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).

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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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So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus

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
Pokémon GO starts new season Pleasant Days – Trailer for the season

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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Pokémon GO: Mega Alakazam Counters – the 20 best attackers in the raid guide
von Patrick Freese

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.

Start video
Helldivers 2: Das neue Update Omens of Tyranny erfüllt langersehnten Wunsch

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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2 Years After Release, Helldivers 2 Presents Its First Roadmap, Showing That They Listen to the Players
von Cedric Holmeier
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Players in Helldivers 2 threaten generous Helldiver who wants to point out bugs to the developers for $1,000
von Sophia Weiss

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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How is Bungie’s 200-million shooter a month after release? Does Marathon still have a chance to recoup the high costs?
von Dariusz Müller
Marathon: Update 1.0.5.2 fixes important bugs, changes the balance in various zones
von Karsten Scholz
Players in Marathon discover unfair trick, destroying the balancing of the shooter
von Jasmin Beverungen

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:
Amazon’s MMORPG has only 1 percent of its players left, responds to the case with … a new subscription
von Karsten Scholz
With a bit of luck, you might soon be able to play the largest new MMORPG 2026 on PC
von Karsten Scholz

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.

Start video
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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von Karsten Scholz
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von Cortyn

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.

In the new role-playing game of Warhammer 40,000, you can be as nasty as you want and no one will question it

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 2 minutes

With Rogue Trader, Warhammer 40,000 already had a successful and extremely popular role-playing game. Now, developer Owlcat is making a sequel and wants to change a lot. The decision has been well received in the community. But what does this mean for the game?

What kind of role-playing game is this?

  • Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy is based on the pen and paper game of the same name (“TTRPG”). In this role-playing game, you play as an Inquisitor with a group of helpers. We don’t yet know exactly what the story is about, only that the nasty Night Lords play a role.
  • Owlcat is known for its cRPGs like the Pathfinder games and Rogue Trader. Dark Heresy is expected to play similarly with an isometric perspective, turn-based combat, and companions with whom you can develop relationships.
  • The game will be released for PC (Steam, Epic, GOG) as well as PS5 and Xbox. A release date is still pending.

This is what Dark Heresy aims to do differently: The predecessor Rogue Trader has already generated excitement in the community. The role-playing game allows you to dive excellently into the dark and absurd world of Warhammer 40,000 and tells a gripping story.

Nevertheless, there were some criticisms, including a few weaknesses in the rather linear story and the overly complex systems, especially regarding classes and combat.

Now, the developers have spoken with the English-language gaming website The Gamer and explained what they want to do differently. Dark Heresy is to be “developed from scratch” and will, for example:

  • offer a shorter story but provide more options regarding decisions, alliances, and alternative solutions
  • simultaneously give more insight into the diversity of the world by introducing mutants and Xenos
  • allow for more romances, including with a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, which was not possible in Rogue Trader
  • simplify many systems, especially regarding combat

Diversity is set to become the core principle of development. Owlcat is working with Warhammer author Aaron Dembski-Bowden on the story, who has written some of the best books for Warhammer 40,000.

On Reddit, the decision has been well received. Rogue Trader was excellent, but the bloated combat and class systems were quite inaccessible. Many are looking forward to the upcoming title.

Start video
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy in the Announcement Trailer

No one questions the Inquisition

Among the new mechanics and options is the investigation system. As an Inquisitor, it is your task to uncover secrets and detect hidden dangers. For this, you can, for example, interrogate people.

From what you learn, you must draw your own conclusions. Executive Producer Anatoly Shestov compares this to the well-known meme of the guy in front of the wall with dozens of red threads connecting pieces of paper.

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As it stands, it is expected that you will gather information through investigation that will provide advantages in possible battles or even allow you to bypass them entirely.

Alternatively, as it is at least implied, you could just shoot everyone who seems suspicious. This might close off some story options for you, but it would fit with the freedom of choice – and with the Inquisition. If the Inquisition says that someone was a heretic, one better not argue.

The vast majority of people in the Imperium – and not even Space Marines – should not oppose the Inquisition. Within the boundaries of the Imperium and sometimes beyond, the Inquisition has almost absolute power. It doesn’t even help to be a rogue trader who is otherwise allowed to do almost anything.

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

Pokémon GO brings you a strong monster as shiny for your birthday and many bonuses

Paul Kutzner Paul Kutzner Reading time 3 minutes

Pokémon GO is celebrating its anniversary. To celebrate the jubilee, an event featuring some Shinies and strong bonuses will take place.

It has been almost 9 years since Pokémon GO was released and sent trainers on a quest to catch monsters. In line with this anniversary, the “9th Anniversary Party for Pokémon GO” will be held in July. The event starts on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM and runs until Sunday, July 6, 2025, at 8:00 PM.

In keeping with the celebrations, the event will bring some costumed Pokémon, a shiny debut, an increased chance for some Shinies, as well as interesting bonuses. We have summarized exactly what they are for you.

Start video
Pokémon GO starts new season Pleasant Days – Trailer for the season

All Event Content

Shiny debut: The event will feature Gierspenst in its Shiny variant for the first time. This monster is one of the rare species in Pokémon GO and can only be obtained through the Coin Bag or golden PokéStops. Conveniently, the golden PokéStops will be present at the birthday event.

Gierspenst can be evolved into Monetigo using Gierspenst coins, which is among the best attackers in Pokémon GO. For this, you will need 999 coins, which you can also acquire from golden PokéStops.

Costumed Pokémon: Several costumed Pokémon will be available during the event. Of these, 3 will be available in the game for the first time, and 2 have an increased shiny chance.

In the wild, you can find the following monsters:

  • Bisaknosp with party hat (first time in the game)
  • Bisaflor with party hat (first time in the game)
  • Gierspenst with 9th anniversary coin* (first time in the game)
  • Bisasam with party hat*
  • Glumanda with party hat*
  • Schiggy with party hat*

The 3 starter Pokémon will appear on specific days of the event. When exactly which starters will appear is not specified.

In 1-star raids, you can also challenge the following Pokémon:

  • Pikachu with cake hat**
  • Evoli with party hat**

All monsters marked with an * can also appear as Shiny. Pokémon marked with ** have an increased shiny chance.

Event bonuses: The event brings several bonuses:

  • PokéStops can become golden PokéStops without the need for a Gold Lure Module
  • while spinning golden PokéStops, 9, 99, or even more Gierspenst coins can be obtained
  • the costumed Gierspenst may have a special background
  • increased chance to become lucky friends
  • increased chance to receive lucky Pokémon when trading
  • friendship levels increase faster through joint battles and opening gifts
  • party hats will appear on the map, similar to the apples from Knapfel, which trigger items or Pokémon encounters when tapped

Additionally, there are some bonuses during the event that are active for specific time periods:

  • halved hatching distance for eggs (July 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM to July 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM)
  • doubled catch XP (July 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM to July 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM)
  • doubled catch Stardust (July 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM to July 6, 2025, at 8:00 PM)

Field research and free, limited-time research: If you log into the game during the event, you will receive a free limited-time research opportunity. This allows you to earn Stardust, experience points, and encounters with event Pokémon as rewards.

Event Pokémon can also be obtained through field research.

Masterwork research: For $4.99 (or approximately €5), you can acquire a new masterwork research titled “Fulfilled Wish,” which rewards you with a Shiny Jirachi. If you purchase the research before the event, you will also receive the following bonuses during the event:

  • doubled duration of lucky eggs
  • doubled duration of incense and daily adventure incense

Further content: There is also an event ticket that can be purchased for $1.99 (or approximately €2). With this, you will receive, among other things, 1 Super Incubator, 1 Dyna Mushroom, and an encounter with the costumed Gierspenst.

With the start of the event, there will also be a wristband for the 3 teams from Pokémon GO that you can purchase for your avatar. You can also receive event stickers from PokéStops and gifts.

June is coming to an end, but the first events and content for the upcoming month of July are already known for Pokémon GO. If you want to know what they are, 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.

He returns his rental car and receives a hefty bill because the AI reports him

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 2 minutes

A driver returns his rental car and is faced with an expensive bill. An AI has detected damage to the vehicle, for which the driver now has to pay.

Artificial intelligence is being used in more and more areas. For over a year now, for example, Amazon has been using technology to check its delivery vans for possible damage. The AI can capture this with a scan within a minute and immediately recognizes whether there is a problem or if the driver made a mistake during the drive.

In the meantime, the car rental company Hertz has also come up with the idea of using this technology to check rental cars. This was recently experienced by a driver who received a bill of around 375 euros after returning his vehicle. The AI found a damage.

Start video
Slate Auto presents new truck with electric motor

Artificial intelligence detects vehicle damage in just a few minutes

The driver reports: The English-language magazine The Drive reports that a reader named Patrick allegedly rented a Volkswagen from Hertz.

When he returned the car, he had a centimeter-sized scratch on the rear wheel on the driver’s side. Patrick says that he was informed “minutes” after returning the VW about the damage, and that he would be charged for the damage:

  • 250 dollars for the repairs.
  • 125 dollars for processing.
  • 65 dollars as an administrative fee.

A total of 440 US dollars for a minor damage to the tire. Converted, that’s about 375 euros. At least: Hertz is said to have offered the driver a discount, depending on how quickly he pays:

  • A discount of 52 dollars if he agrees to the terms and pays within two days.
  • Or a discount of 32.50 dollars if he pays within a week.

Inspection system relies on three camera systems that completely scan the car

What kind of technology is this? Behind the technology of the inspection stations is the company Uveye: This technology consists of three independent, high-resolution camera systems that do in seconds what it takes a human several minutes: One scans the underside of the vehicle, one checks the quality of the tires, and one focuses on the body of the vehicle. The driver only needs to drive the vehicle through the station, and the AI takes care of the rest.

The AI control of the vehicle is also transparent; all indications and damages are displayed directly to the user via a web app. This way, he can also walk around the car and check the damages that the AI has found. Even Patrick had to admit this.

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A car is an expensive investment, and normally one hopes to use a new car for many years. But for a 24-year-old, it was already over after 2 days. And this, even though he had to wait 3 years for the car and made a down payment of around 80,000 US dollars: A 24-year-old had to wait 3 years for his car and paid 80,000 euros – 2 days after his first ride, the car is already broken

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

Thousands of fans are trying to save the Minecraft killer Hytale – reaching out to Riot and even to the creator of Stardew Valley

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 2 minutes

The sudden cancellation of Hytale is currently affecting countless fans and those involved. Thousands are even trying to save the potential competitor to Minecraft, employing very different strategies.

Why the cancellation of Hytale? Last week, Aaron Donaghey, CEO of Hypixel Studios, announced the end of the studio and the cessation of work on Hytale. Hypixel is set to be gradually dissolved over the coming months.

Apparently, Riot Games (League of Legends) was not willing to invest sufficient additional funds into the studio, which it bought in 2020, after 10 years of development and ongoing delays to make the team’s envisioned vision a reality.

Here is one of the trailers for Hytale:

Start video
Hytale – Trailer zum Minecraft-MMORPG

Sudden cancellation causes a state of emergency

What happened after the announcement? A certain hype had built up around Hytale over the years, which is now reflected in the reactions of many fans.

  • Under the hashtag #SaveHytale, the community is campaigning on X for support to finalize Hytale.
  • There are several petitions aimed at persuading those responsible at Riot to save Hytale or make the game available as an open-source project – for example, here at change.org, with more than 1,680 signatures.
  • Parts of the community are specifically looking for a potential savior and are even trying to entice Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone (the creator of Stardew Valley) to consider the project. His reaction (via X): An investment could pay off, “but I would first need to learn more about the developers’ plans for why it actually failed, and so on.”
  • Diverse content creators reportedly held an emergency meeting on Discord, as shown by a participant’s picture @not_mynes. His accompanying comment: “Hytale creators are currently acting like there’s a national emergency in the Pentagon.”
  • There are several open letters from fans to Riot, aiming to achieve something similar, such as this one on X.

In one of these letters on X, the community expresses the desire for decision-makers to engage in discussions with Simon Collins-Laflamme. The original founder of Hypixel had commented on X about the cancellation and stated that he would be willing to invest 25 million USD under certain conditions to see Hytale completed.

Among the conditions he mentioned is primarily that his family must agree to this “enormous challenge that will affect all aspects of life”. However, the team would also likely need to be reduced, the focus would need to be redirected, some areas made available as open source, and planned but not yet finalized features cut.

What was Hytale supposed to be? Hytale was announced in 2018 and was meant to be a sandbox RPG set in a procedurally generated fantasy world. Due to its blocky appearance, comparisons to Minecraft were inevitable. The developers at Hypixel Studios were inspired by their own Minecraft server, “Hypixel”, and started development in 2015.

Their ambitions to create a better Minecraft were grand. The first trailer released on YouTube thrilled viewers and garnered over 61 million views. The release was planned for 2021. However, that did not happen.

What happens with Minecraft?
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In the regular updates from the developers, starting in 2022, it was mentioned that the technical framework of Hytale was to be developed from the ground up. Furthermore, ambitions kept growing, and the game became increasingly complex. The developers did not provide a new release date. This circumstance led to growing skepticism within the community: millions are waiting for a sandbox RPG, but even 6 years later, there is no sign of the ‘Minecraft killer’.

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

A character from Baldur’s Gate 3 can fight by your side even without a head

Caroline Fuller Caroline Fuller Reading time 3 minutes

In the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3, you are tasked with killing a dangerous devil. However, this devil is not really a devil, but a popular companion who wants to join you on your journey – whether with a head or not. Here you can find out how it works.

Which character is being talked about? It is the tiefling barbarian Karlach, one of the most popular characters from Baldur’s Gate 3, who many players have quickly grown fond of. In the game, you get the task to kill her from Wyll, who considers her a devil, or from the paladins of Tyr, who are on a mission from Zariel. You can either follow through with this or ally with Karlach instead.

Players have discovered that there is a way to somehow fulfill both at the same time. Killing her and taking her head as proof does not necessarily mean you have to give up Karlach as a team member. She can definitely fight by your side… just unfortunately without a head.

Here you see an animated short film about Baldur’s Gate 3, featuring Karlach – but here she still has her head:

Start video
Der animierte Kurzfilm zu Patch 8, dem letzten Update für Baldur’s Gate 3

Even a headless Karlach is a strong Karlach

How can you recruit the headless Karlach? If you want to gain the benefits and rewards from killing Karlach without giving her up, you can achieve that with the right approach. Player Klondy shares on Reddit how it worked:

  • You need to have recruited Wyll and spoken with the paladins of Tyr to get the option to behead Karlach.
  • All players must be near Karlach, but not too close to trigger the cutscene.
  • You should kill her with a move before she notices or can react. Klondy did this invisibly hidden with a smoke barrel and a fireball. 
  • Now send a companion (not your own player character) to Karlach to get the option to sever her head as proof. But beware! This should not be done! You should only initiate the conversation.
  • Now send another companion who is good at sneaking and stealing behind Karlach without her seeing him.
  • A third character must now resurrect Karlach with a scroll. This immediately triggers a scene that pulls the other characters into a conversation with Karlach. The hidden character should not be in this conversation, otherwise the trick will not work.
  • The hidden character can now steal Karlach’s head from her inventory, completing the trick. Now you can recruit a headless Karlach, who is actually not angry that you took her head.
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How does this affect the rest of the game? Although Karlach no longer has a head, you can still talk to her. Larian even made sure that she still has some sort of speaking animation, as the hole at the severed part of the neck moves accordingly to her dialogue.

If you want to continue Wyll’s quest as if you had killed Karlach, you should talk to him before resurrecting Karlach. This way, you might also retain Wyll’s “normal” appearance if you take a long rest here, but this is just a hypothesis, as Klondy has not tested it.

Furthermore, you can collect the reward from the paladins when you show them Karlach’s head. However, Klondy killed the paladins right after receiving the reward to get Karlach’s head back. “It’s super funny that Karlach throws her own head at people.” (Klondy via Reddit)

The player Voronov1 asked Klondy if Karlach can wear a helmet without a head. He received a screenshot from the game as proof, showing a floating hat over Karlach’s body.

Another player, Roger_The_Cat_, asked if the illusion spell “Disguise Self” remains headless as well. The disguised illusion has a head again, but once the spell is over, it disappears again.

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More reactions under the Reddit post include many players wanting to test what a romance with a headless Karlach would look like. To build a relationship with Karlach, you must gain her trust. If you need some tutoring on that, you can find out more here on MeinMMO. Here we show you how to win over the tiefling: Baldur’s Gate 3: Karlach Romance Guide – How to find and woo the hot tiefling girlfriend

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
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The important heads behind Dungeons & Dragons are now at the competition – Our experts discuss how it can continue

Sophia Weiss Sophia Weiss Reading time 2 minutes

Recently there have been some departures from the popular Pen & Paper Dungeons & Dragons: Among others, two long-time and important figures behind the game have now joined the competition. In the GameStar Talk, our experts discuss how things might proceed from here.

What happened with Dungeons & Dragons? In 2024, Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), released the latest edition of the game. In April, two of the key designers left the company: Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. Both joined a subsidiary of Critical Role in June, the leading streaming group for D&D.

It is now also known that two more key figures behind D&D are gone: The well-known DM Todd Kenreck reportedly resigned via X.com. He was also active on the game’s YouTube channel. Almost simultaneously, the Vice President Jess Lanzillo announced she had left Wizards of the Coast.

What is discussed in GameStar Talk? Specifically, Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford, two creative minds who shaped D&D for decades, are now missing. The discussion revolves around the possible future of the game, the 2024 edition, the online companion D&D Beyond, and a potential Baldur’s Gate 4. Here you can watch the video on YouTube:

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D&D in the GameStar Talk – Here are our experts

Who are the experts? In the GameStar Talk, our experts Paul Aeils from the GameStar YouTube channel, Fabiano Uslenghi from the GameStar team, Eleen Reinke from GamePro, and the MeinMMO Pen & Paper expert Benedict Grothaus discuss:

Host Paul Aeils (via GameStar) is a great fan of Pen & Paper and is currently running a Cyberpunk game. He has also tried his hand at D&D, Mörk Borg, and other systems.

Fabiano Uslenghi is a long-time GameStar editor and DSA veteran. He also plays D&D but enjoys testing smaller systems like the official game based on Avatar: The Last Airbender as well. He was also featured in the eight-episode D&D series Ready to Roll (via YouTube) in 2023.

For GamePro, Eleen Reinke is also part of the Talk. She is an editor there and enjoys Pen & Paper games in her spare time, including D&D and Shadowrun. Currently, she is running a campaign that has lasted several years.

Benedict Grothaus, editor at MeinMMO, is also participating. He has been a Pen & Paper player for many years, although he is not playing as much as he would like at the moment. Additionally, he brings expertise from the industry.

Disclaimer: GameStar, GamePro, MeinMMO, and GameStar Talk are part of Webedia.
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What will happen with D&D, Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro cannot yet be said concretely. However, one thing is certain: for the Pen & Paper there are several exciting resources and cool settings. Seven of them are presented here by MeinMMO editor Alexander Schürlein: 7 settings from Dungeons & Dragons that are at least as exciting as the Sword Coast

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