He is one of the best players in Call of Duty as long as he has a controller – Becomes world champion for the 3rd time with aim assist

Dariusz Müller Dariusz Müller Reading time 2 minutes

A pro becomes world champion for the third time in Call of Duty and is regarded as one of the best players, but he can only do this with the controller.

Who is it about? Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro is a professional “Call of Duty” player and is considered one of the best players of the popular shooter.

In 2020, Shotzzy became world champion in Call of Duty for the first time while playing for the “Dallas Empire” team. He is now with Team OpTic. With OpTic, Shotzzy became world champion again in 2024 and was additionally awarded as MVP (Most Valuable Player). On June 29, 2025, Shotzzy successfully defended the world championship title and won the important tournament again with OpTic.

Before Shotzzy played Call of Duty professionally, he was already an eSports player in Halo. He also became world champion there (2018) and was among the best players of the game.

Start video
Activision shows the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in the trailer for the Xbox Showcase 2025

A force on the controller, weaknesses with mouse and keyboard

What sets Shotzzy apart: Shotzzy is considered one of the best CoD players and is distinguished by exceptionally good aim and movement – at least when he holds a controller in his hands and can use the aim assist from Call of Duty. When playing with mouse and keyboard, he has weaknesses.

In January 2025, he wanted to prove in a Twitch stream that aim is not the most important thing in Call of Duty and therefore played with mouse and keyboard – but it backfired completely.

The eSports player lost one gunfight after another and quickly became annoyed. It was obvious that without a controller and the aim assist, which is a targeting aid, he could not compete at the highest level.

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Shotzzy’s “weakness” is not unusual, but intentional

What is behind Shotzzy’s weakness? Shotzzy plays Call of Duty with a controller and is therefore inexperienced with mouse and keyboard. However, one cannot blame the professional or simplistically say that he merely exploits the aim assist. This is precisely intentional.

In Call of Duty, all professionals play with controllers. Not just because they want to, but because they have to. The Call of Duty League transitioned to mandatory controller use in 2020 (via callofdutyleague.com). And also in the rules of the Call of Duty Challengers 2025 – this is the path through which players can become professionals – the use of mouse and keyboard is prohibited.

Players like Shotzzy are understandably only good with a controller and would be at a disadvantage in firefights with mouse and keyboard or without aim assist. This was recently demonstrated by CoD professional Swagg when he played a shooter that has no aim assist: Pro has over 8,000 hours in Call of Duty, tries out another shooter and shows that he actually can’t aim at all

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

A player says a feature is missing in Dune: Awakening, simply takes care of it himself

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 2 minutes

In Dune: Awakening, a player has taken care of a missing feature themselves and attracts just as many interested parties who are pleased with their setup.

What feature is it about? On Reddit, the user Savings-Lazy shared their latest construction. They built a huge arena in the endgame area Deep Desert so players can duel.

They explain: “Since Funcom didn’t add an option to duel, I took it upon myself to build an arena.” In Dune: Awakening, the option for a duel, as known from MMORPGs, is still missing.

For duels in Dune: Awakening to work, a suitable location and the right game rules are needed, as everything only works if the players participate.

Here you can see what the future of Dune: Awakening looks like:

Start video
Dune: Awakening – Das ist die Zukunft des MMOs

Game Rules, Spectators, and Cheers

How does the arena work? The player explains in their post that the arena is located in the Deep Desert, which means that PvP is active everywhere, even in the spectator stands. Therefore, the right game rules are needed to prevent accidents.

Fighting is only allowed within the arena, and even there, killing enemies outright isn’t allowed. Instead, fighting continues until a player is knocked out and lying on the ground. According to user Savings-Lazy, the location is meant to serve as a place to test skills and weapons.

Those who prefer to watch can take a seat in the spectator stands and see how others duel. The screenshots on Reddit show that the arena is indeed being visited.

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How is the arena received? That a player simply brings a missing function into the game by creatively building an arena and establishing game rules is well received by the fans of Dune: Awakening. On Reddit, they praise their achievement:

  • ElectricalSpread8955 is looking forward to Reddit: “That’s so cool.”
  • DeadStockWalking says on Reddit: “Agreed, very cool. OP hit every part of it perfectly.”
  • Bismothe-the-Shade is inspired on Reddit: “I think I will try that too, a good idea.”
  • ghostwarrior47 knows of an even better version on Reddit: “Someone on my server built an arena in the middle of E5, with a spectator area and a bar on the PvE side and the arena on the PvP side.”

The Deep Desert is divided into a PvE and a PvP part. If the arena is built halfway, it can indeed ensure that the spectators sit in the PvE zone and can watch safely.

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Whether the player will now take the effort to build a large arena every week, or whether this was a one-time action, is unclear. Why the player has to rebuild the arena every week in the Deep Desert is explained in this article: Dune: Awakening Coriolis Storm, Wipe and Landsraad election – The most important dates of a typical week on Arrakis

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

After the disastrous release of Cyberpunk 2077, the developers are already warning about the launch of Witcher 4

Christoph Waldboth Christoph Waldboth Reading time 2 minutes

The Witcher 4 is highly anticipated by fans of the RPG series. A recently released tech demo has already given some impressions of the world and characters, but a developer warns against having too high expectations.

What is the status of The Witcher 4? In early June, CD Projekt Red released a tech demo for the fourth part of their RPG series. This provides the first detailed look at the world and some characters – including the new protagonist Ciri.

The tech demo is visually impressive and gives a taste of the finished game – but nothing more. The material shown is for demonstration purposes only and does not represent the final product. CD Projekt Red, however, fears that not all players are aware of this – which can lead to problems.

To avoid misunderstandings, a developer has elaborated further on the topic. After all, the team wants to avoid a fiasco like the release of Cyberpunk 2077 this time.

Here you can see the tech demo in full:

Start video
The tech demo of The Witcher 4 provides insights into the technology of the new game by CD Projekt Red

“Not the actual game”

What does the developer say? Jan Hermanowicz is part of CD Projekt Red and works as Engineering Production Manager on the new Witcher spin-off. In an interview with Gamesradar+, he discusses the new video material.

He emphasizes that this is a “technology demo, not the actual game or gameplay.” The showcased section of the world is supposed to actually appear in the game, and the art style and various design elements come from the ongoing development of The Witcher 4.

Nevertheless, the final game does not have to look the same as in the tech demo. Elements used can be altered or completely discarded.

In short: The product that will be launched can differ significantly from the tech demo.

Why is this important? CD Projekt Red had to learn a hard lesson with Cyberpunk 2077: The game was in a technically disastrous state at release – especially on consoles. Coincidentally, the tech demo of The Witcher 4 ran on a PS5, instead of a powerful PC – to prove that they want to do better this time.

Moreover, the trailers of Cyberpunk 2077 had probably raised false expectations among some players, partly because it was not always clear what was a tech demo and what was actual gameplay.

That’s why Jan Hermanowicz is very transparent with The Witcher 4: “We do not call it gameplay, we do not pretend that it is the actual game. It is a technology demo.”

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The approach of being transparent from the beginning with the shown material for The Witcher 4 is certainly a good decision. This way, false expectations can hopefully be avoided.

How the game will actually look in the end will be shown in the future. Until then, fans can already get a first rough impression of the direction it might take through the tech demo. The demo has already thrilled MeinMMO editor Sophia: If The Witcher 4 really turns out to be as cool as the tech demo looks, I have found my home

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

For the ridiculous price of 2 euros, you get a movie-worthy story game on Steam

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 4 minutes

A real story fireworks is practically a gift right now on Steam. For 2 euros, you get 12 hours of cinematic entertainment.

The Summer Sale 2025 is currently running on Steam, and this is the moment every year when gamers probably make the most poor decisions and once again increase their “Pile of Shame.” However, some titles and offers are just too tempting to pass up. Especially fans of gripping storylines can confidently strike this time – because for only 2 euros, a film-like game titled “Beyond: Two Souls” awaits.

Start video
Beyond: Two Souls – Trailer for the mystery story hit

What is Beyond: Two Souls about? Beyond: Two Souls tells the story of Jodie Holmes. Jodie is not like other girls, as she is connected to a strange “entity.” A supernatural being that she named “Aiden” obeys her commands and grants her nearly magical abilities. Thus, Jodie can seemingly move objects through telekinesis or have Aiden tell her what he sees – even if she is several meters away or behind a wall.

Due to these abilities, Jodie grows up under the care of scientists and is later also used by government organizations who want to leverage her and Aiden’s skills to obtain special information as a spy.

Interestingly, Beyond: Two Souls does not always tell this story in chronological order. Sometimes a chapter takes place during Jodie’s adulthood, other times you experience her in her childhood. Thus, the puzzle pieces come together piece by piece, and you learn more about the mysterious Aiden – and all the problems Jodie has with the scientists.

And then there are naturally the “monsters” that Aiden always warns Jodie about…

Beyond Two Souls Jodie Magic Cards
Even as a child, Jodie had to prove her and Aiden’s powers.

Typical of Quantic Dream’s games, Beyond: Two Souls is more of an interactive movie than an actual action-adventure. While there are indeed many passages where you can directly control Jodie and explore the environment, in most cases your path is relatively clearly defined and influenced by the decisions you make.

For motion capturing, a real star ensemble has been gathered. For Jodie, Elliot Page plays the role, and Willem Dafoe plays the scientist in the “father role.”

If you’re interested in the game, it’s on Steam for 2 euros on sale until July 10th. It currently holds 88% positive reviews. However, the use of a controller is highly recommended, as Quick-Time Events are simply easier to play with them.

Quick-Time Events and Tough Decisions

How does the gameplay work? The gameplay is a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and Quick-Time Events, in addition to making decisions. Sometimes you have to fight your way through a forest and try to shake off pursuers, other times you have to engage in direct combat. At another moment, you need to tactically use Aiden’s powers to steal secret documents from a safe without being detected. Then at another point, you, as young Jodie, visit a children’s birthday party and have to decide how much you want to reveal about your “special friend” – weighing what the consequences of that might be.

Beyond Two Souls Willem Dafoe Doctor
Willem Dafoe plays the scientist who takes Jodie under his care.

Your decisions influence the story, and depending on whether you can convince other characters in dialogues or gain the upper hand in combat scenes, the course of the story changes. Because in most cases, failing does not mean “Game Over” – but rather a different course of the story. You can expect up to 24 different endings – some similar, some drastically different.

Various difficulty levels determine how often you can “fail” within a scene.

By the way, Beyond: Two Souls can also be played cooperatively. In this case, one person controls Jodie and the other person controls Aiden. This creates an interesting dynamic because, for the Aiden player to have a turn, Jodie must actively relinquish control. Once Aiden finishes his actions, he must also consciously return control to Jodie.

Beyond Two Souls Combat
Can you stop your pursuers and escape? Or will you let them catch you?

This can lead to interesting moments where you, with Aiden or Jodie, might make decisions or take actions that the other person would probably not like…

If you don’t want that, you can, of course, play the game alone and take control of both characters yourself.

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Who is the game worth it for? If you want to experience a really good story game with engaging narrative and interesting ideas – and can overlook minor weaknesses – Beyond: Two Souls is the right choice. And for the nearly ridiculous price of 1.99 €, you get an adventure in which you will spend at least 12 hours – if you are interested in all the endings and alternative possibilities, this time could well double.

If you enjoy this type of games, the “Quantic Dream Collection” bundle might also be worth it. It includes Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, for only 18 € – so story fans would have something to do for the whole month. By the way, I have been holding back a Beyond: Two Euro-joke this whole time. Be proud of me.

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

A European country now wants to legally prevent your images from being used for AI fakes

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 2 minutes

In Denmark, there are plans to change copyright law: Everyone should own their own likeness. The change aims primarily to prevent identity theft. How the Danish state intends to control this in the future is another question.

What does Denmark want to change? Denmark wants to adjust copyright law. In the future, every person should be the owner of their own image. This includes the body, face, and even the voice. This change is intended to protect individuals from having their identities stolen by AI.

The Danish Minister of Culture, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, said to the English-language Guardian:

In the draft legislation, we agree and send an unambiguous message that every individual has the right to their own body, their own voice, and their own facial features, which the current law obviously does not do to protect people from generative AI. People can be run through the digital copying machine and misused for all sorts of purposes, and I am not willing to accept that.

It is relevant that the law is not intended to target parody or satire. Instead, the Danish government intends primarily to focus on issues such as defamation and misinformation. So, a pope in a down jacket could still exist in the future.

The Danish government has approved the proposal, and nine out of ten members support the change. Thanks to this support, the Ministry of Culture is preparing a proposal to amend the law, which is expected to come into force in the fall of 2025.

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Deepfakes are considered a major danger and a tool of fraudsters

What is the problem with deepfakes? Deepfakes are primarily manipulated video or audio files altered using artificial intelligence to appear deceptively real. Some of these have become so good that it’s hard to distinguish fakes from real videos.

On one hand, some of these fakes are meant to be funny or absurd. For example, a video was circulated featuring former Pope Francis in a down jacket, causing amusement and irritation.

On the other hand, fraudsters are deliberately exploiting the situation to stage kidnappings or spread propaganda with false faces. Some sites spread sexual and offensive content that is fake, causing shaking of heads and horror among those affected. With the amendment to the law, the goal is to prevent such fakes. Denmark also wants to specifically punish violations of the law. How this will work exactly is not yet known.

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Using artificial intelligence, fake videos can be generated that look real. Intel is now developing an AI that is supposed to recognize such videos. You can read about how this works in the following article on MeinMMO: Intel develops AI to prevent you from falling for fake videos

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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Developers of an ultra-creative survival game are under criticism – have overlooked removing AI responses from dialogues

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 3 minutes

With The Alters, a special survival game was released on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation, where you need to clone yourselves and make difficult decisions. The game was also popular on Metacritic, but now there are complaints about the use of AI.

Update, July 1, 2025: The developers have now officially addressed the community’s accusations in a statement. The team confirmed the use of AI, but it was only implemented to a limited extent:

– For generating placeholder text that was supposed to be removed at release
– For translating some subtitles for the films that the studio created for The Alters

The latter was due to time constraints, as the studio 11 Bit Studios actually has a translation partner. Both community comments regarding the use of AI will be removed from the game.

The team also admits that they should have informed the community that an AI was involved in the development process. They apologize and emphasize that transparency is important to them (Source: x.com).

What is The Alters? In The Alters, you take on the role of Jan Dolski, an astronaut who has crashed after an expedition. He is the only survivor of his team and now faces challenges that he cannot overcome alone.

For this reason, he uses a quantum computer to replicate himself from different realities in order to activate his base. The goal is to survive, gather resources, and escape alive from the planet you are stuck on.

The game has a Metascore of 84 and a User Score of 8.3 on Metacritic – solid ratings, but now fans have discovered that the developers worked with an AI without mentioning it.

Start video
The Alters shows its gameplay trailer with clones who have made different life choices

Developers forgot to remove AI responses from the game

What have fans discovered? The Alters allegedly used AI to generate text or translate conversations. The former is said to occur in the background, on various displays of the base. Sentences like “Sure, here is a revised version that focuses solely on scientific and astronomical data.” have been discovered on the displays, which AIs send to the user when they execute a command.

Evidence-The-Alters-KI
Here you can see the statement from the AI that the studio forgot to remove (Source: bsky.app)

Another piece of evidence for the use of AI is the aforementioned translation. In Portuguese, texts along with the AI’s response are displayed to the player and packed into the subtitles. For many fans, this is a reason to boycott the game, as the developers have concealed the use of AI.

What is the problem for many? There are different games on Steam that use AIs to ease development. Some use them to assist with translation, while other studios create designs with them.

Valve has clearly stated in a post what things must be disclosed as AI-generated content (Source: store.steampowered.com). This includes:

  • Pre-generated: Any content created during development using AI tools (artwork, code, audio, etc.)
  • Live-generated: Any content created using AI tools in the running game

For many fans, this also includes assistance with content translation, as well as creating small details in the background – like the displays on the monitors. The Alters currently (as of June 30, 10:56 AM) does not have a description that they have used AI for development.

It cannot be said what exactly was created with AI and what wasn’t. 

We have requested a statement from 11Bit Studios, the developers of The Alters. Our article will be updated as soon as we receive a response.

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How are fans reacting to the omission? They are disappointed. Many of them were excited about The Alters and even wanted to leave good reviews on Steam, but now after the concealment of the AI usage, they are appalled. The following can be heard on Steam:

  • “Garbage with undisclosed AI-generated content.” – tortique
  • “This game uses artificial intelligence, but that is not disclosed. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have purchased it.” – mousithri
  • “It breaks your heart when such a unique artistic vision is ruined by AI. I am very disappointed with an otherwise good game. I hope the developers will listen and fix it in the future.” – Чоки
  • “I enjoyed the interpersonal drama of the game, but then I found out that it used generative AI for translations, at least for some background texts and symbols. I wouldn’t have bought the game if it had been disclosed according to Valve’s agreements.” – Periapsys

It remains to be seen how the developers will respond to the debacle, but so far there has been no response from the studio or any of the developers of The Alters. Until then, you can find new survival alternatives here: The 30 best survival games of 2025 for PS5, Steam, and Xbox

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

9 characters from Harry Potter that we also know from our world

Linda Baumgartl Linda Baumgartl Reading time 6 minutes

“Harry Potter is fantasy, everything is made up!”, one might think at first glance. But if you take a closer look, you can discover some characters that we also know from our world.

Really, they existed? A special charm of Harry Potter lies in its setting. We are not on a fictional planet, but in our very normal world. All the magic is just well hidden from us Muggles! This makes the story feel a bit more realistic for us, even though it is of course not.

Accordingly, J.K. Rowling took some people from our Muggle world and incorporated them into her story. These are mainly famous historical figures as well as characters from Muggle legends who became wizards in Harry Potter.  

How is the list sorted? For a bit of suspense, we roughly sort the list by the magical power of the candidates. The really strong witches and wizards come last.

Start video
Teaser for the new ‘Harry Potter’ series evokes nostalgic feelings

Rank 9: Angus Buchanan

Harry Potter - Argus Filch
The grumpy caretaker Argus Filch was also a squib.

Angus Buchanan was the son of a Scottish wizarding family. What his parents, however, did not know for a long time: Angus had no magical abilities – he was a squib. However, as his father had strong prejudices against squibs, Angus hid this fact for years. His siblings even smuggled him to Hogwarts, where the deception was uncovered by the Sorting Hat.

As it had to happen: Angus’s father also learned about his son’s lack of powers and threw him out. Luckily, Angus was taken in by a kind and loving Muggle family and soon discovered his special talent for the Muggle sport of rugby. He became a professional player and brought Scotland victory in an international match. Later, he published a book titled “My Life as a Squib”, in which he processed his story.

In fact, the real Angus Buchanan was also a successful Scottish rugby player. And just like in Harry Potter, this Angus had no magical abilities, what a coincidence!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. harry-potter.fandom.com
  2. scifi.stackexchange.com
  3. gamerant.com
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Pokémon GO: Teaser suggests one of the most powerful Pokémon for the GO Fest finale

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 2 minutes

Pokémon GO has announced the grand finale for the GO Fest. Something big is going to happen – and only one special Pokémon seems to be in question.

When is the GO Fest finale? The GO Fest finale will take place on August 23 and 24, 2025. The team behind Pokémon GO announced this with the help of a teaser.

What does the teaser show? The focus is on Zacian and Zamazenta in their new royal forms. The two Pokémon are running towards a light that’s breaking through a cloud in the darkened sky.

The title of the teaser mentions that one should prepare for something big.

Of course, everything is quite open-ended, but looking at the teaser overall, it can only mean one thing: Everything points to the debut of Endynalos.

You can watch the teaser here on YouTube:

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What kind of Pokémon is Endynalos?

This legendary Pokémon is a Poison-Dragon from space. It is the counterpart to Zamazenta and Zacian.

In Pokémon Shield and Sword, it is told how Endynalos once crashed to Earth in a meteor and tried to absorb the energy of the Galar region. This caused a gigantic dark storm that went down in history as “Dark Night” and caused Pokémon to dynamax everywhere and create chaos. Possibly a fitting end for the current Pokémon GO season “Lovely Days”.

Endynalos-Pokemon
Endynalos (via pokemon.com)

Endynalos then lost in a legendary battle against Zacian and Zamazenta and has not been seen for thousands of years, until the story of Shield and Sword begins and a new battle ignites.

The special thing about Endynalos: This Pokémon has a special Dynamax form, the “Unendynamax” form. This Pokémon is among the absolute most powerful Pokémon in the series. Unendynamax-Endynalos has the highest total stats of all Pokémon, surpassing rivals like Mega-Mewtwo, Mega-Rayquaza or the Proto-Pokémon.

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So sah das Pokémon GO Fest 2025 in Paris aus

The problem with Endynalos: So far, it has not been possible to catch Unendynamax-Endynalos in any game. The normal variant can be obtained – but the overpowered Dynamax version has so far been unreachable. It seems unlikely that Pokémon GO will change that. But: Let’s wait and see.

Because so far, it is not yet 100 % clear that the teaser is about Unendynamax-Endynalos. Who knows, maybe there is just a new version of Jigglypuff! Here we have to wait for more information to become available. However, it is already clear how things will continue with Pokémon GO in July. You can find all events in July 2025 in Pokémon GO here.

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

Competitor of Path of Exile 2 announces new season, but fans fear that one thing will happen again

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 2 minutes

The developers of Last Epoch have announced their third season in a new teaser trailer. While players are excited, there are also concerns that Path of Exile 2 could once again get in their way.

What has been announced? The developers of Last Epoch have announced their new season. The third season of the ARPG is set to start on August 21, 2025, and will likely run under the theme of dinosaurs.

In the teaser, a hunter is seen being attacked by a beast, turning from hunter to prey. But at the last moment, the hunter is able to see the creature and draws his bow. At the end of the short teaser, a kind of Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) is shown, roaring loudly with a large skull, sharp teeth, but small arms.

The official title for Season 3 is also revealed. It will be called “Beneath Ancient Skies,” indicating the dinosaur theme as well.

Here you can watch the teaser trailer:

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

Two Releases in August

Why are fans worried? Many Last Epoch fans are excited about the developers’ announcement, and the dinosaur theme is also well-received:

  • @spyder2238 looks forward to YouTube: “Ohh, a Jurassic Park reference.”
  • @Wissle has noticed it too: “Jurassic Park reference? Rest in peace for that poor hunter.”

However, alongside the excitement for the new season, some players are also worried about the release date. While August 21 is still a bit away, Path of Exile 2 is also expected to start its new season in August if they stick to their own schedule.

In the past, the developers of Last Epoch have communicated a date for their new season that had to be postponed because Path of Exile 2 chose a too similar date. Fans are now afraid that history might repeat itself:

  • kevinhill92 explains on Reddit: “The next PoE2 league is supposed to start in August. The LE team postponed their last launch because of the last PoE2 league. It could happen again.”
  • PoorLittlePicklePest finds on Reddit: “They can’t keep doing this now that the PoE1 and PoE2 leagues are on schedule; they will have trouble avoiding both of these as well as D4. They should just pick a date and stick to it; people can play what they prefer.”
  • CloudConductor sees it similarly on Reddit: “And this time PoE even announced it first, haha. But since PoE1/2 are supposedly alternating leagues every 2 months, it will be hard to avoid conflicts.”
  • kevinhill92 sees gaps again on Reddit: “Well, PoE said every 2 months; so LE could theoretically launch in September, January, May.”
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So far, it is still unknown when exactly the next season of Path of Exile 2 is set to start. However, the developers of Path of Exile have confirmed that there will be a new season every 2 months. Therefore, it is highly likely that Season 2 of Path of Exile 2 will start in August. Whether it will be like last time remains to be seen: First, Path of Exile 2 annoys the competition with their release date, now Last Epoch strikes back on Steam

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. YouTube
  2. lastepoch.com
  3. Reddit

Monster Hunter Wilds: Title Update 2 is now live – Complete Patch Notes

Alexander Mehrwald Alexander Mehrwald Reading time 14 minutes

The Title Update 2 is now playable in Monster Hunter Wilds and the servers are back online. What to expect, you can read here.

What highlights can you expect? In addition to the two new monsters Lagiacrus and Seregios, there are also several other exciting innovations waiting for you. A focus has been placed on performance improvement, which has been a problem for many players since release.

Other major changes that the community has long desired include:

  • The option to change the appearance of your weapon with the so-called “decoration weapons”
  • An option to disable the glow of buffs on the hunter
  • A combat-hardened variant added by Uth Duna that will be huntable later in an event quest
  • Hardened monsters can now also appear in herds

What else is included, you can read here.

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

Complete Patch Notes for Title Update 2 in Monster Hunter Wilds

Here you will find the patch notes for TU2:

Important innovations and changes

Monsters

  • The Lagiacrus has been added and is available in an additional mission. Hunters must have reached at least JR 31 and completed the main mission “The World is Upside Down” and the side mission “Doshaguma in the Forest” to unlock the additional mission.
  • The hardened Lagiacrus has been added and appears once the Lagiacrus additional mission is completed and JR 41 is reached.
  • The Seregios has been added and is available in an additional mission. Hunters must have reached at least JR 31 and completed the main mission “The World is Upside Down” to unlock the additional mission.
  • The hardened Seregios has been added and appears once the Seregios additional mission is completed and JR 41 is reached.
  • The combat-hardened Uth Duna has been added. (Available in a future event quest.)
  • Hardened monsters now appear in monster herds.

Players

  • – New equipment and abilities have been added.
  • – New charms and stickers have been added.
  • – New spoken lines, pose sets, and gestures have been added.
  • – New Saikrii decorations have been added.
  • – Decoration weapons for hunters and Palicoes have been added.
  • – β-set armors have been added to decoration armor settings. α versions in possession of players automatically unlock β versions.
  • – New backgrounds, poses, nameplates, and titles for the hunter profile have been added.
  • – Additional helper hunters have been added: Mina (Sword & Shield) and Fabius (Lance). They can join quests once the main mission “Hunter’s Pride” has been completed. Fabius is only available during a limited-time seasonal event.
  • – A function has been added to the quest switcher that allows players to choose which helper hunters will assist when dropping a distress signal.

Bases and facilities

  • Object chests have been added outside of tents in base camps and the Great Site.
  • An outdoor object chest has been added as a storage equipment option for field camps.
  • The lobby-switching menu can now be opened from the tent of base camps or field camps.
  • A function to switch the field expert from Alma to Erik and vice versa has been added. This function is unlocked after completing the Lagiacrus mission.
  • A function for trading seasonal event items has been added to the supply depot.
  • A new Festival of Harmony takes place from July 23 to August 6, 2025.
  • The following features will be temporarily modified during the Festival of Harmony: Field expert clothing, Saikrii decorations, the Diva’s playlist, decorations in the Great Site, the menu in the canteen, barrel bowling, and barrel bowling bombs. The costumes of Erik and Gemma can also be changed.
  • Barrel bowling now has additional reward slots and special pin setups for seasonal events. Barrel bowling bombs behave differently during seasonal events for a very special challenge compared to Large barrel bombs.
  • New temporary bounties have been added (“Research Aid: Fishing” and “Research Aid: Creatures”).
  • New leaderboard categories have been added (Fishing, Native Creatures).
  • A smithing function for automatically selecting armor spheres during armor enhancement has been added, which converts excess points into armor spheres.
  • A smithing function for automatically selecting materials for enhancing Artian weapons has been added, which converts excess points into materials.

Miscellaneous

  • The additional mission “Under Voltage” has been added. It will be available after completing the main mission “The World is Upside Down” and the side mission “Doshaguma in the Forest” as soon as you leave the Karmin Forest and switch to another region.
  • The additional mission “Partly Clear, Partly Sandstorm” has been added. It will be available after completing the main mission “The World is Upside Down”.
  • The side mission “The Fashion Hunt is Open” has been added. It will be available after completing the main mission “The World is Upside Down” and the side mission “Quality Seal of the Blacksmith”.
  • A new area has been added to the Karmin Forest. It will be available during the additional mission “Under Voltage”.
  • A new important dialogue for Ferdinand in the base camp of the Wind Abyss has been added. Talk to him and fulfill the conditions to receive a new charm.
  • The ambient info can now be accessed in the Great Site and contains announcements at the time of events like the Festival of Harmony.
  • Changes for Steam:
    • Steam®– A notification will now pop up when the application is started with pending graphics card driver updates, unsupported operating system, or compatibility mode.
    • New customizable keyboard configurations have been added.
    • DLSS4 and FSR4 are now supported for graphic upscaling. DLSS4 requires a NVIDIA RTX 5000 series or higher graphics card. FSR4 requires an AMD Radeon 9000 series or higher graphics card.
    • NVIDIA DLSS for multi-frame generation is now supported and can be found in the graphics settings under “Frame Generation”. When using a NVIDIA RTX 5000 series or higher graphics card, the frame rate can be increased by 2-4 times or set to “NVIDIA DLSS Auto” to dynamically toggle frame generation on and off based on load.
    • The upscaling and frame generation settings in the graphics options have been separated from each other. Frame generation can now be set independently from the upscaling settings. Example: With a NVIDIA RTX 3000 series graphics card, upscaling via NVIDIA DLSS can now be selected in conjunction with frame generation from AMD FSR or other combinations.
  • Lobby ID and hunter ID can now be copied to the clipboard via the start menu.
  • The hunting group ID can now be copied to the clipboard via the start menu.
  • A new graphics setting to disable screen distortion effects in underwater or lava areas has been added.
  • A function has been added to quickly refill item bags and ammo bags.
  • The ammo bag is now automatically refilled when an item set is activated.
  • The material procurement for Nata has been given the “Take All” function.
  • A function “Remove All Decorations” has been added to the “Edit Decorations” submenu.
  • The hunter profile of the group leader can now be accessed via the hunting group map.
  • An option to display elapsed time in arena quests (and other time-based quests) in the objectives has been added. Previous best times can also now be accessed.
  • The equipment appearance can now be accessed via the equipment info or Palico info in the start menu.
  • The chat log can now be accessed via the start menu.
  • Photo mode options for “Effects” and “Character Display” have been added. Gestures and poses can now also be selected from the first-person perspective.
  • The “Completed Quests” page of the hunter profile has been added to the category “All Quests Except Arena”, which excludes total weapon usage. The previous “All Quests” category has been appended to the end of the list. Additionally, the target quest category has been added the function to reset weapon usage.
  • “Best Times” entries for arena quests in the hunter profile and quest switcher can now be deleted. (Times in the leaderboards of the expedition record board cannot be deleted.)
  • The following options have been added:
    • An option “Health Bar Warning”
    • A display option “Fixed” under “Display Elapsed Time in Quests”
    • An option “Highlight Active Effects”
    • An option “Highlight Equipped Talismans”
    • An option “Display Damage from Helpers”
    • An option “Collect Excess Items”

Bug fixes and balance adjustments


Bases and facilities

  • A bug has been fixed that prevented any input from being registered in barrel bowling when certain steps were taken.
  • The likelihood that the pins in barrel bowling are arranged the same way for several consecutive days has been reduced.
  • A bug has been fixed that caused stumps in the Great Site to sometimes float in the sky.
  • Object requests for material procurement can now be performed during weather events in Kunafa and Azuz, and objects can now still be collected during weather events.

Monsters

  • The frequency at which monsters discover field camps has been adjusted.
  • A bug has been fixed that prevented stealth attacks in the arena from causing normal damage at times.
  • Hardened wounds in future free challenge quests are now at fixed locations.
  • A bug has been fixed that caused the size of a target monster to change when an investigation with only one attempt remaining was accepted.

Players

  • Generally
    • Players now gain control over their character faster after starting a quest.
    • The responsiveness of the gather action for players has been improved, especially when riding the Saikrii.
    • The abnormal status “Bleeding” now recovers faster when the character moves while crouching.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the effects of the ability “Smooth Polished Blade” to not be removed when entering/exiting the training area.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused players to have multiple types of Large Barrel Bombs in their item bag when collecting a previously placed Large Barrel Bomb while having a Blossom Barrel Bomb in their possession.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused pressing the sprint button (set to single press) from a crouch when standing up to result in a “run” movement rather than a sprint.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the status “Entangled” to not be removed correctly by “Cleaning Wasp Delivery”.
    • Other minor bug fixes and related adjustments for all weapon actions have been made.
  • Sword & Shield
    • The base damage and stun values of “Shield Attack”, “Shield Strike”, and “Hard Strike” have been slightly increased.
    • The base damage of the final part of “Perfect Charge” has been slightly increased.
    • It is now harder to execute the block hit multiple times in a row.
    • The dodging window for the Sliding Wiper has been slightly extended.
    • The damage from “Chop” and “Side Hit” has been slightly decreased.
    • The base damage of Counter Hit has been decreased.
    • A bug has been fixed that allowed focus attacks to be accidentally executed multiple times on the same wound on certain monsters.
  • Dual Blades
    • The movement direction can now be changed midway when players transition into demon mode immediately after dodging.
    • When players dodge in demon bonus mode (while in demon mode), they now transition into Blade Dance II when activating Blade Dance. (If the demon gauge is not sufficiently filled, Blade Dance I will occur instead.)
    • The responsiveness of Blade Dance II has been improved.
    • The movement speed in demon mode has been increased.
    • The base damage of basic actions like “Demon Six Slash”, “Demon Whirlwind”, and “Demon Spiral” has been increased.
    • The base damage, element, and status scaling of “Screw Cutter” have been significantly increased.
    • The base damage of “Focus: Tide Turn” has been increased.
    • The base damage of “Heavenly Blade Dance” has been increased.
    • The element and status scaling of “Blade Dance” have been slightly decreased, while the base damage has been increased.
    • The base damage bonus in demon bonus mode has been slightly decreased, while the element scaling bonus has been increased.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the bonuses of the demon bonus mode to remain longer than intended due to the ability “Power Extension”.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused unintended camera shaking in demon mode.
  • Longsword
    • The element scaling for Crimson Slash II has been significantly increased.
    • The base damage, element, and status scaling for “Crimson Slash III” have been increased.
    • “Crimson Slash III” moves into “Elan Blade I” faster now.
    • The base damage of “Elan Unleashed Slash” has been slightly increased.
    • The base damage of “Elan Round Slash” at red Elan bar has been increased.
    • The base damage of “Spinning Crimson Slash” has been increased.
    • The base damage of “Iai Elan Slash” at white and yellow Elan bars has been increased.
    • The element and status scaling for “Crimson Slash I” has been decreased.
  • Hammer
    • When a monster is staggered by a successful counterattack, you can now execute a special follow-up attack.
    • You can now execute “Focus: Earthquake” directly after “Charged Side Sweep”.
    • The attacks “Charged Upward Swing” and “Powerful Charged Upward Swing” have been given counter effects.
    • Charge levels now increase faster after performing a charged step after dodging.
    • The base damage of “Charged Big Bang” has been increased.
    • The base damage and element scaling of “Powerful Impact Crash” have been increased.
    • The hit zones for certain attacks like Big Bang have been adjusted.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the damage display for “Big Bang IV” to be shown twice.
  • Hunting Horn
    • Performing the focus attack: Echo with precise timing now plays an extra note at the end of the attack.
    • Offering “Focus: Echo” with precise timing now places an echo bubble at the end of the attack. (You can cancel the echo bubble by holding R2 (PS5), RT (Xbox), or R (PC keyboard with default layout) at the end of the action.)
    • A single hit of “Resounding Melody” on a monster now triggers a sound wave.
    • Your Saikrii no longer stops for mounted performances.
    • The damage hit zone of the echo bubble has been significantly increased.
    • The duration of invulnerability during the counter melody has been increased.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused melodies to be shown that were not yet offered as encore when switching from one hunting horn to another.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused a hit with the counter melody to sometimes not trigger counter attacks.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused saved notes not to reset correctly when executed as special performance.
  • Lance
    • You can now execute a charge counter immediately after “Focus Attack: Victory Strike”.
    • The hit zone of “Focus Attack: Victory Strike” has been adjusted to make landing hits easier.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused shield attacks during “Focus Attack: Determination” to unintentionally destroy monster wounds.
  • Gunlance
    • A bug has been fixed that caused critical hits during multiple hits of certain actions like the “Full Wyrmstake Multiple Explosion” to also cause follow-up hits to be critical hits.
  • Morph Axe
    • Adjusting your distance to monsters while using “Unrestrained Slash” and “Full Unleashed Slash” has been made easier in focus mode.
    • The backward movement triggered by the “Element Unleashing Death Strike” can now be slightly reduced by tilting the left stick in the character’s facing direction.
    • The element scaling of subsequent explosions from sword attacks when using element vials has been significantly increased.
    • The element scaling of subsequent explosions from the abilities “Unrestrained Slash”, “Full Unleashed Slash”, and “Axe: Additional Attack Morph Slash” when using element vials has been significantly increased.
    • The base damage of “Axe: Heavy Additional Attack Knockdown” and “Axe: Additional Attack Morph Slash” has been increased.
    • The switch gauge recovery when performing standard attacks in axe mode has been increased.
    • Base damage and enhancement gauge recovery of “Axe: Morph Upward Double Slash” have been increased, and the switch gauge consumption has been reduced.
    • Base damage and enhancement gauge recovery of “Sword: Triple Slash” have been increased.
    • The switch gauge consumption when using “Sword: Overhead Slash” has been reduced.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the damage scaling of the ability “Lightning Morph” to not be applied to the landing of the Jumped Morph Slash.
  • Energy Blade
    • Block points now have detection for perfect blocking, and you can now execute “Wild Axe Slash” directly after a perfect block.
    • The base damage of “Super Enhanced Element Unleashing” directly after performing certain attacks (like “Enhanced Element Unleashing”) has been increased.
    • The base damage of “Enhanced Element Unleashing” and “Super Enhanced Element Unleashing” has been increased.
    • The base damage of “Weak Slash”, “Counter Attack”, and “Shield Bash” has been slightly increased.
    • The base explosion damage of vials for “Axe: Element Unleashing”, “Axe: Enhanced Element Unleashing”, and “Axe: Super Enhanced Element Unleashing” has been increased.
    • The base explosion damage of impact vials in sword bonus mode has been increased.
    • “Axe: Element Unleashing” now chains faster into other simple axe actions like “Axe: Sprint Knockdown” and “Axe: Horizontal Retreat Slash”.
    • The base damage for multi-hit attacks in power axe mode has been decreased.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the damage bonus of the vial explosion when performing “Element Unleashing I” or similar attacks with impact vial and enhanced vials not to be applied.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused weapon sharpness to decrease faster than usual when performing a block point with the element bonus activated.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the damage scaling of the ability “Lightning Morph” not to be correctly applied to certain jumping attacks in axe mode.
  • Heavy Bowgun
    • The rapid fire gauge recovery when using shotgun ammo I and II has been increased.
    • A bug has been fixed that made dodging difficult after firing slicing ammo.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the ability “Salvo” to activate with fewer hits than expected when using cluster bombs or wyvern explosion ignition.
  • Bows
    • A bug has been fixed that caused coatings to inadvertently switch to “unequipped” under certain circumstances.
  • Helper Hunters
    • A bug has been fixed that caused mounted helper hunters to leave cover too early during the large area attack of a Jin Dahaad and thus take damage.
    • If the quest management is at JR 100 or higher, the attack power of helper hunters is now increased.
    • The behavior of helper hunters when mounting a monster has been adjusted.
    • Olivia now performs an additional attack after a successful counterattack.
  • Saikrii
    • The responsiveness of the Saikrii after being called has been improved.
    • The responsiveness when controlling your Saikrii after ascending via Saikrii calling has been improved.
    • A bug has been fixed when riding with auto-movement that caused the Saikrii to run in circles upon reaching the target area before the large monster.
    • The response behavior to inputs for using objects while riding a Saikrii has been improved in some areas:
      – After a weapon switch while riding
      – When using an object after closing the map
      – When using an object directly after another object
    • It is now possible to dismount from the Saikrii while drifting.
  • Palico
    • A bug has been fixed that caused Palicoes to cancel the delivery of vitality wasps under certain circumstances.

Miscellaneous

  • System
    • The guild points awarded for delivering wyvern eggs have been increased.
    • The ability info window is now quickly accessible in various menus.
    • The button mapping for the option “Delete Investigation” has been changed during investigations.
    • The button mapping for the option “Allowed Equipment” has been changed during arena quests and challenge quests.
    • Food abilities can now be viewed in the ability info window via “Equipment Info” in the start menu.
    • The exact effects of food abilities can now be displayed on the “Active Abilities” page in the ability info window.
    • Accepting and breaking up (quick start) a quest is now possible directly from a quest invitation in the important chat messages.
    • The option “Skip” has been removed from important chat messages, and the map can now be opened even when the messages are still active.
    • The map has been adjusted so that it no longer automatically changes level when focusing on a large monster.
    • The storage info is now displayed at the top right of the start menu and on quest switch screens.
    • The monster encyclopedia can now be displayed in the tent through the quest menu.
    • A bug has been fixed that allowed decorations to be equipped on slots for which they were not intended.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused received nameplates not to appear in the settings in the hunter profile.
    • Steam®– The VRAM usage during texture streaming has been adjusted, leading to an overall lower VRAM usage.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the estimated VRAM usage in the display/graphics settings to be calculated too low. (Therefore, a higher estimated VRAM usage is now displayed, but due to a separate optimization, the actual VRAM usage has decreased, keeping the current minimum and recommended system requirements unchanged.)
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the display of VRAM usage in the graphics settings to show incorrect values for “Quality of Distant Shadows”.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the armor to not be displayed in the display options of the chest protection when “Display Armor” was selected in the appearance change menu.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused performing certain actions like eating or forging weapons/armors in the Great Site to reset mantle cooldowns.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused repeated fast travel in the training area to reset certain statuses like mantle cooldowns.
    • The response time for using objects after leaving a tent has been improved.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused blocked users not to be removed correctly from the follower list.
    • – A bug has been fixed that caused incorrect icons to be displayed for offline players in the members list.
    • – A bug has been fixed in the “Equipment Appearance” menu so that the focus now stays on the selected decoration armor.
  • Quests
    • Accepting and joining quests during ambient connections is now possible from the quest switcher.
    • Adjustments have been made to reduce interruptions when joining quests via an invitation message.
    • The conditions for unlocking the hunter highlight “Social Butterfly” have been adjusted.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused an automatic distress signal to be sent when starting a quest with max. member count set to 1 and auto distress signal ON.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the departure animation to not finish when the target quest ended at a specific moment during the animation, making it impossible for players to control their character.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the effects of the Super Luck voucher not to be applied to the target quest when accepting a quest invitation from a connecting member during an ongoing quest.
    • A bug has been fixed that allowed a grand hunt (a hunt with multiple monsters) to be generated in your environment during non-field exploration, even if one of the monsters did not appear in the respective environment.
    • A bug has been fixed that allowed players to significantly decrease the health of a monster with poison or similar abnormal statuses before the start of a field exploration.
    • A bug has been fixed that prevented the save process when completing a free challenge quest in offline mode, resulting in lower-ranked times being incorrectly displayed at the quest switcher.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused a target monster not to appear in investigations with multiple monsters at times.
    • A bug has been fixed that caused the participant count in the leaderboard to not register correctly when multiple players joined an arena quest simultaneously.
    • New measures to prevent unacceptable or fraudulent investigations have been implemented.
    • Quest completion times that are clearly unfair will not be entered into the leaderboards, and corresponding users will be automatically banned or available functions restricted.
  • Other
    • A bug has been fixed that caused some spoken lines not to trigger correctly.
    • Various text issues have been fixed.
    • Some minor bugs have been fixed.
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Monster Hunter Wilds: Blossomdance – Everything about time, rewards and quests
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Monster Hunter Wilds: Flamefete – All about time, rewards and quests
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Even after Title Update 2, the story of Monster Hunter Wilds continues. In a message to the community, Game Director Yuya Tokuda wrote about what is still to come in the future. What to expect in the near future, you can read here: Capcom explains how Monster Hunter Wilds will continue, aiming to solve the community’s biggest problem

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

Guild wants to close with Dune: Awakening because a cheater is terrorizing their server

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 2 minutes

As much fun as Dune: Awakening can potentially bring, the struggle for survival can also cause a lot of frustration. In addition to griefers, cheats, hackers, and dupers also torpedo the gaming fun of many players.

What is the concrete problem? Apparently, various players in Dune: Awakening are using unauthorized external means such as hacks or exploits to gain significant advantages on Arrakis. This can manifest, for instance, in the victim’s Ornithopter being stolen while transitioning to the Deep Desert.

Last week, Known_Writer_9036 reported another severe case on Reddit. In his world Hyperion, a single cheater is alleged to not only steal vehicles in the Deep Desert but also empty entire bases and adjust the permissions there.

The damage caused by this cheater is said to be so great that the entire guild wants to stop playing Dune: Awakening until a sustainable solution is found. According to Known_Writer_9036, they were just in the process of building an alliance with other communities for further large guild operations.

To emphasize his experience and clarify that this is not an isolated incident, Known_Writer_9036 provides 5 links in his post to further reports about the cheating problem in Dune: Awakening.

The release trailer for Dune Awakening:

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

“Hacking is the game killer”

How does the community react to the report? With over 2,600 thumbs up and more than 415 comments.

  • ChapterDifficult593 sums it up on Reddit: “Hacking is the game killer.”
  • BlindMancs reports on Reddit about a personal case: “I just lost a base in the Deep Desert. […] Outside, no damages. A door was replaced by a wall – probably so they could go in when needed. We’re at the end.”
  • lWinkk doesn’t understand on Reddit: “I don’t understand why anyone would want to hack in a role-playing game. That’s really sad. These real-money trading clowns ruin games on a large scale.”
  • 42mir4 writes on Reddit that he knows it well from other games: “Reading that gave me chills. I have many bad memories of Red Dead Online, where hackers and menu mods ruined the game for the average player. To this day, they still roam because R* refuses to do anything about it.”

In the Reddit section of Dune: Awakening, more and more reports and posts about hackers, dupers (who are said to exploit a glitch to duplicate items), and cheaters can be found daily. kam1sh reports on Reddit that he has been regularly reporting a cheater on his server for 21 days. So far, nothing has happened.

SherpaGoolsbee would love to see permanent bans for every exposed cheater (via Reddit). Additionally, the protection software BattleEye urgently needs updates to reliably detect things like speed hacks, according to the wishes of various players.

More about Dune:
There is currently a golden age for survival games on Steam, and not just thanks to Windrose
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Dune: Awakening finally overcomes its identity crisis, fulfilling the greatest wish of PvE players
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What has your experience been with cheaters in Dune: Awakening so far? Is your gaming experience already suffering from cheaters and hackers? Share it in the comments! Fortunately, there are also heartwarming feel-good stories from Arrakis. Here’s an example: Players from Dune: Awakening build a gas station with free access: “The sign is great, I have never seen anything like it”

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

The WoW truth you don’t want to hear: Players with 1-button macros are better 75% of the time

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

With just one button, many players in World of Warcraft are stronger than their peers. A full 75% leave them behind without mastering their class.

The introduction of the “1 Button Assistant” was controversial. Thanks to it, players in WoW can play their characters without learning complex rotations. The PvE aspect of the game is reduced to one button, and players only have to select major cooldowns or utility abilities manually.

What is a blessing and a great method of accessibility for some turns out to be a curse for others. Because what happens when you suddenly realize that you perform better with the assistant than without? This is likely to lead to some crises of conscience and frustration, especially knowing that 75% of characters are better when using the assistant.

Start video
Older lady lives our dream and plays WoW until 5 a.m.

75% are being taken away by the 1-Button Assistant

What was found out? When the “1 Button Assistant” was introduced, community sites like wowhead calculated how great the DPS loss of individual classes was. After all, there is a penalty on global cooldown, and the feature doesn’t work “perfectly”, making small mistakes that professionals wouldn’t make.

It was found out that you lose between 10% and 25% performance when using this feature.

What was forgotten in this context was that Wowhead based its calculations on theoretical maximum values, i.e., the results of “simulations” where the character plays flawlessly, has to ignore no boss mechanics, and every decision is made perfectly.

This, however, is completely unrealistic for most characters – no one plays as well as the simulation.

The shocking result, measured against real numbers: well over 75% of characters are overtaken by people using the “1 Button Assistant”.

The YouTuber Bellular analyzed the numbers in one of his latest videos:

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How do the differences arise? How well the “1 Button Assistant” works depends on several factors. The most important are:

  • How well is the rotation programming planned by Blizzard?
  • How well does the chosen specialization fit the “1 Button Assistant”?
  • How many abilities have long cast times, so the increased cooldown doesn’t matter?

Bellular is sure that this feature will lead to some balance problems and related discussions in the coming months and years. The game will become even more complex, as there will likely not only be a “best talent choice for every class” but also a “best talent choice for every class with 1 Button Assistant”.

Additionally, the social pressure may increase to use the assistant with particularly strong classes – even if one would rather play manually.

More about WoW:
The 16 MMORPGs with the most players according to official numbers from the developers
von Karsten Scholz
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WoW: Leveling Valeera to Level 60 – Here’s How to Do It in a Week
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It is clear, however, that the “1-Button-Assistant” is a real alternative for many players. A significant portion of the community would likely perform better if they took advantage of this aid – even if one might not want to admit it, as they see themselves as the chosen DPS master of God.
But for that, you can also simply play the most popular class, as it greatly benefits from this feature.

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

Pokémon GO: Fourth promo code is finally here, gives another 50 energy

Max Handwerk Max Handwerk Reading time 2 minutes

In Pokémon GO there is a final promo code for the GO Fest. It provides energy for Zamazenta.

Here is the code: The following code was released a bit later than the three from the previous days. The codes were linked to new followers of the Pokémon GO YouTube channel. However, by the afternoon of the GO Fest Sunday, the required amount was apparently reached and the code was finally released.

It is:

  • T3DZFDW7LY7TZ

The codes from the previous days:

What does the code get me? The code provides 50 form change energies for Zamazenta, which you could catch yesterday. If you happen to be missing up to 50 energies to reach the 1,000 required energies, you can use the code to complete the 1,000.

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

How do I redeem the promo code in Pokémon GO?

This is how you redeem the code: Currently, this can no longer be done in the game, but in the Pokémon GO web store.

You should now receive a push notification from Pokémon GO that an online offer has been redeemed. In the game itself, you can now collect the energy.

Do you want to check if it worked? Either simply look up your Zamazenta and see how much energy it has now. Alternatively: Check the diary in your trainer menu. There you can find all activities, including code redemptions.

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The GO Fest is now over, but the near future brings many more Pokémon into the game. These include Solgaleo and Lunala, which are appearing in raids for the first time. You can also look forward to more themed events, spotlight hours, and raid bosses. We show you all in the overview of all events in July 2025 in Pokémon GO.

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

Did you know that the corpses in Dark Souls that you loot are not really dead?

Christos Tsogos Christos Tsogos Reading time 2 minutes

In Dark Souls, it’s primarily about looting, leveling up, and defeating bosses. The former can usually be found on corpses scattered wildly throughout Lordran, Drangleic, or Lothric. However, one player has discovered something about these corpses that makes looting a bit unpleasant.

What was discovered? The player Purpleyeggs reported in a thread on Reddit about something that he can’t get out of his head, and this thing concerns the corpses in the game. A large portion of the loot in Dark Souls can indeed be found on the corpses of various husks lying on the ground.

Now one might think that these are just normal heroes and people who have perished over time and are lying where they were placed, but that makes no sense. Dark Souls is the game of the undead and husks; they shouldn’t be dead at all… and indeed, they are not.

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The Dark Souls Remastered in the Trailer

A world full of wandering corpses

What is the deal with the husks? In Dark Souls, all beings branded with the Dark Sign are cursed to wander as husks eventually.

Husks are beings that require humanity (shadows of darkness) to remain sane. Those who lose their humanity become a husk – a wandering corpse that can distinguish neither friend nor foe, attacking everything and everyone. Some of these husks represent the corpses that you loot during your journey. However, Purpleyeggs notes: these husks can’t possibly be dead.

In a land where the husks are immortal, they cannot possibly be dead. As Purpleyeggs aptly puts it, the husks are in a form of stasis: “You have lost any sense and purpose you clung to, but you can’t even be in a furious rage; you just sit and lie there until another undead picks up your things without paying you any attention.”

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What supports the player’s thesis? Husks cannot die unless their parts are used to create a new bonfire. Those who are still “alive” are still living, just without consciousness and the drive to exist.

The best evidence that the husks are still alive lies in Dark Souls 3. In the dungeon of Irithyll, there is a husk in a cell that has loot on its lap. When you try to steal from the husk, it starts screaming and reaching for the player. What appears to be a jumpscare is more an indication that the “corpses” are still alive, just without the will to live.

So next time you loot a corpse in Dark Souls, don’t feel too good about it. Who knows, it might just come back to haunt you. If you want to read more about Dark Souls, here’s an exciting list: The strongest bosses in Dark Souls 1, 2, and 3 according to lore in the power ranking

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

A player plays as a Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3, but in one situation he has to break his holy oath

Alexander Mehrwald Alexander Mehrwald Reading time 3 minutes

A player on Reddit found himself in a very tricky situation with his Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3. The moment left him with only two options, both of which would lead him to break his oath.

What situation was the player in? At a significant point in the second act of Baldur’s Gate 3, Reddit user Ghetsis_Gang faced an uncomfortable situation. He was playing a Paladin, and when he reached a certain point in the story, there were only 2 options for him to choose from, as he shares on Reddit.

Since he had previously killed an important NPC, he was left with only 2 options to choose from at this point. However, both decisions ultimately led to him breaking his Paladin oath.

What role does the oath play? For a Paladin player, the oath is an important gameplay mechanic. On one hand, the oath dictates the values the Paladin commits to in role-playing and must uphold. On the other hand, he receives specific powers and magic for the oath, which are lost if he breaks his vow.

If one breaks their vow, they receive the subclass “Oathbreaker” along with different abilities. Players must then decide whether they want to remain an Oathbreaker or atone (i.e., pay gold corresponding to their level) and restore the oath.

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Decision for or against authority and the protection of the innocent

Why did it not matter which decision broke the oath? The “Oath of the Crown,” which the user chose as a subclass, is based on the four principles of Law, Loyalty, Courage, and Responsibility. One breaks their oath when they violate these principles.

Unlike other oaths, which often revolve around the alignment of good and evil, this one primarily concerns the maintenance of order and authority. And this is where the crux of this moment apparently lies.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

For in the moment when the player decides to save Aylin, he seemingly interferes with the order. Shadowheart is a cleric of the evil goddess Shar, while Aylin is a daughter of Selûne – and both deities are deeply opposed to each other.

From the perspective of the community in the comments of the Reddit thread, the player here contradicts the natural order and enmity of the two goddesses and their followers with his decision. However, if he allows Shadowheart to kill Aylin, the player does not fulfill his oath to protect the innocent. So he breaks his oath with both decisions.

Baldur's Gate 3 Lady Aylin Night Song
The decision concerning a specific character puts the player in a dilemma.

Other users see a potential reason in another decision why the player broke his oath. For he had promised an NPC to help another person but instead killed them.

Whether this is a bug or a deliberate dilemma is hard to say. Either way, the decision has cost the user quite a bit of gold to restore his oath. Another user notes that he suspects this dilemma can be circumvented by completing the Shar Temple before heading to the tower (via Reddit).

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The Paladin with the Oath of the Crown was only added in the latest patch in Baldur’s Gate. Yet even before, the Paladin was by far the most popular class. Why that is, you can read here: Why is the Paladin actually the most popular class in Baldur’s Gate?

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

A user plays Pokémon GO and suddenly receives surprising mail from North Korea

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 2 minutes

A player is playing at the “Pokémon GO Fest.” But the big surprise is when he receives a postcard in Pokémon GO. Because it comes from the isolated country of North Korea. He didn’t expect that.

In Pokémon GO, you can send or collect postcards and unlock a special Pokémon when you collect enough postcards from a certain region. But a player has now received a surprising postcard: namely from the highly isolated country of North Korea.

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A postcard from North Korea, but can you even play there?

What did the player receive? A player posted a screenshot of his app on Reddit, where you can see a postcard he received. The special thing about it is the location: The postcard was sent from Hamgyong. That is a province on the east coast of North Korea near the border with China.

How authentic is the postcard? Some players suspect that the postcard must come from a spoofer. Spoofers are people who fake a location where they are not. One player also explains that the mentioned location is outside of tourist routes. Nevertheless, Hamgyong (or Hamhung) is outside the game’s China/North Korea exclusion zone, so PokéStops and gyms could theoretically be possible there:

Not to mention that the city from where this gift originates, Hamhung, is rarely visited by tours through North Korea, which means it is extremely unlikely that a player is actually there legally. Interestingly, however, the city is outside the game’s China/North Korea exclusion zone, so PokéStops and gyms are indeed possible there and the game works properly, which in practice means nothing, as there is no internet.

Can you even play Pokémon GO in North Korea? How and whether you can play Pokémon GO in North Korea is unknown due to the difficult political situation.

In an older discussion on Facebook, it is said that a large part of North Korea is geographically blocked and therefore not available for Pokémon GO. However, there are allegedly some functioning areas in the far north near the Russian border and just behind the border with South Korea. This could also apply to Hamgyong, which is the border region with Russia and China. However, we cannot confirm this.

What do the postcards bring at all? In Pokémon GO, you can collect postcards from various regions of the world. If you collect enough postcards, you unlock an encounter with the Pokémon Scatterbug: Scatterbug eventually evolves into Vivillon. The patterns of Vivillon’s wings are based on the region from which the postcard originates. All regions and patterns for Vivillon are listed on MeinMMO.

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In Pokémon GO, you can now secure Vivillon with the help of your friends since December 2022. Some trainers have already fully completed their Platinum medal for this. We at MeinMMO show you how to find friends to collect all forms as well: Pokémon GO: Trainers have already found all Vivillon forms – Here’s how to find friends for that

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

Players in Elden Ring: Nightreign receive a powerful attack boost of over 40%, just by killing a few simple bosses

Alexander Mehrwald Alexander Mehrwald Reading time 2 minutes

Players have succeeded in obtaining a powerful buff to their attack power in Elden Ring: Nightreign, permanently increasing it by over 40%. They only needed a specific relic and some simple bosses.

What are players reporting? On Reddit, some players share their experience that they were able to obtain a guaranteed, permanent buff to their attack power for their runs, which is extremely powerful.

In ideal runs, they achieved a powerful buff of 40.71%. With their tactic, all 3 players can receive this buff. All three only need a specific relic and a clear route with relatively simple bosses.

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With relics and mini-bosses to a significant advantage

How did the players achieve this? To obtain this powerful buff, you first need a relic with the bonus “Attack power permanently increased for each defeated Seal Prison captive.” With this, you can receive a bonus of 5% for each captive you defeat.

The buff is permanent, lasting for your entire run. Some players managed to obtain a buff of 40.71% by strategically defeating all 7 available Seal Prison captives on the map. These mini-bosses can be tackled relatively easily in a group, making them a popular destination.

A relic with this buff can be obtained for Sovereignty Sigils at the Collector’s Shield once you have defeated your first boss in its Eternal Darkness Sovereignty form. Currently, you need to face the current Eternal Darkness boss Fulghor and defeat him or hope for another relic with this bonus. However, note that you cannot equip multiple relics with this effect.

Elden Ring Nightreign Relic Collector's Shield
Here you will definitely find a relic with this bonus. Image: MeinMMO.

The relic from the Collector’s Shield also has another advantage, as you start with a Stone Sword Key, which you need to open the Seal Prisons. Additionally, treasures on the map are marked, allowing you to specifically search for more keys.

If all three players bring this relic into the run, you can gain significant advantages. It is worth trying this tactic, as in addition to this buff, you also receive a substantial amount of runes upon completing Seal Prisons, allowing you to level up quickly.

Some players even speculate that this relic was intentionally designed to ease difficult runs in the long term when encountering problems.

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Another way to catapult your attack damage to astronomical heights was recently discovered by another player. They managed to not only increase their damage with their tactic but also forced the game to its knees, ending up dealing no damage at all: Player defeats 727 enemies in Nightreign for an hour to strengthen a weapon, ultimately dealing no damage and dying

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

An actor has so many children that he forgets their names when he tries to remember them all: “Why do I have so many?”

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 2 minutes

The actor and comedian Nick Cannon has 12 children with 6 different women. But he can’t remember all their names. In the past, there were also allegations against the actor, for which he has partly apologized.

Nick Cannon, actor, comedian, and musician, spoke with Bobbi Althoff on the podcast “Really Good” about his children. When Cannon was asked to name all his children, he couldn’t do it completely. In the end, he was only able to name 10 of his 12 children.

In the podcast, Cannon jokingly said:

I usually get in trouble. I know them all, but here we go. I will list them all for you. To be honest, there are Roc, Roe, Golden, Powerful, Rise, Onyx, Legendary, Zion, Zillion, Zen, and … you see, here we go … How many [are left?]

The host replied that he was missing 2. At the beginning of the conversation, Althoff also asked Cannon why he has so many children. His answer: He feels like a king and therefore has to have many children:

Why do I have so many children? I have a king complex. Black men always ask: ‘What’s up, King?’ I really think I’m the king.

With whom does he have children? His biography is relatively confusing regarding whom he has children with. Because he has not only children with one woman but with several. 6 mothers are known by name (via US-Magazine.com):

  • With his ex-wife Mariah Carey, he has twins Moroccan and Monroe.
  • With Brittany Bell, he has 3 children: Golden Sagon, Rise Messiah, and Powerful Queen.
  • With Abby De La Rosa, he also has three children: Zion Mixolydian, Zillion Heir, and Beautiful Zeppelin.
  • With Bre Tiesi, he has one child, the son Legendary Love.
  • With LaNisha Cole, he has one daughter, Onyx Ice.
  • With Alyssa Scott, he also has one daughter, Halo.
Nick Cannon has previously faced anti-Semitic allegations and is said to have made several statements that were deemed anti-Semitic (via BBC.com). For some statements, he has since apologized. MTV nonetheless ended their collaboration with Cannon.

Certain names not permitted in Germany: The sometimes very strange-sounding names are not unusual for the USA. In Germany, it is prohibited to name children after certain products or objects.

Registry offices usually reject first names that have a predictable potential for mockery. Other, sometimes surprising names are repeatedly approved. According to Familie.de, someone was allowed to name their child Pepsi-Carola or Champagna.

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The movies from Tolkien’s universe are full of talented and versatile actors. But only one has made it into every single film of the franchise, and that in different roles. You can read more about it on MeinMMO: One single actor has appeared in all films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and the reason for that is simple

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

A boss mechanic drives players insane in Diablo 4, now a statement from the community chief brings hope

Nicole Wakulczyk Nicole Wakulczyk Reading time 2 minutes

Since Season 8, bosses in Diablo 4 can no longer be “oneshotten.” On one hand, the difficulty has increased; on the other, they have phases where they are immune. This annoys many players greatly. However: A comment from the community lead gives hope.

What specifically annoys the players? With Season 8, Blizzard has increased the difficulty on the torment levels in Diablo 4. The hideout bosses no longer go down immediately, have more hit points, and deal more damage. They don’t just have more health, but also so-called immunity phases.

That means: Even if you would take down a boss with a few hits, it still doesn’t go down. That takes away the players’ “secret weapon” against the tough opponents. Instead, it switches to a phase where it is either briefly immune or simply leaves the map altogether – like Duriel, who burrows under the map. And that takes away the players’ “secret weapon” against the tough opponents.

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Blizzard will work on the immunity phases

What does the community lead say? In a post on X, a user writes on June 28, 2025: “Please remove the immunity phases from Andariel/Duriel/Mephisto dog [Note: the Herald of Hatred, a new boss in Season 8]. For Lilith’s sake.” In response, community lead Adam Fletcher states that there are plans to address this.

What this specifically means, whether the phases will be completely removed or just weakened, Fletcher leaves open. It is also unclear when a fix will come. A user follows up, asking whether this will be included in the Season 9 update, but so far there is no answer. Season 9 starts on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

“Back to oneshotting”

How the community is reacting: In a post on Reddit, the community picks up on Fletcher’s comment. Many agree: The sooner Blizzard fixes it, the better. And TheoryOfRelativity12 jokingly comments: “Back to oneshotting bosses.” And Trunks252 replies: “If they can oneshot us, then we should be able to do the same. That’s only fair.”

WhatsRatingsPrecious comments that until then, he will just keep focusing on Belial. And ssjgoku27 says: “Hopefully they fix that with Uber Lilith as well.” The fight against her echo is considered the toughest in the entire game, which even OP builds fail against.

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Even before Season 9 has even begun, criticism is already pouring in. Especially the new battle pass is currently in sharp focus, but the seasonal features are also receiving little enthusiasm. Since Blizzard released an overview graphic for the new season, the community has primarily been discussing the controversial reliquary system: The new season has not yet started in Diablo 4, but players are already complaining: “I’m slowly losing hope”

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

“Games are still amazingly cheap”: Former PlayStation chief defends 80 € expensive games

Alexander Mehrwald Alexander Mehrwald Reading time 2 minutes

The prices for video games are rising – but Shuhei Yoshida, the former head of PlayStation, does not see this as critical, as he tells in an interview. For him, games are still remarkably affordable compared to other forms of entertainment.

What was the interview about? In an interview with Kit and Krysta via YouTube, the two former Nintendo employees spoke with former PlayStation head Shuhei Yoshida about what “PlayStation really thinks about Nintendo”.

During this, Shuhei Yoshida also commented on the current discussion about games that now cost 80 euros or more. He refers to the title Mario Kart World, which is a release title for the Switch 2 and costs 79.99 euros digitally and 89.99 euros for the cartridge version. Other publishers like Microsoft with The Outer Worlds 2 would also follow suit with the prices.

From his perspective, the games are still “remarkably affordable” compared to other media. He refers to current developments but also to the value of the games themselves.

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“It’s up to you whether you see the value in it or not”

Why does Yoshida hold this opinion? The former head of PlayStation believes that each game has a different value for its players and that not every game needs to cost 70 or 80 U.S. dollars or euros, as every game is different:

If you look at the entertainment value of a good video game, like Mario Kart 8, many people have played for hours with just one purchase, or perhaps some people paid for additional tracks… It really depends on the game, and people need to [assess] which game provides the entertainment they want and see if it makes sense to pay the price on the first day, or if in some cases [the] price drops if you wait.

Additionally, he emphasizes that particularly in live-service games, often much higher prices are charged for in-game purchases that players are willing to pay if they see the value in it:

100 U.S. dollars for the purchase of that one digital collectible card or similar, some people see the benefit and spend the 100 U.S. dollars… It is up to you whether you see the value in it or not.

Yoshida also emphasizes that he is aware of the current financial burden on many people – especially due to rising living costs. Nevertheless, he finds that in relation to the game time offered and compared to, for example, the inflation-increased ticket prices of cinemas, many games are “remarkably affordable”.

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The prices of consoles and games are a hot topic of discussion in the community, especially regarding Nintendo. At MeinMMO editor Karsten, the latest developments have led him to turn away from the Nintendo Switch 2 after many years as a fan. Why, read here: The Nintendo Switch 2 has lost me, even though I have been a Nintendo fan for 38 years

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