The franchise of Dungeons & Dragons is shaped not only by its settings but also by important characters that players cannot ignore. We present 4 that have particularly significant influence.
How were the characters chosen for this list? Dungeons & Dragons thrives not just on what players and dungeon masters make of it, but also on various NPCs found in numerous campaign books, modules, comics, video games, and films.
For this list, we have selected 4 of them that not only frequently appear but also have a great influence on Dungeons & Dragons. For example, by immortalizing themselves as creators of important spells or items or frequently being important points of contact for players, as they appear in many parts of various adventures.
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Second Official Trailer for the Movie
The following personalities should absolutely not be missed if you dive into the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons.
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Mordenkainen
Mordenkainen is one of the most powerful archmages of the multiverse and wields arcane powers unlike anyone else. Many of his iconic and legendary spells are utilized by gifted spellcasters such as “Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion,” “Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound,” or “Mordenkainen’s Sword.”
Additionally, there are numerous supplemental rulebooks with his name in the title, such as “Mordenkainen’s Fiendish Folio” or “Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.”
Moreover, he is distinguished not only by raw magical power but also by his extensive knowledge of the multiverse and his strategic ability to influence events from behind the scenes. As the leader of the Circle of Eight, a secret group of wizards dedicated to maintaining cosmic balance, he enhances his power through collective influence.
Mordenkainen embodies the ideal of the extremely powerful yet morally complex and far-sighted mage who watches over the fates of realms and worlds, thus becoming a fixture in D&D.
A special fact that also anchors him in the franchise: He was created by none other than Gary Gygax, one of the co-creators of D&D, as his own player character, which granted him a unique status from the start. Originally from the campaign setting Greyhawk, he is known for traversing the entire multiverse. He is thus also among the so-called “planeswalkers,” who connect the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons with those of Magic: The Gathering.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Dune: Awakening, you can build various types of flying vehicles. If you like it armed, you need a combat thopter. MeinMMO explains how to obtain it.
What is the purpose of the combat thopter? The combat thopter, also known as “Assault thopter,” is a fast and battle-ready flying vehicle in Dune: Awakening. Unlike the other flying vehicles, the combat thopter can be equipped with rockets to fight airborne and ground targets.
Building a combat thopter is an important step for many characters, as it ensures that players can really hold their ground in the endgame area “Deep Desert”.
What do I need to research? To build the combat thopter, you first need to research the assembly kit. It differs from the ordinary ornithopter and can be found in the research menu at tier level 5, duralumin. You will need 45 intel research points for the research.
On a private server, you can calmly gather the necessary materials
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Dune: Awakening: Private Server erklärt
Resource Checklist:
188,005 ml water
262 duralumin bars
80 advanced servos
111 cobalt paste
34 armor plates
10 diamond dust
10 carbide scrap
14 particle condensers
21 complex machines
7 hydraulic pistons
7 military energy regulator
8 industrial pumps
Water
To collect enough water, you should always have enough blood bags with you. Once you get into a fight, you can turn your opponents into valuable water supplies. We explain how this works here: Dune: Awakening Blood Cleaner – How to easily get water
It works even more efficiently with a Fremen death distiller. In this device, you can place the bodies of your defeated enemies to extract their blood by bleeding out. Although the process takes about an hour per corpse, it yields significantly more water and continues automatically while you gather other resources.
Aluminum
While your enemies are being processed into water, you should also focus on acquiring aluminum. The best approach is to get into your buggy, which you’ve previously equipped with a suitable cutter and enough storage space, and head to the eastern shield wall.
Follow the roads and paths there – along the edges, you will regularly discover aluminum deposits. These can be easily mined by switching to the gunner seat (hold down the “F” key) and using your buggy’s cutter. If you’re missing a suitably equipped buggy, it’s advisable to at least take your sand bike with you. Ideally, you should expand the storage space of the bike to avoid having to return to base too often.
Jasmium Ore and Duralumin Bars
Jasmium ore is found in the Hagga basin only in the Sheoul area. There you will find the crystals in the irradiated area, which is why it makes sense to use an ornithopter for transporting and safely extracting the ore. Additionally, you should wear a radiation protection suit to withstand the radiation longer.
In the area, you will find the ore in the lakes and ponds. To mine it, you need at least an industrial cutter level 4. Be careful not to stand in the water while mining, as your radiation dose increases much faster there.
In your base, you can then create the duralumin bars from jasmium ore and aluminum bars, which you need for building the combat thopter.
Other Resources
Cobalt Paste
Cobalt paste is one of the essential materials in Dune: Awakening and is made from erythritol crystals. You can only find these deep in the Hagar Rift, specifically in the Chome mineral extraction facilities. The crystals have a distinctive reddish-pink color and can be seen on the rock walls.
It is also worthwhile to arrive with a buggy or sand bike with expanded storage to avoid unnecessary trips. Once you have collected enough crystals, it’s best to produce the cobalt paste immediately – the production process takes some time.
Advanced Servos and Particle Condensers
You can find these two resources in the testing stations of Dune: Awakening. Depending on how many dungeons you have already completed, you might already have some samples in your inventory.
It is generally advisable to visit the testing stations regularly – there you can complete quests and tasks in addition to the loot.
If you specifically want to farm a certain station: The loot appears about 45 minutes after the last visit. Additionally, there are numerous enemies there that you can utilize for water acquisition.
Diamond Dust and Carbide Scrap
These materials are among the rarer resources in the game and require more effort than simple farming tours. To obtain them, you should visit the Mysa Tarill area.
Between cliffs and building ruins, you will repeatedly find boxes that may contain diamond dust or carbide scrap with a bit of luck. If you don’t find any, there is the option to purchase these resources at the crossroads trading post for Solaris.
Here you can find the most boxes:
Hydraulic Pistons
To get hydraulic pistons, you need to go to the NPC bases in the Sheoul area. There you will find them in boxes within the bases and in small quantities. Alternatively, you can also buy them from the merchant.
Military Energy Regulator
This rare component is needed for the combat thopter. You can find it at the outpost Edge of Acheron in the western part of the map (Sheol region). Beware: The area is heavily irradiated – don’t forget your protective gear! Strong NPC enemies await you on site, and PvP is active. Secure the area, go into the main building, and loot the chest on the table.
With some luck, you can also loot the regulator from crashing ships or buy it from the merchant at the crossroads trading post (Mysa Tarill).
Here you can find the Edge of Acheron:
Complex Machine & Armor Plate
You probably already have these components in your inventory, as they often appear as loot from defeated enemies or in enemy camps.
A helpful tip: In areas with large machines, the chance of encountering these components is significantly higher. Avoid fights against smaller groups, such as those that only linger at a campfire – the effort is usually not worth it. These resources can be farmed particularly efficiently in Sentinel City, together with the next important component.
Industrial Pumps
The last required resource is the industrial pumps. Their best find location is also Sentinel City, in the area of the eastern shield wall. In the chests there, you will regularly find these pumps – however, you should prepare for strong enemies in large numbers.
Our tip: Use distraction abilities to circumvent enemies and focus on quickly looting the chests instead of getting into long fights.
If you don’t find anything in Sentinel City, you can also turn to the merchant at the crossroads trading post for industrial pumps in exchange for Solaris, just like with diamond dust and carbide scrap.
Once you have all the materials, you can easily craft the components for the combat thopter at a vehicle factory and assemble them with the vehicle tool. Remember to bring enough fuel – you don’t want to break down in the skies of Arrakis.
The Total War series is celebrating its 25th anniversary with strong discounts on Steam. And since the series now covers a variety of historical settings, there should be something for every history fan.
What kind of games are they? Total War is a strategy game series from Creative Assembly. For 25 years, the series has combined turn-based global strategy like in Civilization with real-time battles where thousands of soldiers engage in combat.
For the 25th anniversary of the franchise, you can find many parts of the series on Steam at significantly reduced prices. For most games, you save up to 75%, and for some even 80% of the purchase price.
Here you will find all the games in the Total War series that are currently on sale on Steam. All “historical” games are discounted – the Warhammer trilogy is excluded. However, there are still some interesting games for fantasy fans. The sale runs until June 26, 2025.
The most interesting of these games for fantasy fans can be seen here in the trailer:
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Announcement trailer for A Total War Saga: Troy
From the Trojan War and the hordes of Attila …
If you are fresh from Total War: Warhammer, then A Total War Saga: Troy is worth a look. The game revolves around the Trojan War and offers both a historical game mode and two mythological ones:
In “The Truth Behind the Myth” you lead heroes with superhuman powers onto the battlefield, as well as units inspired by mythical beings.
With the “Myth” DLC, you have real monsters, and the gods actively intervene in the battle.
If you want to experience the Bronze Age from a historical perspective, check out Total War: Pharaoh – the latest installment in the series. After a difficult start, Creative Assembly has significantly improved it. The game now includes not only the Hittites, Canaan, and Egypt since the Dynasties update, but also the Greeks and Trojans in the West and the Assyrians and Babylonians in the East.
Pharaoh is currently on sale for €9.99, significantly cheaper than Troy, which costs €24.99, and offers more variety for historical fans.
You can help the Roman Empire achieve eternal glory in Total War: Rome 2 and Total War: Rome Remastered. The more modern game is Rome 2, which offers a lot of content thanks to a variety of mods and DLCs. Or you can burn Rome in Total War: Attila as the “Scourge of God”…
Total War: Rome 2 is currently priced at €14.99 on Steam instead of €59.99.
Total War: Rome Remastered costs €10.19 on Steam instead of €29.99 and includes both expansions of the original.
Total War: Attila is available for €8.99 instead of €44.99, with 80% being one of the largest discounts of the sale.
… into the Middle Ages and up to Napoleon
If the Bronze Age and Antiquity are too early for you, then Total War: Medieval 2 offers one of the most popular Total War games. This game covers the Middle Ages, including the discovery and conquest of America and the first firearms. Note that some things, like the camera control, are not up to date for the series. After all, the title was released in 2006.
Total War: Empire and its spin-off Total War: Napoleon take you into the early modern period. With the widespread use of cannons and muskets, battles play out noticeably differently here. They also include what many players consider the best naval battles of the entire series.
Also always worth recommending is Total War: Three Kingdoms. The game depicts the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China and excels with its focus on characters and a very deep diplomacy system. As in Troy, you also decide here between a historical mode or one with heroes who can easily slice through normal soldiers.
The first Total War played in Japan with Total War: Shogun, by the way. With Total War: Shogun 2, the original already received a sequel. Especially Shogun 2 is highly regarded by many fans and is still very playable today – even if you only know the new Total War games.
The Total War games are among the best representatives of their genre. If you are looking for more games for strategists – whether turn-based or real-time, with a focus on war or construction – you will find more recommendations in our overview on MeinMMO: The 15 best strategy games for PC 2025
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On the official Bungie website, the responsible parties announced that they will postpone the targeted release of Marathon to September 23, 2025, and move it to an indefinite date.
Bungie shows first gameplay of Marathon in trailer
More Survival, More Marathon, More Social
Why is the postponement happening? Sony and Bungie can both really use a hit. In other words: Marathon must not fail. However, since the feedback so far has been mixed, the developers are postponing the planned release on September 23, 2025.
On the official website bungie.net, they explain:
Through every comment and every real-time conversation on social media and Discord, you have expressed your opinion loud and clear. We have taken this to heart and know that we need more time to make Marathon a game that truly reflects your passion.
According to industry expert Paul Tassi, who is closely connected to the Bungie environment, the team learned of the postponement only with the release of the developer announcement. See also his message on X.
The plans for the coming weeks and months at Bungie are as follows:
They want to conduct further beta tests to continue gathering player feedback about the current status and implemented adjustments.
The developers want to strengthen the survival aspect through challenging AI opponents, dynamic events, motivating loot, and a more intense combat experience.
The team wants to better articulate the universe of Marathon through graphics, more narrative elements, and a darker tone that aligns better with previous Marathon games.
Marathon is to receive more social features while also improving the gaming experience for solo players and duos.
About the grind in the endgame of Diablo 4 is regularly discussed in the community. For some, it is simply part of the experience to keep rehashing the same content. Another player sees it quite differently: he believes many have become completely desensitized because items are almost thrown at them.
Which items are we talking about now? In a Reddit post, a player writes that many hardly notice the grind in the endgame anymore because they are constantly being “fed with duped materials.” This refers to the materials needed to open the loot boxes of the hideout bosses. The bosses themselves can now also be summoned without materials.
The user Blubbpaule explains in his post that the perception of grind and loot has completely shifted for many players. “People have completely forgotten what real grind feels like for non-dupers,” he says. The dupes have shifted the baseline for what one considers “normal effort.”
Those who do not buy dupes through trading need many hours to gather the materials and defeat hundreds of bosses, to farm certain uniques and mythic uniques. For those who “respect the grind,” the game is becoming less rewarding, believes Blubbpaule.
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Diablo 4: Der Gameplay-Trailer zu Season 8 mit Belial
Fans believe: The system itself leads to this problem
What do other players say about this? The post ignites a discussion about the endgame system, specifically regarding the path to obtaining strong mythic uniques. For instance, the_millenial_falcon mentions that Diablo 4 should better connect all the mechanics so that one does not have to do 300 boss runs for a mythic.
Also, DisasterDifferent543 suggests: “The fundamental problem with the gear system in Diablo 4 is that it leads players directly and exclusively to this point. As soon as you are somewhat well-equipped, the entire game is just about boss farming.” Everything boils down to grinding XP in the pit or mindless material farming.
“The system promotes monotonous, boring grind instead of real challenges – and that’s a persistent problem,” says Zanaxz. He believes: If the trading of boss materials is restricted, then bosses and loot must be significantly improved in return.
The endgame of Diablo 4 is repeatedly criticized by the community. Hardcore players miss variety, while others complain about boredom. Although Blizzard has made adjustments, with new activities and new difficulty levels – and the roadmap for 2025 promises changes. But even this is being criticized. One fan says: Some players are just never satisfied.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A player orders hardware on Amazon, but his package is lost. He is sent a replacement, but cancels his shipment in parallel.In the end, he has one CPU from AMD and one SSD too many.
An Amazon customer ordered an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and a 2 TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus for his gaming PC. In Germany, you pay nearly 500 Euros for both products combined: about 350 Euros for the CPU from AMD and 120 Euros for the SSD (via Geizhals.de).
After the package did not arrive as announced, he contacted the automated customer service and received replacements for both items. This was reported by the user on Reddit.
However, he exploited the customer service in such a way that ultimately both a replacement delivery was sent to him and the full purchase price was refunded. Two days later, the supposedly lost package was delivered after all, so the customer now received both orders. He paid nothing thanks to the refund, which is why he described the action as “free.”
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Chef ruined his company in 59 seconds on Twitch – What happened to him?
Duplicate and lost shipments frequently concern buyers
Does this happen often? In fact, it happens frequently that users receive more goods than ordered. A player bought an OLED monitor on Amazon and also received a second one due to the report that the first package was lost.
He reported the error to Amazon, and the provider allowed him to keep the second device for free. Unlike this lucky fellow, the user in this case, at least at the time of the post, had not yet contacted Amazon and was even considering simply selling the excess goods.
However, he should definitely not do that, as his conduct could be viewed as a violation of Amazon’s terms of service and could potentially even be illegal. Furthermore, there is still a chance that Amazon will notice the error and request the return of the goods.
What is the best way to proceed in such a case? Simply keeping the goods without informing the seller is usually not legally permissible and can, in the worst case, be considered unjust enrichment or fraud. MeinMMO has consulted a lawyer on the topic of incorrect deliveries. Generally, the following steps are recommended:
Immediately inform Amazon about the excess goods delivered.
Safely store the excess goods until the matter is clarified.
Obtain written confirmation if Amazon still allows you to keep the goods. You can provide evidence later should there be any issues.
How does something like this happen? Users on Reddit repeatedly report that Amazon allegedly does not clearly verify returns or lost packages. Often, it is also said that third-party providers are to blame for not delivering the package or for delivering it incorrectly.
Amazon has long been transitioning in Germany to deliver packages directly and no longer hiring DHL, Hermes, or other service providers for shipping.
The latest patch for World of Warcraft is live. From today, you have players who only need to press a single button.
The latest patch of World of Warcraft is live. Update 11.1.7 launched with today’s maintenance on 18.06.2025 and brought one of the most controversial features ever in World of Warcraft. Starting today, it is possible to play WoW with just one single button, which takes almost all the work out of combat.
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WoW: Xal’atath and the Destruction of Dalaran
What is this feature? From today you can activate the “1 Button Assistant”. This gives you a new button that you can simply drag into your action bars. Whenever you use this button, a skill will be automatically selected and used. The system is “intelligent” and uses skills that are sensible. It takes into account what buffs you currently have or how many enemies you are facing in combat. This allows for a solid rotation to be played without having to select them manually.
What is the downside? To balance this automation, everyone who uses the feature receives a penalty in the form of an increased global cooldown. You will thus use fewer abilities in the same amount of time than other characters who do not use this feature.
This means: The vast majority of people using this feature will perform significantly worse than those who do not.
Note that this is primarily a feature of accessibility. It is designed to help people who may have physical limitations and can only play with aids. However, it can also be used by anyone who does not enjoy the combat in World of Warcraft and plays the game for other reasons – such as pet battles, professions, or role-playing.
What else is in the patch? Apart from this new feature, the patch also includes some new quest lines revolving around Xal’atath, the Titans, or the former Lich King, as well as a new campaign in the Arathi Highlands. If you are interested in all the new features of the patch, it may also be worth taking a look at the full patch notes of Patch 11.1.7.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The international championships of the Pokémon Trading Card Game were held in North America from June 13 to June 15, 2025. In the Junior League finals, two special finalists faced off against each other.
Who were those finalists? In the very last round of the Junior League, Annabelle Oono and Kenji Oono from the USA faced each other. As you might guess from their last name, they are indeed siblings.
Out of 330 participants, it is quite a coincidence that these two ended up in the finals. The sister and her brother wanted to visually show that they belong to the same family, and dressed in red and black colors.
Even their hair and partially their fingernails were red and black. This was a nod to Team Rocket, whose logo features a red R on a black background. Annabelle wore a Meowth plush toy on her shoulder, the mascot of the original Team Rocket. Kenji chose a Zubat as a plush toy, a typical Pokémon of Team Rocket’s minions.
Appropriately, their decks also consisted of Team Rocket cards. The exciting match can be seen on YouTube.
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Pokémon Horizons: The Series – Trailer for the Anime on TOGGO
Sibling Battle in a Pokémon Card Tournament
Who won? The match between the two lasted almost an hour. After many rounds, it was clear: Annabelle is the shining winner and defeated her brother after an exciting match. But instead of breaking into sibling rivalry, which some of you might know, the two embraced each other lovingly and gave each other their special handshake.
However, there must be a reason why they didn’t go to war with each other: 1st place receives a prize money equivalent to about €6,050, and 2nd place still receives a respectable €4,300 (see the official page of Pokémon). Since both are under 18, the money will be paid out either as a Pokémon Visa Prepaid Card or as a scholarship. Still, both should be satisfied with such amounts.
What do others say about it? In the comments under the video, there are many positive remarks. Some users write that the parents must be proud, or that it was wholesome to watch the two.
One commenter even writes that his girlfriend usually rolls her eyes whenever he talks about Pokémon. But even she watched the match with him.
In Dune: Awakening, there are players who annoy others with nasty tricks. However, some also show how beautiful unity can be in a survival MMO – and even help others to survive.
However, the community also has very different sides. Many players report friendly encounters, gifted loot, and spontaneous help in the desert of Arrakis.
To protect your base from unwanted visitors and to grant access to your guild members, you can set certain levels:
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Dune: Awakening: So funktionieren die Zugangsstufen
Players leave bases and play taxi
This is how helpful the community of Dune: Awakening is:On Reddit, a user reports that a player sought shelter in his garage during a storm. He himself was in the process of moving his loot to a new base – so he simply left it for the stranger. Now he occasionally visits him.
The user Cizhu also experienced something similar: During a sandstorm, he was taken in by someone. A sandstorm gradually drains you of a lot of health – and you cannot heal against it as long as you are taking damage. Many players deliberately build their bases in a way that allows other people to seek shelter during sandstorms or sun exposure.
Cizhu also recounts that while messing around in a bar, he jokingly said in voice chat that he needed a drink. Several people promptly approached him, asking with concern if everything was okay, and one offered him water. “In the end, we sat in a circle and chatted for about 10 minutes. I’m still quite new, asked a lot of questions, and the people gave me great tips. I have never had such a wonderful experience in a game,” he reports.
Another user tells on Reddit how he got stuck in quicksand with his sandbike, lost his loot, and then respawned far away. He asked for help in chat – and indeed someone came with a buggy, picked him up, retrieved his loot with him, and brought the player back to his base.
Unlocking the mirror mode in Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 is so confusing that even Nintendo got it wrong in the description.
Nintendo provides incorrect information: The mirror mode is a popular mode in Mario Kart World, as you race the tracks in mirrored form, giving you a different experience on the course. However, the mode is not available from the start in Mario Kart World and must be unlocked under certain conditions.
In a newsletter email sent on 12.06.2025, in which Nintendo gave tips to players of Mario Kart World, they also described how to unlock the mirror mode. However, the information in it was incorrect, leading Nintendo to correct their mistake in a following email.
Here they also wrote the actual conditions that apply to unlock the mirror mode.
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Mario Kart World – Reveal Trailer
Unlocking the mirror mode in Mario Kart World
How do I unlock the mirror mode? To play the mirror mode, you need to meet the following conditions:
Complete all Grand Prix races in 150cc mode (Bronze or better)
Complete all knockout tours in 150cc mode (as fourth or better)
Find all 10 Peach medals in free driving
Find all 10 ?-blocks in free driving
Find all 10 P-switches in free driving and complete all associated tasks
Complete the special cup again
After the credits, you should receive a new scene that tells you that you have unlocked the mirror mode. From now on, you can select this variant in the menu.
Activating mirror mode in free driving: You can not only race in the Grand Prix or the knockout tour in mirror mode, but you can also activate it in free driving. To do this, you should first drive to Peach’s stadium. Then you need to do the following:
Drive straight from the start and over the winding track, then you will see Peach’s castle on the right side
Pass through the pipes and leave the course on the right side to drive onto the roof of the castle
Drive to the large stained glass window that shows Princess Peach and drive through it. The mirror mode is activated.
Total War: Warhammer 3 received a comprehensive update with 6.2 on June 17, 2025, which is remarkable for several reasons. The community celebrates many of the new features.
What does Patch 6.2 bring for Total War: Warhammer 3? Already in April 2025, my colleague Benedict Grothaus celebrated the announcement that the developers want to finally overhaul the questionably stupid AI of the game, which often declines sensible alliances or starts pointless wars. The new update brings two new options in the game settings that allow you to customize the AI.
The additional highlights of the update:
Comprehensive overhaul of magical items
The installation has been rebuilt, saving you 27 percent of storage space. Load times are also expected to improve significantly. However, you will need to download a hefty 55 GB of data as part of the patch.
More than 1,200 2D icons for units have been optimized.
There are countless bug fixes for the campaign, battles, and multiplayer. Performance has also been significantly optimized.
The update is so comprehensive that the developers have issued a mod warning, as compatibility issues may arise. You can find the full patch notes at creative-assembly.com.
One of the trailers for Total War: Warhammer 3:
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Total War: Warhammer 3 – The official teaser for the DLC Tides of Torment
“Fantastic Work”
How does the community rate the update? Many fans of the strategy game celebrate the adjustments and improvements for Total War: Warhammer 3.
Player#752132 writes under the official patch notes: “Fantastic work! We would appreciate further performance improvements!!!”
toskyrun#2614 especially celebrates the improved load times: “That’s all I wanted.”
Haganaz#8763 is also pleased with the update: “Oh! A surprisingly large number of tremendous improvements under the hood! This is fantastic and extremely welcome!”
Many of the comments show that fans are still excited about Total War: Warhammer 3 and would greatly appreciate further improvements of this kind. But even now, the trend is clearly positive: The overall rating on Steam is still a decent 72 percent positive, while reviews from the past 30 days show a significantly better 84 percent positive.
With Crimson Desert, the developers at Pearl Abyss (Black Desert) have a very hot role-playing fire in the forge of their game studio. But when exactly in 2025 will the potential highlight be released?
However, the Korean website MTN now reports (via pcgamesn.com) that the open-world RPG by the Black Desert creators is expected to be released worldwide on November 2, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series. Why “expected”? Because this is said to be an internal, preliminary date.
The team is currently in the final development phase. If everything progresses as planned in the coming months, the release date remains November 2, 2025, and the date will be officially confirmed, according to MTN. This also means that there could still be delays at the last minute, which would affect the planned launch in November.
Crimson Desert will be a graphics powerhouse:
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Crimson Desert: Trailer shows powerful graphics engine of the open-world RPG
The best action RPG in a strong RPG year?
What do I need to know about Crimson Desert? Unlike Black Desert, Crimson Desert will be a purely single-player experience, but is expected to shine with comparable strengths – such as beautiful graphics and a brutal combat system.
The previous trailers not only shine with great visuals and dynamic battles in the open world (including wrestling moves, destructible siege machines, and mounted combat), but also showcase activities such as fishing, balloon rides, flute playing, arm wrestling, parkour climbing, taming mounts, and much more.
The setting (the harsh continent Pywel) and the characters of Crimson Desert heavily remind one of Westeros from Game of Thrones with their western appearance. The main character Kliff resembles a certain Jon Snow. You can even ride dragons, like the Targaryens.
Who gives positive feedback on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is extremely popular among its players, as the game is “Very Positive” on Steam, but also among other development studios. Both Hideo Kojima and the Community Director Marcin Momot from CD Projekt Red have now shared positive words about the game and its developers.
Clair Obscur is so good that players are sad when they finish it:
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hinterlässt bei den Spielern eine Leere
“This is my ideal scenario”
What does Marcin Momot from CD Projekt Red say about the game? On X, Marcin Momot posted his brief assessment of Expedition 33 after finishing it. He praises the characters, the fun gameplay, and the music. He also states: “We need more games like this!” and “Brilliant! It must be in the conversations for GOTY!”
What does Hideo Kojima say about Expedition 33? The creator of the Metal Gear series, Death Stranding, and P.T. praised especially the small size of the development team behind Expedition 33. Sandfall Interactive, the studio behind the game, consists of a team of just over 30 employees.
Hideo Kojima mentioned in an interview with Dexerto: “They have only about 33 team members and a dog. That is my ideal scenario when I develop something with a team.” He further explains that something in a larger team might not work out as initially envisioned, simply because so many people are involved in a project.
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 was released in February 2025 and turned out to be a great role-playing game for medieval fans. A related documentary has now been released, providing an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Warhorse Studios.
What is this documentary about? On 17.06.2025, a documentary by our colleagues from Gamestar about Warhorse Studios and their work on Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 was released.
In it, fans get a detailed insight into the development of one of the best role-playing games of this year. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 impressed both the press and players and holds a rating of 88 points on Metacritic, with a user score of 8.7. Even MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz was impressed.
The path to success on platforms like Steam was anything but easy. The documentary tells this story, featuring not only the leading figures from Warhorse Studios but also developers and the main actors of the game.
Here you can watch the documentary in full length:
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The documentary provides insights into the development
What does the film say? Daniel Vávra and Martin Klíma are the founders of Warhorse Studios and share in the documentary about the beginnings of their great medieval role-playing game. They were keen to depict a scenario that is as authentic and realistic as possible.
Initially, there were difficulties in finding investors. Particularly the first part experienced a lot of rejection, as the underlying philosophy of Warhorse Studios sounded little promising.
After all, historical accuracy was a priority for the first part, and that seems to be just as important for the fans. “People can smell bullshit,” say the developers, explaining why they were so eager to depict every little detail historically correctly. However, it was important to them that players should not only admire the world but also immerse themselves completely in it.
The new documentary ultimately shows how medieval Bohemia was created in practice. Fans gain insights into the planning and creation of the game world and characters. Other aspects such as music and recordings with the actors are also highlighted. It is revealed that Heinrich actor Tom McKay was not the first choice for the role.
How does the documentary end? At the end of every game development comes the release. An exciting moment that is also captured in the documentary. It shows how the first reactions to Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 arrive and how the team ultimately experiences the launch.
The effort and perseverance have paid off in the end. The role-playing game enjoys great popularity and when looking at the work behind the scenes, it becomes clear why Warhorse Studios was able to celebrate this success. The developers are ambitious and pursue a clear vision that sets their game apart from others.
If you got excited about Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 again after the documentary, there is good news. The game still has some highlights in store for 2025. Among other things, fans can expect several story DLCs and regular patches. You can find details on this at MeinMMO: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: Roadmap announces new monastery quest, hardcore mode, and more
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Critical Role became well-known through their Twitch streams for Dungeons & Dragons and recently released their own roleplaying system. They have now hired two key employees from Wizards of the Coast.
What happened? Christopher Chris Perkins, the former Creative Director of the pen & paper Dungeons & Dragons, as well as Jeremy Crawford, the former Game Director of the game, left Wizards of the Coast in April 2025. It has now been announced that the two will start in the same roles at Darrington Press – the publishing subsidiary of Critical Role.
According to a news article on the Darrington Press website, the two are supposed to develop new game concepts, but also expand existing ones. Chris Perkins says:
Storytelling has always been at the heart of everything I do, and joining Darrington Press feels a bit like coming home. I’ve loved being a part of the extended Critical Role family as a regular guest over the years and I’m beyond excited to help create new worlds full of adventure.
Start video
The Legend of Vox Machina – Trailer for the animated DnD adventure
Two heavyweights of pen-and-paper development have a new home
Who are the two new employees? Chris Perkins began his career at Wizards of the Coast in 1977 as an editor for Dungeon magazine. In 2007, he became the Story Manager for Dungeons & Dragons, shortly before its fourth edition was released. He later worked as Lead Story Designer on the acclaimed campaign Curse of Strahd.
Between 2018 and 2024, he became the Creative Director of Dungeons & Dragons. He held this position until he left Wizards of the Coast in April 2025.
Fans of Critical Role could see Perkins twice in guest appearances during the live streams: in 2016 as the Goliath Shale during the Vox Machina campaign and in 2019 as the Kobold Spurt during the Mighty Nein. You can see the latter appearance here:
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Jeremy Crawford was hired at Wizards of the Coast in 2007. As Lead Rules Designer, he accompanied the development of the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In 2011, he began working as Co-Lead Designer on the fifth edition of the game alongside Mike Mearls.
Only in 2024 did he take on his responsibilities as Game Director for Dungeons & Dragons. As Lead Designer, he worked on the Player’s Handbook of the 2024 edition. In April 2025, he left Wizards of the Coast. Regarding his start at Darrington Press, he says:
I’ve always believed that great games invite everyone to the table, and that’s exactly what excites me about joining Darrington Press. This team is passionate, wildly creative, and committed to building welcoming, connected, amazing story-driven experiences—I can’t wait to expand on what Critical Role has already created to develop some really fun and unique games.
Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford were significantly involved in the creation of the current, as well as the acclaimed 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons due to their roles and long-standing work at Wizards of the Coast.
From 7 friends playing live to the most important pen-and-paper stream
What is Critical Role? Critical Role is a group made up of seven American voice actors at its core, who began live streaming their originally private D&D campaign in March 2015. From the stream via Geek & Sundry, additional formats such as Talks Machina emerged, discussing the events of the last session.
In 2019, Critical Role was founded as an independent company, and the group moved to its own Twitch and YouTube channel. There they launched their second campaign in the stream: The Mighty Nein.
Currently, the franchise includes:
Streams on Twitch and YouTube as well as live appearances
Streaming platform Beacon
Cartoon adaptation of the first campaign The Legend of Vox Machina in collaboration with Amazon Prime Video
Production company Metapigeon
Darrington Press, the publishing company
In 2021, it was even revealed that Critical Role ranks among the highest-earning Twitch channels, having earned over $9 million in just two years there (via Business Insider).
Borderlands 4 is nearing its release and alongside its price, its system requirements were only recently revealed. Many fans are now worried that the release might face issues.
What have I missed? Everything related to Borderlands 4 and the CEO of Gearbox is causing quite an uproar among many fans of the franchise.
The reason for this is the discussions with fans regarding the previously unknown price. For many, it was clear that $80 for Borderlands 4 would be too expensive; however, Randy Pitchford (CEO of Gearbox) went on to say, if you were a real fan, you would find a way to come up with the money.
A large part of the community found these statements to be audacious. Then came the reveal of the actual price, and although there was no price increase, fans agree that the prices are still too high given the current economic situation.
However, there is another topic that fans are addressing on Reddit, and that is the system requirements for PCs. The community is now fearing that the disaster with Borderlands 3 may repeat itself.
Start video
In Borderlands 4 könnt ihr überall hinreisen, was ihr im Spiel sehen könnt – sogar zum Mond?
Fans fear a rough launch, just like with Borderlands 3
What happened with Borderlands 3? In the comments on Reddit, bad omens can be sensed regarding the release of Borderlands 4. The launch of Borderlands 3 did not go particularly well in terms of performance.
There were many bugs, the splitscreen was unplayable, and there were also numerous graphic issues that affected the gameplay experience. As Borderlands 4 is supposed to be much more expansive, fans fear that the sequel would meet the same fate. The following can be heard:
“Don’t you remember how painful it was to run BL3 [Borderlands 3] when it came out” – werti5643
“I tried to play splitscreen with my cousin in the first weeks, just like in the good old days, and man. ‘Unplayable’ doesn’t do it justice. The quality reminds me of the time when Black Ops 3 sold Eisen Dragon [a zombie map] for the [Xbox] 360.” – kleptillion
“On consoles, including PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, it ran absolutely terribly, and ironically with settings that were comparable to the lowest PC settings. On PC, it was extremely demanding, but no one can deny that the game looks fantastic on Ultra/Badass settings. The render distance alone is insane.” – SHTPST_Tianquan
“32gb [RAM] recommended makes me a bit worried about the optimization” – The_Official_Obama
Are the specs really too high? Not necessarily. Those who want to play on the highest possible settings and do not have the latest hardware might run into issues. However, looking at the minimum requirements, they list specifications that many modern gaming PCs have these days, including:
Minimum Requirement
Recommended
CPU
Intel i7-9700 or AMD 2700X
Intel i7-12700 or AMD 5800X
RAM
16 GB
32 GB
GPU
NVIDIA RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 5700 XT
NVIDIA RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6800 XT
Storage
100 GB
100 GB
Everything seems to be within reason and sounds reasonable, but it remains to be seen how performance-hungry Borderlands 4 is going to be, as the open world could truly bring about compromises that fans with strong hardware would also have to deal with. Until then, we must still wait. What do you think of the minimum requirements? Do you find them too high or still reasonable? More about Borderlands 4 can be found here: Pre-order Borderlands 4 – All information about editions, prices, and content
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pokémon GO has introduced the golden bottle cap and the associated super special training. It is now also clear how much it will cost to get the bottle cap, and this annoys some players.
What is the golden bottle cap? The golden bottle cap is an item that you can use to activate the new super special training. This was recently announced, and now there are more details. With the bottle cap, you can enhance the stats of one of your Pokémon by using it as a buddy, using the bottle cap, and then completing tasks.
For the attack value, the tasks revolve around battles.
Defense is trained through playing, walking, and catching.
And the HP value is improved by spinning PokéStops, earning buddy candies, and other tasks.
You have 365 days for the super special training, starting from the moment you activate it. But: You first have to have the golden bottle cap. And there are now also details about that.
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Pokémon GO: Over 800 Trainers fight in Gigantamax battle
Golden bottle cap in the Deluxe Pass costs 20 US Dollars
How much does the golden bottle cap cost? The golden bottle cap is awarded at the highest level of the new GO-Pass-Deluxe. This is available in the event Legacy of the Ancients, which runs from June 23 to June 29.
The Deluxe variant of the pass will cost 19.99 US Dollars, likely comparable in Euros.
There is also a free version of the pass that everyone can get, but it does not include a bottle cap. Both premium passes offer additional rewards. For the Deluxe Pass, the announcement on pokemongo.com lists the following highlighted rewards:
The golden bottle cap
The avatar item “Zacian Mask”
The avatar item “Zamazenta Mask”
Premium items like incense, a lucky egg, an incubator, lure modules, and more
XL candies
In addition, bonuses such as halved egg hatch distance and milestone bonuses at various levels of the pass. For example:
An extra raid pass per day
Double hatch candies
An additional XL candy for level 5 raids
Double hatch stardust
Three extra candies after level 5 raids
Double hatch XP
5,000 extra XP after completing raids
Overall, there is definitely a lot to gain, but the main reason to buy is likely to be the golden bottle cap. However, the price annoys some players.
What does the community say? In the subreddit “TheSilphRoad”, players are already discussing the bottle cap. After the first announcement of the bottle cap led to discussions about which Pokémon to enhance best, the price is now the focus of the discussions. Some players express dissatisfaction about having to pay 20 euros for the new item – and also having to reach level 100 of the pass before they can even get the item.
I was even willing to spend some money on this thing, but this price has simply removed me from the pool of buyers. It’s way too much, finds user TheReformedBadger on Reddit.
Okay, so… You have to spend 20 dollars. You have to reach rank 100 within a week. And then this thing expires in less than a month?, asks user maniacal_monk on Reddit. Because that’s another point: The announcement states that the bottle cap can only be used until July 6, 2025, at 11:59 PM – after that, it expires if not used.
No silver bottle cap in the free pass – that’s just kind of crazy. I was sure they would go that route, comments user DANOM1GHT on Reddit.
Overall, the voices currently sound rather disappointed, after the initial announcement of the feature had generated a lot of positive excitement. Nevertheless, some in the comments suspect that many will still buy the pass – despite the price. What do you think? Let us know in the comments! And if you want to know what’s next in Pokémon GO, check out the overview of all events in June 2025 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer Carsten “ELoTRiX” reacted to a video from a YouTuber and was able to earn more money than the original creator of the video.
What is the Money Cheat? On Twitch and YouTube, there are numerous ways to earn money, whether through view counts or sponsorships. Another method often utilized because it requires little effort and offers high profitability is reactions.
In the Twitch stream, a video is watched together with the community, reacting to what the other streamer is doing. Afterwards, it is edited and uploaded as a video to a specially designated YouTube channel.
MontanaBlack is one of the most well-known streamers in Germany – This was his very first video
“What the F***”
How much did ELoTRiX earn with the video? In a stream, Twitch streamer ELoTRiX showcases the video that brings him the most earnings on his reaction channel: a reaction to the video from Jules about the developer Blizzard. The video is about two hours long, while the original is around 1.5 hours long, and with over 1.8 million views, it has earned the Twitch streamer a total of 27,063.13 euros.
On X, Jules appeared visibly surprised at the discrepancy between his earnings and those of the Twitch streamer. Because although Jules garnered more views, namely 2.9 million, and a longer watch time on YouTube with his video, he only earned “just” 23,979.46 euros, about 4,000 euros less than ELoTRiX.
Why is this special? The situation is particularly noteworthy against the background that Jules once claimed that his YouTube earnings are low for the effort he puts into his videos. In one of his YouTube videos, he calculated that he only receives an hourly wage of 5.29 euros from the monetization on YouTube.
When comparing the effort and the limited earnings Jules has with the earnings and effort of ELoTRiX, the calculation does not really add up and seems unfair.
Fair Solutions for Reactions
What potential solutions are there? YouTuber Robin “RobBubble” Blase also discussed reactions in one of his videos, as he faces the same problem: people reacting to his content earn significantly more than he does.
In his video on YouTube, he proposed a solution: YouTube could introduce a revenue split where reactors can indicate the video they are watching, so that half of the earnings can be redirected to the creator of the original video.
In Stellar Blade, there are numerous quests and puzzles to solve. Some solutions are less obvious than others. We will show you how to complete the Wisdom Puzzle and the associated quest.
Where can I find the quest “Wisdom Puzzle”? The quest is a follow-up to “Simple Puzzle” and can be accepted at the bulletin board in the city of Xion. Once you have completed “Simple Puzzle,” you can take on “Wisdom Puzzle.”
Once accepted, the quest presents you with a riddle where you need to find and enter the correct code. We will show you how to do it.
[toc]
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Stellar Blade meets NieR:Automata – Trailer for the new DLC
This is the solution for the correct code
To solve the quest, you need to enter the correct code at the input terminal at the elevator in the foyer of the audience room.
The code is: 5005.
Once you have entered the code, you are almost done. You just need to go back to the bulletin board, submit the completed task, and collect your reward.
Here’s how to get to the solution
The quest presents you with the following riddle:
37#21 = 928
77#44 = 3993
123#17 = 14840
71#6 = ???
You arrive at the solution 5005 by first adding the numbers before and after the hash, and in a second step calculating the difference. You then multiply those two numbers.
The first three equations show you what the result will look like. The calculation for your solution is as follows:
71 + 6 = 77
71 – 6 = 65
77 × 65 = 5.005
These are the rewards you receive for the quest
Upon completion, you receive the badge “Queen of Arithmetic” and around 1,000 gold. You can find the badge in your inventory under the category “Miscellaneous.”
With a little trick, you can significantly improve the graphics of World of Warcraft. You just need a macro for the “glasses effect”.
World of Warcraft may no longer win aesthetic awards for its graphics, but thanks to its comic look, the game still looks solid even in 2025. There are a few nuances and tweaks that you cannot directly adjust in the game – not even in the advanced graphics options.
For example, if you want the maximum sharpness of the environment, you need to use a macro that a player shared in the WoW Subreddit.
Start video
WoW player finds his old guild again – but it’s quite sad
What is this macro? The player Inevitable-Ad-6334 explained in his post that you first need to set the Reconstructive Sharpness in WoW’s graphic settings under advanced settings to 0, which is the maximum strength.
Then, you put the following lines in a macro or copy them for one-time use in the chat:
/run local o = GetCVarBool(“ResampleAlwaysSharpen”); SetCVar(“ResampleAlwaysSharpen”, not o); print(“Sharpening is now ” .. (o and “off” or “on”))
Note that you will see the differences most clearly with things in the distance. Particularly items that are often referred to as “Clutter” (i.e., environmental details like branches, leaves, etc.) are significantly sharper with this, as are some textures of larger objects.
If you find the effect too strong, you can pull back the slider that was set to 0 a bit until you reach the desired amount of blur.
Why does the macro work? Blur effects are now a standard part of almost all games. Objects in the distance appear somewhat blurred to create a more cohesive look. A little blur in the distance and softer edges prevent objects from appearing too harshly divided.
However, not everyone likes this. Blur effects are controversial, and “Motion Blur” can often cause headaches. Some basic distortion is included by default in WoW and cannot be disabled through options. However, this internal setting is accessible with a macro.
By the way, the macro works as a toggle. You can use it yourself to see how well the effect is visible to you and whether you like the new settings or not.
This is how the community reacts: Players are generally quite thankful for such little tricks and tweaks and thus show satisfaction. One commenter writes:
“Wowee, what a difference. It feels like I’m wearing glasses for the first time.” – anamopea
“The blur drives me crazy, I will definitely try this, thanks.” – A_Blind_Alien
