Helldivers 2
Mists of Pandaria is the peak for many of World of Warcraft. But not everyone is satisfied when playing the Classic version.
For many WoW fans, a dream has come true, as they can once again experience the launch of Mists of Pandaria in the Classic version. Many are currently creating their Pandaren, completing quests in the Jade Forest, or have already begun to expand their little farm.
However, some are slowly realizing that they are drifting further away from the classic experience and have now reached a state closer to “modern” WoW – and they wish to have the conveniences of the latest expansion.
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WoW Brings Mists of Pandaria Classic
What is being discussed? In the WoW subreddit, shortly after the release of Mists of Pandaria Classic, the game is currently being discussed. Most people are enjoying Mists of Pandaria, but for many, the lines between what constitutes the true “Classic” spirit and the many nice conveniences present in retail are beginning to blur.
“There are many quality of life improvements that I would have liked to have in Classic, but after WotLK, the game just doesn’t feel like “Classic” to me anymore. I just wish the class balance wasn’t so bad in Classic or TBC.” – schneizel101
“I played the Pandaren starting area for the mount and immediately remembered why I prefer retail, even though I would love to play Mists of Pandaria for the ‘release experience’ feeling. It’s like going back and playing one of the original Monster Hunters after Rise, World, and Wilds exist. There are just too many improvements to ignore.” – Akeeneyedguy
“Honestly, the biggest problem with Mists of Pandaria for me is something that started with Wrath of the Lich King or even The Burning Crusade. It feels fantastic to create a Pandaren and play through the starting area. But then, before I can go to Pandaria with the Panda, I have to level through Vanilla, then TBC, then WotLK, and then Cata.” – TheGamingBDGR
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“Mists of Pandaria is the best of Retail and Classic”
Many love Mists of Pandaria: However, there are also many who are happy with Mists of Pandaria and have found their home there. Because for some, Mists of Pandaria is the perfect blend of the feel of Classic and the modern innovations that have made their way into the game over the years:
“Mists of Pandaria is just the sweet spot between retail and classic for me.” – HoodieNinja17
“It simply has the best of both worlds.” – cdcadrian
Are you currently experiencing adventures in Mists of Pandaria Classic again? Or have you not yet checked out the “new, old” expansion? If not – what is holding you back and what group of fans do you belong to?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
After the release of Persona 5: The Phantom X, the game faced a lot of criticism. The developers tried to make up for this with a stream, but they ended up doing the exact opposite.
What is the criticism?Persona 5: The Phantom X is a Gacha game based on Persona 5. This means it can be played for free but includes microtransactions. The items for purchase usually provide no significant advantage in the game; they are mostly cosmetic items.
Common for Gacha games are also the many different in-game currencies, which can also be purchased with real money.
The Phantom X was released in China a year ago, but only recently in the West. Thus, Chinese players have a significant advantage over Western ones. The developers, ATLUS, want to address this by releasing updates more quickly.
However, the reward system has not been adjusted to match the pace of the rest of the game. This causes a lot of dissatisfaction among the players.
The main point of criticism regarding The Phantom X is that the global version offers significantly less in-game currency, rewards, and codes than the Chinese version. This makes the game fairer to paying players than to those playing for free.
The criticism led to only 45% of the ratings on Steam being positive; The Phantom X thus only receives a “Mixed” rating.
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Persona 5: The Phantom X shows in the story trailer what you can expect
“You might want to keep that to yourselves, folks”
Developers hold stream to calm the community: According to the developers, improvements will be made in update 1.2 for The Phantom X, but the community seems to see it differently. The developers are adding more login rewards and gifts with the update.
What is not addressed is the chance to obtain rare characters. Special characters are only added to the base character pool after they have been in the game for 6 months. The developers justify this by saying they want to “consider players” who use premium currency and thus real money to obtain rare characters.
The community is far from happy about these changes and appears even angrier. In a post on Reddit, user nightoftheghouls states: “To be honest: ‘We only care about people who spend money.’ You might want to keep that to yourselves, folks.”
Further voices from the community:
__breadstick__ says goodbye on Reddit to the game: “It was nice knowing you, but I won’t play a game that doesn’t respect my time. I love Persona, but this is unacceptable.”
LegalFishingRods does not see the update as an improvement either (on Reddit): “The six-month delay for inclusion in the standard character pool is worse than anything we have encountered so far.”
VictorSant is disgusted by the developers’ behavior (on Reddit): “They have done one of the most appalling things they could do: They are only doing it to stir FOMO, but pretend it’s ‘for the players’ good. That’s disgusting.”
It remains to be seen how ATLUS will continue to handle The Phantom X and what future updates will bring.
The first trailer for Battlefield 6 has been released and promises a lot of action and explosions. The trailer is also well received by many fans, but some users advise caution since the trailers for the predecessor also looked good.
The trailer is generally received well, but not everyone is immediately hyped. Some users urge caution and wish that a certain trend does not make it into the game.
Here you can watch the trailer:
Start video
Reveal-Trailer zu Battlefield 6
Fans are hoping for one thing: a grounded Battlefield
How are fans reacting? If you take a look at the Reddit post or the YouTube comments on the reveal trailer, it seems that what has been seen is generally well received. Especially the atmosphere and the modern approach seem to please users. Comparisons are made with the film Civil War from 2024, which shows a modern war setting in the USA.
For many, there is hope that Battlefield can meet expectations once again. @Vadact writes in a YouTube comment: DICE has the chance to deliver something great here. Don’t mess it up! Other users hope for an experience similar to Battlefield 3 or Battlefield 4.
Not everyone is hyped in general. unfit-spartan-baby writes on Reddit, for example, that the trailer looks good, but that the trailer for Battlefield 2042 also looked good. He warns against reaching for the wallet too quickly. No-Bath-400 (via Reddit) is generally satisfied but says: We shouldn’t get our hopes up too high.
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Even if Call of Duty may have been more successful in recent years, there is a trend that some commentators under the YouTube video do not want to see in Battlefield: colorful skins. @penguinnnnnnnn766 writes, for example: No absurd skins, no crazy movements.
In general, it can be said: Battlefield fans want a serious, grounded setting, and the first trailer seems to be the first step in the right direction.
Could the new Battlefield be like parts 3 and 4? The possibility that DICE will take inspiration from these parts is certainly there. After all, Call of Duty has also relied on Black Ops nostalgia with its recent titles. However, expectations should be approached with caution.
Battlefield 3 was released in 2011, and over the past 14 years, the gaming landscape has changed significantly. Especially the monetization of AAA games has undergone a major transformation. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate how the multiplayer and monetization in Battlefield 6 will look.
The Twitch and YouTube streamer Ludwig Ahgren is currently facing a tough Pokémon challenge. He receives a compliment for his gameplay, but this leads him to fail shortly thereafter.
Ludwig Ahgren is participating, along with many other Twitch streamers, in the Pokémon Nuzlocke challenge organized by streamers pChal and PointCrow. A “Nuzlocke coach” is allowed to assist the streamers.
From his Nuzlocke coach, Ludwig received a compliment—that he himself is quite relaxed and does not need to pay too much attention to Ludwig’s gameplay. He simply should not worry much because Ludwig is doing quite well.
Ludwig Ahgren is a big name on international Twitch. In our video, we present the biggest names in German Twitch:
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These are the 5 most relevant German streamers on Twitch in 2024, according to Google
Inattention with Too Much Speed
Why does Ludwig fail? Ludwig is visibly flattered and responds: “Really? You don’t have to worry, because I am not like the other people in this competition? Because I am able to take care of myself?” (Source: twitch.tv).
While the Twitch streamer is focused on the compliment and his reaction to it, something fatal happens: He is in a battle with his Flambirex against a wild Duflor. The Duflor uses the move Abgangsbund.
Abgangsbund ensures that if the Pokémon that is attacking faints in the same turn, it takes the opposing Pokémon down with it to the “death”.
Ludwig is so distracted by the compliment and is playing the game at an increased speed, which means he does not notice the death of his Pokémon at all. Finally, his Pokémon coach says: “Wait, what just happened? Open your team.”
Ludwig then opens the menu and lets his Pokémon be displayed. Lo and behold: his Flambirex is fainted and that is particularly bad in this Nuzlocke challenge.
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If a Pokémon has no HP left during such a challenge, it is considered deceased and cannot be used again. Ludwig has therefore lost an important Pokémon for his attempt in this competition, simply because he was inattentive and had his game set too fast.
Professionals in League of Legends also prepare for tournaments and important players outside of training sessions. A player from the last EU champion team has now explained that the relaxed mode ARAM helped him.
Which professional is it about? At the LEC 2025 Spring Playoffs, the most important European tournament in LoL, the Spanish team Movistar KOI secured the victory. The team also includes the Canadian wonder kid Jojopyun, who played for Cloud9 until 2024. He plays in the mid lane.
In a stream (via Twitch), he explained why his team won the LEC. He said that he stopped playing Solo Queue, the ranked mode in LoL, and preferred to focus on ARAMs. ARAM is a mode that is often described as relaxed and for casuals.
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Das ist LoL – Einmal richtig ehrlich erklärt
The chaos in ARAM can be educational
What does Jojopyun say on the subject? In the stream, he wants to explain to his viewers the method with which one can win the LEC. He reaches the following conclusion:
I stopped playing Solo Queue for the last three months. I might have played Solo Queue for a week and then only spammed ARAMS. I promise you, brother, playing ARAMS is much better than Solo Queues, even for professionals.
Although he exaggerates with the statement that he hasn’t played Solo Queue for three months, as a Reddit user points out, he played extremely much ARAM during the LEC period. At the end of the clip, he even says: I believe we won the LEC because I only played ARAMs.
You can watch the clip here:
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Can you really learn from ARAMs? In draft and ranked modes, much is about optimized processes, such as farming, timing, and also laning against other opponents. A completely different important factor is the team fight. One single fight can change everything and quickly end a close match.
The chaos of ARAM is perfectly suited to train one’s overview and behavior in such fights, after all, ARAM is practically a constant team fight. The random factor continually brings forth new configurations that one can practice.
Although it is a relaxed mode for many, you can still learn a lot from it.
Another professional also comments on the topic. The mid laner of Los Ratones, Nemesis, reacted in a stream (Source: YouTube) to Jojopyun’s statements and explained that many Korean professionals probably play a lot of ARAM, but he believes that Arena is much better for improvement if you don’t want to play Solo Queue. In addition, he further explains that Solo Queue in the Challenger area is bad.
Many players in LoL even exclusively play ARAM. What do you think? Do you prefer to stick to ARAM or do you also enjoy solo queue? Let us know in the comments. Also in ARAM there are regular updates. Recently, the maps have changed: The best mode for relaxed LoL players now gets more variety and new maps
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
When it comes to the most remarkable events in the history of online role-playing games, a story from the first EverQuest must not be missed. During the MMORPG Theme Week 2025, MeinMMO takes a look back.
What is this story about? With “Kerafyrm the Sleeper”, there is a boss in the first EverQuest who was never meant to be defeated. Instead, the prismatic dragon is tied to a unique story event that involves defeating four Wardens (which are four ancient dragons) to awaken Kerafyrm from his eternal slumber.
Once that happens, Kerafyrm falls into an apocalyptic frenzy that changes the face of the world. After some time, the Sleeper disappears forever from Norrath, along with the four Wardens, meaning they are no longer available as a source of loot.
This is about another milestone in MMORPG history:
Start video
The first raid in the history of MMORPGs does not come from WoW
The battle against the Unkillable
Why was Kerafyrm considered unkillable? While normal raid bosses at that time entered battles with a maximum of 2 million health, the prismatic dragon was said to have between 100 and 400 million hit points. There is no exact number. Additionally, he was immune to all spells except for “Manaburn” and “Harmtouch”.
The fight is also difficult because Kerafyrm’s attacks have no known range limitation, are deadly, and can wipe entire groups in one hit. Where he strikes, no hero’s hair grows back. Unfortunately, EverQuest was still the kind of MMORPG that punished you with XP loss for every death, up to a character level loss.
And then you also do not have unlimited attempts available, as the prismatic dragon disappears forever after a while. Kerafyrm is rightly considered the hardest raid boss in MMORPG history.
Here you see Kerafyrm from EverQuest.
Who tried their luck? Nevertheless, there were some crazies who absolutely wanted to master the challenge. Among them were the players of the top three guilds Ascending Dawn, Wudan, and Magus Imperialis Magicus from the PvP server Rallos Zek. They had already earned a notorious reputation as merciless player killers and had no interest in waking the Sleeper.
But when a small guild announced that they wanted to change the status quo on the server and trigger the story event, the leading guilds stopped the PvP battles and teamed up. This led to more than 180 characters gathering at Kerafyrm on November 15, 2003, successfully waking him and attempting the impossible.
A battle began that would last several hours. This was made possible by the numerous healers who were able to resurrect and heal fallen characters quickly enough to prevent a complete wipe. After 3 hours and 15 minutes, the guilds managed to bring Kerafyrm down to 26 percent of his hit points. But then the dragon suddenly disappeared …
The Grind Party from July 21 to 27 In this week, exciting articles on the topic of MMORPG are expected every day. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, as well as nostalgic retrospectives, streaming evenings, interviews, columns, and analyses.
What happened? The officials from Sony Online Entertainment had been following the fight and ultimately decided to intervene and prevent the victory over the dragon. The next day, Kerafyrm was back in his cave, sleeping the sleep of the sleeper.
Meanwhile, the community of the server was furious and criticized the developers harshly for this action. Sony explained that they had made Kerafyrm disappear because they were not sure what impact it would have on the game world and the server if someone actually managed to defeat the unkillable boss. They also feared that players might have fought against Kerafyrm using exploits. They wanted to investigate this.
Was there a rematch? Yes! The guilds had a taste for blood and stood with more than 200 battle-ready characters at Kerafyrm again on November 17, 2003. This time, Sony let them go. After about 4 hours and 1,000 revivals, the dragon fell. By the way, there was no valuable loot or a secret achievement for this historic fight.
With Battlefield 6, EA has announced the latest installment of its popular shooter series. Now there is the first trailer that shows the game’s setting in more detail.
What kind of trailer is this? Four years after the release of Battlefield 2042, Electronic Arts and DICE presented the first trailer for Battlefield 6 on July 24, 2025, revealing how the popular franchise will continue.
We get a first impression of the story campaign. The nearly 2-minute reveal trailer of the shooter starts from the perspective of a camera facing the microphones of a podium, at which a politician later gives a speech to the people. In the background, conversations can be heard that refer to a parallel military operation.
Additionally, the trailer shows, as is customary with Battlefield trailers, action-packed battles in various locations, chaos, and destruction—accompanied by dramatic music and the typical Battlefield roar.
Moreover, we see a fairly modern setting with weapons and vehicles of the current era, reminiscent of Battlefield 3 and 4. The scenery does not appear futuristic like in 2042 or historical like in the last installments, 1 and V.
Start video
Reveal-Trailer zu Battlefield 6
What is known about Battlefield 6 so far? Not much is known yet about the latest installment in the series. Rumor has it that Battlefield 6 will be released in October 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S (via Reddit).
Furthermore, we already know that there will be servers with class-bound weapons. Additionally, unlike the predecessor Battlefield 2042, Battlefield 6 is also said to include a story campaign again. Leaks in recent months have also mentioned a free battle royale mode, similar to Call of Duty: Warzone.
The multiplayer of Battlefield 6 is set to be revealed on July 31.
EA and DICE need to win back the trust of fans with Battlefield 6 after the predecessor 2042 turned out to be a major disappointment for veterans of the series in various areas. Fans wish for proper classes instead of specialists, a server browser, and a scoreboard would also be nice at launch. EA must avoid a launch like that of 2042: Battlefield 2042 is being ripped apart on Steam, only 21% positive reviews
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
World of Warcraft has been captivating players of all ages since 2004. Even MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß was absolutely hyped. But just as she got started with WoW, she quit right away.
As the daughter of an IT guy, I grew up with PCs. My first steps in video games were on Windows 98 with titles like Railroad Tycoon 2 and Age of Empires. I also vaguely remember a car chase or two in GTA: Vice City.
I didn’t really get in touch with big games—those that required more than Game Boy hardware—until I was a teenager. My best friend had a Wii with the latest The Legend of Zelda and a gaming laptop.
And on that laptop ran World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King—THE game everyone was talking about. The game everyone wanted to play. The one I, unfortunately, couldn’t play at home.
Of course, we sat down together and I got to give it a try. Though… not as successfully as I had hoped.
Start video
Fall of the Lich King – WoW WotLK Classic Trailer
Sneaking in some time with the “evil” subscription game
Just to clarify upfront: I couldn’t play WoW at home because I wasn’t allowed to install it on our family PC. Plus, I couldn’t afford the subscription with my pocket money.
My best friend, however, had the sub and her own laptop. And my parents didn’t need to know that we were playing WoW.
So, after school, we sat down together, and I got to create my very first MMORPG character: a Blood Elf named Chiannachan.
I don’t even remember the exact class anymore. I just know I could cast spells.
The Grinding Festival from July 21 to 27 This week, exciting articles about MMORPGs await you every day. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.
With my best friend as my guide, I set out on the adventure. My first lesson? Kill monsters, gain experience, and complete those essential quests. All the usual stuff you do in an MMORPG. Honestly, it was my very first one.
Back then, I was already a huge fan of good stories and devoured books like crazy. But if I had read every single word of those endless quest logs, I might never have made it out of the Blood Elf starting zone. So my friend gave me the context instead. I think she did a good job—though, as an Undead player, Blood Elf lore wasn’t exactly her specialty.
That Undead player, by the way, was already a huge Sylvanas fan back then—she had gotten into Warcraft through Warcraft 3. I wanted to know who this cool elf was. So, we quested in a way that would let us visit her as soon as possible.
I mean, who wouldn’t think this queen is the coolest?
That was the most important to-do on our list. After that, we actually just wanted to continue playing, lounging, and exploring.
I actually had a lot of fun: the world was beautiful, my character great, and my best friend showed me with gusto her favorite game. It was also somehow wild to think that behind every other character running through the Immersangwald was another player.
We had already started to think about how I could somehow get my own account and play. But.
Taking a wrong left turn and not coming back
At around level 15 to 20 (I don’t remember exactly), I explored the Ghostlands south of my starting area. That was also an absolutely gorgeous area with the bluish light and forest feel. Only at night.
But we didn’t spend much time there; it was already late afternoon. Instead, I continued to wander with my character, probably south, to a portal.
The third area I entered was a vast desert with red sand and rocks. I thought nothing of it, and my best friend had no concerns either. At least none that she voiced out loud.
I wandered with my pretty blood elf across this desert.
Until I met another player who simply smashed my character. Just like that. Without talking to me or interacting. Just bam, boom – dead.
We were, to put it mildly, shocked. I more than my friend.
But okay, here we go. Reviving the character.
To do this, I had to physically walk with my elf’s spirit to her body. That went pretty well. But as soon as I revived her, another player came along and knocked me down again.
That happened three or four times. I think it was always the same opposing player. Eventually, I just lost interest.
No patience for spawn campers
Today I know that I had entered the Eastern Plaguelands and thus an area for high-level heroes. But back then, the area and the guy just ruined the fun for me. And this was how my first excursion into MMORPGs ended, and actually in WoW to this day.
Sure, I visited my best friend a few more times after that. I love dragons, so I definitely had to see Deathwing in action. But I never started playing WoW myself.
In my later teenage years, I had other things on my mind and mainly a work laptop for my studies, not one specifically for gaming. I also thought that the most exciting story times were already over. I wanted more about Arthas and Sylvanas. But I wanted to play the story, not read it in big text boxes.
It was only with my start into professional life that I could be excited about an MMORPG again: Final Fantasy XIV. You still have to read a lot, especially at the beginning, but the boxes are smaller bites compared to the monster boxes in WoW.
Actually, I have been wondering for some time now whether it would be worthwhile to test WoW again. Now the subscription is no problem for me, and I decide what gets installed on my PC myself. And I would stay away from the Eastern Plaguelands for now.
I would really appreciate a few tips for newcomers to WoW. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments. And should I manage to get back to Azeroth, you’ll read about it here at MeinMMO. But for now, enjoy the Grind Festival! You can read more about it here: Welcome to the Grind Festival! The program for the great MMORPG-themed week 2025 by MeinMMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
During this year’s Pokémon Presents, a new mobile game was introduced that entices users with free gameplay. However, expensive unlocks await in the shop.
What kind of game is it? Pokémon Friends is a new puzzle game set in the Pokémon universe, available for Android and iOS. The game was launched during the Pokémon Presents and is already playable. The target audience appears to be children, as the puzzles to solve are extremely simple.
The core idea of the game is to complete puzzles daily to use the rewards to decorate your own room, including Pokémon plush toys. However, a look in the shop quickly ends the free dream.
Start video
So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus
Expensive additional content for free play
What can be bought in the shop? After a short tutorial, players can start solving puzzles. The simple tasks are, as TheGamer.com points out, quickly completed by adults. Those who want more content must either wait until the next day or visit the in-game shop.
For those willing to spend money, many new contents are available. In the shop, there are 5 packages:
More Puzzle Fun Set 1 for €17.99 – Includes new puzzles, plushies, and designs for the virtual room
More Puzzle Fun Set 2 for €17.99 – Includes new puzzles, plushies, and designs for the virtual room
Base Set for €9.99 – Includes new puzzles, plushies, additional features, and the ability to replay puzzles as often as desired
More Puzzle Fun Set 1 & 2 for €29.99 – Includes both “More Puzzle Fun Sets”
Combo Package for €39.99 – Includes all of the above contents
Why is this concerning? Editor Tessa Kaur from the website TheGamer.com criticizes the game, as the puzzle game advertised as free for children offers in-app purchases ranging from €10 to €40. Some of these include basic features, such as the ability to repeat puzzles.
The author suspects in her article that these contents are permanently paid and cannot be unlocked by simply playing.
Another point of criticism mentioned by TheGamer.com is a message in the game regarding the “Plush Rates.” The report points out that the wording “Some actions – such as purchasing downloadable content (DLC) – may unlock more plush varieties. More available varieties mean that the chances of getting a specific one decrease.” raises concerns. The fact that there is a pull rate for plushies would raise eyebrows.
Final Fantasy 14 is currently under criticism for several reasons. A YouTuber has now clarified in a video what is going wrong – and how players should deal with it.
In a YouTube video, MMORPG streamer The Daily Preach covers a rant from Ilamatodd, who goes into the problems of the game. According to the FF14 content creator, several things are going wrong:
There have been no updates to the user interface or quality-of-life features for over 10 years
The main quest in the new expansion Dawntrail is unsatisfactory
Additionally, he mentions a few more reasons. For Ilamatodd, there are few reasons to currently log into Final Fantasy 14. These include one’s own house or the friends with whom one regularly meets in-game. However, apart from that, the MMORPG provides little incentive to log in.
The Daily Preach agrees, stating that the criticism is even mild. He also sees hardly any reasons to log into FF14 at the moment. He reveals how he deals with such games.
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Final Fantasy XIV Trailer for Version 1.0 Shows a Past Era
YouTuber recommends dealing with criticism, which not everyone can afford
How does he deal with his dissatisfaction? As soon as The Daily Preach is dissatisfied with a game, he simply switches games. His channel shows that he not only engages with Final Fantasy 14 but also other video games. One shouldn’t let such problems influence one’s life.
However, he can also understand that content creators like Ilamatodd can’t just easily turn their backs on a game. After all, they earn their money by specializing in a certain game, streaming it, and cannot just switch as easily as he claims.
What is his prediction? The Daily Preach assures that Naoki Yoshida, the producer of Final Fantasy 14, is well aware of the criticism.
The Grindfest is live and MeinMMO was a guest on GameStar Talk to discuss the history of MMORPGs. Joining us: WoW veteran “Uncle Barlow”. If you want to watch the lively chat, you are in the right place.
Who is participating in the Gamestar Talk and what is it about? In line with the currently ongoing themed week about the genre of MMORPGs, host Felix Rick invited to chat about the history of online role-playing games. Joining him are Managing Editor Sophia Weiß and Senior Editor Karsten Scholz from MeinMMO and WoW veteran George “Uncle Barlow” Zaal.
Many WoW fans are likely familiar with “Uncle Barlow” from his entertaining class blogs, which you can still listen to in full glory on YouTube. George is also a seasoned journalist from the gaming sector, who has worked for GIGA Games and GIGA Play among others.
The quartet takes nearly 2 hours to celebrate nearly 60 years of online worlds. They discuss the roots of MMORPGs, significant milestones of the genre, and of course, our nostalgic memories.
You can watch the current GameStar Talk on the topic of MMORPGs below:
Start video
The History of MMORPGs: MeinMMO, GameStar and Uncle Barlow discuss 60 years of online worlds
The Grindfest continues
As part of our themed week, more than a dozen articles have already been published. Included is a comprehensive special on the history of MMORPGs from the 1960s to 2025 in text form, which also goes into many games that unfortunately didn’t have time in the Talk.
But also the Grindfest program for the coming days looks promising. Look forward to Sophia’s explanation of why she stopped playing WoW, even though she had just started. Or a tier list with 76 online role-playing games ranked. Or 9 love letters to the best genre in the world. Or … well, you can find the complete program in our overview: Welcome to the Grindfest! The program for the big MMORPG themed week 2025 from MeinMMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In August 2025, there will again be many events and content in Pokémon GO. We have summarized all the information for you.
What kind of events are there? August brings the usual recurring events such as Spotlight Hours, Raid Hours, as well as of course more unique events. The Darkness event, which culminates in the Dyna-Finale, also takes place in August.
Highlights in August 2025: In addition to the Max Finale, there will also be some interesting Raid bosses in August. Alongside Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Necrozma, there will also be a strong Mega Raid with Mega Salamence in August.
We have summarized all the important dates for you below. All Pokémon that you can also obtain as Shiny are marked with an *.
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So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus
These are the events in August 2025
In this list, you will see all the themed events taking place in the upcoming month. For some events, only the English title is currently known. As soon as the German version is also known, we will update the list accordingly.
2025 Pokémon World Championships GO Battle Weekend
August 16 – 17
Shadow Raid Weekend
August 18 – 23
Dark Skies
August 23 – 24
Max Finale
August 25 – 31
Sunkissed Shores
August 30
Community Day August with Rookidee*
August 31
Mega Raid Day
Raids in August 2025 – All 5-Star Raids, Mega Raids, and Raid Hours
The following raid events will take place in August 2025 in Pokémon GO:
Date
Raid Boss
Every weekend from August 3 to September 2
Shadow Regirock*
August 4 – 11
Lugia*
August 4 – 11
Mega Ampharos*
August 6
Raid Hour with Lugia*
August 11 – 18
Ho-Oh*
August 11 – 18
Mega Slowbro*
August 13
Raid Hour with Ho-Oh*
August 18 – 25
Mega Pidgeot*
August 25 – September 2
Necrozma*
August 25 – September 2
Mega Salamence*
August 27
Raid Hour with Necrozma*
Spotlight Hours in August 2025 – Pokémon and Bonuses
During the Spotlight Hours, you each have a Pokémon that is in focus and appears in very high numbers on the respective day between 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Each event is accompanied by a bonus.
August also brings you various Dynamax bosses that you can challenge, defeat, and catch in Max Battles. The respective bosses will also be waiting for you every Monday, during the specified time frames, on the so-called Max Monday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM at all power sources.
Date
Dynamax Boss
August 4 – 10
Omanyte*
August 11 – 17
Trubbish*
August 25 – 31
Chansey*
September 1 – 7
Pidove*
As soon as there are new information regarding the events and content of the month of August, we will add the corresponding information for you. If you are already looking for strong Pokémon to defeat the raid bosses in August, you will find our overview of the strongest attackers in Pokémon GO here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the province of León in Spain, there is a strange phenomenon. At certain times, there are thousands of tourists that do not officially exist.
Where do the numbers come from? The Spanish National Statistics Institute (“Instituto Nacional de Estadística”, or INE) measures tourist flows based on the locations of mobile phones. It counts the number of mobile phones over cell towers in the area (via INE.es)
Fuentes de Carbajal is a locality in León with 24 inhabitants. According to statistics, the place received 1,826 tourists between July and August 2024.
In San Millán de los Caballeros, the INE registered 1,648 tourists in July 2024 and 1,602 in August, totaling 3,250. The locality has only 191 inhabitants.
Similarly, Izagre, with 137 inhabitants, is reported by the statistics office to have received nearly 2,000 summer holidaymakers.
The localities partly explain that they have never seen these tourists. The mayor of San Millán de los Caballeros stated that while they have 4 major festivals a year, not 2,000 tourists come for them.
Thousands of Tourists Due to Experimental Statistics?
So where are the thousands of tourists coming from? The Spanish statistics office itself stated that the measured data is experimental, and the more accurate it is, the more cell towers are nearby. Without a cell tower, it is not possible to measure persons.
The problem in the province: There are very few antennas here. The institute explained to the Spanish-speaking magazine Xataka that with very few antennas in a region, there can quickly be over- as well as underestimations. Thus, the institute stated:
In such contexts with low antenna density, the territorial assignment loses accuracy, which can lead to both over- and underestimations in the results.
In the worst case, people who were not there at all are counted in regions. In fact, one of the network operators made changes to its zoning system in March 2025, which should now allow technicians to achieve “a more balanced distribution between neighboring communities” in counting.
Another problem is the counting itself: a person who, for example, travels to a locality every weekend in July is counted each time in the statistics. However, the INE also emphasizes that these are only supposed to be experimental values.
Additionally, there is another problem: the data provided to the INE is anonymous and processed by each network provider. In the end, the institute only receives a table of data without being able to verify the data properly. For reasons of statistical confidentiality, the institute also holds back certain data.
What is now the cause? The high visitor numbers in the small villages are likely due to technical problems. At least that aligns with the experiences of the communities in León, who have never seen the 1,800 tourists. This would also correspond to other data: near Fuentes de Carbajal, there are other villages with a visitor balance of zero.
Since 2025, millennials have for the first time become the majority of executives, bringing a new leadership style into the workplace. However, this change also brings new challenges.
Millennials, defined as people aged between about 30 and 45, have made up the majority of managers in the USA since June 2025. This is shown by the current Worklife Trends Report by Glassdoor, a platform for employer ratings that regularly publishes reports on the job market based on its user data.
The generational shift has been long anticipated: millennials have been the largest age group in the job market for years, many baby boomers are retiring, and Generation X is slowly stepping back from leadership positions. This automatically elevates millennials into executive roles.
The speed at which closeness and trust can tilt today is illustrated by an AI experiment conducted by students. Watch this video to see how they spy on strangers in seconds.
Start video
Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds
Leadership on the Edge of Burnout
What is changing? With the rise of millennials in executive roles, not only the tone of leadership changes, but also the fundamental attitude towards work, according to the results of a survey by Deloitte, one of the world’s largest audit firms. Trust replaces control, rigid structures are replaced by flexibility, and the question of why is more important than how. Where previous generations often prioritized authority above all, millennials seek participation, meaning, and balance, it further states.
This is also reflected in the expectations of companies: remote work is no longer a perk, but a standard, reports Fortune. Offers for mental health, feedback at eye level, and recognition of individual life realities have become essential for good leadership.
What problem does the change bring? Millennials want to do many things differently than their predecessors: they emphasize empathy and flat hierarchies. But this very demand becomes a burden for many. According to the current Worklife Trends Report by Glassdoor, mentions of burnout in employee reviews have increased by 73% compared to the previous year, a clear indication of growing pressure.
Glassdoor economist Daniel Zhao speaks in an interview with Fortune about a “persistent crisis.” The psychological challenges in the workforce are not diminishing. Particularly alarming: Zhao warns of a possible “manager crash” – a situation where overwhelmed leaders collapse themselves due to accumulated stress, overtime, staff shortages, and responsibilities over the years.
Millennials often lead on equal footing, want to be approachable and build trust. But when clear instructions are lacking, it quickly leads to conflicts. Reports are increasing on social networks about so-called “cool bosses”: leaders who act friendly but fail to make decisions in serious situations – or suddenly enforce strict authority.
How did this situation arise? The change is not solely self-chosen; it is also a result of external circumstances. Many millennials have taken on their leadership roles not through targeted preparation but through the departure of older generations. Additionally, the number of directly supervised employees has nearly doubled in recent years.
At the same time, many millennial managers are under pressure in their private lives as well. Daniel Zhao, Chief Economist at Glassdoor, refers in an interview with Fortune to the “sandwich model”: the generation is caught between career, family responsibilities, and an unstable economic situation while leading a team that also has demands.
What needs to change? Many companies leave their new leaders to navigate the change alone. There is a lack of concrete leadership training, clear role models, and resources. According to the Global Millennial Survey by Deloitte, millennials desire more feedback, mentoring, and development opportunities for themselves as well as for their teams.
What is often overlooked in this process: those who want to lead empathetically need support. Only those who are stable themselves can pay attention to others. Instead of constantly switching between buddy and boss, clear frameworks and support from above are needed.
The next boss in World of Warcraft has an extremely high number of abilities. Memorizing them all is likely to put raids to the test of patience.
It is clear to all players that World of Warcraft has drastically changed over the years. However, the extent of this difference can be best recognized in the complexity of the boss fights. Not only do bosses now have many different phases, but the number of abilities has also increased dramatically.
The upcoming final boss of The War Within, Dimensius the Devourer, takes the cake with over 60 abilities and effects to learn.
You can see the teaser for the next patch here:
Start video
WoW: The Alliance of the Space Traveler – Patch 11.2 Ghosts of K’aresh
What’s going on with Dimensius? If you take a look at the adventure guide and examine Dimensius in detail at mythic difficulty, you will be scrolling for a while. Expanding all effects and abilities requires reading over 20 pages to get to the end. Over 70 abilities and effects are described, with some overlaps in repetitions.
Dimensius is therefore going to be quite a complexity monster. In the fight, you not only have to contend with him but also against other void lords that he summons.
Especially nice: The ability called “spaghettification,” which disassembles the player character into its atoms when getting too close to a black hole. Sci-Fi fans might have encountered this term before.
How difficult will the boss be? Although the sheer volume of effects may seem overwhelming, not all of them are relevant for every character. Some effects are only significant for tanks or healers, while others primarily concern damage dealers. However, this fight particularly highlights how complex fights have become.
You can see what this looks like in the game in this short clip:
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It is particularly striking when comparing Dimensius with the first “final boss” of World of Warcraft – Ragnaros in the Molten Core. He managed with only 4 abilities, or 5 if you want to count the submerge and Sons of Flame.
How is this supposed to be done without addons?
A concern for many fans is that the fights are no longer manageable without addons. Many addons ensure that one can see precise timers for when abilities are used or where one should best position themselves. With over 60 abilities, it is difficult to process all these effects in your head while simultaneously maintaining the rotation or giving or following instructions on Discord.
Although Blizzard has already announced that many addons will be rendered obsolete over the next few years, that time is likely still a while away – certainly not in the Mana Forge Omega. Before that, the developers want to develop their own features that largely replace addons and create a unified, fair playing field for all players – including a “timeline” for the current boss, where you can see which ability is due next.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
When it comes to the most remarkable events in the history of online role-playing games, a diabolical community action from Eve Online must not be missing. In the course of the MMORPG theme week 2025 MeinMMO looks back.
What is behind the betrayal? The huge universe of Eve Online has always been characterized by an enormous freedom, thanks to which players can actually have a significant influence on the power dynamics in the MMORPG.
For instance, it is possible with a lot of effort and energy to become the CEO of an intergalactic organization that exerts great influence on the economy, wars, and politics of Eve Online. You belong to the richest and most powerful players in the universe. Everyone knows your name.
And suddenly everything is gone. Destroyed by a subversive guild that had pursued this one goal for almost a year: to destroy you. Sounds intense, right? Welcome to one of the most legendary heists in MMORPG history!
Start video
EVE Online says with Legion its latest expansion suitable for newcomers
The “Guiding Hand Social Club”
How did the guild achieve this? Not through rule-breaking or cheats. But with a long-planned strategy and a lot of patience. Carried out by the “Guiding Hand Social Club”, a community that specializes in espionage, sabotage, and contract killings.
At some point in 2005, an anonymous client supposedly offered the “Guiding Hand Social Club” a lucrative job. The target was Mirial, the CEO of the powerful organization “Ubiqua Seraph”.
The reward: 1 billion ISK, the in-game currency in Eve Online, which was an incredibly high sum 20 years ago. Additionally, the community was allowed to keep everything they could steal from “Ubiqua Seraph” as part of the contract.
The simple reason for the job: probably revenge. The client only had it in for Mirial’s corpse. Why exactly? That remains unclear to this day.
How did the guild proceed? The “Guiding Hand Social Club” infiltrated multiple members into Mirial’s organization simultaneously. And indeed, many managed to slowly work their way up within “Ubiqua Seraph” for over 10 months. Several agents were able to achieve high positions.
A key role was taken by a certain “Arenis Xemdal”. He became the seemingly loyal officer of “Ubiqua Seraph”, who gradually gained access to resources, strategic information, meetings, exclusive chats, locations, and even Mirial herself. In the end, his opinion carried so much weight that he could even influence the CEO’s decisions.
One day, the spy managed to convince Mirial to go on a joint outing with her most valuable spaceships – to publicly demonstrate strength together. Xemdal led his prey into a deserted sector, far away from her true allies.
The Grindfest from July 21 to 27 During this week, exciting articles about MMORPGs await you every day. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, as well as nostalgic retrospectives, streaming evenings, interviews, columns, and analyses.
The trap was sprung, triggered by the code word “Nicole”. Suddenly, spaceships from the “Guiding Hand Social Club” appeared from all directions. Mirial had no chance. Before she could log out, Xemdal collected her digital body. Mission accomplished! But that was only the beginning.
The espionage club took the opportunity and the access they had built up over 10 months to plunder the wealth of “Ubiqua Seraph”. The guild leader later said: “We had the key to Fort Knox in our hands”. Ships, resources, and more worth 30 billion ISK were reportedly seized by the robbers at that time. At that time, this corresponded to a real money value of 16,500 USD.
Borderlands 4 showcased the Exo-Soldier Rafa’s gameplay in a video, but fans of the loot shooter have only one joke in mind.
What is this new class? Borderlands 4 introduced the Vault Hunter Rafa in a new gameplay trailer.
Rafa is a former soldier equipped with an exo-suit and wields weapons for any combat range. In the trailer, Rafa primarily impresses with his use of two Arc Blades, which he uses to slice through his enemies in close combat. With a quick pirouette, he becomes a sort of unstoppable, electrifying blade tornado.
Additionally, he can deploy turrets and fire a powerful projectile with his APOHIS spear that completely pulverizes opponents. Here you can watch the gameplay trailer:
Start video
Borderlands 4 shows gameplay of the Exo-soldier Rafa
“Are there other Vault Hunters?”
What does the community say about Rafa? On YouTube, one joke predominantly takes over the comment section, expressed in various forms. Essentially: Oh, there’s a second Vault Hunter?
Players are referencing the marketing of the loot shooter. The developers have exclusively published new information and videos about the Vault Hunter Vex over the past two weeks, including a character introduction and a gameplay overview.
Players are now joking that Gearbox remembered that Borderlands 4 indeed has other characters. One writes: “This is the coolest Vex skin they have shown so far.” Another comments: “Vex looks somehow different this time.”
There are also comments that simply express joy at seeing another character without adding any jokes.
How is Rafa otherwise received? Overall, there aren’t any really negative reactions to the new Vault Hunter. Some like his laid-back, cheeky demeanor shown in the video, while others see potential for fun gameplay with the Arc Blades and turrets:
“I like how different Rafa is compared to Vex, he seems funnier and more relaxed.” – via YouTube
“Damn, I’ve always been a fan of deployable turrets, didn’t know he had that ability. Choosing my first Vault Hunter will be difficult.” – Reddit
“After this trailer, I actually LOVE him, I didn’t know he was a Hispanic badass. He’s just chill and cool.” – via YouTube
Some players are already hoping that the Arc Blades will still perform strongly later in the game. This could make Rafa a good choice for players who want to dive into close combat. The previously shown Vault Hunter Vex relies on a form of necromancy. She discovered her powers while working in retail: A character in Borderlands 4 is a stressed cashier who had a really bad day.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
