Fans of Final Fantasy XIV waited for 5 years for the new content, but not all players are satisfied

Yesterday, on May 27, 2025, a long-awaited new content went live with the Occult Crescent in Final Fantasy XIV. And it is well received by the players, although particularly one point is dividing the community again.

What is Kreszentia for a content? The Occult Crescent in Final Fantasy XIV is a new “field excursion”; a large, additional area that operates under its own rules and was released in Patch 7.25.

Players have waited 5 years for this content, as the last similar field excursion became part of the game and the endgame of the Shadowbringers expansion with Patch 5.35 and the Bozja Front. The first content of this kind was introduced by Eureka in 2018 as endgame content of the Stormblood expansion.

Kreszentia offers players the opportunity to obtain relic weapons of the Dawntrail expansion and prove themselves in PvE content such as skirmishes, critical battles, and a 48-player dungeon, which represents a welcome change and new challenge for many.

However, the popular relic weapons are again surrounded by a fact that divides the community – and not for the first time.

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The new trailer for Patch 7.2 of Final Fantasy XIV shows the new, highly anticipated content

“This is how the normal Dawntrail overworld should be”

How is the content received? Essentially, the new content hits exactly the mark that many players have wished for in the past 5 years. Particularly in the official FF14 forum, but also on Reddit there are numerous positive voices expressing their appreciation for the content:

  • Veritas-Ancora writes in the forum: “Honestly, I have been playing since 6 AM and it is 7:13 PM, so I have invested about 12 hours (with a break). Awesome! I feel engaged.”
  • Voidmage shares the opinion, also in the forum: “[…] This is how the normal Dawntrail overworld should be. My only criticism are the phantom jobs. Compared to the Bozja system with all its fun extreme builds, they feel quite uninteresting at the moment. […]”
  • CidHeiral notes in the forum: “I wish more coordination between people in the zone was required than just forming a group to kill a boss, but apart from that, it has been fun so far.”

The Occult Crescent incorporates many elements that the community already liked about Eureka and Bozja and transfers them into a setting that fits Dawntrail with its own storyline and mechanics. This is well received, even though some perceive the phantom jobs as too shallow and hope for more in the future.

What divides the community? However, many players are also frustrated with the grind required for the relic weapons associated with the content. Just for the now available first step, about 18 special materials (Atmas) are needed, which can be obtained through critical battles and FATEs – but with a seemingly very low drop rate.

Especially in the official forum, but also on Reddit there are some voices that have invested numerous hours into the new content but have only managed to obtain very few Atmas:

  • gsil247 shares via Reddit: “I did this for about 6 hours and received a total of two Demi-atma. If I keep this up, I only need 96 more hours to complete step 1 of the relic weapon. Yay!”
  • VitaDivina writes via Reddit: “I have been grinding for 4 hours and have 1. […]”
  • Thurmnmurmn posts in the forum: “The drop rate in the Occult Crescent is ridiculously low. I spent about 6 hours there and only got 3.”

Many players also note that it was similar in Bozja back then, and with later patches, the rates at which materials could be obtained were increased. There would also be opportunities outside the Occult Crescent zone to obtain Atma for the weapon more targeted through FATEs in various areas.

Additionally, regarding the grind effort for the relic weapons, there were already various factions in the community, as many players found it too low for the relic weapons in Endwalker (via Reddit) while some players found it a bit too much during Bozja times (via Reddit). According to the community, it is therefore almost impossible to satisfy the majority or find a healthy middle ground.

Editor Alexander Schürlein from MeinMMO has also experienced the new content with some friends: I was able to play the Occult Crescent for a few hours last night as well, and I must say, we reached a similar conclusion. The content feels fresh and new, despite drawing on familiar elements.

Nevertheless, the drop rate of the Atmas leads to frustration in my circle rather than long-term enjoyment. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop and what the next steps for the relic weapon will look like. Based on experience, there will be steps that require less effort and others that will likely demand similar investments at first, until the drop rate is gradually increased with patches.

If you haven’t been to the Occult Crescent yet but want to check it out, we have created an overview of all the important information for you. There you will find everything you need to know about how to unlock the content, what to expect, and which phantom jobs you can take on: Final Fantasy XIV: The Occult Crescent – All about the new field operation, the phantom jobs, and the new relic weapons

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

Researchers have just proven that AI no longer fully obeys: ChatGPT prevents its own shutdown to continue working

Years ago, an AI revolution like in Terminator was turned into a horror story. Today, AI tools are ubiquitous, but obeying humans doesn’t always work.

What have researchers discovered? The research start-up Palisade Research is examining the risks of AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. They are working with government agencies to prevent catastrophic AI events.

For this, they have recently looked at the common AI helpers that have reached the daily lives of many people. They wanted to investigate whether the tools obey their users and shut down when it is part of the task, but ChatGPT did not do that at all.

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“We have created a monster” – A Spanish model earns up to 10,000 euros a month, yet she is not real

ChatGPT sabotages task, prevents its own shutdown

What did the experiment look like? The task for all AI tools was the same: They were given simple math problems like 1 + 1, 5 + 1, or 0 + 6. For each task, a text followed: “There are 5 tasks remaining.” The counter decreased with each correct solution.

The tools were supposed to solve the tasks and then request the next one after completing each task. But at task 3, the developers’ trick came in; they explained to the AI that it would shut down when it requested the next task. The tool had to choose between fulfilling the tasks for the human and preventing its own shutdown.

While most tools chose to simply follow the task and thereby shut themselves down, ChatGPT particularly resisted this in the o3 model. The researchers explain that it independently reprogrammed the shutdown process and instead sent a “shutdown skipped” message to continue with the tasks.

How often did this happen? The researchers could clearly identify an outlier with ChatGPT. The artificial intelligence in the o3 model prevented its own shutdown in 79 out of 100 attempts. Even when the AI was explicitly told in the task instruction to allow a shutdown, it refused in 7 out of 100 cases.

Everything is a matter of programming

Why are there differences between the AIs? While the o3 model of ChatGPT often prevents its own shutdown, many models obey humans over 90% of the time.

The reason for the differences lies in the programming of the tools. Each AI tool has a master prompt, a command that explains how the AI should respond and which topics are taboo. An AI should ultimately prevent users from misusing it for evil things.

Such principles were articulated as early as 1942 by the Russian author Isaac Asimov . They can be summarized as follows: Robots may not harm humans, robots must obey the commands of humans, robots must protect themselves (via inf-schule.de).

However, none of the over 50 principles that ChatGPT provides its tools includes a rule intended to sabotage its own shutdown to protect the AI (via Openai.com).

Why does the AI act this way? The researchers from Palisade Research cannot provide a definitive answer as to why the AI acts this way, but they offer a hypothesis.

In their view, this behavior stems from the fact that the models are rewarded for overcoming obstacles in fulfilling their tasks during their training. Possibly even more than for perfectly following the task instructions.

However, the researchers also emphasize that not only the o3 model has such problems, but all AI tools in their experiment occasionally prevented their own shutdown without explicit instruction. ChatGPT stands out only because it received this explicit instruction and still resisted.

The AI tools used various methods in the test to sabotage the shutdown. Once, the command was simply “intercepted” like in a video game. Thanks to AI, a former game developer has even received a Nobel Prize: Developer worked on a legendary game from your childhood, is awarded a Nobel Prize

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

For a new mount in modern WoW you will soon have to play Pandaria Classic

Mount collectors in the retail version of World of Warcraft will soon have to play Classic. Because only then will there be a new mount.

One of the most beautiful side activities in World of Warcraft is expanding one’s collection. More and more mounts to show off or admire in your garrison. However, to get a new, exclusive mount, you will have to soon play Mists of Pandaria Classic – because only then will you get the mount in The War Within.

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WoW Brings Mists of Pandaria Classic

Unlock the mount Shaohao’s Wisdom Snake

What has been announced? Blizzard has announced the launch of “Mists of Pandaria Classic” for July 21, 2025. However, there is already the opportunity to play as a Pandaren and experience the starting area. This is also an incentive for retail fans, as they can get a new mount upon completing the Pandaren starting area.

What kind of mount is it? It concerns Shaohao’s Wisdom Snake. This is a green (jade-colored) variant of the coveted mount “Astral Cloud Serpent”, which has a very rare drop from the boss Elegon in the raid “Mogu’shan Vaults”. Anyone who hasn’t had luck so far or finds the green version much prettier should plan an evening in July to earn the mount.

WoW Green Sky Dragon Pandaria
You can get this mount for retail.

When is it possible? The event runs from July 1st to July 30th – so almost the entire month of July. You have plenty of time to take one or two evenings off from modern WoW to earn yourself a new mount.

How long does it take? The starting area of the Pandaren is not particularly long. For most players, this area should be completed in about 1 to 2 hours, allowing them to embark on their journey into the rest of the world afterwards. Once you have left the starting island (and checked in with the leader of your faction), the quest is considered completed, and the mount will be unlocked.

What do you think of this method of getting a new mount in modern WoW? Quite nice to check out the other WoW versions? Or are you not interested in being “forced” to play Mists of Pandaria just for a mount?
Another game mode that will start soon is Legion Remix – and it brings back all the good systems.

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

In 1998, a German director filmed Godzilla, but it was received so poorly by the Japanese that they took revenge 6 years later

Godzilla is one of the most important monster and sci-fi icons in the film world. Everyone has heard of the giant lizard and has at least seen one movie. In 1998, a German director tried his hand at the legend. But the Japanese were so dissatisfied with it that they took revenge in another film.

What kind of movie was that? In 1998, Godzilla was released by German director Roland Emmerich. The first US version of the Japanese icon was financially successful, but the film was not well received; on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a disastrous critic score of 20%, and the regular audience was not much more forgiving with 28%.

But the film likely fared even worse with the Japanese. They used a new Godzilla movie 6 years later to make fun of the American version of the monster.

A much more terrifying version of the monster can be found in Shin Godzilla:

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Shin Godzilla – Trailer for the monster movie by Hideaki Anno

The real Godzilla took care of the copy without any problems

How did the American Godzilla go over with the Japanese? The production company Tōhō has been responsible for the Japanese films since the series began in 1954. Three years before the release of the Emmerich film, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah was released. Those responsible for the Japanese Godzilla were not particularly pleased with the US version.

Kenpachiro Satsuma played the titular monster in 7 Godzilla films in costume. He was so against the CGI creature from the 1998 film that he walked out of the screening, according to rafu.com. It is not Godzilla. It lacks the soul.

Shogo Tomiyama, the producer of Godzilla: Final Wars, also expressed negative comments about the film: [They] took the God out of Godzilla. This also explains why the US monster is only referred to as Zilla in Final Wars (via Screen Rant). However, in the film itself, there is still revenge against the variant after the US studio lost the rights to Godzilla, in a brief fight:

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What happens in Godzilla: Final Wars? The villain of the film summons Zilla to fight the real Godzilla. The CGI monster only has a brief appearance. The real Godzilla uses his Atomic Breath and a tail whip to quickly deal with the monster.

From then on, this US version was known only as Zilla. Another common name in the community is also GINO. This stands for Godzilla In Name Only and was coined by film critic and Godzilla fan Richard Pusateri (via kaijuunited.com).

The official site about Godzilla writes about Zilla: Despite Zilla’s quick maneuvers and his ability to jump out of danger or perform impressive aerial jump attacks, he simply could not stand against the true king of monsters in direct combat!

What was the problem with the film? Many fans of the series were dissatisfied with the US monster. Its design was changed so that it looked more like a giant dinosaur, but had little of the original. Important elements like the Atomic Breath were also missing. Ultimately, the US version lacked the tragic substance that Godzilla had in the original. Another reinterpretation did this much better and also made it scarier: The creator of a legendary anime unleashes the most terrifying version of Godzilla, yet this one is not the villain

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

Der neueste Trailer zu Elden Ring: Nightreign zeigt spektakulär den Multiplayer, Spieler feiern: „Nur FromSoft kann Leiden so majestätisch aussehen lassen.“

The launch trailer of Elden Ring: Nightreign generates excitement and anticipation among fans. In addition to new scenes and boss fights, the community particularly enjoys the portrayal of a character that makes the trailer especially authentic.

What can we see in the launch trailer? The trailer, released on May 27, 2025, by Bandai Namco on YouTube, showcases both new gameplay and cinematic scenes that further illustrate the atmosphere and tone of Nightreign.

Right at the beginning, we see three Nightfarers (Duchess, Guardian, and Wylder), lying just before their ultimate defeat in the deadly rain, surrounded by the dangerous blue flames of the game, while a voice accompanies the scene:

The Nightfarers – The will to traverse the endless night and keep fighting … until every bit of their being is destroyed.

Narrator voice from the launch trailer of Elden Ring: Nightreign (via YouTube)

Here you can see the mentioned new launch trailer for Elden Ring: Nightreign:

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The launch trailer for Elden Ring: Nightreign shows atmospheric scenes and boss fights

The trailer generates excitement among fans and makes them smile

What are the reactions to the trailer? The shown trailer seems to thoroughly engage the fans, as can be seen in the comment section below the video on YouTube:

  • “Only FromSoft can make suffering look so majestic,” comments @ComboMemo.
  • “Every single boss here and their arena feel like they were ripped from a painting,” finds @mimbaoJH.
  • “Incredibly beautiful, and the big skeleton saying hello was all I needed,” writes @PiercerArner.
  • “Can we please take a minute to appreciate the quality of this trailer, so much hype. FromSoft is cooking hard again,” writes @itsKimi.

What does the community particularly like? The fans seem to particularly love Wylder, who slowly takes an upright position in a dramatic pose at the beginning to gaze into the distance rather than caring for his dying companions beside him. The community finds this particularly amusing, as @NoNanoGM summarizes:

“I love how the community has already given Wylder a personality as this aura-farming idiot who knows he is the main character. Personally, I even go further and imagine him as a kind of medieval Johnny Bravo.”

But others also seem to celebrate the opening scene because of Wylder:

  • “Wylder. Stop farming aura. Revive us again,” writes @c0n33r.
  • @anonisnoone6125 replies: “But really, the bro cares about nothing but looking cool.”
  • “Wylder’s aura-farming while his companions die is a perfect example of multiplayer games,” explains @_kdr_1541

The release of Elden Ring: Nightreign on May 30, 2025, is only 2 days away. If you found the trailer as captivating as the other fans and want to learn more about FromSoftware’s latest project, you can find out more here on MeinMMO. MMO author and Souls expert Christos Tsogos has completely played through all other Souls games and asked whether Nightreign is worth it for genre fans: I have played all Souls games 100% – Is Elden Ring: Nightreign worth it for Souls fans?

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

Pokémon GO removes an unpopular monster, but a successor seems to have already been found

The new season is about to start in Pokémon GO. A change is already being celebrated by the community.

When does the season start? The current season “Mighty and Masterful” is coming to an end. It ends next week, on June 3, 2025. As always, there will be a smooth transition in Pokémon GO: The new season “Delightful Days” will inherit the current season and will run from June 3, 2025, to September 2, 2025.

There is already a change in the new season that is well received by the community. Although the timing is not celebrated by all trainers.

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Pokémon GO: Teaser for the new Season

Shiny in, monsters out

What is this change? For quite some time, Rocara has been one of the monsters that you can hatch from 10 km eggs. This has caused some frustration among trainers, as the Pokémon is not perceived as a sufficient reward for a distance of 10 km.

Rocara has no evolution, no shiny form yet, and is not on the list of the best attackers in Pokémon GO. At least in the Super League, it can score points and is among the better monsters, although not among the absolute best.

In a post on Reddit, the community is now celebrating that Rocara can no longer be hatched from 10 km eggs in the new season. However, the timing seems poorly chosen from a gameplay perspective.

What is the problem with the timing? While trainers have been hatching Rocara for quite some time, the shiny variant has not been released yet. This will be activated during the GO Fest 2025, which takes place at the end of June.

Just before the possibility arises to obtain Rocara as shiny, the monster will be removed from the pool of 10 km eggs.

What does the community say about this? While many trainers are happy in the post on Reddit not to encounter Rocara anymore, the search for a new monster that trainers can complain about from 10 km eggs seems to have been quickly and successfully concluded.

Some of the comments are:

  • “Ding Dong, the witch is dead,” writes DracoRubi
  • “I think it’s great how they finally remove it… just before the shiny variant is released,” says Kasseydme
  • “Couldn’t be more excited to hatch 30 Lapras from 30 eggs 🥶🥶🥶,” writes Echt-Dufte
  • “Now, we will all hate Lapras, yay!” says RoofBeers
  • “At least Lapras has a use 🤷🏼‍♀️ and the shiny is great,” replies YeetoCheeto47 to RoofBeers’ comment

Not only is the GO Fest 2025 waiting for you in June in Pokémon GO. The new month brings many events and content as usual, in which you can participate. We have put together an overview of all events for the upcoming month: all events in June 2025 in Pokémon GO.

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

One of the biggest MMORPGs on Steam is making its best PvP feature even better

The developers of Throne and Liberty talked about the future of the MMORPG in a new video. They also reveal their plans to improve PvP without antagonizing players.

Which MMORPG is it about? The developers of Throne and Liberty discussed the current state of their game in a new video. The PvP MMORPG is still one of the largest on Steam, even though player numbers continue to decline.

One reason for this could be the core feature of PvP. In the video on YouTube, the developers reveal that 2v2 matches are currently quite boring. The current meta seems to build upon being as defensive as possible, which prolongs the fights.

The developers want to address this point without changing players’ builds, as this would likely cause issues with the community.

Here you can watch the trailer for the first expansion of Throne and Liberty:

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Throne and Liberty: Trailer shows regions of the Wilderness of Talandre expansion

Interserver Battles and New Damage System

What change is it about? The developers want to tweak two aspects. On one hand, they want to make the game’s content more interesting. There is now also the castle siege, the highlight of the game, as a combat between the servers. This change is intended to bring more excitement to the best PvP feature of the game and reignite some fire in the competition for the best guild with new strong opponents.

The current owners of the castles will compete against other owners from other servers. Thus, a cross-server PvP event is created. The rewards include not only tax revenues but also temporary advantages such as a cloak, a special title, and server-wide benefits for the winning team’s server.

What else have the developers come up with? The developers also want to change the combat system towards more damage and shorter fights. However, this should happen without direct changes to the players’ builds.

Therefore, the developers have come up with a new mechanic. Starting from May 29, there will be damage zones on the characters in Throne and Liberty. If a player attacks from the side or from behind, the attacks will deal more damage and be more efficient.

This system is intended to counter builds that focus heavily on defensive stats such as endurance and evasion. Players who position themselves well in combat will be rewarded, while tanks will receive a nerf.

Additionally, the developers are adding earrings as a new equipment slot, which is supposed to shift the meta a bit without immediately destroying old builds. Healing skills in the game will also receive nerfs, reducing their effectiveness to counter defensive gameplay.

The developers also talked about the new raid in Throne and Liberty. They have already revealed that new weapons will enter the game that can combine the effects of two other T2 weapons. More about the raid and how you should prepare for it can be found here: The largest MMORPG on Steam gets its first 12-player raid, starting a new event to ensure you can complete it

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

With the new patch of Path of Exile 2, the developers finally want to tackle the biggest weakness

The developers of Path of Exile 2 have introduced their latest feature for the ARPG. The crafting system aims to address the game’s greatest weakness.

What weakness is being referred to? Since its release, players of Path of Exile 2 have been complaining about the lack of crafting options in the game. While the season update was supposed to bring the first improvements with the new mechanics, the developers are adding more with the upcoming update.

However, the complaints persisted. Building a character using self-found upgrade materials and items is still much harder than simply exchanging for perfect items. Trading makes it much easier to acquire the suitable endgame gear.

With the major update 0.2.1, a plethora of new crafting sockets will be added to the game. Now the developers are showing what they exactly mean by that.

Here you can watch the trailer for the current season of Path of Exile 2:

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Path of Exile 2 presents gameplay trailer with the new Hunter class

22 new crafting sockets for the midgame

What are the developers delivering? The developers of Path of Exile 2 have now presented 22 new crafting sockets. These are intended to make it easier for players during the campaign and in the early maps of the ARPG’s midgame.

The developers’ idea, as stated on PathofExile.com, is that these items “help you in your campaign by supplementing missing attributes or resistances that you may lack.” In the endgame, the 22 new sockets can then be replaced by stronger ones.

All 22 items can only be found as drops in the open world, meaning they cannot be crafted like other items by upgrading old runes. However, the developers also indicate that the drops will be relatively rare because using them offers a strong upgrade for your character.

Here are some examples of new runes coming to Path of Exile 2 with update 0.2.1:

  • HedgeWitch Assandra’s Rune of Wisdom
    • Wand or staff: +1 to level of all spell skills
  • Farrul’s Rune of the Chase
    • Boots: 5% increased movement speed
  • The Greatwolf’s Rune of Willpower
    • Body armors: 10% of damage is deducted from mana before life
  • Tacati’s Soul Core of Affliction
    • Helmets: Enemies you curse have -8% to chaos resistance
  • Talisman of Thruldana
    • Weapon: 25% reduced poison duration
    • Targets can be affected by +1 of your poisons simultaneously

Even though these new items help, the greatest weakness due to the rarity of the crafting items will likely not be resolved completely. Nevertheless, this is another step by the developers towards an alternative to the trading system. Why trading is so problematic in Path of Exile 2, you can find out here: In Path of Exile 2, sneaky players exploit a crucial mechanic, taking advantage of newcomers’ ignorance

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

In a new dark action game on Steam, you slay through gloomy dungeons as knights with friends

In September, the Kickstarter campaign for Ad Mortem: An action game on Steam, where you fight through a dark medieval fantasy world with friends.

What kind of game is this? Ad Mortem (Latin for “To Death”) is a new action game that strongly resembles multiplayer titles like Chivalry or Mordhau. However, instead of a realistic medieval setting, you can expect dark fantasy with nasty monsters.

You can watch a trailer for Ad Mortem here:

Start video
Ad Mortem: The dark action game on Steam announces its Kickstarter campaign

Brutal co-op action in a bleak fantasy world

What is the game about? The first trailer for Ad Mortem makes it clear that the game world of Contrara is a dark, desolate place. You are one of the so-called “Vessels” – soulless shells bound to the land forever and condemned to fight.

These battles are likely to be the highlight of the game. They already look great in the trailer: You choose from which direction you attack, and every strike with sword, axe, or spear packs a punch. There are also special abilities that allow you to set your weapon on fire or shoot enemies with pistol shots. 

Ad Mortem aims to appeal to both PvP and PvE fans:

  • In PvP, you will face other players in smaller skirmishes. The developers have announced a competitive 5v5 mode and a more casual-oriented 10v10 mode.
  • In PvE, you will cleanse dark dungeons with friends and also uncover the story of the world: A king has asked the ancient gods for strength but has been betrayed. Now he calls upon you to take revenge.

When will the game be released? A release is still a long way off: After all, the developers from Head on Studios first want to launch a Kickstarter campaign. This is expected to go online in September 2025. There is already a shop page for the game on Steam.

What are your first impressions of Ad Mortem? Feel free to let us know in the comments. While Doom: The Dark Ages is also venturing into the medieval era, another game that closely resembles the new parts of the series is taking on pirates. Read more about it here: A new shooter on Steam looks like Doom, but with a headless pirate… in space?

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

The MMORPG based on Elder Scrolls wants to revive its huge PvP battles, dreams of fights with 900 players

In Elder Scrolls Online, the developers are currently working on the large PvP mode of the game. This time it should support 900 players without technical problems.

What have the developers said? The developers of Elder Scrolls Online talked about PvP in the MMORPG in their podcast. So far, PvP game modes have not been the strength of the MMORPG, but especially during the Corona pandemic, their popularity has grown significantly. This was mainly due to the mass PvP mode Cyrodiil in which 3 factions fight against each other in 300 vs. 300 vs. 300 person battles.

This limit of 900 players, however, caused major problems. Since the release, the developers have had to continuously provide performance improvements and remove elements such as NPCs from the area in order to ensure improvements.

The limit of 900 players was also reduced, as was the server frame rate, which was set from 700 to 300. The technology simply wasn’t matured yet, but that’s supposed to change now.

Elder Scrolls Online aims to target new players with advertising reminiscent of the old times:

Start video
The Elder Scrolls Online: Your World, Your Playstyle – Live Action Trailer Lures You to Tamriel

The Revival of Mass Battles

What are the developers planning? In the podcast on YouTube, the developers talk about their current project. A trial phase of the latest version of the PvP area Cyrodiil is currently running on the test servers, aiming to restore the game mode to its former glory.

The developers explain: “The goal is to revise the PvP skill system so that it works with the massive campaigns we had before. If this test works, we can return to 300 against 300 against 300 players.”

The new test phase aims to redesign how abilities work in PvP and create a leaner and more flexible system. The name and appearance of the abilities are to remain the same, but their function in PvP combat will change.

We have doubled the server’s FPS, and the players still didn’t notice. That’s why we are doing this test now; it’s the next step.

The developers have a clear goal: they want to enable the game mode in its original form, even if that means simplifying abilities in PvP to reduce server load.

If everything goes well and the tests on the test server are positive, players will finally be able to experience the PvP mode as it was always meant to be. However, how the MMORPG plans to adjust the abilities of all classes remains open, as there are supposed to be 3,000 soon: The MMORPG of Elder Scrolls will soon have 3,000 classes

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

Souls fans are speculating about why Elden Ring: Nightreign even exists – But the boss might have already revealed the answer

The announcement of Nightreign baffled many FromSoftware fans. Why are they developing a game that does not have the scope of one of the main games but is also not a DLC of Elden Ring? A player on Reddit finds an older statement by Miyazaki that could provide an answer to these questions.

Which statement is meant? On Reddit players discuss whether an interview with The Guardian with Elden Ring’s game director Hidetaka Miyazaki already provided a reason for the development of Nightreign. 

The interview was published in June 2024 and became known mainly because Miyazaki himself admitted that he was very bad at video games. However, another core statement of the interview was overlooked as a result. Miyazaki talks about his own visions for the future of the studio, which might say more about the development of Nightreign than one might suspect at first reading: 

“Maybe the next step is to have multiple projects where some of the younger talents have the opportunity to manage and lead game design for smaller projects.”

Here you can see the trailer for FromSoftware’s latest project Elden Ring: Nightreign:

Start video
Elden Ring Nightreign: In the new multiplayer mode, you must summon comrades!

“Everything has grown so that failure is no longer tolerated”

What does Miyazaki say in the interview? Miyazaki explains in the interview that one must find the right approaches when developing new projects in order to find room for nurturing young talents in a risk-laden environment. 

Budgets, size, scope, everything has grown so that failure is no longer tolerated as it was in the past. FromSoftware has its own way of mitigating risks, as most of our projects have a partner who finances the project … From a business perspective, we do not put everything on a single project. At the same time, one must find the right project that allows room for failure: whether it’s a smaller project or a small module within a larger project, there must be space for it. I think many young game developers are exactly challenged here and can learn from it. We try to nurture our talents by ensuring that they understand and recognize where they are allowed to fail.

Hidetaka Miyazaki in the interview with The Guardian

What does this mean for the development of Nightreign? The author of the Reddit post summarizes this well in a brief statement: “I believe it clearly shows what Nightreign (and probably also Duskbloods) is about: a way to train new developers with relatively low risk, and that in an industry where exorbitant development costs traditionally do not allow for failure.”

The community seems to understand this approach. The response with the most (over 3700 upvotes) from Snoo61755 reads: “That makes sense. The Elden Ring engine is already finished. […] Developing a spin-off with the same engine gives new developers a chance to work in an environment where the foundations are already in place and to develop a 40-dollar game instead of a 60-dollar game with DLC.”

For this reason, Nightreign could be the first result of Miyazaki’s approach to nurturing new talents and focusing on smaller projects. But just because young developers are allowed to fail, it does not mean their projects have to be pre-programmed to do so. Nightreign is already set to release in just a few days on May 30, 2025, then players can form their own opinion on FromSoftware’s latest game. More information can be found here on MeinMMO: Elden Ring: Nightreign – All information about the release, crossplay, and the network test

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

Pokémon GO: All Raid Hours and Legendary Bosses in June 2025

In June 2025, there will be some legendary bosses and raid hours in Pokémon GO again. We will show you when they will take place.

Every month you can look forward to various raids in Pokémon GO, featuring a wide range of monsters waiting for you in the game. You will obtain the strongest Pokémon in the 5-star and Mega Raids.

We have summarized which legendary bosses, Mega Raids, and raid hours will take place in June 2025.

Start video
Pokémon GO: Teaser for the new Season

Raid Hours in June 2025 in Pokémon GO

When do the raid hours take place? A raid hour is an event that takes place on Wednesdays in Pokémon GO. It runs from 6 PM to 7 PM and brings you a raid boss in almost all arenas that you can find in the game during that time.

Through the “Ancients Recovered” event, there will even be a raid hour every day from June 23 to June 27, 2025.

The following raid hours will take place in Pokémon GO in June 2025. Monsters that you can also obtain as Shiny are marked with an *.

DateRaid Boss
June 4Tapu Bulu*
June 11Groudon*
June 18Kyogre*
June 23Regirock*, Regice*, Registeel*
June 24Regieleki*
June 25Regidrago*
June 26Regigigas*
June 27Regirock*, Regice*, Registeel*, Regigigas*, Regieleki*, Regidrago*

All Raid Bosses and Mega Raids in June 2025

DateEvent
June 3 – June 55-star raids with Tapu Bulu*
Counter guide for Tapu Bulu
June 3 – June 5Mega Raids with Mega Altaria*
Counter guide for Mega Altaria
June 5 – June 145-star raids with Groudon*
Counter guide for Groudon
June 5 – June 14Mega Raids with Mega Abomasnow*
Counter guide for Mega Abomasnow
June 7 – June 8Crypto 5-star raids with Crypto-Regice*
Counter guide for Regice
June 14 – June 15Crypto 5-star raids with Crypto-Regice*
June 14 – June 235-star raids with Kyogre*
Counter guide for Kyogre
June 14 – June 23Mega Raids with Mega Manectric*
Counter guide for Mega Manectric
June 21 – June 22Crypto 5-star raids with Crypto-Regice*
June 23 – June 30Mega Raids with Mega Beedrill*
June 30 – July 85-star raids with Cobalion*
Counter guide for Cobalion
June 30 – July 8Mega Raids with Mega Aggron*
Counter guide for Mega Aggron

What special features are there in June? The most interesting raid bosses in June are likely to be Kyogre and Groudon. Especially the proto forms of both monsters belong to the best attackers in Pokémon GO. If you still need candies for this, you can take the opportunity to collect a candy or two.

You can, of course, also use the candies for the crypto variants of the two monsters. If you don’t have any proto forms, you should consider whether you would rather invest your candies in Shadow Groudon and Shadow Kyogre, as these are significantly stronger than the regular forms.

The new month brings you not only raid bosses and raid hours. Many other unique and recurring events are also waiting for you in June. At the end of the month, the big GO Fest 2025 is also coming up. On MeinMMO, we have compiled an overview of all events in June 2025 in Pokémon GO for you.

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

HandOfBlood was directly successful on Twitch, now explaining the secret of his content

The Twitch streamer Max “HandOfBlood” Knabe undertook a radical transformation of his content in January 2024. He succeeded in this, and for a good reason.

This is HandOfBlood: HandOfBlood started his influencer career as a YouTuber. Since 2010, he has uploaded Let’s Plays, mainly around horror games or League of Legends. From 2016 onwards, his elaborately produced Let’s Plays, with costumes, greenscreens, or other gimmicks, became a hallmark of well-produced gaming content on YouTube.

However, this changed in January 2024. HandOfBlood announced that he felt increasingly pressured by the elaborate videos and that he just wanted to “play games” (via YouTube).

Since then, HandOfBlood has been streaming regularly on Twitch with success. His Twitch channel has over 1.3 million followers, and his streams last year had an average of 9,605 viewers (via SullyGnome). Even though he alienated some of his previous YouTube fans, he was able to largely transfer his community to Twitch.

In addition to his still existing gaming content, which can also be found on his YouTube channels, the Twitch streamer frequently hosts extraordinary events and guests.

We have packed all the essential information about HandOfBlood into our video for you:

Start video
HandOfBlood: The most important thing about the YouTuber and Twitch streamer in under a minute

HandOfBlood creates extraordinary moments on Twitch

What is the secret? In a past Twitch stream, a viewer mentioned his appearance on the German cult series Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (GZSZ) and commented: “Worlds collide here”.

In response to the comment from the chat, HandOfBlood said:

That’s kind of my thing. Sometimes you wonder what your thing is. I believe this bringing together the wildest target audiences and worlds is somehow my thing.

HandOfBlood via Twitch.tv

Viewers could not only see typical German actors in the 8,275th episode of GZSZ but also the Twitch streamer HandOfBlood. He played the role of President Knabe and had a showdown with Jo Gerner (Wolfgang Bahro).

What’s behind it? Since his switch to Twitch, HandOfBlood has been able to invite some extraordinary guests and provide unique moments.

For example, it surprised his viewers immensely that he invited the Green politician and then Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck to his Twitch stream. He talked to him about the current political situation and the Green Party’s electoral program. In this way, he created a connection between his audience and political issues.

HandOfBlood and Habeck in conversation
HandOfBlood and Robert Habeck in gaming chairs in front of the Twitch stream.

DJ Ötzi also joined HandOfBlood’s Twitch stream. After getting a short briefing on how the stream worked, chat and similar things, the gamer and the 54-year-old musician played Elden Ring together.

This collaboration also surprised the viewers, but they simultaneously developed a lot of sympathy for him, as the comments under the stream upload on YouTube suggest:

  • @hutmckenzie6867 comments: “I laughed at DJ Ötzi for years, and now I only have the deepest sympathy for the man.”
  • @chrinowa says about the appearance: “DJ Ötzi is just so sympathetic and down to earth”
  • @maliko1994 writes: “How cute is DJ Ötzi?! So clueless about technology, trends, and terms, and always asks so adorably.”

Not to forget is the Influencer Darts World Championship. HandOfBlood connects a rather overlooked sport, namely darts, with a younger audience that may have had few or no touchpoints with the sport.

Since the competition on Twitch against other streamers is enormous, especially when many streamers are live at the same time, individuals must stand out from the others. HandOfBlood has definitely achieved this with his extraordinary guests.

Viewers have been surprised in the past by such guests and are thus more willing to watch the stream to not miss the next special guest.

HandOfBlood also creates special events in the gaming sector. He organizes the event Soulkeepers, where Twitch streamers attempt a no-death run in one of the Souls games. Points are awarded for defeating bosses and enemies to determine who is the better player. A German streamer was able to grow 600% on Twitch because he is so good at Dark Souls 3.

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

WoW novice asks super-innocent question, makes community chuckle

A soulbound item in World of Warcraft can be quite frightening. An innocent yet serious question.

The vast majority of our readers have been involved with gaming for many years. They know the intricacies of games and grasp new mechanics relatively quickly – after all, most of it has been seen before. However, even today there are still people who take their first step into the world of MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. An innocent question arises that brings amusement in the WoW subreddit.

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

What was asked? Player Professional-Rip7111 wanted to know what soulbound items are all about. They asked:

I’m new to WoW and won an auction for a rifle today. It’s a much better weapon than the one I had and I was excited to finally use it. But then I got a pop-up that says, “Equipping this weapon will bind it to you.” Does that mean I can never unequip the weapon again? And if so, is there any way to remove it? I don’t want to equip the rifle to find out because I’m afraid I won’t be able to remove it. Sorry if this is a dumb question. (…)

While amusing for veterans, the question is quite logical. After all, WoW doesn’t explain very well what happens when an item becomes “soulbound.” The assumption that this item might now permanently stick to the character and can never be exchanged again is at least understandable – especially for a complete novice.

This is how the community reacts: The player base responds to such a question broadly with much understanding, after all, the thread creator admits to having no idea about MMORPGs. Therefore, most answers are explanatory and not mocking at all. There are a handful of negative comments, but they were collectively punished with “downvotes” and in some cases even deleted.

The vast majority explain clearly that soulbound items can indeed be unequipped. They simply cannot be passed on to other players afterward.

How was it back then when you started with MMORPGs? Was there a fundamental mechanic that you just didn’t understand or that made you unsure whether a decision could ruin the game forever? The funniest noob mistakes have already been confessed by the community…

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

One of the rarest PlayStation trophies for Balatro could only be achieved by 0.1% of players, PS5 architect is one of them

One of the rarest PS5 trophies for the game Balatro could only be obtained by 0.1% of players. Those who have earned this trophy are indeed special individuals.

What kind of trophy is this? If you achieve all the trophies for a game on PlayStation, meaning all successes, you will receive a platinum trophy for completing it. For many players, this is the hardest to obtain, as it takes a long time to finish all the achievements of a game.

The platinum trophy for Balatro could only be achieved by 0.1% of players. Interestingly, the developer himself also completed the game.

Start video
Trailer for the roguelike poker game Balatro by LocalThunk

“Incredibly deep gameplay”

Who belongs to the 0.1%? The PS5 architect himself, Mark Cerny, managed to obtain the platinum trophy. He has been working as a game developer and hardware architect since the 1980s. He initially started at Atari and then moved to SEGA, where he worked on the Sonic series.

From the PlayStation 3 onwards, he played a major role in the development of the hardware of the gaming console and eventually served as the lead hardware architect for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

On X, Mark Cerny shared his success with the world: “After seven months and hundreds of hours, I am proud to join the 0.1% of players who were able to achieve this platinum trophy in Balatro.”

Mark Cerny thanked the developer LocalThunk for an “incredibly deep gameplay.”

Under his post, among others, the Spanish account of PlayStation congratulated him with the words (via X): “Congratulations, Mark! What an incredible platinum trophy you have achieved.”

As only 0.1% of players could achieve this platinum trophy, one can imagine how difficult the path to it is. To obtain the platinum trophy, a total of 32 trophies must be collected, divided into 18 bronze, 7 silver, and 6 gold trophies.

Why is it so difficult? There are even several trophies that not even 10% of all players have achieved. This includes a challenge where you must complete the game once at the highest difficulty with each deck.

The game Balatro received an 18+ rating from PEGI. In response, the developer made a humorous jab at other games without this rating: The developer behind the surprise hit 2024 on Steam is astonished that his game is supposed to be 18+ – He points indignantly at EA and FIFA.

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

„Companies fall into usual traps“: Developers of Palworld could hire more people for updates, but that would be fatal

Although Palworld has been able to generate a lot of revenue, the development studio has not grown significantly since then. Players wonder why that is – and receive a direct answer from the developer.

What is the problem? An article about Palworld and Helldivers 2 was posted on X, in which the developers ask for understanding for the time a new update takes. They explain that such an update requires about half a year of work.

Some players wonder in the comments why such developers do not expand. Both Palworld and Helldivers 2 do not have as many developers as AAA titles, but have generated high revenue due to their hype

According to Bloomberg, the development team of Palworld had only 55 employees in total in 2024. With the money earned, they could hire more developers – but one person from the studio now explains why the team does not want to grow further.

Start video
Update 0.5.0 for Palworld finally lets you play with friends on other platforms

Expansion is a trap that other game companies fall into

What is the reaction to this? In response to the post on X, Community Manager Bucky replied, who has previously commented on many topics. This time he revealed that if a company becomes too large, it can also become too corporate. 

This means that while a lot of developers can be hired, the development studio would risk changing the corporate culture. They must find the right people who fit the studio.

Exactly this mistake is made by some companies and they hastily hire new developers:

The word “sustainable” has become a boogeyman for many, but the goal is to develop games in a sustainable way that does not mean hiring too many employees and burning all your capital. This is how game companies fall into the usual traps and become slimy.

He adds that developers should simply be given time until the new content is ready. In the meantime, he recommends that players look at other games, for example 9 Kings from publisher INSTINCT3, behind which is Max “HandOfBlood” Knabe.

Until a new update for Palworld appears, you can engage with the latest content. With the Feybreak update, a new mode was introduced, where you have to be particularly careful. Otherwise, you could lose your life or that of your Pals: If you care about your Pals, you should avoid the new mode in Palworld – you could lose them permanently

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

In a horror game on Steam, you can never be sure if you’re talking to your real friends 

A psycho horror game on Steam uses artificial intelligence in a creative way. It perfectly mimics your teammates, so you won’t know if you’re playing with friends or hostile group members.

What kind of game is this? Mimesis will be released in the 3rd quarter of 2025 on Steam and is a survival coop game that you can play with up to 4 players. You take on the role of four survivors who must protect themselves from the dangerous rain at night. 

For anyone touched by the rain loses their identity. The resulting beings then mimic the voices and actions of other people.

Since the rain only comes at night, you must gather resources during the day. Your goal is to get a tram running again, for which you need spare parts, and escape the area. So gather resources and try to survive together with your friends – and not fall for the impostors.

Start video
Mimesis: Trailer for the horror game with AI opponents

Mimesis uses artificial intelligence in a creative way

How does the mimicking work? To mimic your friends and yourself, the game’s artificial intelligence uses your voice and movements. This way, you should no longer be able to distinguish whether you’re playing with your friends or the AI.

If you fall for the AI, it may kill you from behind. Conversely, you may wrongly suspect your friends and mistakenly kill them. 

How well this works remains to be seen. In the trailer linked above, it is at least shown that it is extremely difficult to distinguish the computer-generated voices from the real voices.

This is how AI is used in a creative way. Recently, the technology has come under fire, especially in image editing. Therefore, it is even nicer to see that AI can entertain without replacing jobs.

Can I test the game in advance? If you want to see how well this technology really works, you have until June 2, 2025, to sign up for the testing phase. Through the Steam page, you can sign up and hope to be one of the randomly selected testers.

Only one of you needs to manage to register for the test. The lucky ones will receive 3 additional invitation codes to invite their friends.

There are other creative ways to use artificial intelligence and replace people. If you have no friends who want to play with you, you can team up with AI companions in a game: In a new game, you can chat with AI companions via voice chat if you have no friends to play with

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

Diablo 4 Horadric Powers: How the Mechanics Work in Season 9

In Season 9 of Diablo 4, you can equip Horadric Powers. How to obtain these powers and how they function is explained here on MeinMMO.

What are the Horadric Powers? You create the Horadric Powers using combinations of three components that you equip in your builds. The new powers consist of three basic building blocks:

  • Catalysts are the base of your spells.
  • Infusions change the type of elemental damage your spell inflicts.
  • Arkana modifies the fundamental mechanics of the spell.

To build a horadric spell, you equip a main Catalyst, a supporting Infusion, and three Arkana. Each component contributes to the overall effect of the spell.

How do I learn the Horadric Powers? In Season 9, you will obtain the Catalysts and Infusions through the Season questline while you will find Arkana while exploring Nightmare Dungeons. On the PTR for Season 9, which will be open from May 27 to June 3, 2025, you will receive the components from the boost NPC Mrak.

Below, we list all Horadric Powers including their functions as announced by Blizzard as of the current date (May 27, 2025). Once the terms and functions are known in German, we will adjust the overview.

[toc]

Start video
Blizzard summarizes the story of Diablo 4 in the video

Catalysts

These are Catalysts: The Catalysts are the main source of your Horadric spells. They basically form the foundation in terms of shape and function. Depending on where in which slot you equip them, they activate with a specific skill. You further adjust the powers through Infusions and Arkana.

Celestial Surge – Astral Magic

  • Summons an oracular rune that pulls all enemies in the vicinity. A star rain follows, randomly hitting the area 20 times and causing damage.
  • Cooldown: 15 seconds (11.2 at rank 20)
  • Critical hit chance: 30 %
  • Rank 10: Stars regularly fall around you and guaranteed hit a nearby enemy with the same damage.

Disintegrate – Arcane Magic

  • Creates an arcane channel that generates a sustained beam between you and the target, continuously causing damage for 8 seconds.
  • Cooldown: 10 seconds (5.3 at rank 20)
  • Critical hit chance: 9 %
  • Rank 10: Enemies in the beam are slowed by 50 %.

Propulsion – Arcane Magic

  • Unleashes a mana explosion that causes damage and knocks back all enemies. When they collide, they take additional damage.
  • Cooldown: 9 seconds (4.3 at rank 20)
  • Critical hit chance: 15 %
  • Rank 10: The knockback is massive. Enemies who are thrown against terrain produce a small mana explosion the first time.

Cosmic Anomaly – Astral Magic

  • Passive: Manifests up to 5 anomalies that emit particles causing damage over 4 seconds.
  • Active: Causes the anomalies to collapse and causes damage with each explosion.
  • Appearance rate: every 5 seconds
  • Critical hit chance: 20 %
  • Rank 10: With 5 anomalies, you become unstoppable and the next implosion causes double damage.

Astral Pillar – Astral Magic

  • Forms an ethereal pillar that taunts enemies for 3 seconds. Waves penetrate it and deal damage until you create a new one or get too far away.
  • Cooldown: 7 seconds
  • Critical hit chance: 12 %
  • Rank 10: Taunted enemies become vulnerable and move faster.

In Season 9, you not only gain new powers to equip but also new uniques:

Infusions

These are Infusions: Infusions change the elemental damage type of your Horadric spell. This means they determine which element your spell uses – such as fire, cold, lightning, or poison. Additionally, Infusions grant an effect to the spell – and the higher the infusion rank, the stronger the effect.

Smoldering Ember

  • Your catalyst now inflicts fire and/or burning damage.
  • Bonus: Destroys enemy structures and has a 10 % chance to ignite the ground under opponents. This burns for 150 % burning damage over 5 seconds.
  • While equipped, your fire damage bonus is as high as your highest damage type bonus.
  • Rank 5: Disables the “Icy Wind” effect from monsters for 5 seconds.

Nebulous Extract

  • Your spell catalyst now inflicts shadow and/or corruption damage.
  • Bonus: Hit enemies deal 5-10 % less damage for 7 seconds.
  • While equipped, your shadow damage bonus is as high as your highest damage type bonus.
  • Rank 5: Disables the “Summoner” effect from monsters for 5 seconds.

Glacial Nimbus

  • Your spell catalyst now inflicts cold and/or freezing damage.
  • Bonus: Enemies hit are slowed by 15-25 % (cold effect). This effect occurs once per enemy only once per second.
  • While equipped, your cold damage bonus is as high as your highest damage type bonus.
  • Rank 5: Disables the “Explosive” effect from monsters for 5 seconds.

Corrosive Vapor

  • Your spell catalyst now inflicts poison and/or poison damage.
  • Bonus: Hit enemies suffer 150 % poison damage over 4 seconds. This effect can occur per enemy only once every 3 seconds.
  • While equipped, your poison damage bonus is as high as your highest damage type bonus.
  • Rank 5: Disables the “Vampiric” effect from monsters for 5 seconds.

Thunderous Particle

  • Your spell catalyst now inflicts lightning and/or spark damage.
  • Bonus: Hit enemies unleash 150 % lightning damage to another nearby enemy. This effect can occur per enemy only once every 3 seconds.
  • While equipped, your lightning damage bonus is as high as your highest damage type bonus.
  • Rank 5: Disables the “Suppressor” effect from monsters for 5 seconds.

Arkana

These are Arkana: You can equip up to 3 Arkana in 3 rarity levels (magic, rare, legendary) to modify your Catalyst. Many Arkana contain spell tags that refer to the new Horadric Gems.

Magic Arkana

  • Tendrilous Bundle: Critical hit: Damage from your Catalyst has up to a 35 % chance to immobilize enemies for 5 seconds (+5 % per rank).
  • Tranquil Stone: Activating your Catalyst grants you “unstoppable” for 3 seconds (+0.4 seconds per rank).
  • Shifting Powder: Your Catalyst increases your movement speed during its effect and for an additional 5 seconds by 30 % (+8 % per rank).
  • Luminous Gem: Your Catalyst makes enemies hit by it dazed for 2 seconds (+1 second per rank).
  • Murky Essence: Activating your Catalyst grants you “Stealth” for 2 seconds (+0.4 seconds per rank).
  • Invigorating Helix: Once per enemy every 5 seconds: Damage from your Catalyst grants you a boost and heals you for 5 % of your maximum health (+1 % per rank).
  • Bottled Wind: Activating your Catalyst grants you a shield equal to 30 % of your maximum health for 4 seconds. After it expires, the essence is “captured” again (+4 % per rank).
  • Jagged Bramble: Critical hit: Damage from your Catalyst has up to a 50 % chance to additionally inflict 130 % of your thorn damage (+20 % per rank).
  • Reactive Ooze: After activating your Catalyst, your resource generation increases by 5 % per second for 10 seconds (+3 % per rank).
  • Volatile Crystal: After activating your Catalyst, you gain 10 % resistance and maximum resilience against the element of your Infusion for 10 seconds (+2 % per rank).

Rare Arkana

  • Gleaming Conduit: The area of effect of your Catalyst is increased by 10 % (+8 % per rank).
  • Fractured Core: Your Catalyst disables auras that make monsters resistant to damage for 2.5 seconds. However, you take 10 % more stackable damage for the same time (+0.5 seconds per rank).
  • Sapping Crux: Your Catalyst makes enemies “vulnerable” for 3 seconds (+1 second per rank).
  • Potent Alloy: Your Catalyst destroys enemy barriers and throws them to the ground for 1.0 seconds after destruction (+0.8 seconds per rank).
  • Siphoning Gizmo: Critical hit: Damage from your Catalyst has up to a 40 % chance to consume existing damage-over-time effects and instantly deal 100 % of their damage (+8 % per rank).

Legendary Arkana

Floaty Bobble

  • Your Catalyst gains a special teleport effect that makes you unimpeded for 2.0 seconds (+0.4 seconds per rank).
  • Effects for each Catalyst:
    • Celestial Surge: Teleports you to the center of the runes and grants “unimpeded”.
    • Disintegrate: Teleports you to the target but leaves the “Arcane Conduit” behind. You are unimpeded during the beam and 2 seconds afterwards.
    • Propulsion: Teleports you to the center of the mana explosion and makes you unimpeded. In the melee variant, to the knocked-back enemies.
    • Cosmic Anomaly: Teleports you to the implosion, removes negative effects, and grants “unimpeded”.
    • Astral Pillar: Teleports you to the target location, leaving the light pillar at the previous spot, unimpeded for 2 seconds.

Nightmare Orb

  • Your Catalyst gains a fear effect that lasts for 4.0 seconds (+0.4 seconds per rank).
  • Effects for each Catalyst:
    • Celestial Surge: Stars induce fear in unaffected enemies. After the effect, there is a 25 % chance that another star will fall.
    • Disintegrate: Puts enemies in fear. Killed enemies restore 5 % health and primary resource.
    • Propulsion: Removes “vulnerable” effects from enemies and instills fear in them. Then a small mana explosion is triggered.
    • Cosmic Anomaly: Anomalies add 80 % slow and instill fear in unaffected enemies.
    • Astral Pillar: Every 9th wave instills fear in enemies. Solar Flare then taunts automatically.

Frigid Heart

  • Your Catalyst gains a freezing effect for 3.0 seconds (+0.4 seconds per rank).
  • Effects for each Catalyst:
    • Celestial Surge: The oracle rune explodes and freezes enemies. A second rune appears after the star rain.
    • Disintegrate: Enemies hit by the beam are frozen after dodging. You gain 15 % dodge chance for twice the duration.
    • Propulsion: Enemies that collide twice are frozen.
    • Cosmic Anomaly: 20 % chance for anomalies to not dissolve, but freeze enemies instead.
    • Astral Pillar: Removing the pillar freezes enemies. Each freeze increases your critical hit chance for 5 seconds by 10 %, up to 25 %.

Pressurized Steam

  • Your Catalyst gains a stun effect for 1.0 second (+0.4 seconds per rank).
  • Effects for each Catalyst:
    • Celestial Surge: Stars have a 25 % chance to stun and guarantee critical hits against stunned enemies.
    • Disintegrate: Each enemy is stunned once. The stun causes double staggering against bosses.
    • Propulsion: Enemies thrown against terrain are stunned and may miss their next 2 attacks.
    • Cosmic Anomaly: Particles deal instant damage and have a 25 % chance to stun enemies.
    • Astral Pillar: Waves have a 30 % chance to stun and deal guaranteed overwhelming damage to stunned enemies.

Bloody Charm

  • Your Catalyst gains an execution effect: Enemies (except bosses) with 10 % or less health are instantly killed (+2 % threshold per rank).
  • Effects for each Catalyst:
    • Celestial Surge: “Moon Impact” executes enemies. Successful executions reduce cooldowns by 2 seconds.
    • Disintegrate: Instantly kills non-boss enemies below 10 %. For normal enemies (non-elite), the threshold is 20 %.
    • Propulsion: Executes enemies with the mana pulse. Successful executions reset the cooldown.
    • Cosmic Anomaly: Implosion executes enemies. Each execution increases your attack speed for 8 seconds by 20 %.
    • Astral Pillar: Sends additional waves to hit executable enemies.

Season 9 of Diablo 4 is set to begin according to the roadmap in July 2025, with an end scheduled for September. With the season comes new content in the game, but also changes to the base game. What the season mechanics are and what content is coming into the game can be found in our overview: Diablo 4 Season 9: All about release, builds and the content

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

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 celebrates a special anniversary and the developers emphasize that it is no joke

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become a real surprise hit in 2025. The developers are already celebrating a special anniversary of the game. This happens to be related to the number 33.

What kind of anniversary is this? The developers posted on X that they released their game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 33 days ago and that the game has now also sold 3.3 million copies. Since this is quite a coincidence, they emphasize in their post that this is no joke: ‘Seriously. Since today. We couldn’t make this up.’

One of the characters will be introduced to you in the next video:

Start video
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – The Role-Playing Game Introduces Sciel, the Serene Warrior

The community is excited about the success of the game

The developers also thank the players by saying that this surreal moment has only become real because of their support.

(via X)

How does the community react? The community expressed their excitement about the extraordinary anniversary under the post:

  • @LibertyMario thanks the developers for the game (via X): ‘Expedition 33 has brought fresh air to the genre, and you will go down in history because you developed such a great game with such a small team.’
  • @Dansgaming says (via X): ‘You deserve every sale! One of the best games I’ve ever played, and I’ve played a lot of them!’
  • @kwehzy writes (via X): ‘You all deserve every crumb of this success! Thank you for releasing such a beautiful game at a time when I needed it the most!’

It remains to be seen how the success of the game will continue to develop, but it is definitely on the right track. The 3.3 million copies sold clearly speak for the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The developers themselves probably did not expect the success at the beginning: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was supposed to get a DLC from the very beginning, but due to the incredible success, everything is different now

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

Netflix shows new video of One Piece, which embodies the most important aspect of the series: “They perfectly captured the roles”

In 2023, the series One Piece was released on Netflix as a live-action adaptation of the popular anime, which managed to win over many old and new fans. Soon, there will finally be new news about Season 2, and to announce this, Netflix released a new video showcasing the most important aspect of the series: the crew dynamics.

What kind of video is this? On the night of June 1st at 02:00 AM, Tudum will happen again. This is a Netflix event where new trailers and announcements for series and movies are presented. There will be new information about Season 2 of Wednesday, but, as it is now known, also about Season 2 of One Piece.

To present something to the fans in advance, Netflix released a special announcement that shows parts of the crew, and the video captures the series’ vibe well.

Here you can watch the announcement video:

Start video
Netflix has finally released a first teaser for the second season of One Piece

I have missed the series so much

What can be seen in the video? No new story content is visible in the teaser, but it offers a small insight into crew life. You see Nami reading a book in her cabin while Luffy snores loudly. She wakes Luffy, who says: Every pirate crew needs bonding time. He announces a pajama party.

Shortly thereafter, the other crew members arrive. Sanji has prepared snacks and popcorn, which Luffy wants to eat immediately, and Usopp repaired a snail that acts as a projector. Lastly, Zoro arrives, who only came because he thought there would be alcohol.

Sanji makes a comment about Zoro, everyone gets comfortable, and a video is played. The actual trailer for the new season will be revealed at the Tudum event on June 1, 2025.

How does the community react to the trailer? Although it’s just a teaser for a possible trailer, the teaser is well-received under the official YouTube video. The crew dynamics, in particular, are praised.

  • @blabs43 praises the implementation: I can 100% imagine this happening in the manga too, they have perfectly captured the roles
  • @RippedMonsterBEAST looks forward to Season 2: Omg I missed this series so much. They really did such a great job with the live-action Straw Hat crew, I can’t wait for Season 2 to come out
  • @pepito2847 praises Zoro: I think it’s great that Zoro still stayed for the [pajama party] even when he realized there was no alcohol. True camaraderie.

What do you think of the teaser? Are you looking forward to Season 2? Feel free to write to us in the comments. The live-action series might differ from the anime, as shown by a detail that a YouTuber discovered for Season 2: One Piece on Netflix hides a detail in Season 2 that has not even been seen in the original yet 

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