In the new RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker on Steam, there is a game mechanic that threatens your family if you don’t hurry.
What is it with the 30 days? The new vampire game The Blood of Dawnwalker by Rebel Wolves, which is partly made up of former developers of The Witcher 3, has a special mechanic that you should always keep in mind. In the open-world RPG, it’s about time, since you only have 30 days and 30 nights to achieve your goal.
If you fail, there will be consequences for your family, as the developers explain on X.com. However, not every action costs you time.
Here you can watch the trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker:
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The Blood of Dawnwalker: Cinematischer Trailer für das neue Action-RPG mit Vampiren
Beware of the Quests
How does the system work? The developers explain in their post on X.com that you only have 30 days and 30 nights in the game, but it’s not a continuous flow of time. Time is only supposed to advance when you select quests or certain dialogue options.
However, when you fight, explore the world, or just stand around AFK, no time should pass. So you can freely explore the world and do what you want without risking your family.
The quests and dialogues that advance time each have an hourglass symbol that indicates how much time they will take from your clock. So you have to decide whether to take the quest or not.
What happens when time runs out? Although the developers have announced “consequences” for your character’s family if you don’t reach your goal in time, it’s not clear what exactly they will entail.
However, in their post, the developers emphasize that exceeding 30 days and nights does not lead to an end of your game progression. If you don’t care about your character’s family, you can safely ignore the mechanic.
With Fantastic Four: The First Steps, the third Marvel film of 2025 has been released, and it is directly the best adaptation of the iconic Marvel group. However, it is not the best Marvel film of the year so far.
How are critics rating Fantastic Four: The First Steps? Since Tuesday, July 22, 2025, reviews of the first MCU appearance of the iconic family have been published. The critics seem to be satisfied with the film.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently (as of 07/24/2025, 10:11 AM) has a rating of 88% based on 172 reviews. On Metacritic (as of 07/24/2025, 10:11 AM), the situation is slightly worse, where the film currently has a score of 65 out of 100 based on 46 reviews.
Rotten Tomatoes generates the score based on the number of positive and negative reviews. Metacritic generates an average score based on the ratings from critics. Thus, mediocre reviews have a greater impact on Metacritic than on Rotten Tomatoes when they still fall under positive reviews.
So far, there are no votes from the community and regular viewers because the film is only being released today, on 07/24/2025, in theaters.
Fantastic Four: The First Steps breaks a sad record for the important Marvel group, as it is the first film that is fundamentally well received.
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps – The new Marvel film will be released in theaters on July 25
The first good film about the Fantastic Four
How did the previous films of Fantastic Four fare? So far, the Fantastic Four have had no luck with critics in the theaters. The attempts by Fox, who then held the rights to the heroes, were not particularly popular with critics.
Fantastic Four from 2005 has 27% based on 212 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and 40 based on 35 reviews on Metacritic.
The sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, released in 2007, was rated slightly better. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has 37% with 171 reviews, while the 33 reviews on Metacritic achieve a score of 45.
In 2015, Fox attempted to reboot the franchise, but critics were not at all enthusiastic. With 259 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film only achieved a disastrous 9%. On Metacritic, it scored 27% with 40 reviews, the same rating as the 2005 film.
How does the new film compare to the superhero competition in 2025? Fantastic Four: The First Steps is already the fourth superhero movie that comic fans can watch in 2025. The year started with Captain America: Brave New World in February. The film featuring Harrison Ford as a muscular villain received a moderate score of 46% based on 359 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Thunderbolts performed slightly better among critics in early May. With 369 reviews, it achieves 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Therefore, we will have to wait a few more days to see if Fantastic Four: The First Steps will be rated better or will drop.
The strong competition from DC launched its new universe shortly before Fantastic Four on July 10, 2025. The new Superman also received favorable reviews. Currently, the film holds 84% with 444 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Video games are getting more expensive. Just when Microsoft was about to raise prices, there’s a turnaround. The price stays at €70.
How expensive can a good video game be? This question has been debated for many years now. Over the past few months, it became clear that the price would likely rise from $70 to $80 – which means for us, from €70 to €80. This immediately sparked some controversies:
Ultimately, Outer Worlds 2 was supposed to be the first game under Microsoft to demand a price of €80. Something that has now been reversed.
Start video
Outer World 2 shows in the trailer again what an overblown future looks like
The price is lowered again: A spokesperson from Microsoft told IGN:
We are focused on bringing players fantastic worlds to explore and will price our full-price releases during the holiday season, including Outer Worlds 2, at $70 – that aligns with the current market conditions.
The option for a refund or return should be available everywhere, so that those who pre-ordered Outer Worlds 2 can benefit from the lower price.
That Outer Worlds 2 should be the first Microsoft game at $80 was poorly received by fans of the predecessor. After all, the game has a story that can be understood more as a criticism of capitalism. Accordingly, the announcement was received negatively by the fans.
Microsoft’s plan: To attract more people to Game Pass with expensive games
The publishing director of Baldur’s Gate 3, Michael Douse, has a clear opinion on the whole affair. He wrote on X about it:
As I have said several times, [Microsoft] wants to raise the price so that Game Pass looks more valuable in comparison. But I’m sure the developers don’t necessarily love that in an industry where sales figures are an important metric for success.
Douse’s opinion seems to be: If game prices rise, more fans will choose the Game Pass. Therefore, it’s in Microsoft’s interest to raise prices to bring more people to Game Pass.
Microsoft is in a tough spot right now: Currently, Microsoft seems to be losing favor with players. After the company was seen as a savior for many years — especially when fans spoke about Microsoft wanting to “rescue Blizzard from Activision’s clutches” — that opinion has largely faded. Large waves of layoffs and the new pricing policy have led to a further decline in reputation.
Gachiakuata is one of the most hyped animes this season. The author of the associated manga is a big fan of another cult anime – and even defends it against others.
And although the two animes have little in common at first glance, Gachiakuta is considered the successor of Soul Eater. This is due to several reasons (via Gachiakuta Wiki):
Kei Urana worked as an assistant on Fire Force. The manga is by the same author (Atsushi Ohkubo), who is also responsible for Soul Eater.
She is said to be a big fan of Soul Eater, even though she was only involved in the works of Fire Force.
The author of Soul Eater, Ohkubo, even stated himself that Gachiakuta is the spiritual successor (via X). He even believes that Urana has surpassed him by now.
Soul Eater is considered a cult anime among fans. It is about students of the Shibusen Academy with partners that can transform into weapons. They learn how to hunt the souls of evil people and witches. For MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen, it is perfect, as it has no jump scares.
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Gachiakuta: Trailer with German synchronization of the anime
Author of Gachiakuta defends Soul Eater
What does the author of Gachiakuta say to haters? When Soul Eater celebrated its 20th anniversary, Urana recommended checking out the related exhibition. Following her recommendation, a user on X spoke poorly of the anime of Soul Eater. This did not sit well with Urana at all. She defended the anime with a comment:
Soul Eater : God
Go work.
With this, the author means that Soul Eater holds a high status for her, almost a god-like status. The user with the opposing opinion should rather take care of their own business. Many commentators also believe that it means he should at least find a job first.
The response from the creator of Gachiakuta hit so hard that the hater subsequently deleted their comment. Urana is celebrated by other fans for how she drove the user away. In the comments, many write that they started reading or watching Gachiakuta specifically because of the comment.
In Pokémon GO a new event has been announced. If you want to take advantage of it, you need to hurry.
What kind of event is this? The event is the Fossil Research Day. It is not the first research day to take place in Pokémon GO. Each of these events has a different focus. This time it is Fossil Pokémon. During research days, the completion of field research is the main focus.
The event will take place on Saturday, August 2, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. So you only have 3 hours to take advantage of the event.
Start video
So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus
Contents of the Research Day
Which Pokémon have an increased shiny chance? If you complete event field research, you can receive Balgoras and Amarino as rewards. Both Pokémon also have an increased chance of appearing as shiny during the short event.
If you want to catch the two monsters as shinies, you should take advantage of as many field researches as possible during that time. You get these by spinning PokéStops.
Which Pokémon are there in the wild? There will also be Pokémon in the wild during the event that thematically fit the focus on Fossil Pokémon. You can find and catch the following monsters:
Amonitas*
Kabuto*
Liliep*
Anorith*
Koknodon*
Schilterus*
Galapaflos* (rare)
Flapteryx* (rare)
All monsters in the wild can also appear as shiny Pokémon. However, the chance of this is not increased, but corresponds to the regular chance of encountering a shiny.
Paid, limited research: For $1.99 (about 2 €) you can also purchase a limited research. Here you will receive additional encounters with Balgoras and Amarino as rewards. If you purchase the research as a Hyper Ticket box in the web store, you will also receive 3 Max Revives.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has launched as a new soulslike on Steam. However, many players advise against purchasing it, as the game’s performance issues are significant and the soulslike runs smoothly for very few players.
With Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a new soulslike and action RPG has officially launched on Steam.
According to SteamDB, the game launched on the night of July 24, 2025, with more than 100,000 players. However, the reviews on Steam are very negative. Currently, the game has more than 8,000 reviews marked “extremely negative”: Only 19% are positive. Many players currently advise against purchasing it.
Start video
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – New Action RPG from China Shows Boss Fight and Release Date
Performance Issues due to Unreal Engine 5
What is the game’s problem? The game’s issue is “Unreal Engine 5” and the associated catastrophic performance: The game does not run smoothly at all, with frame drops, graphical glitches, and crashes. All issues that nearly every UE5 game has struggled with in the past. For example, Oblivion Remastered still suffers from severe performance issues. A major exception: Black Myth: Wukong is one of the few UE5 titles that runs smoothly.
Players are also complaining about the lack of optimization in Wuchang, and the reviews on Steam are accordingly devastating.
What do players say? Many users who have purchased the game currently advise against buying it and recommend urgently waiting for a few updates or a sale. In its current state, the game is far too expensive. One person writes on Steam:
Don’t buy it, wait and see. Watch the reviews and updates and see if the performance issues are fixed. Maybe you’ll buy it at a significant discount. At the current price, I can’t recommend it.
Another player adds that Black Myth: Wukong is well optimized. For this reason, one doesn’t have to endure Wuchang (on Steam):
I know I haven’t invested much time, but the performance of Wuchang is terrible. If I can play Wukong with max settings, there’s no reason this game should look and play like this.
What’s next? The reviews on Steam have been extremely negative so far, so it’s only a matter of time before the development team comments on the issues and difficulties. So far, there has been no statement and the developers have not commented on the performance.
Presumably, every gamer has a game they remember decades later. That one special game that shaped them to the core, taught them everything and warms their heart to this day when they think back to that time. For our video producer Anna Alberg, it is Tibia. Welcome to a little time travel for the MMORPG theme week!
I will never forget sitting next to my cousin on the chair, fascinated, watching him play Tibia. I was 10 years old and at that time still living in Poland. Tibia was the first online game I came into contact with in 2004.
Sure, I had played various games before such as “The Sims”, “Pizza Connection 2”, or “Gothic 2”, but since the internet was a rarity in my country back then, I could only dream of playing online with other people. After I moved to Germany with my parents in 2006 and we finally had internet, I immediately downloaded Tibia without thinking twice.
Who’s writing here? Anna Alberg has been producing videos for MeinMMO since October 2021 and is a gamer through and through. After her time in Tibia, she played League of Legends for many years and was always trying to maintain her Diamond status – until “AD Carries” became so unplayable that she simply quit – Yes, she tends to be a bit “salty” from time to time.
After LoL, she dedicated herself to World of Warcraft and has been on board in every expansion since Legion. Currently, she tries to fill the gaps in various RPGs and is up for any good survival game.
Start video
Tibia: Teaser Trailer Shows Gameplay of the New Monk Class
The underground cave with no exit
My first character was named “Little Girl” – totally clichéd, I know. I couldn’t even speak proper German, let alone English, which didn’t make things any easier as the game was entirely in English. Additionally, I was a total noob and picked a server that supported free PvP – I had no idea what that meant. But we’ll get to that later.
At that time, there was no introduction or tutorial, and so I wandered through the starting area of Rookgaard, defeating my first enemies in the sewers: the rats. Over time, I also dared to venture into the area outside the city and came across an opening in the ground, which I clicked on very boldly. After all, I had already leveled up a bit and had some gear.
A new screenshot from the current version of Tibia. The rats are still where they once were.
You can’t imagine how confused I was when I wanted to go back, but there was no ladder outside. And there I was, trapped in the middle of a troll cave. A player came towards me and I desperately asked him for help. He just wrote “use rope” and disappeared back to the surface. I think I spent a good few hours down there until I found a rope and learned how to use it.
Other players wanted my loot
Tibia harshly prepared me for every subsequent game. It taught me how to set up macros because you had to type every spell in the chat to use it. It also showed me the toxic side of the gaming community when I fell into a trap set by other players.
In the early versions of Tibia, you could block each other. You couldn’t get past another player’s character if there was no space on the left or right. Especially tight tunnels or towers were the perfect places for a player trap, and if you died, others could loot your entire inventory. I fell for it myself when a few players lured me to a tower with strong enemies, only to block my way.
But I also met many nice players, and even my first great “internet love”. I met him when I first tried to bake bread in Tibia; he taught me how to do it. Since then, he has always been my companion and explained many things to me in the game. Also, my questionable server choice, which I soon learned about the hard way.
The grind festival from July 21 to 27 During this week, you’ll find exciting articles every day about MMORPGs. Included: a time travel through the history of online role-playing games, but also nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.
When you reached a certain level, you could leave Rookgaard and travel to the main world. And although my friend tried to dissuade me, I chose the city of Thais and was teleported to a temple. After leaving the protected area, bloodthirsty players rushed at me, again and again.
In front of this depot in Thais, I spent many hours; back then, it was overcrowded with other players.
I couldn’t even properly explore the newly traveled city. Well, the charm of free PvP. That was the end of “Little Girl” and I created a character on a peaceful server with my new buddy – this time I was much better prepared.
Tibia was really a hardcore MMORPG for a beginner like me. I learned it the hard way and… loved it. Every further game in the genre that I tried, like Metin 2, felt way too easy in comparison. So I stayed loyal to Tibia.
It was a wonderful time that I will keep forever in my heart. Memories that still bring a smile to my face today. Through Tibia, I learned English and discovered my passion for online games. For that, I am grateful to this day.
The developers of Dune: Awakening have announced a server maintenance on July 24, 2025. A small patch will be deployed, addressing bugs and upcoming layouts for the Deep Desert. MeinMMO will inform you when you can expect to play again.
How long will the servers be offline? The servers of Dune: Awakening will be temporarily shut down on July 24 at 10:00 AM. According to the developers on X.com, a new patch will be deployed during this time.
The planned downtime for the maintenance is expected to last around 120 minutes. If all goes according to plan, you can log back into the servers starting at 12:00 PM. MeinMMO will update this message should there be any unexpected delays or if the patch notes are released.
Here you can see what is happening in the future of Dune: Awakening:
Start video
Dune: Awakening – Das ist die Zukunft des MMOs
Confusion about the new patch
What content is this new update supposed to bring? Following the announcement of the maintenance, initial rumors circulated that the update could already be the big August patch that many players have eagerly been waiting for. This is expected to bring many changes and improvements.
However, the developers clarify on X.com that this is merely a smaller patch that brings new layouts for the weekly rotation of the Deep Desert and fixes some bugs. The big August patch is said, according to the developers, to follow in the coming weeks.
As with every patch, the developers will only release details about the specific changes they made after the maintenance of Dune: Awakening.
Are the developers doing anything about cheaters? In the past, there have been ongoing issues with cheaters in Dune: Awakening. The last patch has already ensured that a nasty trick used by hackers no longer works, and innocent players can no longer be dragged into the PvP area.
But the developers are also taking action against the players themselves. According to a comment on Reddit from community manager “Storm,” a ban wave against hackers is currently underway.
One of the best spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 is used by hardly anyone. You only have to see how annoying it is when enemies use it.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, there is a variety of spells and abilities. Many of them are considered particularly iconic and are chosen in almost every run because their effects are powerful or impressive. However, some spells also fall by the wayside and are never used. Simply because they don’t sound as interesting at first glance (ha!) as other spells. In this case, we are talking about Eyebite.
A long talk about the next Baldur’s Gate could also be interesting:
Start video
D&D in crisis: What will happen to Baldur’s Gate 4 now? The GameStar Talk in the video
What kind of spell is it? The spell “Eyebite” is a 6th-level spell, so one of the most powerful that can be obtained in the standard game without mods. The spell transforms the character’s eyes and equips them with teeth – at least according to the description. This subsequently gives the character the ability to impose powerful debuffs on enemies within sight.
The special thing about the spell: It lasts for up to 10 rounds, allowing you to choose a different variant of the spell each round to terrify other enemies, inflict disease, or put them to sleep. This way, you can essentially take out an opponent in every turn or make them especially vulnerable to your allies’ attacks.
Why does hardly anyone take Eyebite? This is being discussed in the Baldur’s Gate 3 subreddit. As the main reason why hardly anyone takes the spell Eyebite, many cite the poor explanation of the spell. Because it is difficult to understand what the spell does in detail or what the benefit is from just the description. This seems especially boring when there are many strong alternatives that are immediately understood.
“Isn’t the description of Eyebite incredibly bad? Maybe a lot of people just think, ‘I don’t understand what this spell does exactly, so I’d rather take something that I know is fantastic.'” – brasswirebrush
“What really made Eyebite appealing to me was the fight in Cazador’s dungeon when that skeleton guy used it all the time. If something is so annoying, you just have to use it yourself!” – icky-sticky
However, many believe that Eyebite primarily loses because by the time Eyebite becomes available, you are already powerful enough that a damage spell is simply the better choice.
“The honest answer? At that level, you can pretty much vaporize any opponent you would otherwise cast it on by simply using a damage spell.” – Bloodygaze
“It’s opportunity cost. Why would you cast ‘Single Target Impair’ when the same spell slot could also be used to cast ‘Annihilate Army’ or ‘Summon Immortal Murder Elemental’?” – ThePowerOfStories
Many note, however, that Eyebite is definitely worthwhile especially at higher difficulties. Particularly stubborn enemies that cannot be defeated in one round can be kept at a distance or so strongly restricted that they no longer pose a threat. Those who have previously avoided the spell should take a closer look at its advantages. Another weakness of the game annoys some people – because a feature is poorly implemented.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of Pax Dei have now revealed when the sandbox MMORPG is set to launch and what to know about the subscription. Spoiler: It surprisingly comes without a monthly fee option.
What is known about the release? For a long time, it was said that the early access started in June 2024 would run for at least 1 year, that is until summer 2025. Now it is clear that the developers are aiming for a final launch in the autumn of this year – they revealed this on playpaxdei.com. However, there is still no specific date.
It was also clear that the developers intend to charge for early access to Pax Dei, as well as prefer a Buy2Play model for the release. Additionally, a monthly subscription has been on the table from the start. The final plans now cover both options, but also reveal for the first time a subscription-free variant for the sandbox MMORPG.
The early access trailer for Pax Dei:
Start video
Pax Dei: Trailer for the Early Access launch shows beautiful medieval world
Subscription versus no subscription – what is the difference?
What do I need to know about the subscription?
The subscription fee for the premium version of Pax Dei will be introduced with the 1.0 release.
Those who are among the early access founders will receive 1 month of premium access in addition to game access. The number of character slots, tutorials, and plot tokens corresponds to the purchased founder package version.
Those who buy Pax Dei at release will gain access to the game, 2 character slots, 1 plot token, and also 1 month of premium.
After the month, all players have the choice of whether to continue paying for premium or use the free version of Pax Dei.
Pax Dei without a subscription includes:
Full access to all game systems: PvE, PvP, crafting, building, and more.
Public workshops and storage in starting zones near the Petrae Dei. Private storage includes 20 slots and can be expanded to a maximum of 80 storage slots with a few sacrifices.
The ability to buy equipment and consumables from other players with gold earned in PvE.
The option to join a clan and use its plots to contribute to a shared village or emerging city.
Access to high-level crafting materials and rare loot through PvP.
The developers emphasize that this is not a demo but a full version of the game.
The premium subscription provides the following benefits:
Premium status brings the following bonuses:
+50 % grace upon daily login,
+50 % grace for offerings in the form of gold,
+50 % XP boost on all activities.
1, 2, or 4 plot tokens (depending on the selected subscription)
With each plot token, you can claim 1 plot for 1 month or add 1 month to one of your existing plots.
You decide when and how to spend your plot tokens: sequentially to hold one plot over several months, or all at once to manage multiple plots for a month.
By maintaining your personal home in the game, you can:
unlock unlimited storage options by building your own containers,
establish advanced workshops tailored to your playstyle,
open a shop by setting up your personal market stalls,
invite your friends or clan members by sharing permissions for your plot.
There are 3 variants of Premium.
How exactly do the plot tokens work?
Plot tokens are the key to land ownership in Pax Dei. With each token, you can secure your own plot for 1 month.
You can use the tokens to extend an existing plot or secure additional plots.
Purchased tokens remain valid for 12 months from the date you received them. You can use them within this period as you wish, completely independent of whether you have a subscription or not.
What happens when all tokens expire?
After the plot expires, it will enter a “frozen” status for a limited grace period. You will not be able to build or destroy anything on the plot while it is frozen.
If you decide to spend a plot token, the frozen status will be lifted, and you will regain full access.
If your plot finally expires, all content placed there will be safely stored in what is called a redemption queue.
How much does Premium cost? There are 3 subscription variants:
Premium + 1 plot token per month: 6.99 Euros
Premium + 2 plot tokens per month: 10.99 Euros
Premium + 4 plot tokens per month: 18.99 Euros
To allow interested parties to test the premium status and the free storage before the launch, the corresponding content will soon hit the early access version. However, no one will have to pay a fee until then – that will only come with the final release in autumn.
What kind of MMORPG is Pax Dei? Here you can expect a social sandbox MMO with a strong focus on resource gathering, item and building crafting, and trading goods. Entire villages, cities, and fortresses can emerge from individual plots.
The Twitch streamer Ironmouse left her talent agency VShojo after raising allegations against the management.Now other streamers are following her.
Why is Ironmouse opposing her management? The Twitch streamer Ironmouse is a VTuber. She does not show her real face, but has created an avatar that represents her. There are managements that specifically work with VTubers.
Ironmouse was under contract with one of the managements in the USA: VShojo. Recently, Ironmouse released a video on her YouTube channel, in which she claimed that VShojo had embezzled her donations. Donation funds amounting to over 400,000 euros that the Twitch streamer had raised for the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF).
We have requested a statement from VShojo. As soon as MeinMMO has a statement, you will find out on our page.
Since Ironmouse suffers from an immune deficiency and is often sick, she had reached out to the organization herself and received help. This support was something she wanted to give back through donations, which is why the alleged embezzlement has reportedly hit her particularly hard.
Start video
VTubers – what are they & where do they come from?
“Never thought I would say these words”
Other VTubers are following Ironmouse: Ironmouse also claims that she is waiting for payment from her management. Something that other VTubers are also claiming now.
Kuro wrote on X that he had decided to leave the talent agency over a week before Ironmouse’s video was published.
Projekt Melody confirmed on X her departure from VShojo and said: “I am more than devastated about what happened, and I never thought in a million years that I would say these words.”
Kson, a VTuber who creates both English and Japanese content, talked about the fact that she allegedly has not been paid by VShojo since September 2024 during her stream. She even announced live in the stream that she is leaving the management (clip on YouTube) and that she had been considering it for a while.
Ironmouse is raising funds again: After Ironmouse allegedly found out that the donation funds had supposedly not been transferred from VShojo to the IDF, the Twitch streamer called for another fundraising campaign. Yesterday, over 700,000 US dollars were collected, even though an initial goal of 10,000 US dollars was set. Ironmouse shared her joy about this on X:
A Twitch streamer’s team was dramatically defeated in the new raid of Destiny 2. The boss had an empty health bar but did not fall in time.
Who is it about? The YouTuber and Twitch streamer Datto is a true Destiny expert. He is known for guides and useful information about the various contents of the game, explaining how you unlock new weapons or how the mechanics of a new raid work.
Datto and his team are also consistent participants in the World-First races of a new raid and regularly achieve top placements – even though he has not yet been able to win the race. Several times the content creator was only a few minutes behind the winning team. In 2019 he narrowly missed victory in the “Crown of Sorrow” (Forsaken) raid race, to the point where he briefly thought his team had won (see Twitch).
Again this year, Datto and his team participated in the World-First race of the new raid, but they dramatically failed against a boss and had to watch as another team snatched the title.
Start video
The launch trailer of “The Edge of Fate” showcases the new expansion of Destiny 2
Boss refuses to die and wipes the team
What happened to the streamer and his team? During the World-First race of “The Eternal Desert,” Datto and his team had a run where the health bar of the boss “Epoptes, Lord of Quanta” was completely empty. Still, the team lost.
Before the boss fell, the entire team was wiped. Afterwards, they remained stuck on that boss for over 1.5 hours – crucial time that was lost in the race. At that time, the raid had already been going on for 8 hours. You can see the scene of the dramatic team wipe here:
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During the raids, teams could determine the order in which they defeated the first three bosses before facing the final boss. Epoptes was the first boss that Datto’s team challenged. They took about 4 hours to take on Iatros next. They managed to defeat the third boss, Agraios, another 7 hours later.
Overall, they were simply too slow. When Datto’s team reached the third boss, the first team succeeded in defeating the final boss of the raid and secured the World-First title – Datto had long since given up on a potential victory and thought the race was already over.
Knowing that they could no longer win the race, the team took a longer break before facing the final boss. This boss was also supposed to wipe the entire team with an empty health bar (via Twitch).
The Twitch streamer and eSports enthusiast HandofBlood has criticized the Esports World Cup, also pointing fingers at the involved German players.
What does Hänno say about the debate? In a new post on X.com, the Twitch streamer and founder of the eSports team Eintracht Spandau criticized the Esports World Cup. “Everything about the Esports World Cup annoys me indescribably […]” he writes in his post. In this post, he further talks about the “cognitive dissonance of the whole scene” and criticizes the spectators who do not approach the tournament critically enough.
But Hänno also expresses clear criticism of the organizations participating in the tournament in his tweet. In his opinion, eSports was built by “hard-working and committed people with conviction” and now they are “bending to the Saudis”. Furthermore, he claims that they are trying to sell all of this on the business platform LinkedIn as “something good”.
Here you can see how HandofBlood became the German champion with his team:
Start video
HandOfBlood wanted to change e-sports with his LoL team, now he is finally the German champion
Is it all just sportswashing?
What could be so wrong with the Esports World Cup? The Esports World Cup in Riyadh has faced criticism since its announcement, as Esports Insider reports. One of the main accusations is the so-called “sportswashing”. This describes the attempt of a country to improve its international image by hosting major sporting events.
In the case of Saudi Arabia, there are significant criticisms. The country’s human rights situation is repeatedly criticized internationally (via ecdhr.org). Whether for the restriction of freedom of expression, the treatment of women and minorities, the use of the death penalty (via amnesty.de), or the alleged involvement in the murder of critical journalist Jamal Khashoggi (via reporter-ohne-grenzen.de).
The country’s position is also contrary to the open values that exist in eSports. Homosexuality is criminalized in the country (via lsvd.de), while eSports embodies the values of inclusion and diversity. Fragster.de reports censorship in a documentary where LGBTQ+ content was removed from the Saudi version.
A roughly two-minute segment, where Steve Arhancet, Co-CEO of Team Liquid, openly discusses his experiences as a gay man in eSports, was completely removed. Visual elements that indicate LGBTQ+ solidarity were also obscured through technical means.
The background, according to Fragster.de, is the local legislation that prevents LGBTQ+ representations in media. In the international versions, the segment of the co-CEO is included.
How do the readers react? In the comments under his posts, the content creator receives a lot of support. For instance, fellow Twitch colleague Vlesk writes on X.com: “Anyone who only stands up for their values when they have to sacrifice nothing has no values.” Moreover, both posts collectively received over 1,500 likes within a few hours.
There are also attempts to explain. Users claim that eSports is currently in a difficult phase. We at MeinMMO have also reported repeatedly in the past about the consequences of the so-called “eSports winter”, a term that describes the economic slump in professional eSports. For example, for an important German caster in LoL.
For years, a lot of money flowed into eSports, but in recent years sponsors have been pulling back more and more, and the clubs and organizations are increasingly lacking funds (via kicker.de). Participating in the Esports World Cup could therefore seem more attractive for the organizations, as there are ultimately prize money in the millions in the disciplines (via esportsworldcup.com).
8 years of development, 1 successful Kickstarter campaign, but in the end no 3 years of live operation … an ambitious SciFi-MMO will go offline forever in August 2025.
The mix of Eve Online and Minecraft has been struggling with big economic issues from the very beginning. Moreover, despite the freedoms, there is not that much to do. Many issues from the early days are still present. Content updates have become rare, despite the subscription fee.
The result of all this: Dual Universe sits at Steam with only 51 percent positive feedback. Recently, only a handful of Steam users have been online in the universe at the same time (via steamdb.info).
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Check out the release trailer for Dual Universe: The new sci-fi MMO that mixes Eve Online with Minecraft
What have the developers announced? In the official forum on dualthegame.com, the officials announced the end of the official server of Dual Universe. It states:
Today we announce the closure of the Dual Universe server. With a heavy heart, we must inform you that the Dual Universe MMO server will be shut down on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 14:00 UTC.
We cannot thank you all enough for supporting Dual Universe during this time. As the official Dual Universe MMO server approaches its grand finale, the journey of the Noveans will continue as they fly to the outer reaches of the universe in myDU.
MyDu stays, the costs for MyDu too
What does the last part of the quote mean? The paid, community-driven standalone version MyDu of Dual Universe is said to remain online according to the developers. There, player-hosted public servers can be found.
The developers are currently examining the possibility of making the game available to all interested parties as an open-source license OpenDU due to the “Stop Killing Games” movement. However, technical and legal aspects still need to be clarified.
What else is important? Anyone who still has DACs on their Dual Universe account should use them according to the developers by August 2025 – for access to MyDu, for example. Anyone switching to a MyDu server should also remember to export their blueprints.
Furthermore, the announcement states: “After August 27, 2025, the remaining unused paid subscription time will be refunded to your accounts. Please note that it may take 7 to 14 business days (sometimes longer) for a credit card company to process a refund (this is beyond our control). All current/active subscribers can play the MMO Dual Universe until August 27, 2025.”
In Dungeons & Dragons there are a bunch of magical items – some are powerful, others simply extremely funny. We present 5 particularly amusing ones to you.
How was the list created? For this list, we have selected 5 magical items that may not seem particularly useful at first glance but come with features that almost inevitably lead to funny and creative situations.
In this list, you will find a selection of magical items of different kinds that you should keep an eye on – especially if you’re up to some mischief.
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Critical Role stellen ihr neues, eigenes Rollenspiel vor: Daggerheart
This bag literally has something inside it, even if it looks empty when you look in. Even so, it appears inconspicuous, gray, rusty, or light brown. However, if you use your magic action and reach inside, you can feel a fluffy object within.
You can and should then throw it up to 20 feet away. Once it lands, the fluff ball transforms into a random creature that is friendly towards you and takes its turn in combat immediately after the person who threw it. You can then use your bonus action to move the creature and take an action with it. If you do not, it will behave like the creature it is.
The summoned creature remains with you until the next dawn or disappears if its hit points drop to 0. Per day and until the next dawn, you can pull a total of 3 creatures from the bag.
Which creature appears is random, determined by rolling a D8 from the respective table, and also depends on the color of your bag. So you can get a dire wolf or an owl, leading to funny situations that give you an advantage or require special creativity – or are just funny.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
While new MMORPGs are becoming increasingly rare, the genre of Cozy Games is growing steadily, also appealing to typical MMO players.
In recent years, MMORPGs have changed significantly. The reasons for this are varied, but a main focus is on the fact that everything that needs solving is already resolved by the release. While titles like Ultima Online focused early on gathering and crafting, players in modern MMORPGs are driven from one attraction to the next to grab their 10-to-60-minute fun bites.
Who is writing here? Cedric Holmeier is a freelance author at MeinMMO and has been playing MMORPGs since childhood. He is particularly fond of Asian MMORPGs. In games like Throne and Liberty, Swords of Legends Online, Metin2 or Jade Dynasty, he has spent thousands of hours.
Crafting, trading, and job systems have been increasingly hollowed out, becoming mere side activities. In some modern MMORPGs, there’s no way around raids and dungeons to achieve anything in the game. These aspects are, however, essential components of the genre. MeinMMO former editor Alexander Leitsch described this as early as 2021.
At the same time, so-called Cozy Games are gaining popularity by picking up and perfecting the mechanics that MMORPGs once borrowed from their common ancestors, such as Harvest Moon. As a result, Cozy Games – even if it may sound strange – are slowly becoming the better MMORPGs.
What is Harvest Moon? Harvest Moon is a farming simulation where players build a farm, cultivate fields, care for animals, and form relationships with villagers. It early defined central MMORPG elements: professions, crafting, and progress through daily life instead of combat. The game, released in Europe in 1998, showed how fulfilling collecting, trading, and creating can be.
Do you know why the loot always has the same colors?
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Why is the loot always white, green, blue, purple, and gold?
Side issue: Crafting
In the past, gathering resources and crafting were often not just a side activity but a cornerstone of the player economy. Those who specialized in making weapons, armor, or potions could secure their place in the community of a game. One had to venture into dangerous areas to obtain rare materials or spend hours mining ores and fishing.
The economy within the games was fueled by player craftsmanship, while merchants and auctions thrived on self-created products. Raph Koster, lead designer of Ultima Online, explained in an interview with MeinMMO in 2020 that the allure of classic MMORPGs was precisely the players creating a real, living economy.
In Ultima Online, the world was shaped by the players. A blacksmith relied on the miner who had to mine the ore to forge weapons and armor. Merchants played an essential role by distributing raw materials and enlivening markets.
The Grind Fest from July 21 to 27 This week, exciting articles on the topic of MMORPG await you every day. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, as well as nostalgic reviews, streaming evenings, interviews, columns, and analyses.
This interesting economy gave players a deeper motivation to specialize in professions and crafting. This is something that many modern MMORPGs have largely abandoned.
If you played one of the MMORPG ancestors back then, you probably also had one or several guild crafters and gatherers around you, ensuring that your group had everything needed to even engage in battles.
The need for other players to be equipped for an activity is long a relic of the past. Today, equipment for attraction number 35 drops in many games at attractions 32, 33, and 34. The hero goes solo.
Tarisland is a typical theme park MMORPG of modern times. It even offers a real theme park in the game.
Main thing: Fun
Many modern MMORPGs follow the theme park model: developers emphasize linear content where players are guided from one attraction to the next without being hindered by obstacles that disrupt their gameplay (cf. Wikipedia). While this is an advantage for many casual players because it makes entry easier, it simultaneously causes deeper gameplay mechanics like professions and crafting to lose significance.
In classic MMORPGs like EverQuest or Ultima Online, crafting was often a real alternative to combat – some players spent all their time farming materials, processing them, and trading with other players. Without gathering resources and crafting items, supply and economy collapsed. Then fighters were also left in the lurch.
Those who specialized in making weapons, armor, or potions could therefore secure their place in the community of a game. In 2001, the gross domestic product of the world was estimated for EverQuest by comparing the prices of in-game items with their value on real-money marketplaces and flea market pages. The virtual world was ranked 77th worldwide – between Bulgaria and Russia (via windowsunited.de).
Today, however, many of these mechanics have been greatly simplified or have become nearly meaningless. Instead of complex production chains or deep profession systems, modern MMORPGs often feature simplified crafting menus. Materials can be easily obtained through quests, dungeons, or shops, and crafting becomes more of a footnote than a central feature of the game.
Although trade in Throne and Liberty works well, many of the materials needed for equipment upgrades come from dungeons.
Alternative: Cozy Games
While MMORPGs increasingly neglect true crafting and jobs, Cozy Games pick up exactly these mechanics and build entire player experiences around them.
Games like “Stardew Valley”, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, “Disney Dreamlight Valley”, or “Dinkum” offer extensive gathering and crafting systems that are often deeper than in MMORPGs. But they go even further:
Focus on Gathering and Crafting Mechanics – While MMORPGs often treat these elements merely as a side activity, they are the core of the game in Cozy Games. Players can farm, fish, mine, and actively shape and design their surroundings without these mechanics being overshadowed by other game content. No raid boss needs to be defeated to craft an item.
Social Interactionswith and without Humans – Many Cozy Games offer a simulated social experience. NPCs with complex relationships, multiplayer features, or asynchronous interactions (like in “Animal Crossing” or “Dreamlight Valley”) replace traditional MMORPG communities. While the social aspect in MMORPGs is increasingly being eradicated by single-player content, NPCs in Cozy Games take an interest in the player and create parasocial relationships through dialogues. Some Cozy Games also offer a coop mode.
No Raids, No PvP – but Long-Term Progress – Players in MMORPGs who only wanted to gather and craft often feel trapped in a world that ultimately pushes them towards raids or PvP to have enough content. Cozy Games, on the other hand, provide these players with opportunities to make progress without combat mechanics.
Playtime that integrates better into daily life – MMORPGs often require longer sessions and regular logins to stay engaged. Cozy Games, on the other hand, allow for more flexible play – perfect for casual gamers. And if collectors have always been out and about at night, Cozy Games won’t stop them either.
Reward Systems that Replace the MMORPG Factor – Some Cozy Games now feature mechanics such as daily quests, season passes, or unlockable rewards, experience points, and levels that function similarly to MMORPGs. This gives players the same dopamine kick as loot grinding but without the frustration of raids or endgame content and at their own pace. Whether the experience points come from monster grinding or ore mining ultimately doesn’t matter.
Housing with More Freedom – In Cozy Games, housing is often much more flexible than in MMORPGs. As they are usually single-player or smaller multiplayer games, gamers have far greater opportunities to design their surroundings individually. In MMORPGs, however, housing is often restricted by fixed placements, limited building spots, or instanced areas.
In Disney Dreamlight Valley, familiar characters accompany us in collecting, crafting, and questing.
Cozy Games versus MMORPGs – The Conclusion
Cozy Games have overtaken MMORPGs in many areas by focusing on specialized player wishes and making crafting, gathering, and social interactions a standalone player experience. MMORPGs, on the other hand, have fallen behind in these areas and thus lose an important part of their community.
Nevertheless, the MMORPG genre remains unique because it leads a persistent character through a multitude of different contents – from crafting to quests to PvP and raids.
While Cozy Games are an alternative for players who only want to gather and craft, they offer no substitute for those who want to prove themselves in challenging PvE dungeons, raids, or competitive PvP.
No other genre manages to unite so many play styles in a vibrant, interconnected world. To ensure that MMORPGs do not lose this advantage, they urgently need to focus more on diversity and better integrate player types who do not want to fight. And that’s exactly why I believe that Cozy Games are currently almost the better MMORPGs.
In a new strategy game on Steam, you play as a king who must keep a close eye on his subjects. Twitch streamer Max “HandOfBlood” Knabe is already excited – as are 83% of players who have left a review.
Which game are we talking about? The game in question is The King is Watching. Developer Hypnohead describes his game as a roguelite kingdom-building simulation. The game was released on July 21, 2025, and so far it has been very well received by players:
Out of over 600 reviews on Steam, 83% are positive, resulting in an overall rating of “very positive”.
The interesting gameplay, depth, and variety of options the game offers are praised. The visual style is also highlighted positively.
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The King is Watching: In the new strategy game on Steam you have to pay close attention
A Hänno-certified “Banger”
Twitch streamer HandOfBlood (often referred to as Hänno) has already played the game live. You can find a recording of it on YouTube. He himself refers to The King is Watching as a “brand new banger” – which may also be due to its similarities to his own game.
Steam user JinDiesel writes in his review: “If you like 9 Kings or Monster Train, […] then this is exactly your game.”
9 Kings, in this case, is the game in which HandOfBlood was involved with his company INSTINCT3 as the publisher. By the way, MeinMMO author Johanna has written a play report about it:
What is The King is Watching about? You manage your own kingdom as you fend off hordes of enemies turn by turn. The unique aspect of the game is that you must keep a close eye on your kingdom.
As a king, you must constantly survey your castle. However, if you don’t look somewhere, your subjects will immediately stop working.
It is up to you to decide what priorities you set: Are you keeping a watchful eye on resource production? Or on the training of new troops?
With resources, you expand your field of vision and ensure that more operations are active simultaneously.
Until July 28, you can get The King is Watching on Steam for €13.49. After that, the game will cost €14.99. However, trying it out won’t cost anything – there is a free demo available.
In Helldivers 2, the clever minds solved a puzzle in May and earned a cloak for it. But there is a new puzzle on the cloak that the community must solve.
What kind of cloak is it? In Helldivers 2, the clever warriors received a new type of task in May. In an “Alternate Reality Game” (ARG), players had to prove that they have not only muscles but also brains. In Discord, the community had to solve several difficult puzzles together.
They had to decode Morse code, change antenna angles with brute-forcing, and play a game that resembled Minesweeper. One task was to read a code from the profile pictures of the community managers of Helldivers 2. The profile pictures were made up of Braille, a writing system that blind people use to read texts.
Here you can watch the trailer for the latest war bond:
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Helldivers 2 shows its new war bond “Control Group”
A new puzzle
What kind of cloak is it? Although the developers are currently on summer vacation, they delivered a new cloak to the players as a farewell. The cloak shines in a violet color and has several dots on it.
Fans quickly realized that this is a homage to the puzzles from May, as the dots once again form a text in Braille. The developers have given the brave soldiers a new task to solve, namely to find out what is written on the cloak.
What is written on the cloak? The community immediately got to work and translated what is written on the new cloak. According to their decoding results on Reddit, it says “DCON”. The word is neither an abbreviation nor a code but the Discord handle of the person who played a key role in helping the developers with the ARG.
With the cloak, the developers thank the player and honor his achievements and work in a very special way.
How do the clever warriors react to it? That the developers of Helldivers 2 again use a written language that is hardly decipherable by people with low vision due to the display on a screen causes laughter in the community.
A user named Formal-Friend7845 posts the picture of the cloak on Reddit and asks: “Can someone who is blind please translate this?” In the comments, the following responses are made:
Master_Majestico says: “I am blind… I cannot see the picture.”
Evil_Squirrel8 responds: “Then just feel it, buddy.”
RockRage– follows the advice and says: “Okay, I just touched my phone and it says ‘Freedom’.”
ArelMCII: “I asked my blind friend and he said: ‘Computer monitor.'”
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang explains in an interview that he works 7 days a week. Even when he watches a movie, he cannot forget about work.
In a conversation with Stripe founder Patrick Collison on YouTube, Jensen Huang explained to his conversation partner that he is even occupied with work when he is resting or watching a movie. “When I’m not working, I think about work,” he says.
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In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
However, to make his company the most valuable firm in the world, he had to make some compromises. This includes not having a real work-life balance in his daily life. In the interview, he told his conversation partner (via Fortune.com):
I work from waking up until going to bed. I work seven days a week. When I’m not working, I think about work (…) I watch movies, but I don’t remember them because I think about work.
And he added that he wants to transform Nvidia into a giant AI: One of his biggest dreams is for every area of his company to use AI intensively. After that, he could still think about a better work-life balance:
I want to make NVIDIA into one giant AI. How great would that be? And then I finally have work-life balance.
One of the most successful Twitch streamers is Cody “Clix” Conrad, at least when it comes to Fortnite. Now, he has banned a charitable donor who transferred over 30,000 euros to him.
How did the ban happen? The Twitch streamer Clix noticed a particularly generous viewer who is said to have distributed over 30,000 euros to streamers in one month. He confronted the boy, who claims to be just 15 years old.
The 15-year-old revealed that he earned over 15,000 euros through stocks. When asked if he had gone into debt because of it, he replied that he was close to it. The money was donated from his own credit card, which is said to be under his father’s name, as the boy is not yet of legal age.
According to the viewer, his father found out that he had donated so much money. He became angry and told his son not to spend any more money.
This unfortunately did not last long, as right at the beginning of Clix’s stream, the 15-year-old donated a small amount again. Clix decided to ban the boy as a result.
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In Fortnite gäbe es beinahe nie Crossover – Bis 2018 das Telefon klingelte
15-Year-Old Explains the Reason for Huge Donation
Why did he donate? According to the 15-year-old, he enjoyed spending the money. It released dopamine in him, an amino of the body that is responsible for feelings of happiness.
He also stated that he is not dependent on the money. Clix directly contradicts him vehemently, stating that a 15-year-old can certainly use money.
What is also noticeable: The boy repeatedly emphasizes that he is disabled. What kind of disability he suffers from and whether that is even true cannot be determined from the stream.
What do others say? On X.com, many doubt that the 15-year-old earned the money through stocks. In the barrage of questions, the boy revealed that his parents are wealthy. Some users therefore suspect that the teenager simply used his parents’ money.
The community is also divided about what should happen to the money that the boy donated. Some are in favor of giving him the money back. Others say he needs to learn from his actions:
hhbddaryl would give the money back: “The damn idiot [Clix] says, I don’t want to encourage refunds. If you really care, just tell him to refund the money.”
Obungamoto thinks the teenager will soon regret it: “This boy will regret donating 30k to streamers in a few years while doing a job he hates.”
weezard0f0z thinks that the boy can only learn this way: “Best, we let him learn the hard way, because the boy seems to be an idiot who would do it again immediately.”
Some users also accuse on Reddit that he should contact the child’s parents instead of just keeping the money and banning the viewer.
