The Lord of the Rings Online is currently working on PvP, but the developers also want to bring a new class into the game. Now they have expressed what it should be capable of.
Which class is planned? The Lord of the Rings Online lead designer Allan “Orion” Maki was recently in conversation with content creator Bludborn. In a two-hour interview on YouTube, the two discussed much about the future of the MMORPG. In addition to many details about improvements in PvP, Maki also revealed that the team is currently working on a new class.
The new class “Sorceress of Angmar” is supposed to be an elemental sorceress capable of fighting enemies and supporting allies with the power of the elements.
Here you can watch the trailer for the expansion Morgoth’s Legacy of The Lord of the Rings Online:
Start video
Lord of the Rings Online: Trailer for Morgoth’s Legacy Prepares You for the New Expansion
It’s raining poison, fire, and ice
What can the new class do? The elemental sorceress was only briefly touched upon in the interview, though lead designer Allan “Orion” Maki went into more detail about her abilities in the forums of the MMORPG (via lotro.com).
The new class is said to have various stances it can switch between. Changing stances will also be possible during combat and is intended to be used to adapt to situations as best as possible.
What stances are there? The standard stance uses poison and acid attacks to deal acid damage to enemies. The attacks also reduce the opponent’s armor, creating a debuff that benefits the entire group.
The fire stance (Balefire) relies on high fire damage over time as a DoT as well as direct attacks. It increases critical hit chances and ensures, with one ability, that the next 3 spells will guarantee critical hits.
The cold stance (Gelid Wind) is particularly suitable for crowd control. Its ice attacks slow enemies, root them, or stun them. The damage is expected to be lower than that of the fire stance, but this stance is supposed to offer more survivability.
The support stance (Umbral Pall) focuses on buffs and debuffs. Here, enemy ranges, attacks, and healing can be reduced. The targets of your attacks not only receive damage but also curses that weaken them. Allies benefit here from buffs from the stance that increase their defensive values.
How is the class supposed to work? The lead designer already gives an answer to this as well. Players are supposed to switch between stances during combat to combine the elemental powers of the class and trigger strong synergies. Thus, multiple abilities and debuffs from different stances should affect enemies simultaneously.
The people in Asia are currently more anxious than ever. A manga that has already predicted a major natural disaster believes an earthquake will hit the coast of Japan later this year.
What manga is this? The Future I Saw is a collection of manga volumes that were published between 1994 and 1998. The story is based on dreams of mangaka Ryo Ryuju, also known as Ryo Tatsuki.
The author has been recording her dreams since 1978 and has kept a dream diary since 1985. The dreams are especially characterized by the natural disasters that were still dated for the future at the time.
Since some of the predictions have already come true, many people assume that the next natural disaster is also imminent. And it’s supposed to happen in just a few weeks.
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3 Animes that you should know as Harry Potter fans
Manga leads to declining tourist numbers from Asia in Japan
What does the manga predict? Tatsuki dreamed that the next catastrophe will occur on July 5, 2025. On this date, there is supposed to be a mega earthquake that will take place on the west coast of Japan. Giant tsunami waves are expected to follow the earthquake, which would destroy Japan’s coastal regions.
What does that lead to? Many travelers from Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Hong Kong take this warning seriously. Bloomberg Intelligence reports that travel bookings to Japan in these regions have already decreased by 50% compared to the previous year. For June and July 2025, a decline of 83% is even recorded.
How credible is the manga? The exact date of an earthquake cannot be predicted according to today’s scientific standards, according to the homepage of the Japan Meteorological Agency (via Bloomberg).
Nonetheless, the author’s predictions have surprisingly often been accurate:
On the cover of the collected volume, there is a poster predicting a major catastrophe for March 2011. In fact, there was an earthquake at that time, which led to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima and a tsunami.
According to fans, she also predicted the death of Lady Diana and singer Freddie Mercury. The Corona pandemic is also said to have been one of her visions.
In addition, the chance of an earthquake occurring in Japan is very high. Japan lies on the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes occur frequently. Tremors are nothing unusual for the inhabitants.
Experts even estimate that there is an 80% chance of a mega earthquake of magnitude 8-9 on the Richter scale along the southern coast of Japan in the next 30 years (via German Foreign Representations in Japan). This would also affect Tokyo.
The Twitch streamer Max “HandOfBlood” Knabe has become the publisher of indie games with his company INSTINCT3. And for good reason: In a livestream, he talked about how he now prefers indie games over AAA games.
What kind of game is this? HandOfBlood is not only a YouTuber and Twitch streamer but also a publisher of indie games with his company INSTINCT3. At his own indie expo HandOfBlood presented the upcoming indie games.
Among them is 9 Kings, a roguelike from the developers Sad Sockets. In pixel graphics, you strategically place cards on a game board to defend against attacks from opposing kings in rounds.
In a Twitch stream, HandOfBlood gave another insight into the game while he was dressed up as one of the game’s NPCs.
With the trailer, you can get an initial impression of 9 Kings:
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HandOfBlood misses his new game at Caggtus, only calls for good reviews
“Much crazier than AAA games”
What is being criticized? A user found in the Twitch chat that 9 Kings looks like a mobile game that could be played on a tablet and that the game would probably get boring quickly on PC.
In response, HandOfBlood said that he would find it funny if “casual gamers” saw a game as “Billo game” when they saw pixel graphics.
He would view indie games as follows:
I find this so crazy because for me it is like this: I have been playing more and more indie games for five years now and have really gotten into it, and it is amazing how diverse and deep and mechanically demanding, but also partially in terms of story, indie games are much crazier than AAA games. It is simply the future for me. Triple-A is decreasing year by year, with a few exceptions.
These were the reactions from the community: The community agrees with the Twitch streamer. In his Twitch chat, the following messages can be found:
Kuronaito writes (via YouTube): “Who cares about the graphics, as long as the game is fun”
3krystian also agrees (via YouTube): “I don’t get how people can only play games with good graphics. They miss out on so much.”
Drolcim even finds (via YouTube): “The less graphics, the more complex the games are usually”
wr0nghole also agrees with HandOfBlood’s opinion (via YouTube): “I have also completely switched to indies for years, no AAA game appeals to me at all anymore.”
In Path of Exile, the developers have announced the first major feature for the new season. What other games have had for years could become a major change for the ARPG.
What have the developers presented? In a new video on YouTube, the developers introduced their first new feature for the upcoming season “Secrets of the Atlas” of Path of Exile. It is about pausing the game. The feature, which was initially only present in the sequel Path of Exile 2, is now coming to the original 11 years after its release.
The pause in Path of Exile will be activated whenever players trigger a menu, such as by pressing the ESC key or opening the skill tree.
Although a pause function may sound trivial at first to many and other games have offered this as a feature for many decades, this new function could lead to a significant change for professionals.
Here you can see the teaser trailer for the new season “Secrets of the Atlas” of Path of Exile:
Start video
Path of Exile reveals new season ‘Secrets of the Atlas’ in the mysterious teaser trailer
Pause becomes a game changer for professionals
How do experts benefit from the new function? Many professionals do not play Path of Exile in the normal mode, but in the hardcore variant. This differs in that when a character dies, the run ends, and the character is sent to normal mode.
Accordingly, situations in the endgame can become precarious, where professionals nearly lose their characters. To prevent this, many log out shortly before death. In this case, the character is brought to safety and later appears in town again with full life.
However, this technique carries a risk. While pressing the ESC key to open the menu, time continues to run, and logging out too slowly can lead to the character’s death. With the new pause function, this will be more relaxed.
However, the developers have thought exactly that and want to prevent the function during the most difficult boss fights in the game, the pinnacle bosses.
How do players react to this? The Path of Exile community celebrates the innovation. The announcement of the new feature receives over 110,000 views on YouTube within 24 hours, and the developers also receive 3,500 upvotes on Reddit.
There, some also explain how great this change is for Path of Exile:
NudePenguin69 explains on Reddit: “This is a massive buff for dad builds and gaming-at-work builds”
dalmathus already knows what will happen with the new feature on Reddit: “I’m looking forward to the hardcore streamers who will convene the elder council to decide whether to pause or log out.”
Also Synchrotr0n finds the feature good on Reddit: “As someone who has a terrible ISP with constant routing problems, this change is a godsend. […]”
In general, many players are happy to see that the positive developments and features from the sequel also find their place in Path of Exile. On Reddit, some even demand that further improvements to game quality be implemented immediately.
With these 3 mounts, you can easily expand your mount collection in World of Warcraft. We will tell you how to obtain them.
In World of Warcraft, the Disturbing Visions have returned for a few days now, bringing plenty of new rewards. In addition to the new head enchants, there are also several mounts that you can earn.
Note that the currently active Disturbing Vision changes weekly. The mounts presented here can be found in the vision of Stormwind. If Orgrimmar is active as a vision while you’re reading this article, you’ll have to wait until next Wednesday for the vision to switch back to Stormwind.
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Only 6 people have a success in WoW – and they don’t know why
Void-touched Stallion
Prerequisite: At least 1 active mask.
In total, you can find 4 horseshoes in the Disturbing Vision of Stormwind. They are either in “flower boxes” or directly in the grass. When you collect a horseshoe, you will receive a stackable buff – up to 4 times.
Once you’ve found all the horseshoes, head to the Dwarven District. There you can interact with the forge in the center and try to destroy the horseshoes. This will summon the enemy “Voidforged Stallion,” which you must defeat. It drops the mount Void-touched Stallion, which you can then add to your collection.
The exact locations of the horseshoes and the forge can be found on this map:
Red are the horseshoes, yellow is the forge.
Be aware that you need to collect all horseshoes in a single run and bring them to the forge. If you do not complete all steps simultaneously, you will have to start over on your next visit to the vision.
Nesting Bristlebeak
Prerequisite: At least 1 active mask.
Throughout the vision of Stormwind, you will find piles of trash made of paper and rags. When you interact with these piles, various enemies can spawn. Usually, these will just be rats or other creatures that have little value for you.
Eventually, however, the Nesting Bristlebeak will spawn, which will drop itself as a mount.
You can find 5 piles of trash in each vision.
Note that there is no guarantee that the Bristlebeak will actually spawn. You might get lucky and encounter it on your first visit, or it may take many tries before the summoning works at a trash pile. It’s best to keep trying while you’re completing the visions anyway.
Prerequisite: At least 3 active masks. Inventory: 1x Fresh Fillet, 1x Spiced Meat Stock, 1x Portion Steak, 1x Chopped Mycopractice
After you have bought the items mentioned above from the auction house and have them in your inventory, travel to the Disturbing Vision of Stormwind (with 3 active masks) and head to the Trade District.
Defeat Inquisitor Darkword. Behind him are some dead griffins, a note, and a small bowl.
The note contains the correct hint about what the griffin wants to eat. You then put the corresponding ingredient in the small bowl and interact with the bowl again.
Fish = Fresh Fillet
Mushroom = Chopped Mycopractice
Spiced Meat = Spiced Meat Stock
Steak = Portion Steak
If you have done everything correctly, the griffin should now spawn, which you must defeat. It drops itself as a mount.
Note that there are some reports that this mount can sometimes be buggy, even if you add the correct ingredient. In that case, you will need to try again in a later attempt.
The new MMORPG Architect: Land of Exiles has recently confirmed its release for 2025. The game is visually appealing and promises action-packed battles and large-scale fights.
What kind of MMORPG is this? The new MMORPG Architect: Land of Exiles looks beautiful thanks to Unreal Engine 5. With an action combat system and colorful effects, the boss fights are supposed to be a highlight. The new game from the Korean developers of Aquatree and the publisher HiveIM was first shown in 2024 at the G-Star game fair in Korea.
Not only thanks to Unreal Engine 5 and the same country of development does this MMORPG remind of Throne and Liberty. The planned large-scale battles with hundreds of players are also known from the competition.
Architect: Land of Exiles also aims to provide a true open world without various channels through which players can fly, swim, and climb using mounts. There will also be a story with cutscenes and side quests. The world is to be made alive by world bosses in addition to players and monsters, as dynamic events are also expected to occur regularly.
Here you can watch the announcement trailer:
Start video
The new MMORPG Architect: Land of Exiles presents first gameplay in the trailer
A hook dampens the anticipation
What is the hook? The Korea MMORPG plans to start its release in Korea in 2025 and is also expected to come to the West, but only at a later time. Presumably when it has been tested there. Here, the developers likely orient themselves on NCsoft, who have recently taken this path with the model Throne and Liberty and now choose it for their other titles like Aion 2.
Architect: Land of Exiles should also be available on mobile, albeit in a standalone version that is not related to the planned PC and console version. However, this mobile version is also expected to offer features like autoplay.
Do the weapons determine the abilities of the characters? Here Architect: Land of Exiles differs from Throne and Liberty. The new MMORPG relies on a typical class system and allows players to choose between five classes without gender lock (via biz.chosun.com):
Warrior
Wizard
Combat Priest
Assassin
Hunter
Architect: Land of Exiles is set to be released in the second half of 2025 in Korea, landing in a highly competitive environment between Aion 2, Chrono Odyssey, Legend of Ymir and Project SOL as well as the major updates for the well-known genre representatives in South Korea.
With Destiny: Rising, a new game in the Destiny franchise is set to take place. An alternative reality where fans can play as familiar heroes from the universe of the Guardians. The developers behind the game have now announced how their monetization will work, and for players willing to spend, it might be worthwhile.
The game is a mobile game developed by NetEase, the creators of Diablo: Immortal. In the game, fans will not be able to create their own Guardians but will take on the roles of famous heroes like Ikora and other renowned Guardians from the story.
You will be able to explore new weapon types, skills, and locations, and generally, this title is expected to introduce many innovations that fans of Destiny 1 & 2 have not yet seen. The controversial aspect of the game is its monetization, as it is based on gacha – gambling mechanics.
The developers have now announced that fans who diligently financed the project during the beta phase will be well rewarded at the full release.
Start video
Destiny: Rising shows first gameplay in the trailer
Refunds and bonuses for loyal fans
What have the developers announced? In a blog post by NetEase, the developers introduced a new program – the “Refund and Reward” program. This program is designed, as the name suggests, to distribute refunds and rewards.
Even in the beta, fans can sink their money into the gacha system, but with the full release of the game, players who have invested money diligently will get their invested silver back and also receive a bonus.
Depending on how much you have invested, the distribution of bonuses will vary. The developers have explained the principle as follows:
Anyone who has purchased up to 18,000 silver will receive a 150% refund.
Any silver that exceeds 18,000 will be refunded at 120%.
An example calculation with 20,000 silver:
18,000 × 150% = 27,000 silver
2,000 × 120 % = 2,400 silver
Result: 29,400 silver as total refund
If fans reach a certain limit of silver purchases, players will also receive additional in-game items such as skins and charms for their weapons as well as Guardians.
Can you already play Destiny: Rising? Yes, the game is currently in closed beta. However, access is limited. If you want to participate, keep an eye on X and Discord for codes with which you can request access.
Twitch streamers around HandOfBlood once again hosted the Soulkeepers event. This time for the game Dark Souls 3.The winner is a Twitch streamer who averages only 300 viewers on the platform.
At the Soulkeepers event, hosted by the Twitch bubble around Max “HandOfBlood” Knabe, the best gamer in the Souls games is determined. The rules are simple: Twitch streamers play through a Souls game without dying. As soon as they do, their run is over.
Points can be earned for each boss and special enemy. Whoever makes it the farthest and collects the most points wins the event. The rankings are recorded on a leaderboard at Soukeepers.online, as well as the clips of the individual in-game deaths.
So far, the games Dark Souls 1 to 3 have been played. At the latest event around Dark Souls 3, a previously unknown Twitch streamer managed to claim victory.
We provide you with the most important information about HandOfBlood in our video:
Start video
HandOfBlood: The most important thing about the YouTuber and Twitch streamer in under a minute
LordPappnase leads the leaderboard in Soulkeepers
Who is the Twitch streamer? It is LordPappnase. On his Twitch channel, he has over 19,000 followers and averaged 364 viewers last year (via SullyGnome). While he is not a very small streamer, he is not at the very top either.
His most streamed games include Gothic 1 and 2, as well as Dark Souls 2 and 3.
Through his run of Dark Souls 3, he was able to increase his average viewership to 2,641 viewers over the last 3 days (via SullyGnome). This is an increase of about 625 percent.
With his decisive run, he even reached a peak of 7,544 viewers on Saturday night, marking a new career high for the streamer (via SullyGnome).
In the Souls games, he seems to be a true professional, as evidenced by his high placements in the three previous runs of Soulkeepers:
In Dark Souls 1, he won with 304 points
In Dark Souls 2, he placed second behind Leon from Bonjwa with 319 points
In Dark Souls 3, he achieved first place again with a total of 359 points
LordPappnase also leads the overall leaderboard with 982 points.
So far, he has not died in his Dark Souls 3 run, unlike most others.
Twitch streamer Kalle Koschinsky, for example, couldn’t score any points as he died at the first boss (via Twitch.tv). He is thus in 45th place out of 45. HandOfBlood himself could only place 19th with 99 points.
The Soulkeeper event once again brought together many Twitch streamers with Dark Souls 3. Which game will be played next has not been announced yet. Elden Ring or Bloodborne would be good candidates.
In Season 9, new Uniques for the six classes are being introduced in Diablo 4. You can find out what they are and what the unique items can do here on MeinMMO.
According to the roadmap, the new Season 9 in Diablo 4 starts in July. With the new season, new content will come into the game and Blizzard is reshuffling the endgame activities. In particular, the Nightmare Dungeons will receive an update, as escalating Nightmare Dungeons, “Horadric Treasure Chambers”, and a few quality-of-life improvements are added.
On top of that, new Uniques will also be introduced. The items known from the Patch Notes for the PTR of Season 9 are listed below with their effects. There are 6 new Uniques mentioned – one for each class. New Mythics apparently won’t be added.
Diablo 4: Der Gameplay-Trailer zu Season 8 mit Belial
All Uniques from Season 9 at a glance
What new Uniques are coming? Below you’ll find the new Uniques that will be introduced for the individual classes in Season 9. In addition, we will discuss their affixes and aspects. English terms will be replaced when the items are known in German. As soon as their exact locations are announced, you can find them in the list of all bosses and their drops in Diablo 4.
Barbarian: Hooves of the Mountain God (boots)
Attacks reduce the cooldown of Dodge by 2.5 seconds
+17.5–23 % movement speed
+16–25 % base attack speed
+7–10 Fury per second
+2–3 ranks in “Belligerence”
Aspect: When you reach maximum Fury, it is quickly emptied until depleted. During this time, all basic skills deal area damage and deal 70–100 %[x] more damage.
Druid: Noxious Spine-Breaker (2H weapon)
+110 % damage against poisoned enemies
+14–18 % willpower
+114–150 % poison damage
+26–35 % chance for “Maw” to hit twice
+26–35 % resource cost reduction
Aspect: Every 10 seconds, “Maw” creates a poison puddle that deals 200–400 % of damage over 6 seconds as poison damage. If you hit the puddle again with “Maw”, an additional 20–40 % of total damage is distributed in the vicinity.
Necromancer: The Hand of Naz (gloves)
+77.5–100 % damage by skeleton mages
+10.5–15 % attack speed
+424–457 maximum life
+2–4 ranks in “Skeleton Mage Mastery”
Aspect: Sacrificing skeleton warriors and golems grants an additional skeleton mage each. If a mage attacks 25 times without dying, it transforms into a Archmage. Archmages teleport to safety when attacking and occasionally cause their attacks to explode, dealing 50–100 % more damage to the target and up to 3 additional targets.
Ranger: Deathmask of Nirmitruq (headpiece)
+424–457 maximum life
+2–3 skill ranks in Blade Storm
+16–25 % movement speed
+224–296 armor
Aspect: You can overexert yourself while casting Blade Storm and spend 10 % life if you do not have enough energy. Spending life increases the damage of Blade Storm by 30–50 % and your attack speed by 50 % for 5 seconds.
Sorceress: Ophidian Iris (amulet)
+30 % resistance to all elements
Summoned Hydras have +2 heads
+11.5–15.7 % intelligence
+5.2–6.0 % critical hit chance
+77.5–100 % pyromancy damage
+1–2 to “Devouring Flame”
Aspect: Hydra is now a core ability and always summons a three-headed Hydra whose attacks explode on impact. For every additional head (beyond three) that the Hydra would have, it instead grows and deals 50–100 %[x] more damage.
Spiritborn: Balazans Maxtlatl (legs)
+107–121 dexterity
+424–457 maximum life
+268–373 thorns
+2–3 ranks in “Bulwark”
Aspects: Each attack deals 200–300 % of your thorns as damage to nearby enemies and an additional 100 % of that as poison damage over 3 seconds. Every time you counter with thorns, the poison damage is increased by 100 % for 5 seconds – up to a maximum of 300 %.
These were all the unique items being added in Season 9 for the six classes. Uniques can have a huge impact on builds and change gameplay. Which classes and which strong builds will rise to the top in the new season will be revealed in the coming weeks. You can find the currently strongest builds here: Diablo 4 Season 8 Tier List: The best builds in the endgame
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On Twitch and YouTube, Erik “Gronkh” Range is one of the largest content creators in gaming. The numbers for his Steam library underline this.
What value does Gronkh’s Steam library have? The YouTuber and Twitch streamer Gronkh is one of the content creators who has been around the longest. He is a long-standing figure in the gaming industry. No wonder his Steam library is correspondingly huge.
On SteamDB, the exact value of Gronkh’s game collection can be determined: His account value amounts to a total of 27,550 euros. Converted to today’s prices, that’s a hefty 82,949 euros.
We present the career of Gronkh in our video:
Start video
Gronkh, the man with the voice – Career and life of Germany’s most famous Let’s Player
“Imagine he forgets the password”
From 82,949 euros, Gronkh could buy 150 PS5 consoles, assuming a console price of 550 euros.
From the information from SteamDB, other things can also be inferred:
Gronkh has spent an average of 12.97 euros on a game
In total, Gronkh has a playtime of 14,362 hours
The games that Gronkh has played are worth 7,529 euros, while the unplayed games are worth 19,845 euros.
Of course, these are not the only games that Gronkh owns. There are also games on other platforms, such as Epic Games, in the PlayStation Store, or Xbox Store.
How does the community react? The community probably already expected such a value but is still overwhelmed. For instance, @FCH7272 writes on YouTube: “And I thought I was a lot with 1,200 €.”
@gurkenninja8215 comments on YouTube: “Imagine he forgets the password”
Others find the value of the Steam library almost too low. For example, XXL333 writes on Reddit: “I don’t think that’s so much, considering how long he has been in the game. Other YouTubers invest such sums monthly in some mobile games.”
A legendary pro gamer reports on a betting scandal in Valorant, in which players earn a lot of money for poor performances.
Who is it about? Former CS:GO pro Sean Gares uncovered a betting scandal in the e-sports of Valorant in a video on YouTube.
Sean Gares is a legendary figure in the e-sports of Counter-Strike. He played for Complexity Gaming (later Cloud9), TSM, and Misfits Gaming.
At Cloud9, he played as an in-game leader alongside Michael “shroud” Grzesiek.
After his time as an active player, Gares worked as a commentator and analyst in the live streams of various tournaments in Counter-Strike.
In the meantime, Gares has transitioned from Counter-Strike to Valorant and is now active as a coach and manager in e-sports. He is currently the “General Manager of Tactical FPS” for the team “Shopify Rebellion Black,” which competes in the Valorant Challengers. Challengers is essentially the tier before the highest league. Only the best teams have the chance to advance to the top leagues of their respective regions.
Why did Gares suspect cheating? On May 24, Sean Gares published a video on his YouTube channel in which he talks about “the dark sides of the e-sports of Valorant.” He stumbled upon them after his team lost to the opponents of Blue Otter. The defeat troubled him, so he watched the match again.
His team was well-prepared and everyone was confident, yet Blue Otter took control of certain areas of the map without using utility. Gares emphasizes that he is not someone who blames opponents for cheating after a loss. He considers that a loser mentality; however, something felt different to him about that match.
However, Gares not only looked at his own match against Blue Otter but also watched the game “Blue Otter vs. Burger Boyz” that had been played a few days earlier. In that match, Blue Otter played significantly worse, made decisions that he found inexplicable, and lost clearly 2:0.
Because the defeat troubled him, Gares conducted further investigations and ultimately came across a possible betting scandal in Valorant, where players are offered a lot of money to intentionally throw matches.
Valorant is now also available for console:
Start video
Riot Games shows the console version of Valorant
Betting scandal in the e-sports of Valorant?
What did Gares find? Gares shows various chat messages from a person named “Bray” to various Valorant players in his video. This person allegedly sent the player “Practo” X screenshots of 3 bets, each winning over $10,000. The bets were for a game of Practo’s team “Burger Boyz,” which won 2:0 against the opponents of Blue Otter.
According to the screenshots shown in the video, Bray later wrote to the player that he should add him on Discord. “I am always here. I just say, you can be a millionaire at 19.” Gares received these screenshots from Practo, who helped him with the research.
Next, Gares showed screenshots that display chat messages between Bray and the player “Teague,” who plays for the team Landor Esports. Teague also willingly forwarded the messages to him. The conversation between Bray and the player looked like this according to the screenshots:
Bray: “Yoo Teague, let’s both make 100,000 with your next game, lol lmk.” [lmk = let me know]
Bray: “What’s your Discord? I got 20,000 for you.”
Bray: “I pay Challenger players. For example, I send a betting slip. So if you have a close match, like against a good team, I’ll pay you 20k for an underperforming performance, 10k beforehand, 10 afterwards. If the odds are good, I can give you 30 for a game.”
Teague: “I don’t want to get kicked for playing badly, since I was so bad in the last split. But is there a way to do it and win?”
Bray: “No lol. But if it’s a close match and you’re playing against a good team, it wouldn’t look weird if you just have an unfortunate game.”
Teague: “Yes, I understand what you mean, subtle stuff that makes the difference in the round, but not while watching.”
Bray: “Yeah exactly, you understand what I mean. We can also bet on maps. So you play poorly on just one map […].”
You can watch the whole video here:
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Later in the conversation, Teague said he now understands why some teams had such strong fluctuations in their performance this split – they had filled their wallets. Bray replied: “Yeah bro, like Prosperity and Burger Boyz and stuff.”
Bray then shared a betting slip with Practo, where he bet on the outcome of a map in an ongoing match, where one team was already leading 5:3. The bet earned him about $230,000 on a stake of around $134,000. Practo declined according to the screenshots shown in the video, after which Bray asked him to delete the messages.
What is Gares’ accusation? Gares is convinced that there are players who accepted Bray’s offer and intentionally lost or performed poorly. However, he himself does not want to accuse players of being involved in betting fraud without clear evidence. Therefore, he needs the community, people like coaches and analysts, who can recognize and disclose strange behaviors in matches.
What happens next? According to Gares, Riot Games has now initiated its own investigations. A screenshot from Teague’s chat history shows that Bray then moved the communication to Telegram. But Gares believes that besides Bray, there are more people seeking contact with players.
Gares is asking Riot Games for a replay system for Valorant, where you can look back at the matches played from the perspective of each player. This would make it easier to identify unnatural behavior from players. Rainbow Six: Siege and Overwatch 2 have such systems.
In 2021, there was already a betting scandal in the e-sports of Valorant. Two players allegedly bet against their own team. Their teammates knew about it but did not report it, which led to the entire team being punished: 2 Valorant pros bet against their own team – causing everyone to be banned
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Once again, a Spotlight Hour awaits you in Pokémon GO. We have all the important information for you.
What kind of event is this? The Spotlight Hour is a one-hour event that takes place every Tuesday in Pokémon GO. In addition to at least one Pokémon that is in the spotlight, there is also a bonus that is active during the event.
In the next Spotlight Hour, Golbit awaits you. The Ground-Ghost Pokémon comes from Generation 5 and can evolve into Golgantes.
Start video
Pokémon GO: What’s in the new Season Powerful and Masterful
Spotlight Hour on May 27 – Start and Bonuses
When does the Spotlight Hour start? The Spotlight Hour starts on Tuesday at 6:00 PM. It ends exactly 60 minutes later, at 7:00 PM.
What bonus is active? If you catch Pokémon during the event, you will receive double the amount of Stardust. It doesn’t matter which Pokémon you catch: the bonus applies to all Pokémon and not just Golbit.
Can you catch Shiny Golbit? Yes. The chance of a Shiny is not increased, but with a bit of luck, you can get it.
Is the Spotlight Hour worth it? If you still need Ghost attackers, then Golgantes could be an addition for you. Although the Pokémon is not the best Ghost attacker, it can be found in the list of the best attackers in Pokémon GO.
Golgantes can also be used in the battle league. Here, it performs reasonably well in both the Super and Hyper League. In both leagues, you should rely on the moveset Mud-Slap, Dark-Pulse, and Body-Slam.
The bonus from the event can also be used to snag some extra Stardust. If you use Star Pieces during the event, you can obtain 300 Stardust per Golbit catch.
A character in World of Warcraft Classic HC was resurrected – and then dramatically removed by Blizzard. A world premiere and a peculiar honor.
For many, World of Warcraft Classic is too easy. But in the “HC” variant, where all characters have only one life, it’s different. If you’re careless or trust the wrong teammates with your digital life here, you quickly find yourself face-down in the dirt. There is no second chance unless Blizzard can detect massive server issues.
An exception has now been made for a major streamer. If only temporarily. Because in the end, his character was removed in a particularly dramatic fashion.
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WoW Classic: The Hardcore Servers Are Here!
What happened? At Dreamhack in Dallas last weekend, many members of the guild OnlyFangs were present – the best-known guild from WoW Classic HC, which has numerous streamers. Tyler1 was also present and was allowed to participate in a show raid – even though he actually doesn’t have a level 60 character. Because he had previously lost it during a visit to Molten Core. After that, he never managed to get another character to level 60.
What happened next? The evening was relatively unspectacular – they were just raiding and many enjoyed having Tyler1 there. But the joy should not last too long, as Blizzard’s resurrection was only temporary. When the raid was over, Tyler1’s character, Tonkatonk, was summoned to the top of Blackrock Mountain by a fire elemental named Anyheart.
It was apparently a Game Master or a developer who took the opportunity to have some fun and dramatically concluded Tonkatonk’s story.
After a little monologue, in which he complains that “HE HAS RISEN AGAIN”, Anyheart explains that he will “BURN THE BORROWED BREATH FROM HIS LUNGS” and “SCATTER HIS ASHES IN THE WIND”. In typical fire elemental fashion, this was, of course, all in uppercase.
Tyler1 was then hurled away by the elemental – down into the Burning Steppes. Such a high fall did not allow the character to survive and thus was dead once again. Just as it was before the raid.
Tyler1 desperately tries to save his character, but he is affected by a special stun that cannot be lifted. Blizzard just wanted to make sure that the character was really only temporarily available for the event.
This is how the community reacts: Reactions to the whole event are mixed. Many voices are positive and are happy about this short comeback of Tyler1 for the purpose of an event. Others, however, find it unfair that streamers here have special privileges again when they are resurrected and then also receive an “exclusive cutscene”. Some voices from the Classic WoW subreddit:
“That was pretty cool. I’m jealous from a long-time player’s perspective, but I also had great GM experiences in real Classic, so I can’t complain. This kind of thing just adds something mysterious and exciting.” – ChanceEatsJalapenos
“The first player to get a lore-friendly resurrection and subsequent death as a cutscene, truly the best WoW applicant of all time.” – TomatoSpecialist6879
What do you think about such resurrections, even if only for the duration of a short event? A cool thing? Or just unfair that players get to play their lost characters one more time and that is not in the spirit of WoW HC? Meanwhile, WoW is working on new, spooky game modes – what might that be?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone developed the farming simulation Stardew Valley by himself. Since its release, the title has been a constant favorite. A fan recently got the chance to show the developer his game save on YouTube – and is praised for his clever idea.
How did this opportunity arise? Barone was a guest on the Tigerbelly podcast on YouTube. There, he had a conversation with Bobby Lee, a stand-up comedian and actor. Lee is a huge fan of Stardew Valley. So much so that he even asks his interview partners out of the blue if they have played the farm simulation (via YouTube).
Additionally, it is already visible in the menu that he has invested over 400 hours in his save file.
When he is allowed to show Barone his farm, he becomes visibly tense. He stutters several times and also says that he is totally nervous. After that, he presents his daily routine and what he has to do on his farm. Even then, he stumbles over his words repeatedly – even though he has no reason to.
Start video
Stardew Valley Trailer
Barone is impressed by the player
What impresses about the farm? The player shows how he makes as much money as possible. He possesses heaps of diamonds in 5 buildings and barrels in which wine is made from an ancient fruit. The latter is one of the most valuable items in the game that can be sold. This way, he can quickly acquire a lot of money.
As a result, the player has amassed a proud fortune of over 58 million gold.
What does Barone say about the game save? The developer wonders why the player has two Infinite Blades. He suspects that the player might always have access to a sword when he goes left or right in the quick selection.
Lee clarifies: He has two Infinite Blades, one with the enchantment Crusader, and one with the enchantment Bug Killer. This way, he deals more damage against all the monsters he encounters in the Skull Cavern.
Barone is visibly impressed by this and reveals that he has never seen anything like it. Then, the entire podcast team starts cheering and laughing. The developer adds that not even he had thought of that and is very impressed. Lee is so happy about it that he would almost cry.
In conclusion, Barone says: ‘I mean, it looks amazing. I think you’ve gotten the most out of it, you’ve achieved perfection on this farm.’ There couldn’t be a greater accolade for the fan.
James Cameron has made many iconic movies in his career. In addition to sci-fi classics like Terminator or Aliens, he also explored other genres with Titanic or True Lies. But did you know that he even made a series?
What series is it? James Cameron launched his major directing career in 1981 with Piranha 2 – Flying Killers. Just one film later, he scored a hit with Terminator, establishing an entire franchise.
Throughout his career, he released many legendary films: Aliens, Titanic, or Avatar are still well-known and relevant today. However, he also created a sci-fi series that is hardly associated with him: Dark Angel.
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Dark Angel – Trailer for the Sci-Fi Series by James Cameron
A post-apocalyptic America
What kind of series is Dark Angel? The series Dark Angel aired in 2000. Charles H. Eglee worked together with James Cameron on the story development. Both were also producers of the series.
In an alternative world, a major catastrophe occurs in the USA in 2009. An electromagnetic weapon causes every computer and technical system to be destroyed, plunging the country into chaos.
Months before the catastrophe, however, a child named Max Guevara, played by Jessica Alba, manages to escape from a secret government facility. She was a genetic experiment for a super-soldier program. Ten years later, she tries to hide and lead a normal life.
One day, however, she meets Logan Cale, played by Michael Weatherly. He is a journalist who disguises himself as Eyes Only and tries to uncover corruption and crime. They team up to fight evil while Max searches for other escaped super-soldiers in the background.
James Cameron’s only series managed to run for 2 seasons with 42 episodes, airing from 2000 to 2002. At the premiere in the USA, the series reached 17.38 million viewers (via Variety). Although the series started off fairly well, it was likely very expensive. Despite a new broadcast slot in the 2nd season, it seems the success of the debut could not be maintained, as Slashfilm.com reports. Quite bitter for fans, as the series was canceled with a cliffhanger.
Who starred in the series? The series was, along with Paranoid – 48 in His Power, Jessica Alba’s first major role, after which she starred in many major films like Fantastic Four or Sin City. Jensen Ackles, who plays the character Alec in Dark Angel, is probably best known as Dean Winchester from Supernatural. Recently, he also had a fan favorite role as Soldier Boy in The Boys.
RedBull hosted an event where various Twitch streamers got to play the new game from Elden Ring over LAN. Papaplatte, NoWay, and Maxim were also present and demonstrated how important teamwork is.
What kind of event was it? It was the RedBull Lancation where various Twitch streamers were invited to play a game like in the good old LAN days, all in the same room.
Known faces from the German streaming scene were involved, namely Papaplatte, Maxim, and NoWay4u. The game in question was the upcoming co-op game “Elden Ring: Nightreign”, in which fans must survive for two days in a squad of three heroes or solo to defeat the main boss of the scenario.
The streamers showcased the entire event on Twitch. Although the trio team was crushed by the first boss, which many already knew from the network test, they were still able to prove themselves against the new, yet unknown boss – albeit not right away.
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Is Elden Ring: Nightreign worth it for Souls fans?
A new boss was revealed and defeated
Was anything new shown? Papaplatte and his guys first challenged the boss from the network test, the Tricephalos. The three-headed wolf made the streamers sweat and also caused their first defeat. However, after a rematch, the heroes could prove themselves and emerge victorious.
Next, an unknown boss was to be challenged – the Fissure of the Fog. This boss was an ice dragon that bombarded the whole map with its element. The appearance of the boss is strongly reminiscent of that of the prehistoric dragons from Dark Souls 1 with its curved wings.
The team also faced a strong challenge here, as they were all frozen and had to restart once more. Even on their second attempt, although Papaplatte and Maxim switched classes, they remained unsuccessful. But as is often the case, they managed to succeed on their third attempt. With two Wylder and one Ironeye, they could defeat the dragon “Caligo, Miasma of Night” with their outstanding teamwork and withstand the frost.
What new information could be spotted from the stream? The stream brought many new details to light. Including which end bosses fans can expect, as well as which mid-bosses are still awaiting you. The following could be spotted:
Currently known boss list:
Tricephalos (from the network test)
Gaping Jaw
Sentient Pest
Augur
Equilibrious Beast
Darkdrift Knight
Fissure of the Fog
Mid-bosses:
The Smelter Demon from Dark Souls 2
Freja, the Duke’s Dear Freja from Dark Souls 2
Dancer of the Boreal Valley from Dark Souls 3
Also, the class of the Executors was playable and was used by Maxim in the fight against the dragon, albeit unsuccessfully. However, there was no trace of the new class of the Revenants. Are you already excited for Elden Ring: Nightreign? More information can be found in our overview: Elden Ring: Nightreign – All Information on Release, Gameplay, and Price
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For GTA 6, publisher Take-Two has several patents ready that are meant to revolutionize the gaming experience. We present to you 11 that will have the most impact on the game.
What is the goal of these patents? The developers of GTA 6 have already proven with the second story trailer that they primarily want to stand out graphically from their competitors. Fans even say it looks better than real life. But they also have other things planned to make GTA 6 surpass itself.
As creator @GTA6Alerts now shows in a thread on X, they mainly want to achieve this with some patents that publisher Take-Two has secured. These mainly relate to the graphics and performance of the game, but especially to technology that enables them to create the most lifelike experience and make you and the characters sweat profusely – quite literally. We present to you the 11 most important ones that the creator has identified.
[toc]
Here you see the aforementioned second story trailer in action:
Start video
Rockstar Games presents GTA 6 in the second trailer
Lifelike characters for an immersive experience
These patents mainly help to make the “life” in the world appear even more immersive and vibrant. They focus primarily on the animations and representations of the figures and characters in the game world.
Patent: US10395410B2. This patent allows for the most natural movement and bending of figures and characters. This is particularly noticeable depending on the pose and movement of the characters, as the animations appear much smoother and more fluid, which can also be seen well in the trailer. As a result, the characters appear even more realistic and less “animated”.
Patent: US11684855B2. This patent brings dynamic and seamless character movements. A street network diagram is used for smooth virtual navigation. This should make the city’s residents and traffic appear more immersive, simulating life in a vibrant city.
Patent: US10685152B2. Blood, sweat, and tears. All of this is meant to look even more realistic with this patent. Furthermore, the secured patent refers to all possible liquid surfaces and is supposed to bring a lifelike “flow” of the different fluids. The patent is also expected to have a significant impact on rain, puddles, and wet surfaces.
Patent US11951384B2. A patent that relates to the use of motion capture and artificial intelligence (AI). These are supposed to help predict movements of body parts in order to make interactions appear even more realistic.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is unclear from the start, although the hints are often so clear that they practically jump in your face.
The story of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is quite complex and multilayered, but at the same time extremely well done. The whole game is full of hints and references that you don’t even recognize as such the first time until the realization hits you and it’s like scales fall from your eyes.
We have looked at a number of these aspects whose significance one only realizes much too late in the game – at least that was the case for us.
Spoiler Alert: If this hasn’t been obvious until now – there are massive spoilers for the entire plot of Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
Start video
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – JRPG with French Flair has Release Date
Gommage
That there is a Gommage becomes clear in the first moments of Clair Obscur. But for most people who do not speak French, it was probably just a pleasantly sounding fantasy word for an annual “celebration” where one bids farewell to those who find death this year due to their age.
However, the fact that Gommage is simply a real existing French word that simply means “erasure” (of an image) or “scaling” (of paint) makes it clear much earlier what is actually happening in the story of the game.
Because an erasure is exactly what is taking place in the story. Renoir erases Aline’s oldest creations from the canvas – and because Aline’s strength is waning, Renoir can increasingly destroy more people.
Sophie is one of the first victims of the Gommage at the beginning of the game.
Gestrals
When you encounter the first Gestral of the story, Noco, you can’t help but smile. He is small, cute, and looks like a lively wooden puppet. The urge to fight and his somewhat clumsy behavior contribute to making him instantly likable.
It only becomes clear later in the story what Gestrals actually are: brushes full of paint.
This is even reinforced by the fact that they can be brought to a river for rebirth – a colorful river full of colors. Because of course, when you dip a brush into new paint, it becomes lively again and can once again influence the canvas.
The Gestral are colorful and full of paint – as long as they are alive.
The Terminology of the World
The same goes for all the terms in the game world. It becomes clear quite early on that in Expedition 33, apparently different laws apply than in the real world. For example, the healing potions are called inks. At first, this seems a bit absurd – but as soon as you realize that all characters in the game world are just painted figures in a painting, it makes sense. When you give a character „more color“, it comes alive again. So always apply the ink.
This is not limited to the menus and items. The characters also talk about all these elements as if they are a completely natural part of the world – because they are. They talk about Chroma as life force and currency or discuss Gradient attacks. But it also becomes evident in the battles time and again. Especially Maelle stands out here, because instead of starting a fight with “Let’s spill some blood!” she always energetically says “Let’s spill some ink!”.
Renoir and Aline
One could probably fill an entire book with the many details surrounding Renoir and Aline. First of all, it should be mentioned that Renoir, while a fictional character, is heavily based on the real French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who lived from 1841 to 1919.
The parallels become even clearer when you know that he had a mistress named Aline, whom he later married. Aline was a dressmaker before marrying Renoir – something we also find referenced in the game, namely in the Axon Sirene. There is a huge room with an optional boss where the Axon’s dresses are woven.
Another very interesting detail about Renoir and Aline in the game is the piece of music that plays during the boss fight against Renoir in the monolith. Those who are proficient in French might already get some spoilers about the future course of the story. Because in the soundtrack, Renoir and Aline sing against each other and try to prevent each other from continuing to paint. There are also references to the deceased son Verso and the grief from which Renoir wants to free Aline. But the music piece Une vie à t’aimer speaks for itself, just check it out with the English lyrics:
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The term Clair Obscur is also not a word invented by the developer Sandfall Interactive. It is – who would have thought? – a term from painting. Another term for Clair Obscur is “Chiaroscuro” or the significantly catchier, blunt German term: light-dark painting (via wikipedia).
This refers to images in which the individual elements have a particularly strong contrast to each other that occurs rather abruptly.
Many of the creations on the canvas have a style, especially the enemies with the same name, which literally consist of a light and a dark side or show only one side and thus only part of the name (Clair or Obscur).
In the game, this style of painting is also depicted in the story. Aline symbolizes the whitish, lively colors, while Renoir represents death with the darkness that tries to erase the image. Especially the endgame area “Renoir’s Draft”, where you can also meet the secret final boss Simon, is completely in the contrasting Chiaroscuro style.
The true “final boss” is completely done in light-dark painting. Just in Clair Obscur.
A little fun fact to end: The real artist Renoir (see above) couldn’t cope with light-dark painting at all. He always placed a great focus on soft transitions without particularly drastic contrasts.
How detailed the story and the game world of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 have been created is simply grand. However, we understand anyone who is a bit confused by the rather branching story – that’s why we summarized and explained the entire plot for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For several weeks now, the 8th season of Diablo 4 has been running, and it has received mixed to not-so-good feedback from fans. Blizzard has already confirmed that the season will not last as long as usual. Now there is a specific time announcement.
When does season 8 end now? In the current battle pass of season 8, it states how much longer you have to finish the pass. This was discovered by Icy Veins. If you open the free reliquary “Belial’s Resurrection”, you will see that there are still 36 days remaining (as of May 26).
This corresponds to an end exactly on June 30, 2025, and fits the announced start of season 9. That is supposed to be in “July”, still without a specific date. However, since Diablo usually does not have a long transition between seasons, July 1 would be the conceivable date for the start.
The fact that the hint about the end is hidden in the battle pass represents a certain irony for some players, as it is one of the reasons why the season is not going over very well.
Start video
Diablo 4: Der Gameplay-Trailer zu Season 8 mit Belial
“Bring back the old battle pass”
With season 8, Blizzard has introduced a new battle pass into the game. Instead of grinding through all rewards linearly, you can now unlock “reliquaries” to receive targeted rewards. There is still a free path, but it is significantly scaled back.
Moreover, the new season mechanic is failing in many games. The boss powers and their event are just rebranded legions events, which many already found too tedious and not worthwhile enough to engage with. The consensus in many areas is that season 8 does not maintain the fun of the game for long.
If a PC keeps getting too hot and crashes, there can be many reasons for that. However, in this case, the reason for the problem was clear to everyone except the owner.
What is wrong with the computer? Cooling is one of the important basic functions of a computer that must simply work in order to operate a gaming PC properly. If the PC does not cool well, the system will shut down to protect itself. If the problem persists and the PC continues to get too hot, it can lead to crashes or hardware damage.
On Reddit, a user complained to his friend about exactly this. His PC would constantly get hot and crash while he was playing video games. His friend wants to help him and asks for a video for remote diagnosis. But what he then sees explains everything.
Did you know that in Germany, hundreds of USB sticks are plugged into walls?
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In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
Gaming PC trapped in the cabinet
How did the overheating occur? The gamer knew that his PC was constantly getting hot and overheating, but he never knew why. However, the remote diagnosis video provides the answer that leaves the whole community shaking their heads.
In the video, the gamer’s PC is shown, but instead of being on the desk, next to it, or underneath it, the PC is in a cabinet compartment of the desk. This seems to be specifically made for computers, as it has the appropriate dimensions for an average computer.
The problem: The cabinet is closed on all sides and, apart from a small cable tunnel, no fresh air can get in. The player also seems to close the door in front while playing, so the computer is completely enclosed. Additionally, the video shows that the PC has been pushed all the way back against the wall. This makes it even more difficult for the air to escape from the PC.
Here you can see the video of the remote diagnosis on Reddit:
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How does the community react to the setup? The community on Reddit is shocked at how one can do such a thing to their computer. User madmanriner writes: “I’m worried about your friend. Is he also sitting in a locked car with the windows up to avoid the summer heat?”
Others also creatively describe the placement of the computer in the cabinet:
AverageAggravating13: “This is crazy 😭 PC torture chamber”
Sweatbuns: “This is an air fryer.”
Lost-Experience-5388: “PC dungeon💀”
Bynairee: “Yes, he is suffocating his own PC. 😭”
The setup causes shaking of heads throughout the community. Many cannot understand how one cannot recognize the problem, especially when the heat is coming directly out of the PC cabinet. Others also appeal for the friend to help the gamer eliminate the overheating and explain to him why adequate airflow is essential.
