Player makes the same mistake twice in Dune: Awakening, first loses his vehicle, then his entire inventory

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 2 minutes

Dune: Awakening is a survival MMO, and the genre itself indicates that it’s about survival. One player, however, has not handled himself well on Arrakis and has made the same mistake twice.

What was that mistake? The player JRPG_Enjoyer shared a video of himself on Reddit. In it, he shows how he loses his sandbike due to the same mistake and then later gets eaten by a worm.

After collecting ores in the Hagga Basin, the player set out through the dunes. Meanwhile, a sandstorm is brewing behind him, which is why JRPG_Enjoyer has to hurry. He doesn’t pay attention to his path, but to the sandstorm, and before he knows it, he drives his sandbike into the quicksand.

He barely manages to pull himself out of the quicksand, but he has to leave his bike there, which gets swallowed by the sand. He returns to the rocky formation where he was before and tries again immediately. This time, the player uses the sprint ability of the Bene Gesserit to quickly get to safety. But he lands again in the quicksand, so deep that he can’t get out anymore. Just before he sinks, the sandworm comes and eats him. Thus, he has lost everything.

You can watch the video here:

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Players Laugh and Give Tips

How does the community react to the incident? The community finds the situation extremely funny. Many find it amusing that the player feels so pressured by the rushing sandstorm that he makes a big mistake twice:

  • Vit0C0rleone laughs on Reddit: “Sorry for your loss and for laughing so hard.”
  • Dzov says on Reddit: “Losing all your stuff is a kind of initiation rite. Don’t worry, you’ll get better stuff soon and learn from it.”
  • Enchrypted says on Reddit: “I’m not lying, the second quicksand moment made me laugh and cry. Thank you for that.”

Further tips can be found here in the video:

Start video
Dune: Awakening: 7 schnelle Tipps, die das Spiel euch nicht verrät

Others want to help and give tips on how to survive in the situation next time. User Timb____ explains on Reddit that in quicksand, you can simply turn around quickly to get out.

  • SpooN04 asks on Reddit: “Didn’t you have your vehicle support tool in hand? Doesn’t it work in quicksand or something?”
  • ThePostManEST confirms on Reddit: “Yes, it works.”
  • Disturbed235 explains on Reddit: “It works, but only if you have nothing in the trunk. OP didn’t have a trunk, so it should have worked. Once you get into quicksand, just turn your motorcycle around, and you won’t have a problem getting it out.”

In addition to player tips, it is also advisable to check the map beforehand, as all quicksand fields are usually marked there. This way you can find a better route to avoid danger altogether.

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The player could have saved himself and his belongings if he had acted better. However, Dune: Awakening was designed for such moments, and they add to the thrill of the game. How best to venture into the deep desert as a solo player, you can find out here: 10 tips that also PvE players can use to venture into the deep desert in Dune: Awakening

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Reddit

Diablo 4: Tier List of the Best Builds in Season 9

Nicole Wakulczyk Nicole Wakulczyk Reading time 6 minutes

The best builds in Season 9 of Diablo 4 for all classes in endgame can be found in our tier list. MeinMMO explains the builds and provides links for recreation.

Which is the best class in Season 9? As of the current state at the start of the season, the Spiritborn is the strongest class and is represented with several S-tier builds. In Season 7, the class was nerfed because it was too overpowered. The best builds of the Spiritborn are based on the new unique leg armor “Balazans Maxtlatl”. The Blood Wave Necromancer is also expected to remain strong.

How we created the list

In particular, the assessments from Diablo expert and build theorycrafter Rob are important for our ranking. You can find his data in his Google Doc. The opinions from the experts at maxroll.gg as well as our own experience are also included.

The list is expected to change several times in the coming weeks, especially when it becomes clear how much the new Horadric spells in Season 9 truly affect the builds.

Our tier list includes all endgame activities for Diablo 4, with the Pit serving as a benchmark. For PvP, speed grinds, and level builds, the builds are not always the best fit. Keep in mind that the shown builds include runes from Vessel of Hatred.

What does “S” to “F” mean? In the tier list, the builds are categorized by letters. In this case, “S” represents the best builds, while “F” marks the worst ones.

S-Tier: The best builds in Season 9

The builds in S-Tier are virtually unbeatable and are suitable not only for the Pit but for almost any content in the game. Even with potential weaknesses, they are stronger than all other builds.

More information about the S-Tier builds

About the Balazan builds: With Season 9, the new unique leg armor “Balazans Maxtlatl” is introduced. The strongest builds of the Spiritborn rely on this unique: Each attack inflicts thorn damage to your targets and additionally causes poison damage over time. With the skill “Harmful Resonance,” your critical strikes cause the poison on enemies to explode.

Shadowblight Necromancer: The build relies on the central passive skill “Shadowblight,” which infects enemies with shadow damage. You can play this build early in the endgame as it doesn’t require uniques to function. A unique that is worthwhile for the build is the amulet “Ebenstecher.” This amulet ensures that “Plague” additionally fires 4 smaller projectiles that pierce enemies and cause shadow damage over time.

Blood Wave Necromancer: Blood Wave received new uniques with Season 7 – one of them is Kessime’s Legacy. The leg armor ensures that two blood waves flow towards you from the sides and pull in enemies before exploding for high damage. This damage increases each time an enemy is hit by a wave. You play this build entirely without minions.

Hydra Sorcerer: Because the Sorcerers receive a new unique related to Hydras in Season 9, the build based on this skill is expected to be quite strong according to experts. The unique amulet “Ophidic Iris” makes the Hydra skill the core ability and always summons a three-headed Hydra whose attacks explode upon impact. The Hydra does not gain additional heads, but rather grows larger for each potential head, inflicting multiplicative damage.

A-Tier: Strong builds for endgame in Season 9

A-Tier builds are typically a bit weaker than those in S-Tier but offer a broader range of playstyles that may suit you better. If you’re not trying to dominate the leaderboards, you can’t go wrong here.

More information about the A-Tier builds

Companion Druid: With the Companion build, you will tear apart your opponents as a Druid with an army of animal companions. The wolves are at the center of the build while the ravens impress with strong area damage early in the game. Eventually, you will have around 15 companions. The build is particularly suited against single targets and bosses, but is not suitable for speed farming due to cooldowns and a small radius for area damage.

Pulverize Druid: The Pulverize build is excellent for speed farming as it combines massive area damage with a simple playstyle. The combination of Pulverize and the legendary Shockwave aspect ensures that your damage explodes in a large, cone-shaped area in front of you. You receive and improve this aspect through drops from legendary items.

Meat Grinder Druid: The build is based on the unique 1H mace “Meat Grinder,” which inflicts damage on poisoned enemies nearby when you cast a defensive skill. For every 100 Willpower, damage increases.

Touch of Death Spiritborn: Do you want to poison enemies with a giant centipede and then let them explode? Then this build is perfect for you. Touch of Death focuses on high damage over time (“DoT”), which you can make detonate for multiple times of its damage at once with various skills and legendaries.

Penetrating Shot Rogue: The build was rather an off-meta build in previous seasons but is quite strong again now. You rely on the core ability “Penetrating Shot” and blow everything on your screen into the air with it. With the Trickshot aspect, the arrow splits into multiple ones, causing area damage. With the unique sword “Blue Wrath,” you make your enemies vulnerable and inflict cold damage.

Twisting Blades Rogue: Popular since Season 1: You stick the twisting blades into an enemy and then move away to guide them through as many foes as possible upon your return. Ideal for speed farming as you simply zip across the map at high speed, and everything behind you explodes.

B-Tier: The solid midfield

B-Tier builds are sometimes experimental or have weaknesses in certain content. Often, they are only specialized for certain purposes, such as only for bosses or only for farming.

C-Tier: Off-meta builds for more variety

In C-Tier, you will find builds that can still tackle endgame but quickly fall behind other builds. However, if you are looking for something that suits your playstyle better, you will find great options for relaxed gameplay here.

More about Diablo 4:
Video about Lord of Hatred shows new feature for Diablo 4 for the first time, allows you to farm rare items relaxed
von Nicole Wakulczyk
“Mama is back”: Fans of Diablo 4 thought the big villain was dead, now he is coming back
von Nico Scheibel

F-Tier: Stay away!

The builds in this tier are so weak that they struggle with endgame content and it is not worth investing gold and time in them – unless you really want to play them. But don’t expect much success.

  • Thorns Barbarian
  • Flay Barbarian
  • Hurricane Druid
  • Knife Dance Rogue
  • Rapid Fire Rogue
  • Blood Surge Necromancer

In the new season, some builds are based on unique items. The new uniques that come to all classes in the ARPG with Season 9 also play a role in the strongest builds in endgame. You can find out what new uniques are coming and what the unique items can do in our overview: Diablo 4: All new uniques in Season 9 with effects

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

The first Hyper Bonus in Pokémon GO brings you a new Pokémon, a lot of Stardust, and an increased chance of Shinies

Paul Kutzner Paul Kutzner Reading time 2 minutes

The first Hyperbonus event has been announced in Pokémon GO. And it brings some strong content.

What is the Hyperbonus? Last weekend, the big global GO Fest 2025 took place. This is the biggest event of the year. It was announced beforehand that trainers could unlock a total of 3 subsequent events: the Hyperbonuses.

Whether these events would be unlocked depended on the trainers’ performance at the GO Fest. Various amounts of global challenges had to be completed to unlock the respective Hyperbonuses.

Apparently, the first hurdle was successfully overcome. The first Hyperbonus event has now been announced. And it brings some strong content.

Start video
So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus

All Content of Hyperbonus: Hisui Celebration

When does the event take place? The event will start on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM and will run until Sunday, July 13, 2025, at 8:00 PM.

Which Pokémon is making its debut? During the event, you will encounter the Hisui form of Zorua for the first time. You can find the monster in the wild. For 50 candies, you can evolve it into Hisui-Zoroark.

What bonuses are there at the event? There are some strong bonuses active during the first Hyperbonus. These include:

  • 4 times the amount of Stardust when catching Pokémon
  • 4 times the amount of experience points when catching Pokémon
  • increased chance for the shiny variants of Hisui-Voltorb and Hisui-Baldorfish in the wild
  • increased chance for shiny Unown U in raid battles
  • Space-time anomalies can be triggered, temporarily allowing other Pokémon to appear
  • Collector’s challenge
  • Event field research

The 4 times bonus on catch Stardust is particularly strong. Since it is active throughout the entire event, there is a great opportunity to collect a lot of Stardust. If you use Star Pieces, you will even get 6 times the amount of catch Stardust for the duration of the item.

What exactly the space-time anomalies will look like, how they will be triggered, and which monsters they will allow to appear is not known in detail.

Which Pokémon are available at the event? During the event, you can encounter the following Pokémon:

In the wild:

  • Zubat*
  • Hisui-Voltorb*
  • Magikarp*
  • Hisui-Baldorfish*
  • Staraptor*
  • Shroomish*
  • Petilil*
  • Hisui-Zorua
  • Gyarados*
  • Arcanine*
  • Sneasel* (rare)
  • Larvitar* (rare)
  • Deino* (rare)

In 1-Star raids:

  • Hisui-Eevee*
  • Unown U*
  • Hisui-Sneasel*

In 3-Star raids:

  • Hisui-Scyther*
  • Hisui-Arcanine*
  • Shuckle*
  • Axegon*

All monsters marked with an * can also appear as shiny.

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July has begun. And as usual, it brings some events, raids, spotlight hours, and many other contents to Pokémon GO. If you want to know what to expect when in July, feel free to take a look at our overview with all events in July 2025 in Pokémon GO.

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

Steam has received a new feature so that you can finally see who is responsible for the poor performance of your game

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 2 minutes

Steam has introduced a new feature: A comprehensive performance display so you can see how your entire PC is utilized directly.

What is the new feature? Valve has added a new feature to its platform Steam: A comprehensive performance display that shows you how the game is rendered and displayed. This function shows you the performance of your PC and how it affects the game’s performance. Steam mentions this in its official blog post.

What does it provide? Thanks to the overlay, you can clearly see how heavily your computer is stressed. If your game is not running smoothly, you might notice that your graphics card is constantly at 100%, or that you forgot to enable DLSS in the settings. This makes troubleshooting much easier.

The new feature from Steam also has the advantage that you no longer need an additional performance overlay, but can simply use the one from Steam.

Start video
A user asks Valve if he can bequeath his many games on Steam – they reply

Steam: Activating Performance Display – Here’s how

The new performance display has four detail levels:

  • 1. Display of the FPS individual value, just like before.
  • 2. Display of the FPS detail level with information about DLSS/FSR.
  • 3. Display of the FPS detail level as well as the CPU and GPU utilization.
  • 4. Display of the FPS detail level as well as complete information about CPU, GPU, and RAM.
Steam Performance Display Performance Overlay Function
The new performance display from Steam can be set up very detailed.

How to activate the feature: Go to the settings in Steam → In-game → and here Overlay Performance Monitoring to activate the new performance overlay, adjust its size and position, and set a hotkey.

What limitations are there? The first version is said to focus only on Windows and the most common graphics cards according to Steam. If you play on Macintosh or Linux or have a very old and rare graphics card, it might be that you do not get to see the complete data.

Where the data comes from: How Valve/Steam calculates your numbers and data and where the data comes from is explained by Steam in a dedicated blog post in the support forum.

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Steam Family has officially launched. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann has been using the feature for months in beta and has saved a lot of money since then. In the following article, he explains why he uses the feature and why it can also help you a lot: I have been using a new feature on Steam for months and have saved several hundred euros since then

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

Ein Mix aus Deckbuilder und Roguelike schickt mich durch Himmel und Hölle, verdient jeden der 95 Prozentpunkte auf Steam

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 4 minutes

Karsten Scholz, editor of MeinMMO, stumbled upon Monster Train 2 a few days ago on Xbox Game Pass (also available on Steam, PS5, and Switch). The whimsical genre mix consumes hours of your life like a hungry hell demon and provides the most entertaining train rides since the privatization of Deutsche Bahn.

What kind of game is Monster Train 2? The name reveals it: There is already a first Monster Train from May 2020. Then, as now, developer Shiny Shoe is responsible for the series. Big Fan Games, or Devolver Digital, serves as the publisher. Monster Train 2 was released on May 21, 2025, and the game is available on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Game Pass.

In Monster Train 2, you can expect a genre mix of deckbuilder, auto-battler, and roguelike, where your task is to travel through heaven, hell, and the depths with a train and confront powerful titans there. During your journey through the cloudy demon world, battles are always interspersed with phases where you can prepare for the upcoming challenges.

Who is writing here? Karsten Scholz is actually the MMORPG expert at MeinMMO, but he feels comfortable in almost all other genres as well. He started many years ago on the good old NES and C64. He also enjoys card and collectible card games. He spent way too much pocket money on Magic: The Gathering during his school days. Deckbuilders have always pressed the right buttons for him.

Protect the Hellfire

The titular train consists of 4 floors, with your enemies having to fight their way up from the very bottom to the very top. There awaits your so-called Hellfire, which must remain intact for you to continue your journey. If the Hellfire’s hit points drop to zero, the game is over. You will receive the points earned in the most recent round and any achievements and must start over.

So far, so roguelike.

You defend the three floors below the Hellfire with your cards in hand and your chosen hero. You cast spells, summon creatures, activate abilities, equip your fighters, or manipulate floors. You have various options to influence your card deck both before each match and during your journey.

Start video
Monster Train 2: Release-Trailer stellt den Mix aus Deckbuilder, Auto-Battler und Roguelike vor

This starts with the choice of the two factions that define your starting cards. Between battles, there are more options to acquire new cards, sort out unsuitable spells or creatures, or enhance strong options.

So you can work on refining a strategy or synergy of your deck round by round and upgrade by upgrade. Some factions, for example, heavily rely on magic and love making opponents vulnerable to spells. Others stack cute mushroom creatures into a single super-strong entity. And yet others manipulate the positions of units to strengthen or weaken them.

It’s a deckbuilder, after all.

Once all cards are played or you have no resources left to play cards, the actual battle begins. It runs automatically, like in an auto-battler. You can only adjust the speed of the action and must wait until all units on all floors have executed their possible attacks.

After that, there are more cards, another exchange of blows, and so on… until your Hellheart is destroyed or you have managed to defeat the boss of the current fight.

Monster Train 2 Tracks
Which track do you wish to follow?
Monster Train 2 Heroes
Each hero possesses different effects and abilities.
Monster Train 2 Battle
First play cards, then watch the battles.
Monster Train 2 New Cards
After each battle, new cards for your deck will be offered.
Monster Train 2 Upgrades
You can upgrade the cards in your deck if you have enough gold.

A time sink that is hellishly good

How well this mix works in Monster Train 2, I notice especially by how quickly time flies during a match. In just a few days, I clocked 25 to 30 hours on the Xbox Game Pass. I usually don’t even like roguelikes. It has to be quality like Hades for me to have the desire to start over and over again.

However, Monster Train 2 manages wonderfully to entice me for the next match. Through the countless factions, cards, and synergies. But also through the feeling of reward from constant unlocks and upgrades. And by the ability to customize the player experience.

Be it through the special challenges of the dimension portal, daily challenges, or the option to influence the difficulty of a journey through the pack rank or mutators.

It doesn’t surprise me at all that Monster Train 2 has a rating of 95 percent positive reviews on Steam and an average rating of 88 on Metacritic. By the way, part 1 also has 96 percent positive on Steam, and both parts of the series are currently on sale there for 7.35 euros (Monster Train) and 22.49 euros (Monster Train 2).

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Or you can do it like me and treat yourself to the Xbox Game Pass. You get part 2 at no additional cost, plus many other great games that have been released in recent months. Here are a few noteworthy examples: Microsoft’s billions are finally paying off; Xbox Game Pass is more valuable than ever

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

Extreme heat in Germany: The solution could be something that hangs in almost every house in the south

Claudio Niggenkemper Claudio Niggenkemper Reading time 2 minutes

In Southern Europe, they are found in almost every household: ceiling fans. Especially during the current heatwave in Germany and large parts of Europe, they could be an underestimated remedy against tropical nights.

How severely is the current heatwave really affecting Germany? According to Tagesschau, large parts of Germany are currently struggling with extreme heat – especially in the south. In cities, heat accumulates, and tropical nights (nights where the lowest air temperature does not drop below 20 degrees Celsius) are making sleep impossible for many. The Federal Environment Agency warns of health risks, especially for the elderly and children (via Federal Environment Agency).

The heat not only puts a strain on the circulatory system but can also alter the effects of medications. Generally, a consistently high outdoor temperature presents a significant burden on the body and poses a serious risk that cannot be addressed solely with cold water.

Start video
Slate Auto presents new truck with electric motor

Cooling from the Ceiling

What do ceiling fans do? Who doesn’t know them? The rickety ceiling fan that slowly circles around on the ceiling of a hotel somewhere in Italy, always looking like it could fall off at any moment.

In countries like Spain or Italy, ceiling fans are standard equipment. And there are good reasons for this: they are quiet, energy-efficient, and create a cooling airflow. According to 3Djuegos, this can help regulate the perceived temperature in parts, making the room feel up to two degrees cooler than it is on the thermometer (via 3Djuegos).

Even though the devices do not actually lower the temperature, this effect is worth its weight in gold during hot weather – especially in German houses and apartments, which usually come without air conditioning.

The specific benefits are:

  • Usable year-round: In winter, they can even circulate warm air better in the room.
  • Low operating costs: Compared to an air conditioner, a ceiling fan consumes only about 2 cents per hour.
  • Gentle cooling while sleeping: They operate quietly and do not create disturbing drafts like standing fans.
  • Sustainable alternative: No climate-damaging refrigerants, no conversion – ideal for retrofitting.

What else can help? A ceiling fan works best when combined with a few simple measures. Ventilate early in the morning and late in the evening, keep windows and curtains closed during the day – this keeps the heat out.

Water can also help in many ways: a damp cloth in front of the fan acts like a mini air conditioner, and lukewarm showers cool the body more gently than ice-cold water. And finally, one must not forget the most obvious: drink plenty – regularly and even when you are not thirsty. Alcohol, on the other hand, should be avoided as it puts additional strain on the circulatory system (via Tagesschau).

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With a ceiling fan, it is possible to make the feeling in the four walls at least a bit more bearable in combination. Nevertheless, it is still hot. And speaking of “hot”: colleague Karsten is just as excited about the new MMORPG Chrono Odyssey: I was skeptical whether Chrono Odyssey could impress if there was real gameplay – Now I am even more excited about the MMORPG

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Titelbild via Unsplash
  2. derStandard
  3. GQ

I play a shooter once a year and right now you can get it 80% cheaper on Steam

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 3 minutes

MeinMMO author Cedric Holmeier plays Mafia 2 once a year and falls in love with the 15-year-old game all over again. You can now get it for 80% off on Steam.

I have a game that I replay every year and that fascinates me again and again: Mafia 2. The gangster film you play lets you take on the role of Vito Scaletta. A boy from poor circumstances in 1940s New York, who learns early on that life on the right side of the law is rarely fair. One dumb idea later, instead of going to jail, he goes straight into World War II, while the known world continues to evolve around him.

Just escaped from the war and back in his hometown Empire Bay, his best friend Joe Barbaro is already waiting. Joe is the daredevil who takes every opportunity to make quick money – and is also willing to cross the boundaries of legality.

Together, Vito and Joe dive deep into the world of organized crime, driven by the dream of wealth and a better life and the self-commitment to avoid ending up as poor workers like their own parents. But also with the knowledge that the rise can quickly end in a hail of bullets. The game perfectly captures the atmosphere of this era and immediately pulls you into a whirlwind of loyalty, betrayal, and the harsh fight for survival.

Here you can watch the trailer:

Start video
Mafia 2: Definitive Edition – See the remaster of the crime epic in the launch trailer

High-level storytelling despite disappointing open world

What makes Mafia 2 so good is the storytelling. You experience Vito’s journey from an inconspicuous boy to an aspiring gangster up close. Similar to a coming-of-age story, our main character has to relearn and explore many things about the world. Throughout the game, there are also new technical innovations introduced, or we learn from NPCs and the radio what new developments are currently happening. Be it the idea of the first video game or the invention of television – which will definitely not prevail.

Mafia 2 cleverly shifts the perspective from glorified gangsters to a diverse view of the mafia by letting the player rise high before crashing down. Death is simply part of the life of a gangster. This emotional rollercoaster makes the story so gripping and unforgettable. You empathize with Vito, feeling his hopes and fears. Vito Scaletta is not a simple, ruthless killer.

However, the open world has always been disappointing in Mafia 2. It looks nice, but offers barely anything to do apart from some collectibles. More interesting are the original Playboy magazine covers from the era of the game. They can be collected on the sidelines of the main missions.

Outdated technology despite Definitive Edition

Alongside the open world, the driving feel of the cars, the controls, and the graphics are points that feel outdated today. Mafia 2 is already 15 years old in 2025. The Definitive Edition is supposed to help, released in 2020, making the game playable on newer computers. However, there are many complaints that playing the single-player game requires an account with 2K, but this requirement was removed by the publisher at the end of 2024. Mafia 2 still does not feel really modern despite the Definitive Edition.

Replay value without innovations

That I replay Mafia 2 every year is less about the game offering so much variety in the second, third, or fifth playthrough. It is more that the story is so well done that you develop the feeling that you are watching a gripping movie. Thanks to the believable character development and the dramatic twists, I always happily return.

Meanwhile, the DLCs like Joe’s Adventures are also well done and included in the new edition of the game. The main game itself takes about Howlongtobeat.com approximately 16.5 hours to complete. With the DLCs, a few more hours are added on top of that.

Mafia 2 is currently priced at Steam in the summer sale for just €5.99. If you also want parts 1 and 3, you can get the trilogy for €12.03. On August 8, the new installment “Mafia: The Old Country” will also be released, taking you to the origins of the mafia at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily.

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Mafia 2 delights MeinMMO author Cedric Holmeier every year anew. Do you also have games that you have to replay at least once a year? Let us know in the comments. A game on Steam can only be played once a year: New game can only be played once a year – if you fail, you can never play it again

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Steam

A collector just paid $45,000 for a boring skin in Counter-Strike; however, you can get it factory new for just 98 cents

Dariusz Müller Dariusz Müller Reading time 2 minutes

A collector has just paid thousands of euros for a skin in Counter-Strike 2, even though it is not even rare. It is something else that makes it special.

What kind of skin is it? The skin expert and enthusiast “Yikspiks” reported on June 27 on X.com that a collector paid $45,000 (about €39,000) for the “Counter-Strike 2” skin “Tanner” (in English: “Bronzer”) for the MAC-10.

The skin was introduced in March 2025 as part of the “Spring 2025 Skins” update and is from the lowest rarity tier of the game (Consumer grade, White/Gray). It wraps the submachine gun in a brown coating with a few orange accents.

Overall, the skin is neither rare nor particularly beautiful or creative. Therefore, you can already buy a worn version of the skin for 2-4 cents. Even a factory-new version of the skin is only sold for about 98 cents (as of June 30, 4:00 PM, prices variable).

Start video
Counter-Strike 2: Valve once again impresses with the launch trailer

An ordinary skin becomes a special unique item

Why did the collector pay so much money for the skin? The example of the skin that the collector acquired has the lowest float value ever found on a weapon in Counter-Strike.

The float value indicates how worn a skin is. The lower the wear of a skin, the more valuable it is. If a skin has a float value of 0.00 to 0.07, it is considered factory-new. The sold MAC-10 Bronzer has a float value of 0.00000000010431.

The previous lowest float value on a weapon was the skin “Eye of Zapems” for the AUG, which was 0.00000000019395 and has now been undercut.

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The price of a skin in Counter-Strike depends on various factors. Besides the condition, i.e. the degree of wear, the rarity tier and the pattern are particularly decisive. Knives with the 387 pattern index are called “Blue Gem” due to their coloration, and fetch high sale prices.

A factory-new “Case hardened Karambit” with the 387 pattern index is particularly valuable. A player once offered over $1.2 million for such an example, but the owner rejected the offer: Counter-Strike: Player offers $1.2 million for a knife, but the owner thinks it’s not enough

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. gamerant
  2. Dexerto

You can only see an elf from Lord of the Rings for 33 seconds, yet he is one of the most powerful beings in Middle-earth

Christoph Waldboth Christoph Waldboth Reading time 2 minutes

In The Lord of the Rings, there is an Elf whose great power lies mainly in his wisdom. Although he plays quite a significant role in Middle-earth, he hardly appears in the films.

Who is meant? Círdan is one of countless creations by the writer J.R.R. Tolkien. He is an Elf who belonged to the wisest minds in all of Middle-earth and carried the nickname “the Shipwright”.

Throughout his life, the Elf was many things: a companion to important Elves, a Ring-bearer, a member of the White Council, and not least, Lord of the Grey Havens.

Despite his importance, Círdan plays hardly any role in the film adaptations by Peter Jackson. He appears only twice briefly and has a screen time of only 33 seconds. Reason enough to give this character the space he deserves.

Start video
Epic Trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship

The Story of Círdan

What was the Elf known for? Círdan belonged to the Teleri Elves and was active in Middle-earth since the First Age. During this time, he took on various roles.

In the First Age, he became the lord of the realm of Falas and was a friend and companion of the Elf Gil-galad. The latter himself belongs to the most powerful of his people.

From him, Círdan received the Elven Ring Narya in the Second Age, which was also called the “Ring of Fire”. This ring had been secretly forged and was not subject to Sauron’s power. Later, Círdan passed it on to Gandalf. In the prologue of “The Fellowship of the Ring”, Círdan is briefly seen with his ring, but only for about 5 seconds – take a look at the cover image of this article.

The second, brief appearance is at the end of “The Return of the King”. It concerns another important position of Círdan. The Elf was, after all, in the Second and Third Ages the Lord of the Grey Havens. From this Elvish port city, Frodo, Gandalf, Bilbo, Galadriel, and Elrond traveled towards the Undying Lands.

In this scene, Círdan is seen several times in the background. However, he has no lines and does not stand out otherwise. His appearance here lasts 28 seconds. You can see the scene on YouTube.

The film also omits that Círdan was part of the White Council and that he alone had an important role in Middle-earth for that reason. The White Council included only the wisest minds, namely the wizards Gandalf and Saruman, the Elves Elrond and Galadriel, and Círdan. These five deliberated on how to defeat their common enemy Sauron.

The Lord of Mordor met his temporary end in the Battle of the Last Alliance. This battle is shown in the prologue of the films. Although there are rare appearances from Gil-galad or the man Elendil, Círdan is missing – and this is despite the fact that the Elf was indeed present at the battle.

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What happened next with Círdan? At the end of the Third Age, Círdan was one of the oldest Elves in all of Middle-earth. His wisdom was well known and he was called upon for help time and again. He willingly gave his ships to those who needed them.

Only in the Fourth Age did Círdan leave Middle-earth for Aman, the Undying Lands. And there, the trail of the Elf disappears. Due to his wisdom and tumultuous history, he belongs to the most influential figures from Middle-earth – just like another character who is, however, much darker: A powerful villain from The Lord of the Rings nearly succeeded in killing Frodo, though he was once one of the good ones

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. lotr.fandom.com

WoW HC: Character levels up naked and only with fist blows, community asks: “Are you okay?”

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

For those whom World of Warcraft HC is not hard enough, they make it even harder. But one warrior breaks all boundaries here.

For those who find the original World of Warcraft too easy and boring, they play the hardcore variant. And for those who still don’t find that exciting enough, they add even more challenges on top. One character takes this to the extreme maximum, as he must succeed as a melee fighter in World of Warcraft – however, naked and without weapons.

A challenge that he has already accomplished up to level 50. Now it’s time for the final sprint.

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What kind of character is this? The character “Onepunchwarr”, named after the anime “One Punch Man”, fights only with his fists. Unlike the anime counterpart, Onepunchwarr must also exist naked – he cannot wear any gear, including rings or jewelry. This is considered the particularly tough “Nudist” challenge, where one is actually allowed to use at least weapons and shields, but Onepunchwarr gives up on that as well.

No group, no clothes – no problem?

In addition to these already tough restrictions, he is also not allowed to accept help from other characters. He must complete quests alone, and there are no dungeons – as group activities are also prohibited.

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The only tools the warrior has are his professions – namely alchemy and cooking, which allow him to at least acquire a few buffs to support him in fist fights.

His biggest concern, by the way, is that a sudden disconnect, internet, or power failure could ruin nearly 7 months of work for him. Because that is likely the greatest threat that has already cost many hardcore characters their digital lives.

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This is how the community reacts: Reactions from the community vary widely. While some are very impressed by this challenge and the ambition, others are worried. After all, it sounds like a very uncomfortable and lengthy way to enjoy this game in any way.

  • “Men will really do anything instead of going to therapy.” – David-Hustlehoff
  • “This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen. I love it.” – NoodlyOne
  • “How do you kill what has no life?” – HayJay58

Whether Onepunchwarr will be able to last his journey to level 60 remains to be seen. But even now, he likely has a big “stone in the board” with many in the Reddit community – because such a challenge outstrips even the worst hardcore plans.
Let’s hope he doesn’t become the ultimate villain – just like another WoW player.

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

Pokémon GO: All Raid Hours, Legendary Bosses and Best Counters in July 2025

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 2 minutes

July 2025 has also begun in Pokémon GO. What raids and raid hours does it bring? We will keep you updated.

As always, there are rotating raid bosses in July that you can encounter in 5-star and Mega raids. Some of them will also have a special raid hour.

This raid hour takes place every Wednesday at 6:00 PM. You will encounter the boss for one hour at nearly all gyms in the game.

The highlights of this month are Lunala and Solgaleo. But what else is coming? We will show you in the list!

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Raid Hours in July 2025 in Pokémon GO

Here you will first find the overview of the raid hours. They take place from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Possible shinies are marked with an asterisk*.

Raid hour on…Raid Boss
July 2Raid hour with Kobalium*
July 9Raid hour with Solgaleo
July 16Raid hour with Terrakium*
July 23Raid hour with Lunala
July 30Raid hour with Viridium*

All Raid Bosses and Mega Raids in July 2025

In this list, we show you all changing raid bosses in July 2025. You can find the corresponding counters in the link below. Possible shinies are still marked with an asterisk*.

DateRaid Boss
Every weekend from July 3 to August 3Crypto-Registeel*
Best counters against Crypto-Registeel
June 30 – July 8Mega-Stollos*
Best counters against Mega-Stollos
June 30 – July 8Kobalium*
Best counters against Kobalium
July 8 – 14Mega-Glurak X*
Best counters against Mega-Glurak X
July 8 – 14Solgaleo
Best counters against Solgaleo (coming soon)
July 14 – 22Mega-Turtok*
Best counters against Mega-Turtok
July 14 – 22Terrakium*
Best counters against Terrakium
July 22 – 28Mega-Bisaflor*
Best counters against Mega-Bisaflor
July 22 – 28Lunala
Best counters against Lunala (coming soon)
July 28 – August 4Mega-Aerodactyl*
Best counters against Mega-Aerodactyl
July 28 – August 4Viridium*
Best counters against Viridium

It is possible that in the coming weeks, more raid bosses will be announced. We will update accordingly.

What else does July bring to Pokémon GO? In July, it’s not just all about raids. Other types of events also take place in the summer month, from Community Days to completely different dates. Do you want to know what’s happening when? Then check out our overview. We will show you all events in July 2025 in Pokémon GO.

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

Pokémon GO: All Spotlight Hours in July 2025 and their Bonuses

Paul Kutzner Paul Kutzner Reading time 5 minutes

In July 2025, some Spotlight Hours are waiting for you in Pokémon GO. We have summarized which ones they are and what to expect.

What is a Spotlight Hour? Spotlight Hours are short, 60-minute events that take place every week on Tuesday. During these hours, at least one Pokémon is in the spotlight and appears in very high numbers throughout the event. Each Spotlight Hour also has a bonus that is active during that time.

Which Spotlight Hours await you in July 2025, which Pokémon they bring, and which bonuses are active, we show you in this overview.

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All Spotlight Hours in July 2025

When do the Spotlight Hours take place? A Spotlight Hour always starts on Tuesday at 6:00 PM. Exactly 60 minutes later, at 7:00 PM, it ends. In the following table, you can see on which dates the Spotlight Hours will take place.

DatePokémon & Bonus
July 1Pikachu with Party Hat and Catch Stardust
July 8(Hisui-)Voltorb and Catch XP
July 15Barboach and Catch Candy
July 22Jigglypuff and Transfer Candy
July 29Roggenrola and Evolution XP

Spotlight Hour on July 1, 2025

Which Pokémon is in the foreground? In the first Spotlight Hour of July, a costumed Pikachu is waiting for you, wearing a Party Hat. This Electric-type Pokémon is from the 1st generation and can evolve into Raichu.

Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour July 2025 Pikachu

Which bonus is active? If you catch monsters during this Spotlight Hour, you will receive double the amount of Stardust for each catch.

Is the event worth it? Neither Pikachu nor Raichu are particularly good attackers. For collectors who do not yet own this Pikachu variant, the event might be interesting.

The bonus is also not to be underestimated. If you use Star Pieces during the event, you will receive an additional 50% Stardust and can look forward to over 300 Stardust for each caught Pikachu.

Can you catch Shiny-Pikachu? Yes, with a bit of luck, you can also obtain the Shiny variant of the costumed Pikachu.

Spotlight Hour on July 8, 2025

Which Pokémon is in the foreground? During the Spotlight Hour of July 8, 2025, Voltorb is waiting for you. The Pokémon appears in both its regular and Hisui form. With Electrode, Voltorb has an evolution.

Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour July 2025 Voltorb

Which bonus is active? In this short event, you will receive double the amount of experience points for each Pokémon you catch. It does not matter which monster you catch: The bonus applies to all monsters.

Is the event worth it? Both forms of Voltorb and also the evolved Electrode are not particularly strong attackers in Pokémon GO. You should not plan to use them for raids or the Battle League. Hisui Electrode can at least score points in some specific competitions in the Super League, which are very rare.

Can you catch Shiny-Voltorb? Yes, with a bit of luck, you can catch both of these Pokémon as Shiny.

Spotlight Hour on July 15, 2025

Which Pokémon is in the foreground? In this Spotlight Hour, Barboach awaits you. This Water-type Pokémon is from the 3rd generation and has an evolution into Milotic.

Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour July 2025 Barboach

Which bonus is active? For each Pokémon caught during the Spotlight Hour, you will receive double the amount of candy. The bonus applies not only to Barboach but to every Pokémon you catch during the event.

Is the event worth it? Barboach and Milotic are not strong attackers and are not among the best attackers in Pokémon GO. This applies to both raids and the Battle League.

Since the event’s bonus applies to all Pokémon, you can also catch monsters that you have received as rewards and have not yet redeemed. Here, you will also benefit from the candy bonus.

Can you catch Shiny-Barboach? Yes. With a bit of luck, you can obtain Barboach in its Shiny variant.

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Spotlight Hour on July 22, 2025

Which Pokémon is in the foreground? Jigglypuff, the Fairy and Normal-type Pokémon from the 1st generation, is waiting for you in this Spotlight Hour. It can evolve into Wigglytuff.

Pokemon GO Spotlight Hour July 2025 Jigglypuff

Which bonus is active? If you transfer Pokémon to the professor during this Spotlight Hour, you will receive double the amount of candy.

Is the event worth it? Neither Jigglypuff nor Wigglytuff are suitable as attackers. You should not use either Pokémon in raids or the Battle League.

If you have collected Pokémon that you want to transfer for candies, this event is the perfect opportunity for you. If you tag the corresponding monsters in advance with a tag, you can quickly send them during the event.

Can you catch Shiny-Jigglypuff? Yes, you can obtain Jigglypuff in its shiny form, luck permitting.

Spotlight Hour on July 29, 2025

Which Pokémon is in the foreground? Roggenrola is the star of the Spotlight Hour on July 29, 2025. This Pokémon is from the 5th generation and is of Rock type. It can evolve into Boldore and then into Gigalith.

Which bonus is active? If you evolve Pokémon during the event, you will receive double the amount of experience points that you would normally get.

Is the event worth it? Gigalith is a good attacker of Rock type. If you have deficits here, Gigalith can be a good addition to your team. You should prefer not to rely on the Pokémon for the Battle League.

If you are actively collecting experience points and have some monsters in your bag that you want to evolve, you can use the event to gain some extra experience. If you use a Lucky Egg, you will receive four times the amount of XP.

Can you catch Shiny-Roggenrola? There is also a Shiny variant of Roggenrola. With some luck, you can catch it during the event.

As always, in the new month in Pokémon GO, there are not only the Spotlight Hours waiting for you. July is once again packed with events, raids, and other content. What they are, you can find out in our overview with all events in July 2025 in Pokémon GO.

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

Monster Hunter Wilds: Lagiacrus Guide – Everything about the quest, the fight and how to catch him

Alexander Mehrwald Alexander Mehrwald Reading time 5 minutes

The Leviathan Lagiacrus is back with Title Update 2 and finally in Monster Hunter Wilds. We will show you how to start his quest and how to defeat him.

Where can I find Lagiacrus? To get the quest for Lagiacrus, you need to reach Hunter Rank 31 and complete the main quests “Forest Doshaguma” and “A World Turned Upside Down”.

Then you will receive the quest “Trembling Blue Currents”, which you can accept from Erik in the Scarlet Forest. Once started, you will follow Erik in search of a strangely aggressive Rathalos until you encounter Lagiacrus.

For Erik’s sake, you need to catch Lagiacrus as part of the quest. What to watch out for and what the Leviathan throws at you can be read here.

[toc]

Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds: Trailer for Title Update 2 shows Lagiacrus in action

Exploiting Lagiacrus’ Weaknesses

What weaknesses does Lagiacrus have? You should focus on Dragon, Ice, or Fire element with your weapon. The Leviathan has a weakness against these.

He is resistant to Thunder and Water. He has a moderate weakness (2*) to poison, sleep, explosive plague, and fatigue effects, but only a slight weakness (1*) to paralysis and stun.

Monster Hunter Wilds Lagiacrus weaknesses
In the Monster Encyclopedia, you can see the weaknesses at a glance

What weak spots does he have and what can be severed or broken? His weak points are his mouth and back, which you should focus on when he performs special attacks. Here, you can cause high damage without much effort by opening and breaking a wound in one go.

Additionally, the head, back, forelegs, and tail can be severed. The latter is particularly useful as he unleashes some nasty attacks with it.

Monster Hunter Wilds Lagiacrus weak points
Weak points and breakable points at a glance

Lagiacrus’ Attacks: This is how he strikes you

Lagiacrus can hit you with the following attacks:

Basic Attacks

  • Spinning Attack: He curls up and then initially strikes with a spinning movement first with his head, then with his tail.
During his spinning attack, he spins in and out. It’s best to keep your distance.
  • Charge: He lays flat on the ground and rushes towards you at high speed. He does this twice in a row. This is one of his most common attacks.
  • Tail Attack: He raises his tail and sweeps in a wide arc across the ground to sweep you away.
  • Thunderbolt Attack: Lagiacrus charges electricity on his back to discharge it in his immediate vicinity.

Special Attacks

  • Lightning Balls: Lagiacrus gathers lightning energy in his mouth and shoots it twice in the form of individual balls at you.
  • Charged Tail Attack: Lagiacrus jumps at you with a sparkling back and tries to shove you with his tail.
  • Charged Thunderbolt Attack: Lagiacrus charges energy slowly on his back spikes and releases it in an expanding area.
If you see Lagiacrus gathering energy on his back, you should keep your distance.

Note: Don’t worry, the lightning doesn’t transfer onto the water you’re standing in. The attack only affects its direct surroundings in any terrain.

Underwater Combat: What You Need to Watch Out For

A peculiarity in the fight against Lagiacrus is the underwater phase in his nest. If he is injured, he retreats there for the last phases and you must follow him into the water.

Here you enter Lagiacrus’ nest.

In the water, you have only limited options to deal with Lagiacrus. You can move freely and swim up and down with the displayed buttons – but you cannot attack normally with your weapons.

Instead, you can:

  • Dodge
  • Interact with your grappling hook at special spots (here “Sunken Debris”) and deal high damage to the monster in front/under it
  • Use throwing ammunition; you can find some in the vicinity

However, it is much more important that you time the right moments and hold on to him with your slingshot to deal damage – just like you are used to doing when jumping on the back of monsters on land.

This is how you can deal targeted damage to Lagiacrus underwater.

This is how to recognize the right moments: To prevent Lagiacrus from shaking you off immediately, you should only attach to him when he is exhausted or performing “calmer” attacks where he bites or strikes. Avoid hooking onto him when you see any lightning.

If you wound him enough, your field expert will give you a notification that you should attack him precisely. Then, in focus mode, attack his head to start a cool sequence and drive Lagiacrus out of the water.

After that, the monster will be on dry land.

Recognizing Opportunities: With These Tips, You Can Defeat and Catch Him Safely

Lagiacrus has two special attacks after which he presents you with his weak points:

  • Lightning Balls: Once he has spat them at you, you can attack his head with focus mode and immediately open and break a wound there.
  • Charged Thunderbolt Attack: Once Lagiacrus has discharged his particularly strong lightning attack, he is briefly exhausted, and you can attack his weak point on the back for an immediate wound.

Both weak points are also excellent for underwater combat, as you are more dependent on special opportunities there. He also shows these attacks more frequently there than on land.

Monster Hunter Wilds Capture Lagiacrus
In the quest, you must catch Lagiacrus.

If you have driven him out of the water weakened, you are also almost at the point where you can catch the Leviathan. Be sure to watch for a skull icon on his map or if your field expert gives you a hint, so you don’t accidentally defeat him.

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If you find yourself wondering after your battle with the legendary Leviathan how the fights against him were 16 years ago when he was last part of Monster Hunter, MeinMMO editor Alexander can tell you a tale: I endured a 16-year-old Monster Hunter for you, so you don’t have to

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

Pokémon GO: Spotlight Hour brings a special Pikachu and a Stardust bonus

Paul Kutzner Paul Kutzner Reading time 2 minutes

As usual, this week in Pokémon GO, the Spotlight Hour awaits you. In addition to a special Pikachu, there is also a strong Stardust bonus.

What is the Spotlight Hour? The Spotlight Hour is a short event that takes place every week on Tuesday in Pokémon GO. It lasts 60 minutes and brings you at least one Pokémon that is featured in the event and appears in large numbers. The event is accompanied by a bonus.

The next Spotlight Hour brings you Pikachu, the beloved Electric-type Pokémon from Generation 1. It comes in a costumed version and wears a striped party hat, fitting for the birthday event in Pokémon GO.

Start video
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Spotlight Hour on July 1 – Start and Bonuses

When does the Spotlight Hour start? The Spotlight Hour starts as always on Tuesday at 6:00 PM. The event is active for 60 minutes and thus ends at 7:00 PM again.

What bonus is active? If you catch Pokémon during the event, you will receive double Stardust for each individual catch. It doesn’t matter which Pokémon you catch, as the bonus applies not only to Pikachu.

Can you catch the Pikachu as Shiny? Yes, if you are lucky, you can also get the costumed Pikachu as Shiny. However, the chance of a Shiny version is not increased.

Is the Spotlight Hour worth it? If you plan to use Pikachu and its evolution, Raichu, as attackers, you should rethink this plan. Both Pokémon are not particularly strong and are not among the best attackers in Pokémon GO.

In the battle leagues, it looks similar. You shouldn’t rely on Electric-type Pokémon in the Great, Ultra, or Master League either.

If you haven’t yet added the costumed Pikachu to your collection, you can use the event for that. You can also take advantage of the Stardust bonus to improve your stock of this important resource. If you use Star Pieces, you will even receive 300 Stardust per Pikachu.

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The big GO Fest is over, and June is also coming to a close. However, there are many events and content waiting for you in the new month. What they are and when they take place, you can find out in our overview with all events in July 2025 in Pokémon GO.

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

A year after the greatest battle of Helldivers 2, Over-Earth distributes the cloak for the glorious fight against Sony

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 2 minutes

In Helldivers 2, the brave soldiers of Over-Earth have received their cloak a year after the battle against Sony, showing how important major events are for the co-op shooter.

What kind of cloak is this? In Helldivers 2, players now have a cloak that represents their fight against Sony. At the launch of Helldivers 2, many more people from Over-Earth than expected responded to the call to enlist as a Helldiver. To cope with the influx, some planned measures were skipped, such as registration in the PlayStation Network.

When the flood of Helldivers was under control again, this registration was supposed to take place later, but the Helldivers did not want that. In addition to various concerns about data security, a major problem was that some Helldivers came from countries that could not register with the PlayStation Network without detours, which could lead to false information about bans.

The Helldivers protested not only loudly on social media but also through negative reviews on Steam. The ratings on Steam dropped significantly, which prominently affects potential buyers, as they can see directly that the game is currently rated negatively.

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A battle that now belongs to history

How did the story end? The Helldivers triumphed once again. Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony waived the requirement for the PlayStation Network for Helldivers 2, and many regions were allowed to join again.

The glorious battle against Sony has now even been immortalized as a cloak in Helldivers 2. The negative reviews are depicted on the cloak as a bar chart. This honor on the cloak not only immortalizes the battle of the Helldivers on Steam, but also makes it part of the shooter’s history.

Only the most important and glorious battles in Helldivers 2 are honored with cloaks. This last happened during the defense of Over-Earth against the Illuminated, which even made it to television.

Why does a cloak excite so many players? In Helldivers 2, there is neither a campaign nor a proper story that players go through. Instead, the co-op shooter is based on events that affect the entire player base.

The exciting part is that players never know what happens when they fail to execute an order from Over-Earth successfully, but also what the consequences of a victory are. A simple mission to liberate a single planet can turn into a weeks-long battle, reignited by additional story elements.

If players team up with strangers for weeks to complete a mission and it comes down to the wire, it feels very rewarding for many. When the developers also honor this effort with an in-game item, it excites the players.

That the developers support the fight against their own publisher this way shows that they care about the community. The lore text of the new cloak in the game reads: “Woven in honor of our faithful Helldivers, whose heart and soul are the foundation on which Over-Earth is built.”

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Helldivers 2 continues to excite many players even a year after release with special events. The largest since the release was particularly thrilling for many, as thousands watched live as the home world of the Helldivers was attacked: The new update in Helldivers 2 brings back humanity’s greatest threat

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

New leaks from Marathon show an improvement, but a shooter expert says: “That is not enough.”

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

Since the last public test of Marathon, there has been much criticism of the extraction shooter. Bungie has now postponed the release indefinitely, allowing the team ample time to work on the game. Now leaks about the game have emerged, which show a positive development show.

What is Marathon? The extraction shooter Marathon is the new game by Bungie, the creators of Destiny. In the game, you take on the role of a Runner, spawn on a map, fight against NPCs and other players, and loot what you can. You then try to escape the map alive. Marathon adheres to the concept of an extraction shooter: those who die lose their loot and the equipment they carry.

Marathon was originally scheduled to be released in September 2025, but after Bungie conducted a public test for the alpha version, criticism poured in: the game does not feel good, lacks depth, and provides little incentive to play it for long. Additionally, there were allegations of plagiarism, which harmed the game’s and the studio’s reputation.

Bungie subsequently postponed the release indefinitely to ensure that the developers can guarantee and deliver better quality. Now new leaks have come to light that show Marathon in a better light. There might still be hope.

Start video
Marathon provides a brief glimpse into the world of extraction shooters

Beautiful graphics, but an expert says that is not enough yet

What do the leaks say? The X user itsrocksiza received new material related to the closed alpha of Marathon. This material consists of images of the scenery as well as some features that Bungie has newly implemented in the game. Out of respect for the developers and their work, we will not link the leaks but will only report on the impressions.

Marathon is now supposed to look better overall. The environments appear more appealing, especially the outdoor terrain. Additionally, Bungie is said to have implemented a feature that makes blood trails visible. Wounded players can then leave blue blood splatters and smear traces on the ground behind them.

Your blood is also said to be visible floating in the water, to make it appear even more realistic. At first glance, that may not seem like much, but it shows an improvement. The shooter and Destiny expert Aztecross (source: youtube.com) has also seen the leaks and is surprised by the improvements. For him, however, this is still not enough.

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What does Aztecross say about the leaks? In his latest video, Aztecross reacted to the leaks and was positively surprised. The team was able to make improvements and beautify Marathon. However, for him, that is not the core of the problem. Marathon has many issues that the team needs to address, including:

  • There is no proximity chat
  • There is no solo mode
  • There is no clear direction in development
    • Bungie expects to create the game with the help of the community
  • Marathon is too expensive for what it is
  • The game is too difficult for beginners and too easy for veterans

It is a positive sign for fans that Bungie can show improvements, even if they are not official. It remains to be seen what new features the developers can come up with – but until then, fans will have to be patient.

Note that even if the leaks seem very real, they are not official information. There is no guarantee for the authenticity of the recordings. However, since Bungie has reportedly asked the leakers to delete the content, there may be some truth to the recordings. You can find more about Marathon here: Sony wants to ensure that Marathon does not go the way of Concord despite “mixed feedback”

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

The MMORPG with the best action combat system receives the martial arts legend par excellence as a new class

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 2 minutes

The developers of Black Desert have introduced the new class of the MMORPG. The first speculations from the community hit the mark.

What is known about the new class? The Wukong is set to expand the class offerings of Black Desert starting on July 2, 2025. The martial arts expert enters the battle with a Jingu staff and a pumpkin flask. His awakening weapon will be the Jade Pillar.

The main talents introduced are as follows:

  • Pumpkin Flask of Tusita: Absorbs the life force of your enemies and collects it in your pumpkin flask. There, it mixes with the spring water of the immortals of Tusita – the heaven of future Buddhas – and revives the lost power of your ancestors.
  • Combat Buddha: Drink the spring water of the immortals from your pumpkin flask to gain the power of your ancestors. With this power, you can achieve the status of “Combat Buddha”.
  • Pierce!: Gather focused Dao in your staff and quickly shoot forward with a simple, reinforced strike. In the “Combat Buddha” state, the power of your ancestors shoots forward, extending the staff to impale even more distant enemies.
  • Spike Up!: Jump into the sky and channel all your power into a focused strike downwards. In the “Combat Buddha” state, your staff extends during the strike, impaling enemies before exploding with golden flames filled with Dao energy.
  • Pivot of Heaven: In the “Combat Buddha” state, extend your staff and shoot it forward with a powerful kick, spreading golden flames in all directions. If you have summoned your shadows, they will copy this attack.

In the freshly released trailer, you can see the Wukong in action:

Start video
Black Desert: Trailer for the new class Wukong shows furious staff action

The Monkey King greets you!

What is the Wukong based on? The community had already suspected after the first teaser that the legendary Monkey King from the Chinese classic “Journey to the West” could be the inspiration for the next class of Black Desert. They were right!

In the novel, the King of the Monkeys goes by the name “Sun Wukong”, and he also uses a staff, martial arts skills, and supernatural powers to combat his opponents.

The term “Wukong” was also used by another game last year to showcase its connection to “Journey to the West”. This is, of course, about Black Myth Wukong, which has become a huge hit and is currently offered with a hefty discount on Steam.

Speaking of tips for bargain hunters: You can currently secure the MMORPG from Pearl Abyss for free in the Traveler Edition. This offer is available until July 17, 2025. You can learn more about it on playblackdesert.com.

More about Black Desert:
With a bit of luck, you might soon be able to play the largest new MMORPG 2026 on PC
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Black Desert may already be eleven years old, but it still looks great and shines with the most powerful action combat system in the genre. You can learn more about the qualities of the combat system in the following article: Which MMORPG has the most exciting battles? Power ranking for online RPGs with the best combat

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. playblackdesert.com

Luke’s vehicle in Star Wars did not hover, but George Lucas used one of the most absurd tricks in cinema.

Niko Hernes Niko Hernes Reading time 2 minutes

The original trilogy of Star Wars could not yet use significant CGI to realize many effects of the futuristic story. Instead, one had to use tricks in the films, as was the case with Luke’s hovering vehicle.

Which vehicle is it? In 1977, the first Star Wars film was released. Even then, not only space was shown, but also futuristic weapons, like the lightsaber or vehicles that could hover.

Since CGI could not be used on a large scale at that time, one had to try to represent futuristic technology with tricks and everyday objects. For the hovering speeders, George Lucas only needed mirrors and Vaseline.

Start video
Star Wars Episode IV – Trailer for the download version

2 simple but effective tricks

How were the hovering vehicles created? Luke’s speeder is actually a modified car with 3 wheels, which one could even see if George Lucas hadn’t used mirrors.

Mirrors were placed on the sides of the vehicle, reflecting the ground, making the tires no longer visible. For wide camera angles, this effect was enough to deceive the viewer into believing that the car was hovering (Source: vidaextra.com).

For closer camera shots, one had to create an effect to make it look like the vehicle was being held up by some form of energy. For this, George Lucas used Vaseline. He smeared it on the lens of the camera to create a blurred effect under the speeder.

You can see how a scene with the speeder and Luke was filmed here:

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One built a rotating construct and filmed from several perspectives to create the effect that Luke was actually driving straight ahead.

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This implementation shows that in the past, one had to become significantly more creative to implement various ideas and effects. The Star Wars series is full of such stories, even though many effects were digitally renewed in later versions. Also for the lightsabers, one had to use tricks: The old lightsabers from Star Wars have something in common with street signs, and the trick is genius

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. galaxytours.com
  2. Titelbildquelle: Star Wars auf YouTube

Newbies stand no chance in WoW – quest mobs are almost unbeatable

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Newcomers are quitting World of Warcraft. Why? Because it’s too hard. Don’t believe it? Just give it a try and see what’s wrong.

There’s always a discussion about whether World of Warcraft is too easy or too hard. Those who have been playing for many years often think that WoW is a piece of cake and the game has no difficulties at all. However, newcomers frequently quit before reaching the maximum level.

Currently, it’s worse than ever – and that’s because one cannot handle the “newbie” experience without substantial prior knowledge.

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WoW mal so richtig ehrlich erklärt

What’s the problem? Veterans and long-time fans of WoW might find it hard to understand, but newcomers are struggling significantly when starting in World of Warcraft. Once again, the issue is the balancing and the prescribed path that new accounts must take. They lack gear, causing enemies to quickly become overpowering.

The catch: New accounts are forced to level their first character in Dragonflight and remain there until level 70.

However, acquiring gear in the Dragonflight expansion is highly regulated. During the main questline, which lasts approximately until level 40 for new accounts, players receive a complete armor set. But they must stay in Dragonflight until level 70. After that, obtaining new gear becomes difficult, as only a small fraction of side quests provide gear.

In many cases, this means that characters are still using their starting gear up to level 50 or 60.

This, in turn, leads to their character being far too weak. Quest mobs suddenly feel like boss fights, and for some “named” NPCs, one has to use all abilities just to survive.

Deaths while Questing – Maximum Frustration

This is extremely frustrating for newcomers, and anyone who dies multiple times during regular quests – getting weaker with each level-up – is likely to throw in the towel.

YouTuber Bellular made an interesting video analyzing these problems:

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Are there alternatives? Of course, there are ways to manually fix this: You can buy gear from the auction house, learn a profession and craft gear, or try your hand at dungeons. These are methods that are absolutely obvious to veterans – but not to newcomers.

And when their first experience in World of Warcraft is: “I can’t even reach the maximum level through questing and mobs are killing me constantly,” then that’s a major problem. Because there are MMORPGs everywhere – and why should one stay in one where the entry is so painful?

How absurd this is becomes clear to most when they take a step into the current expansion “The War Within.” Gear there is so powerful that you swap items with values like “+15 Intelligence and +20 Stamina” for items that have “+1,200 Intelligence and 1,800 Stamina.”

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How can this be fixed? One way to address the problem would be the return of the leveling event, which provided additional loot. This loot could drop from all mobs and ensured that you regularly received better gear that perfectly matched your character’s level.

Another option would be vendors selling “quest sets” at the current level of a character. This was available in “Mists of Pandaria” and ensured that players were adequately equipped for quests and didn’t feel completely helpless.

However, Blizzard seems to be aware of this issue. They want to completely overhaul the experience for new players – probably with the expansion Midnight. This is also urgently needed because if the entry is so bad, many won’t even enjoy the exciting content that WoW has to offer.
That WoW is too difficult for newcomers is not a new phenomenon: For years, Blizzard’s MMORPG has been too complex for newbies.

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

User sees a campaign for Dungeons & Dragons for the first time and asks if this is always the case – Community clarifies it to him

Alexander Mehrwald Alexander Mehrwald Reading time 3 minutes

Known streamers like Critical Role are attracting many newcomers to the world of Dungeons & Dragons. A user has now watched a campaign for the first time and is wondering: Is it always like this? The community provides answers.

Why is the user wondering this? User Kai-Kn reaches out to the community in his thread in the DnD subreddit. He watched a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons for the first time and took on Fantasy High from the streaming group Dimension 20 (short D20) (on YouTube).

The group is regularly led by Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan and usually uses the rules of Dungeons & Dragons in its 5th Edition. They play custom campaigns with a fixed cast, which rotates for some side quests in special episodes.

He noticed a few things that seemed strange to him:

  • On one hand, the DM never lets the players spend gold on resources or things like lifestyle
  • On the other hand, traveling seems to need neither resources nor time

While he understands that the Fantasy High campaign does not represent a classic DnD setting due to its modern time frame, he still wonders why the DM runs his campaign this way and whether these are typical decisions.

He would also like to run a campaign soon and would definitely decide differently, as he wants traveling to play a big role and gold to be an important currency for the players.

In the comments, the community explains what it’s really about.

Start video
Critical Role stellen ihr neues, eigenes Rollenspiel vor: Daggerheart

It depends on expectations and play style

What does the community explain to him? In the comments, the community answers his question. Users explain that this is primarily due to Brennan’s distinct personal style, and that every DM creates their own rule adjustments and additions over time. In Brennan’s case, this likely comes down to the following reasons:

  • Avoiding extensive handling of travel and shopping gives the campaign a faster and clearer line while also saving time. This is especially important because the group streams their sessions, and the focus would need to shift to other, more exciting points for viewers
  • At the same time, Brennan tailors the player experience to his players, who also desire a focus on the story and real objectives and would have significantly more fun. Shopping sprees and long travel explanations would slow down the experience too much.
  • Additionally, D20 campaigns are usually designed for a rough number of episodes, so “unnecessary” or less important game elements tend to be left out

Therefore, such things would primarily happen “off-screen” to avoid boring both viewers and players. Because a campaign for a livestream typically requires a very different focus and presentation than a campaign played among friends.

Dimension 20 DnD group
Brennan and his group stream under the name “Dimension 20” for Dungeons & Dragons

What do they advise the user? Therefore, the question is not: “Is this normal,” but: “What do I need or want for my group as a DM or player?” For a good and successful campaign, one must consider the extent and framework in which to play it.

For example, whether to play with friends or strangers or the level of experience would play a big role. As a DM, it is important to know the expectations of the players and meet them “somewhere in the middle” so that all involved can enjoy it.

What matters most is the balance between role-playing, combat, and other mechanics. The rule systems serve as a foundation upon which one can build a unique set of rules tailored to the individual group for each session, especially with new players.

This is the “secret” of a good Dungeon Master from the community’s perspective.

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Another Dungeon Master recently shared his plan for a one-shot Dungeons & Dragons session with the community on Reddit. He prepared for “the longest session of D&D ever” – in the literal sense. What he planned can be read here: Player plans the “longest session ever” in Dungeons & Dragons, celebrated by the community

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