A feature that every game has, you can miss in Pokémon Sword & Shield if you ignore a type

Jasmin Beverungen Jasmin Beverungen Reading time 2 minutes

Pokémon Sword & Shield is the first generation that has made the leap into a 3D world. However, even though the title was released just 6 years ago, it lacked an important option by default.

Which setting is it about? Most games have the option in their settings to individually adjust the volume. In Pokémon, for example, these are the background music, sound effects, and the cries of the pocket monsters.

With this option, you can increase the dialogue volume if the background music is too loud. When you are in a chat with friends, some sounds in online games are also more important than others. After all, you need to know when you encounter an enemy or when the boss enemy uses a certain attack.

However, this option is so hidden in Pokémon Sword and Shield that many players probably haven’t even unlocked it.

Start video
Pokémon Sword & Shield – The trailer welcomes you to the Galar region

Pokémon hides an important function behind NPC

How do you get it? To unlock the settings, you need the item Top Earplugs. However, you can only get it by speaking to a specific NPC in Engine City. This NPC is located about in the middle level of the city, at the northern end to the right of the main path.

If you don’t talk to the NPC, you miss the option to customize the soundscape. The game doesn’t notify you in any way that the setting is hidden behind an item.

What do fans say about this? On TikTok, user oslith notes in shock that he is already on his second run but just now became aware of it. In his first playthrough, he spoke to every NPC and obtained the item, but didn’t actively realize that this unlocked the option.

In his new playthrough, he has already spent over 32 hours, but still never noticed that the function was missing from the options. He played “as if on autopilot” and apparently ran through all the cities without talking to every NPC.

He finds it crazy that such fundamental settings are hidden in such a strange way in the game. Many users in the comments also note that this is a function for more accessibility. Such an option should not be hidden so awkwardly.

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The players of Pokémon are not always satisfied with all the decisions of the developer. In the upcoming installment, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the most important decision of the game is also causing discontent: Fans are disappointed with Pokémon Legends: Z-A because the wrong monster is involved in the most important decision of the game

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

Players find out after hundreds of hours that a seemingly useless spell can make many fights easier in Baldur’s Gate 3

Caroline Fuller Caroline Fuller Reading time 2 minutes

You never stop learning – not even in Baldur’s Gate 3. Therefore, it can also happen that one can change their opinion about inconspicuous cantrips even after several runs. One of these cantrips initially seems useless, but can be very effective, especially for tacticians.

Which cantrip is being referred to? It is the cantrip “Minor Illusion,” which can be learned by bards, sorcerers, wizards, or warlocks starting at level 1. The cantrip conjures a simple illusion that prompts nearby creatures to investigate. In Baldur’s Gate 3, this illusion is a cat, making it a very convincing bait.

On Reddit, a player shares in a post that they have never used Minor Illusion so far, but other users report in the comments how valuable this inconspicuous cantrip can actually be and in which situations the illusion seems particularly effective.

Here you can see the animated short film for Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3:

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

An inconspicuous distraction with high potential

How effective can Minor Illusion be in battles? Minor Illusion appears rather unremarkable when compared to other more effective options like Thunderous Blade or Dreadful Ray.

The top comment by Cyb3rM1nd under the Reddit post describes how useful Minor Illusion can be in battles: “It’s a really good cantrip. Setting traps, attracting enemies, triggering traps.” They add that the cantrip can make challenging battles, like against the formidable Grym in the Adamantine Forge, significantly easier:

“With this cantrip, you can win the battle against the Grym without risk – your only threat is the Mephits, which pose no challenge. […] You can lower the platform normally and then use Misty Step or travel quickly back to the stairs. Then you can make any ranged attack on the valve and the lever and lure the Grym with a Minor Illusion into the center, trigger the hammer lever with a ranged attack, and crush the Grym.”

GameStar Black Edition Baldur's Gate 3 05/25
GameStar Black Edition Baldur’s Gate 3 05/25
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What else can the cantrip be used for? A distraction method in battles can also be used outside of combat.

“The cantrip is also great for stealth,” adds Cyb3rM1nd via Reddit, “Lure enemies away so you can sneak past more easily. Or make them look away so you can steal things.”

Author’s note: I also never considered Minor Illusion until I missed it in my runs in Honor Mode to clear enemy camps. I have always found the risk of triggering an alarm and resulting (possibly fatal) battle too great. But Minor Illusion works wonders, especially when you don’t have a bard in the team who could lure NPCs away with their music. Happy looting!
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Minor Illusion is an example of how not only pure attack spells can be useful. A clever tactic in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be just as valuable. Moreover, it can provide a great sense of achievement when a plan actually works as intended. Here on MeinMMO, we have already reported on another inconspicuous spell that can turn a battle to your advantage: Baldur’s Gate 3: An inconspicuous spell can save your butt against some nasty opponents

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

A Jedi is responsible for the greatest threat in Star Wars and regretted it many years later

Christoph Waldboth Christoph Waldboth Reading time 3 minutes

The Sith are known as the villains from the movies of Star Wars. But who was actually the first of them? As is often the case, the traces lead back to the Jedi and the light side of the Force.

Who was the first Sith Lord? The first person who can be referred to as a Sith Lord and at the same time as the founder of the first Sith Empire was named Ajunta Pall.

He was, much like later Sith, initially a Jedi – just think of Anakin, who followed a similar path. They are also united by the fact that they committed terrible deeds, but regretted them many years later and once again found access to the light side of the Force.

Start video
Star Wars: Episode 3 – The Revenge of the Sith Trailer (English)

The Banishment from the Jedi Order

What happened to Ajunta Pall? He was a human who lived about 6,900 years before the Battle of Yavin from Episode 4 and was very Force-sensitive. Pall was part of the Jedi Order and rose to the rank of Master. Together with a few confidants, he dealt with unusual abilities. He used the Force to create or preserve life.

These experiments met with harsh criticism from the Order, as they were considered forbidden. Ajunta Pall and his like-minded individuals were banished from the Order. Thus, they became Dark Jedi, who in the following years acted against the Jedi and the light side of the Force.

Then there was a decisive battle that took place on the planet Corbos. At first, it seemed that the Dark Jedi would win, partly because Ajunta Pall alone killed twelve Jedi.

However, smaller conflicts within the Dark Jedi caused them to lose the battle in the end. Although Pall and the other survivors were not killed, they were sent to the Outer Rim, where they were to live in exile.

However, that never happened.

The Sith on the Planet Korriban

Where did Ajunta Pall go? The Dark Jedi had learned about the planet Korriban, where the Sith lived. This was an ancient people that was very powerful and had nothing to do with the later Lords of the Empire.

The original Sith were also aligned with the dark side and welcomed the newcomers warmly. The Dark Jedi got to know the people and their customs. However, this was not enough for them.

In a conspiracy, a confidant of the Sith King Hakagram Graush betrayed his lord. Ajunta Pall managed to defeat him in a duel. He promptly claimed the title of ruler for himself. The Sith agreed.

Thus, Ajunta Pall became not only their lord but also founded the corresponding Sith Empire. He established outposts and continued to wage war against the Jedi, whom he was convinced were blind to the power of the dark side. The potential there was, after all, immense. Another Sith Lord even took it so far as to drain entire planets of their life force.

Many years later, Ajunta Pall died and was buried on Korriban. However, his story was not yet over.

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Late Regret as a Force Spirit

What happened after his death? Thanks to the learned Sith alchemy, Pall could continue to live as a Force spirit. He remained in his grave and sank into solitude. Over time, he began to question his actions as a Sith Lord and regretted parts of them.

Subsequently, the Jedi and later Sith Revan entered the tomb as he infiltrated the Sith Academy. Revan encountered Pall’s spirit and listened to what the former Sith had to say. Pall believed that frequent conflict had diminished the power of the Sith.

In the tomb, there were also three blades. Pall urged Revan to place the correct one in the hand of his own statue. When the Jedi did so, the Force spirit could be redeemed and, according to legend, even returned to the light side.

Overall, Ajunta Pall’s story is tragic. Although he was redeemed, his negative influence on the entire galaxy was enormous. After all, he founded the Sith Empire, which caused much suffering and oppression and threatened the freedom of all. Many more Lords followed Ajunta Pall, including some extremely powerful ones: 10 powerful Sith Lords from Star Wars, before whom even Yoda would be afraid

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

WoW Mount Guide: Death Wheel of the Demon Hunter – How to Get this Mount

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

You can earn a new, stylish mount in World of Warcraft. We will reveal how you can get the stylish Death Wheel.

Since May 21, 2025, the Disturbing Visions have returned to World of Warcraft – in a new guise, offering cool rewards for the current endgame of The War Within. However, mounts are significantly more timeless than head enchants, as they last forever.

One new mount, the Death Wheel of the Demon Hunter, can be earned in the Disturbing Visions. Our guide reveals how you need to proceed.

[toc]

Death Wheel of the Demon Hunter – Step by Step to the New Motorcycle

You should complete the individual steps in the listed order. Later steps can only be completed if the previous steps are finished (except for Step 1).

WoW Purple Demon Bike wowhead
This stylish bike can be yours. With little effort. Image source: wowhead

Step 1: The Shopping List

Before you start actually playing to earn it, you first need to buy a few materials. You can either get the materials from the auction house or ask friendly craftsmen if they can work on commissions for you. Note that you need the following items at quality level 3. Only the maximum quality works:

  • 12x Entropy Amplifiers (Engineering)
  • 1x Convincingly Real Overbridge Cable (Engineering)
  • 3x Whimsical Wiring (Engineering)
  • 1x Recalibrated Safety Switch
  • 1x Irresistible Red Button (Engineering, commission required!)
  • 5x Weavercloth Enchantment Thread (Tailoring)
  • 1x Shiny Crystal (Enchanting)
  • 1x Storm-Touched Weapon Wrap (Leatherworking)

Travel to Storm Peaks (Wrath of the Lich King) and find the NPC Roxi Rocketbreaker, south of K3 at coordinates 41 / 85. From her, buy:

  • 4x Goblin Machine Pistons
  • 1x Elementium-Refined Exhaust
Start video
Only 6 people have a success in WoW – and they don’t know why

Step 2: Find the Wheel

To find the Death Wheel of the Demon Hunter, you need to enter the Disturbing Vision of Stormwind. Here, you also need to activate at least one mask to increase the difficulty level.

Go to the Dwarven District and head to the auction house. There you will find the Death Wheel. Attack and “defeat” it so that its owner, Haymar, appears. Also defeat Haymar to make him drop the Death Wheel as an object.

Interact with the Death Wheel. This will send the Wheel to Dornogal and wait for you to repair it.

Go to Dornogal and interact with the Wheel there to read all 6 hints.

Step 3: Collect the Parts

Now, you need to go into the various Disturbing Visions and collect the necessary parts. For all parts, you must have increased the difficulty of the Vision by at least one mask.

Components in Orgrimmar

  • Voidforged Engine Block: In the Engineering building in Orgrimmar in the “The Alley” area on the left side.
  • Voidscarred Boar Hide: Drops in the completion chest after defeating Rexxar in Orgrimmar.
  • Voidflame Resistant Hide (1 of 2): Drops in the completion chest after defeating Zekhan in Orgrimmar.
  • Tentacle Spokes (1 of 2): Drops from the completion chest after defeating Garona in Orgrimmar.

Components in Stormwind

  • Magic-Fed Distributor: Located in the entrance area of the auction house in the Trade District of Stormwind.
  • Twisted Skull Scythe Handle: Drops in the completion chest after defeating Valeera in Stormwind.
  • Exhausted Void Crystal: Drops from the completion chest after defeating Umbric in Stormwind.
  • Voidflame Resistant Hide (2 of 2): Drops in the completion chest after defeating Kelsey in Stormwind.
  • Tentacle Spokes (2 of 2): Drops in the completion chest after defeating Wyrmbann in Stormwind.

Step 4: Assemble the Parts

Next, you just need to use the various components to assemble them into the components. If you have all the items from Step 1, this should work without any issues. You should end up having the following items in your inventory:

  • Voidforged Inline Four Cylinder Engine
  • Death Wheel Exhaust System
  • Skull Scythe Handle
  • Pulsating Void Crystal
  • Death Wheel Seat made from Boar Hide
  • 2x Voidflame Wheel

Now return to Dornogal with all 7 completed parts and interact again with the Death Wheel. Done! You will receive the Death Wheel of the Demon Hunter and can show off this cool motorcycle to everyone from now on. At least until everyone else is riding it too.

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If you’ve gotten a taste for it and want even more cool riddle mounts from World of Warcraft, we’ve summarized the most complex puzzles of Azeroth in one article and included all the solutions. Have fun!

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

The soccer expert of the German Twitch completely messes up and loses 2,000 euros, but fans celebrate the bad tips

Thomas Dummer Thomas Dummer Reading time 3 minutes

On Twitch, streamer and football content creator Simon “GamerBrother” Schildgen reacted to his prediction for the 2nd Bundesliga of the 2024/25 season. As it turned out, he was way off with his assessment. As compensation, he paid his community around 2000 euros, who also had a lot of fun with the expert’s poor tips.

How did the football expert misjudge? Of the 18 placements of all teams at the end of the season, he only predicted 2 teams in the correct position:

  • Fortuna Düsseldorf in 6th place
  • FC Köln in 1st place

He at least placed other clubs near their actual final standings. However, he grossly misjudged some clubs, including his favorite club FC Schalke 04. GamerBrother’s most drastic misjudgments were as follows:

  • SC Paderborn he predicted in 10th place, finished the season in 4th place
  • FC Magdeburg he predicted in 13th place, finished the season in 5th place
  • Hertha BSC he predicted in 2nd place, finished the season in 11th place
  • FC Schalke 04 he predicted in 5th place, finished the season in 14th place
  • SV Elversberg he predicted in 17th place, finished the season in 3rd place

Additionally, he was also way off with predictions for individual players. Top scorer Davie Selke from Hamburger SV he labeled in his prediction as the flop transfer. Diego Demme from Hertha BSC, who played an average season with the Berliners, he made in his forecast the star transfer.

His prediction should cost him, like his prediction for the past 2023/24 season, dearly.

Streamer gives away subscriptions for wrong predictions

Why does GamerBrother lose 2000 euros with his prediction? The streamer linked the evaluation of his prediction with a game between him and his viewers. For each messed up tip, he donated up to 25 giveaway Twitch Prime subscriptions to his community. A regular Twitch Prime subscription costs 4.99 euros.

For each correct tip, the streamer reclaimed up to 25 giveaway subscriptions. However, this could hardly save him, as he was correct far too rarely.

At the end of his prediction, there were 400 giveaway Prime subscriptions for his community, worth around 2000 euros. The amount was that high also because he donated over 100 subscriptions at once for his tips on FC Schalke 04 due to personal involvement.

How the fans reacted to the disgrace of the football expert, you can see after the video. Here you can watch how you can really get started in the actual specialty of GamerBrother, namely in Ultimate Team for EA FC 25.

Start video
Tips for a Perfect Start in EA FC 25 – Ultimate Team

Fans celebrate “the best video of the year” and mock

How are the fans reacting to the poor tips? The fans take the football expert’s missteps with humor. For them, the credibility of the tips seems secondary. Rather, they are happy to experience the streamer’s reaction to his bad tips.

This is especially evident in the comments under the reaction to his prediction, which he uploaded separately on YouTube:

  • User BJK64TR writes in the top comment: “One of the best videos of the year. You literally wait a year for this reaction.” (via YouTube)
    • Over 3,000 viewers have liked this comment.

The streamer, who also hosts his own football talk show, does not escape ridicule:

  • User 2000er comments: “The prediction for Schalke was really a juicy 0/10.” (via YouTube)
  • User sebastianschulze6211 compares: “Broski basically sped through a one-way street at 200 km/h with this video and got flashed.” (via YouTube)
  • User sciencer9830 finally assesses GamerBrother’s predictions as follows: “With predictions it goes: Broski behind the wheel, that’s going to be expensive.” (via YouTube)
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GamerBrother himself assessed his prediction very realistically and self-critically. It was the worst prediction he had ever made.

As long as the fans benefit from the streamer’s bad tips, they will surely look forward to his prediction for the new season with great joy. Again, there will likely be a few false assessments. A bet even temporarily cost GamerBrother his credibility as a Schalke supporter for Team of the Year in FC 25: Streamer in EA FC 25 makes a bet with a pro, risking the worst penalty for a football fan

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

The man who created the world of Cyberpunk 2077 speaks about the successor, inadvertently revealing a detail

Benedict Grothaus Benedict Grothaus Reading time 2 minutes

For 3 years, we have known that Cyberpunk 2077 will receive a sequel. However, there isn’t a lot of information available about it. Now, the creator of the world of Cyberpunk has revealed some details.

Who is the man?

  • Mike Pondsmith created Cyberpunk, the pen and paper game on which Cyberpunk 2077 is based, and its first edition was released in 1988.
  • The “Digital Dragons” event took place in Krakow from May 19-21, 2025, one of the largest conferences for game developers in Europe.
  • There, Pondsmith spoke with our Polish colleague Michał Mańka about Orion, the upcoming successor to Cyberpunk 2077.

This is what Pondsmith says about Orion: In a nearly 45-minute conversation, they generally discussed Pondsmith’s relationship with Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk 2077, and the developers at CD Projekt Red. The author explains that he was much more deeply involved in the development than many assume.

In the last question, Mańka wants to know whether Pondsmith is as involved with Orion as he was with the first part of Cyberpunk 2077 (via YouTube). The author says that he is not as strongly involved anymore, but still hears about some things from the development. In doing so, he accidentally reveals something about the setting:

I spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment types. He explained what the new place in Orion looks like. There’s another place we will visit. A- I won’t say more than that. Night City is still there.

Mike Pondsmith

Still, Pondsmith shares a bit more about the new city and expresses his thoughts on it. He says: The city feels less like Blade Runner, which is one of his big inspirations, but more like “Chicago, where something went wrong.” For him, that works.

Start video
Cyberpunk 2077: The Ultimate Edition trailer shows a ‘City of Dreams’

Creator accidentally confirms a fan theory

A few months ago, fans speculated that Orion would be set in Chicago (via Reddit). The reason for this is an advertisement that can be found in the city: “Travel from Chicago to Night City in under 3 hours. Worry-free. Starting 2080”

According to CD Projekt Red, the sign itself is not a hint at the sequel (via GameStar). However, the theory seems to be true nonetheless.

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Whether Orion will fully take place in “Chicago,” or whether you can travel between the cities, we cannot say yet. From Pondsmith, we only know that Night City and the new city apparently differ significantly from each other.

Currently, there are no more new details about the successor to Cyberpunk 2077. In any case, the information is quite sparse, also regarding the release, which still needs to be announced. However, from what Pondsmith suggests, it seems that a lot is already on a good path. If you want to keep yourself busy in the meantime, you can find the best RPGs on Steam here.

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

Leaks show gameplay of Battlefield 6, ex-developer says: Reminds of one of the best games in the series

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 2 minutes

New leaks about Battlefield 6 keep surfacing. This time, they have also reached a former developer of the series, who assesses what he sees.

What kind of leaks are these? Videos of Battlefield 6 keep popping up, where players showcase gameplay from the tests. Although this is prohibited, it doesn’t stop players from showing how the next Battlefield is supposed to look.

A new leak has made the rounds on X.com and also reached former developer David Goldfarb. He was employed at DICE until 2012 and worked on Mirror’s Edge, Battlefield: Bad Company 1 and 2, and Battlefield 3.

After his time at DICE, he moved to Overkill, the studio behind Payday 2, where he became the Game Director for the heist shooter. Goldfarb is now the Studio Creative Director and CCO of developer studio The Outsiders, which belongs to Funcom.

Here you can see the new test program for Battlefield 6, with which you can try out the shooter:

Start video
EA stellt Battlefield Labs im Video vor

The leaks evoke good memories

What does the former developer have to say about the leaks? David Goldfarb reposted one of the leaks on X.com and commented: “Oh, the Bad Company 2 vibes I’m experiencing here remind me of the first time we tested Arica Harbor.” Arica Harbor was a popular map from Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which was released in 2010.

Goldfarb himself worked on the successful title, which is among the installments of the series with the best user ratings according to Metacritic. Arica Harbor features a desert with a highway and border checkpoints as well as a city with houses and construction sites, before leading to the namesake industrial harbor.

The former developer was likely reminded of these houses and construction sites by the leaks. They show a firefight on the street between houses and soldiers involved in a conflict with a tank from inside a house.

How does the developer assess the gameplay? Goldfarb provided two points of criticism regarding the gameplay on X.com and told fans what he doesn’t like:

  • “The movements look a bit strange to me”
  • “I can’t say that I like the character design, as it seems very generic.”

However, the leaks stem from a test version of the shooter, and it’s uncertain whether these represent final or still early versions of the respective systems and designs.

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Even though the leaks about the game keep surfacing, players risk being excluded from the tests or even from Battlefield altogether. If you want to test Battlefield 6 yourself to see what the new shooter is capable of, here is a guide on how to sign up without breaking any rules: Battlefield Labs Registration – Here’s how to participate in the new playtest

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

Fans are currently tearing apart the head of Borderlands 4: „You didn’t just say that“

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 3 minutes

The head of Borderlands 4 has become unpopular with his fans with a single post. Instead of support for the expensive pricing of Borderlands 4, the CEO is now facing a backlash.

What did the CEO say? The CEO of Gearbox, Randy Pitchford, reacted on X.com to a promotional video between Gearbox, the developers of Borderlands 4, and Nintendo. There, he expressed his excitement for the shooter as the head of the development studio.

A fan asked the CEO in response to his post that the developers should not release Borderlands 4 for $80, as that would be too expensive and fans wouldn’t pay for it. However, instead of support, the fan received a condescending reply from the CEO:

A) Not my decision. B) If you are a real fan, you will find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I had just graduated high school and was working minimum wage at an ice cream shop in Pismo Beach, and I found a way to get it.

Randy Pitchford via X.com

However, instead of the hoped-for support for his studio’s pricing policy, the CEO faced a backlash that still provokes new responses over a week later.

Borderlands 4 is set to be released on September 12, 2025, and here you can watch the trailer:

Start video
Looter-Shooter Borderlands 4 showcases its action-packed gameplay in the trailer

Big Price for Big Controversy

How are fans reacting to the tweet? Fans of the Borderlands series are furious. In over 250 replies, they throw insults and criticism at the CEO of Gearbox for his statement. As X user @young_dontai writes: “You didn’t just say that in 2025.”

He continues in a second post on X.com: “I’m not too young to understand that the economy is literally at its worst since the 1930s-1940s, which makes it incredibly dumb to compare the price of a console in 1991 with that of a game in 2025, when the overall economy was much better back then.”

In the USA, inflation and therefore the cost of living continue to rise since the Corona pandemic (via Tagesschau.de). The rising prices for video games, as we now also know from CoD, are caught up in the conflict over price increases in general.

User @SynthPotato explains on X.com why the price will not stay at $80 anyway: “We are NOT paying $80 for a Borderlands game, knowing that you will make several season passes that will cost an additional $100, and that you will probably also sell weapon skins.”

Borderlands 3 from 2020 offers not only the base game for €59.99 on Steam but also a Super Deluxe Edition for €79.99. There is also a collection with all titles, DLCs, and expansions for €146.74 instead of €637.54, which you would have to pay for all DLCs, expansions, boosters, and other game content individually.

This includes Season Pass 1, which normally costs €49.99, as well as Season Pass 2, which normally costs €29.99. Randy Pitchford published his post on May 14 and has not commented further on the price of the new Borderlands since.

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Whether Borderlands 4 will actually cost $80 at release or the same price in euros as usual in Germany is still unclear. The developers at Gearbox still have the opportunity to set the price. However, prices in dollars and euros usually align. The backlash against the CEO, however, is not only about the price but also about the way the answer was formulated. After all, fans can look forward to an improvement in Borderlands 4: Borderlands 4 promises that they will get the loot much better than in part 3: This is their plan

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

Expert explains in 1,600 words why Bungie’s new game has no chance even before release

Dariusz Müller Dariusz Müller Reading time 3 minutes

An expert is sure that the new game from the Destiny developers will fail, and the latest allegations play only a small role in that.

Who is the expert?

  • Paul Tassi is a U.S. journalist and author who writes for the English-language magazine “Forbes”.
  • He is very familiar with Destiny and regularly writes about the loot shooter. It’s also natural that he covers the studio’s new game, Marathon.
  • Furthermore, Tassi is closely connected with individual employees at Bungie and claims to have some friends at the studio.

Now Tassi has written a 1,600-word article on Forbes and published a related video on YouTube, in which he explains why, in his opinion, it is already over for Marathon – even though the game won’t be released until September 2025.

Start video
Bungie shows first gameplay of Marathon in trailer

Expert judges that the game concept makes no sense

What does the expert say about Marathon? Paul Tassi is convinced that it is already too late for Marathon to become a successful game. He splits his reasoning into 5 sections:

  • The game concept
  • The gameplay
  • Price and content
  • Plagiarism incident
  • A possible postponement

First, he criticizes the general idea underlying the game: a casual extraction shooter. Tassi believes that an extraction shooter is not interesting for most casual players. The idea of losing all your gear and loot upon death is simply not a casual-friendly game principle. And gamers who enjoy games like Escape from Tarkov prefer the hardcore experience of the shooter. Everything about Marathon seems too casual to them, including aspects like time-to-kill or reviving teammates.

What is a casual? Casuals or casual players are often referred to as gamers who play rather “casually” and relaxed. They are characterized by wanting to play just for fun after work without a strong focus on competitive gameplay, the necessary victory in PvP, or a hardcore gaming experience with a high difficulty level.

The gameplay itself is also a problem, especially the idea of integrating heroes into an extraction shooter. It strikes him as an experiment to make the own game something special, but it has made the game worse. The abilities of the runners, such as wallhacks and complete invisibility, would simply be far too strong in an extraction shooter.

Moreover, the game is not fun for Tassi when playing solo. Therefore, you have to successfully convince 2 friends to buy the game, as playing with random teammates is a coin toss whether it will be fun or not. However, the game launches with too little content for the price, which rumors suggest could be around 40 euros, to successfully convince friends.

Marathon gameplay danger discovered

Plagiarism incident is the final nail and a postponement is no salvation

What does he say about the plagiarism incident? Last week, it was revealed that the Marathon alpha contained designs that came from an independent artist. Bungie admitted to stealing the artist’s work but claimed that a former employee was to blame.

Tassi is convinced that this is the final nail for Marathon. The “unique art style” was the one thing Marathon received praise for. Now it is impossible to talk about the style without mentioning the plagiarism incident.

For the expert, it is now certain that a postponement cannot save the game anymore. There wouldn’t be enough changes to the gameplay to make it more attractive to more players and change the fate of the shooter. Nevertheless, he is convinced that a postponement is currently the only option. Cancelling the game after over 5 years of work is simply out of the question.

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Marathon forgoes a social feature that players often use for toxic behavior
von Dariusz Müller
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Many extraction shooters bore me, but an innovative idea from Marathon even intrigues me
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MMO expert is known for sharp criticism, explains why ARC: Raiders achieves what Marathon does not
von Christos Tsogos

How should Tassi’s statements be classified? Like Paul Tassi, we at MeinMMO are also extensively engaged with the current situation of Bungie and Marathon and will also work through our assessment in detail – after all, Destiny has been an important part of our reporting for years. Here, however, we share an initial assessment from our shooter editor Dariusz.

This is what Dariusz says: I can agree with Paul Tassi on many points. I particularly share the assessment of the game concept. Extraction shooters simply have very punishing gameplay. You have to be prepared to die repeatedly, and each death means losing gear. Therefore, players must be attentive while playing to avoid losing their progress due to negligence. Players who want to game for half an hour in a sleepy state after work do not want to lose their hard-earned loadout because of a careless mistake.

For some players, this also leads to the so-called “gear fear”, meaning the fear of losing good gear. Instead, players only take relatively “useless” gear and thus never play the game as intended. In some cases, a game is even not continued because of the fear of not being “fit enough” to start another run. I know this from a roguelite with extraction mechanics: In a game on Steam, I only have 4 attempts to save the world – and now I’m afraid to play it

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

Player defeats over 500 bosses in Diablo 4, lists what loot he receives

Nicole Wakulczyk Nicole Wakulczyk Reading time 3 minutes

The hideout bosses in Diablo 4 have a chance to drop the rarest items in the game. One player has defeated over 500 bosses and shares his summary of the loot drops.

These are the hideout bosses: In Diablo 4, there are various hideout bosses at the torment levels. Since Season 8, they are divided into three categories – and not all are accessible to everyone. For Urivar and the Herald of Hatred, you need an edition of “Vessel of Hatred”.

The classification is as follows:

  • Aspirant Hideout Bosses: Beast in the Ice, Grigoire, Lord Zir, Varshan, and Urivar
  • Great Hideout Bosses: Andariel, Duriel, and the Herald of Hatred
  • Exalted Hideout Boss: Belial, the Lord of Lies.

All these bosses have their own specific loot – but they also drop items from the general loot pool. You can see what loot each boss drops in our overview.

One player has tackled the hideout bosses. First, he defeated Belial – the new “exalted hideout boss” from Season 8 – multiple times, then focused on the aspirant bosses. He shares the results of the loot drops with the community on Reddit.

Start video
Diablo 4: Der Gameplay-Trailer zu Season 8 mit Belial

Over 700 GA Items and 9 Mythics in 547 Boss Runs

Here are his loot drops: In 250 runs against Belial, he received a total of 618 GA-Uniques (GA = greater affixes) and 4 Mythics each with one GA. He received three of the Mythics in the last 50 runs – so the drop chance for them was lower before.

Specifically, the distribution of the drops was as follows (via Reddit):

  • 1GA-Mythic – 4 pieces – 1.600 %
  • 3GA-Unique – 2 pieces – 0.800 %
  • 2GA-Unique – 43 pieces – 17.200 %
  • 1GA-Unique – 573 pieces – 229.200 %

For Varshan, Grigoire, Lord Zir, the Beast in the Ice, and Urivar, gasparmilazzo completed 297 runs. The result is according to Reddit 164 GA-Uniques and 5 Mythics each with one GA:

  • 1GA-Mythic – 5 pieces – 1.684 %
  • 2GA-Unique – 10 pieces – 3.367 %
  • 1GA-Unique – 154 pieces – 51.852 %

Additionally, he received 15 legendary runes and 82 Stygian stones – which you can exchange for boss materials to open the hideout chests after the boss fight. He met the “small” Belial in 39 fights – he can appear randomly when you defeat a boss. According to him, this happened most often with Urivar. All runs were completed solo and on torment 4 by gasparmilazzo.

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von Nico Scheibel

Every Boss is Worth It – Targeted Crafting of Mythics Not Recommended

What is his conclusion? In the comments, the community discusses the results. gasparmilazzo himself finds: For items with 2-3 GA, Belial is worth it. However, if you want to farm Mythics specifically, every hideout boss is a good choice. To open Belial’s loot chest, you also need special materials that you get from the “smaller” Belial.

When asked if targeted crafting of Mythics is worth it, the player says that it’s not a good path for a solo player without trading. Although he has received some runes, they are not the ones he needs.

However, through many boss runs, he was able to gather a considerable amount of “Spectral Ash.” You can exchange them for Oath Scrolls at Sayeena since Patch 2.2.1 to increase your recognition at the Oath of the Revealer. And at the final level, you can get a “Magnificent Spark” for crafting Mythics.

What about the other bosses? In a comment, the user explains that he will skip the great hideout bosses, namely Duriel, Andariel, and the Herald of Hatred. Especially Andariel is “constantly annoying” – being able to one-shot a boss but then being slowed down by three immunity phases is simply frustrating. And he is not alone in this opinion: Players argue whether the “new” bosses in Diablo 4 are good or bad – there is really only one that no one likes

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

German construction expert used every reason to be able to play the new Anno, resulting in more hours than anyone else

Johanna Johanna Reading time 3 minutes

The Twitch streamer Maurice Weber was able to play the highly anticipated Anno 117: Pax Romana. Initially, about 3.5 hours were planned, but due to a broken recording, he was able to extract a total of 10 hours. In a YouTube video, he shares his impressions, and on his second channel, he even shows the first hour of gameplay.

Disclaimer: Maurice Weber is an integral brand and OOC of Webedia Gaming.
GameStar, GamePro and MeinMMO are part of Webedia.

Who is it about? Maurice Weber has been streaming regularly on Twitch since mid-2022. Here he was the most watched “Manor Lords” streamer in 2024, even ahead of Gronkh. In 2024, he was awarded Player of the Year by the German Computer Game Award.

In advance, Maurice Weber was allowed to play 10 hours of the new Anno 117: Pax Romana. In a YouTube video, he reports on his impressions and can’t stop raving about it.

You can watch his impressions of Anno 117: Pax Romana in this YouTube video:

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Link to the YouTube content

Broken recording leads to more hours of gameplay

What reason did Maurice Weber use? While most others were allowed to test the game for 3 to 4 hours, such as GamePro, Maurice Weber managed to extend his playtime to a total of 10 hours.

He was able to do the first run at an event in Rome, and he started the second at home. For his new Uncut YouTube channel, Maurice needed gameplay, which he recorded from the demo. However, the recording was broken and according to Maurice, it was “a complete disaster from a professional standpoint” (via YouTube).

On the other hand, he was excited at the same time, because this allowed him to ask Ubisoft if they could give him the opportunity to play the demo again. And behold: Ubisoft agreed to the whole thing, and the Twitch streamer dived back into the construction of Rome.

What are Maurice’s impressions? Overall, the Twitch streamer seems to be thrilled with Anno 117: Pax Romana. He describes the game, as well as the others in the series, as a “feel-good construction sandbox in a historical scenario” (via YouTube).

The Twitch streamer reports on some things that he found positive, including the following:

  • With the buildings, it is now possible to align them diagonally, making the entire city seem much more organic.
  • There are more buildings with radius effects, both positive and negative. Production buildings would generate more money when they are close to other buildings, as residents buy directly there. Therefore, it’s worth building them in the city. However, farms would have a negative effect if they are too close to other buildings. Thus, some buildings must be built in isolation to avoid negative effects.
  • There are island attributes such as happiness, income, population, fire safety, health, prestige, faith, and knowledge. These would have new mechanics and thus unlock new building possibilities.

Rather negatively, Maurice noticed the banality of the quests. They do not offer much challenge as they are kept simple.

Those who want to watch the first hour of uncut gameplay from Anno 117 will find it on Maurice’s second channel. Here he uploaded his recordings and provides a comprehensive insight into the game with his first YouTube video on the channel.

You can watch the first teaser for Anno 117 here:

Start video
Teaser for Anno 107 transports you to ancient Rome

There is not yet an official release date for Anno 117: Pax Romana. However, Maurice Weber stated that it is supposed to be available in winter 2025. The Twitch streamer is very much looking forward to the construction game. Maurice Weber also had similar anticipation for the game Manor Lords: “Manor Lords is THE construction game of the future” – German strategy expert explains what makes the Steam hit special

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Maurice Weber auf YouTube

It went unnoticed, but an actor from The Big Bang Theory appeared earlier in the Friends universe and played almost the same role

Niko Hernes Niko Hernes Reading time 2 minutes

The Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular comedy series of all time. This is mainly due to the endearing nerds who have chatted their way into the hearts of fans over 12 seasons. Among them is Howard Wolowitz, played by Simon Helberg. However, even before the series, he was able to try out almost the same role in another sitcom.

Which series is it? Not only The Big Bang Theory was a popular sitcom that was further developed with spin-offs. Friends is, although the series ended in May 2004, one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. But fans didn’t have to say goodbye to one character for long.

In September 2004, Joey premiered. The spin-off focused on the character Joey Tribbiani, played by Matt LeBlanc. In the series, Joey travels to Hollywood to pursue his acting career.

Nowadays, the series is hardly known. It was canceled after the second season due to poor viewership numbers. However, an interesting supporting character in the series is Seth Tobin, played by Simon Helberg. And this character has quite a few parallels with another character of Helberg: Howard Wolowitz.

Start video
Friends – Trailer for one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time

Different name, almost the same character

Who is Seth Tobin? Seth Tobin is just a minor character in the Joey series. He appears in only 4 out of 46 episodes and seems like a prototype of Howard Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory. Seth is the colleague and rival of Michael, Joey’s nephew. Seth works at Caltech and is a space engineer. He always comes across as quite self-assured, and in his first appearance, he wears a Space Invaders shirt.

However, the parallels with Wolowitz do not end there. He lives with his grandmother and has trouble with women, although this is not as overbearing as Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory. In the first episode, he also talks about a robot woman, and he is a big Star Trek fan (via YouTube). His arrogant acting can also be recognized in The Big Bang Theory, especially in the first seasons.

Where are the differences? The Big Bang Theory ran for 12 seasons and Howard is a main character in the series, allowing for significant development. Especially his relationships with women have changed. Seth also comes across as significantly more arrogant than Howard and has traits that one would more likely attribute to Sheldon.

Also, Howard’s quirky outfits cannot be recognized in Seth. Without character development, Seth is a clichéd image of a tech nerd. He lacks the substance that a main character has.

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The discussions about robot women are not as far-fetched as one might think. Once, The Big Bang Theory was also supposed to look different, and an important character was originally supposed to be a robot, but it was decided against it: The Big Bang Theory: Before the series started, an important character was supposed to be a robot

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. 3DJuegos
  2. Titelbildquelle: Warner Bros. DE
  3. IMDb

Pokémon GO now brings you Urshifu and a lot of Shinys – All information about the new event

Paul Kutzner Paul Kutzner Reading time 3 minutes

In Pokémon GO the next event is coming up. Here you can obtain the legendary Pokémon Urshifu for the first time and benefit from some strong bonuses.

What kind of event is this? The event “Final Strike: GO Battle Week” marks the end of the current season in Pokémon GO, which ends on June 3, 2025. It starts on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM and runs until Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 8:00 PM.

How do I obtain Urshifu? At the start of the event, you can evolve your Kubfu into Urshifu for the first time. You have the choice between the “Single Strike Style” and the “Rapid Strike Style” form. You will need 200 Kubfu candies for the evolution.

Additionally, you must take Kubfu as your buddy and then defeat 30 Dark-type Pokémon in raid or dynamax battles (Single Strike Style), or conquer 30 Water-type Pokémon in such battles (Rapid Strike Style). Kubfu must be with you as your buddy but does not need to actively participate in the battles.

Start video
Pokémon GO: What’s in the new Season Powerful and Masterful

Final Strike: GO Battle Week – All Event Contents

What bonuses are there in the event? At the start of the event, you will receive a free, limited-time research. If you complete this, you will receive an additional raid pass in gyms daily until the end of the event. Additionally, the following bonuses will be active regardless of the research:

  • increased chance of encountering Meditie, Stunky, and Mareanie in their shiny forms
  • double experience points for won raids

Which Pokémon are in the wild? During the event, you can encounter the following Pokémon in the wild:

  • Mankey*
  • Seel*
  • Galarian Zigzagoon*
  • Meditie*
  • Froakie*
  • Deino* (rare)
  • Nickit (rare)

All monsters marked with a * can appear in their shiny forms as well.

Which monsters are in raids? Event Pokémon will also be waiting for you in raids.

Level 1 Raids:

  • Carvanha*
  • Stunky*
  • Mareanie*

Level 3 Raids:

  • Lapras*
  • Hisuian Samurott*
  • Bombirdier*

Again, all monsters with a * can also be encountered in their shiny forms if you are lucky.

Special Research: At the beginning of the event, the final stage of the Special Research “Might and Mastery” will also be unlocked. As rewards, you will find mysterious parts, Kubfu candies, and a Charcadet with a special background among other things.

Exclusive Moves: If you evolve the following Pokémon during the event, they will receive the respective exclusive move listed:

  • Primeape learns Rage Fist when you evolve Mankey
  • Dewgong learns Ice Shard when you evolve Seel
  • Hydreigon learns Brutal Swing when you evolve Zweilous
  • Greninja learns Hydro Cannon when you evolve Frogadier
  • Lapras learns Ice Beam when you catch it in raids or through field research
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Further Event Contents: In addition to familiar contents like field research and PokéStop showcases, you can also expect a free and a paid limited-time research during the event. The free version will reward you with special candies, Dakuma candies, and encounters with event Pokémon.

The paid version can be purchased for $1.99 (about €2). Here, you will receive among other things 2 premium battle passes, 4 lucky eggs, and 1 dynamax particle pack, as well as encounters with Meditie, Stunky and Mareanie.

For $7.99 (about €8), you can also purchase another special research. This includes among other things 1 incense, 2 premium battle passes, 1 star piece, encounters with seasonal Pokémon, and an encounter with another Dynamax Kubfu.

The current season is rapidly approaching its end. Nothing is known yet about the new season. However, the last days of “Might and Mastery” this month will still bring you some events and content: all events in May 2025 in Pokémon GO.

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

Gamers are finally seeing full shelves of graphics cards again – but hardly anyone wants to buy them anyway

Claudio Niggenkemper Claudio Niggenkemper Reading time 3 minutes

Despite better availability, the prices for current graphics cards remain high. Frustration is spreading on Reddit and worldwide: Users do not want to pay more than for a used car.

What do gamers say about the current situation? In a Reddit thread, users express their frustration with current GPU prices. The trigger for the Reddit discussion about graphics card prices was a post that addressed the unexpectedly good availability and fair prices at a Japanese tech store.

Subsequently, it was discussed why prices vary greatly globally and what strategies the respective users have to deal with the pricing situation.

Start video
Battlemage: Check out Intel’s new graphics cards in the video

Especially one comment summarizes the mood well:

In many places around the world, there is no shortage of graphics processors, it’s just that we are not collectively crazy enough to buy a graphics processor that costs as much as a small used car […]– Takeasmok (via Reddit)

Another Reddit user explains that he only opted for an RTX 5070 Ti thanks to a discount program – even slightly below MSRP, the price is hardly justifiable. Many compare today’s GPU costs with the price of a whole PC or even a month’s salary.

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Reddit

Still high prices

Why do prices remain so high despite shelves being full? An article from IGN Brazil describes that in Japan there is no longer a shortage – GPUs are therefore on the shelves, and yet not everyone is purchasing them directly – the respective hardware parts are too expensive.

A look at another country in Asia shows that even there, availability does not necessarily regulate prices downwards. In Thailand, for example, the latest RTX-50 graphics cards from NVIDIA are available, but anyone wanting one must reach deep into their pockets – because dealers only sell them in combination with a complete system.

A rare counterexample was reported by Wccftech in early April: The RTX 5070 was listed for the first time in Japan below the MSRP. However, this remains the exception. The trend clearly shows: Availability does not automatically mean fair prices – or readiness to buy.

So what is wrong with the pricing strategy? Many gamers suspect a deliberate strategy from manufacturers: Nvidia and AMD focus on high-end models with high margins while mid-range GPUs remain underpowered yet still expensive.

A 3080 is still a decent 1440p card, my 6900XT with AMF2 will probably not retire until it stops working, why should I switch cards when all I have to do is set shadows from ultra to medium/high and watch my framerate explode, writes the user DecompositionLU (via Reddit).

At the same time, many games today increasingly rely on features like ray tracing – even though mid-range cards can hardly meet these demands without relying on FSR (upscaling technology) or DLSS. DLSS, short for Deep Learning Super Sampling, is an AI-based technology from Nvidia that increases the frame rate in games while improving image quality.

Buying used is a solution

What are users doing now? Many users write that they are now opting for used models or simply keeping their old cards longer.

For manufacturers, this becomes a challenge: If fewer and fewer customers decide to purchase new models, Nvidia and AMD could long-term lose touch with their community.
Because to capture a broad group of gamers with their offers in the future, it takes not only technical advances for high prices but also pricing models that remain realistic.

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Prices for graphics cards continue to spark discussions worldwide – not because gamers do not want to spend money, but because the price-performance ratio is often no longer right. Anyone wanting to buy a new GPU right now faces the question: wait, buy used – or consciously abstain? The question also arises as to how to choose the right GPU at all. We have put together a guide for this: How important is it to me whether I buy AMD or Nvidia for a graphics card?

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

One of the best loot shooters of all time is currently being flooded with negative reviews on Steam because the publisher is changing a certain text

Dariusz Müller Dariusz Müller Reading time 3 minutes

Hundreds of players are currently writing negative reviews about Borderlands and accusing the loot shooter of espionage.

Which game is it about? Borderlands has been flooded with negative reviews on Steam for several weeks now. Borderlands 2 is particularly affected. In the course of the review-bombing, over 760 negative reviews have been written in the past 30 days. Borderlands 1 has also been hit with over 220 critical reviews.

In fact, the Borderlands series is very popular, and particularly Borderlands 2 is considered by fans to be one of the best loot shooters of all time. On the review platform metacritic, the loot shooter has a score of 89 for the PC version, making it better rated than Borderlands 1 (81), Borderlands 3 (81), The Division 1 (80) and 2 (82), as well as Destiny 2 (83).

Borderlands 2 is especially loved by many players for its humor and characters like Handsome Jack. The variety of playable builds and the wide selection of weapons are often praised as well. Accordingly, it has landed high in the ranking of all Borderlands games by MeinMMO author Max Handwerk.

Start video
Looter-Shooter Borderlands 4 showcases its action-packed gameplay in the trailer

Players complain because Take-Two changed a text

What is behind the negative reviews? A few weeks ago, players on Steam began writing negative reviews for Borderlands 2. The criticism arose following a YouTube video in which the content creator criticized changes to the EULA of the game made by Take-Two Interactive – the publisher of Borderlands. The video gathered around 478,000 views in 3 weeks.

Players particularly criticize two new clauses:

One clause supposedly requires that Take-Two gain access to information such as your name and your IP address. As a result, players call Borderlands 2 in their reviews things like malware or spyware (see Steam).

The second criticized clause prohibits the use of cheats, mod menus, and similar tools that would disturb other players from playing the game as intended. (via take2games.com). They fear this would harm the mod community of the game, and players now face penalties if they use any mods.

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What is true about the community’s criticism? The first criticized clause, which supposedly grants access to personal data such as your name, address, phone number, or IP address, is not even included in the current Terms of Service from Take-Two. These were last updated on February 28.

If you search for “Phone number” in the Terms of Service from Take-Two using the keyboard combination CTRL+F, you will not find any clause that states: Take-Two will be able to access this information from you. However, there is a clause that requires you to create an account to use certain services and provide your name and email address during account creation. You certainly know this process from many games.

Moreover, it is not uncommon for games – especially their anti-cheat systems – to retrieve your IP address. Ubisoft explains this in their EULA on Steam, but also Bungie for the use of BattlEye in Destiny 2.

The wording of the second criticized clause suggests that you are only not allowed to disturb other players, gain an unfair advantage while playing, or get paid content for free – for example, through cheats, mod menus, or unauthorized mods. This could mean that authorized mods can still be used under certain circumstances. However, the wording is not clear in this regard, making the general use of mods at your own risk.

You will not use exploits or illegal or unauthorized means to affect or adversely influence the ability of other users to utilize the services as intended, to gain an unfair advantage while playing, or to gain access to virtual items or other content to which you have no valid claim. This includes the use of cheats or so-called “mod menus”, unauthorized mods, hacks, glitches, or other technical exploits, as well as phishing, scamming, or social engineering.

The Terms of Service from Take-Two that apply to Borderlands are also expected to apply to GTA 6, as the company is also the publisher of Rockstar Games.

Borderlands 4 is expected to be released in 2025, the latest installment of the popular loot shooter for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. You can read the most important information already known about the game on MeinMMO: Borderlands 4 will be released in 2025 – All information about release, characters, trailers

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

A WoW player waits for 19 hours for his dream mount, only to find out that it doesn’t fly – ‘That’s how you look like a boss from Elden Ring’

Karsten Scholz Karsten Scholz Reading time 2 minutes

If you want to have the perfect mount for your transmog set in WoW, you have to put in some effort. However, you should first check whether the animal meets all the requirements.

Which mount is it? The WoW player Dr_Kaatz wanted to get the appropriate mount for the heroic outfit from the Sanctum of Domination, which is not so easy because of the yellow-golden shimmering style of the armor.

He set his sights on the Reins of the Fallen Steed, which can drop in the Maw with a chance of 10.59 percent from the namesake “Fallen Steed”. According to his Reddit post, Dr_Kaatz lay in wait. It took 19 hours for the rare spawn to finally show up. And the player was lucky: right on the first kill, he was able to pull the reins from the defeated opponent.

A screenshot showing the armor and mount in glorious splendor was provided by the player:

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Another story from the WoW community:

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WoW player finds his old guild again – but it’s quite sad

Flying is even better

What’s the catch? When Dr_Kaatz first mounted his new steed, he discovered that the horse is one of the relatively few exceptions that cannot fly in the current World of Warcraft. Correspondingly frustrated, the player expressed himself on Reddit:

There are only 3 mounts that have the same color scheme as the heroic Sanctum gear, but none of them can fly. So many mounts that make no sense to fly can fly. There are so many other HORSES that can fly, but the one with a 10% drop chance and a 14-hour timer, which, mind you, is dead, cannot fly? Please Blizzard, it fits so well with the transmog, please check the box that lets this mount fly.

Dr_Kaatz on Reddit

How does the community react to this? With more than 2,800 upvotes and over 200 comments.

  • Adventurous_Topic202 finds on Reddit: “But it still looks cool.”
  • Clbull adds on Reddit: “Now you look like a moderately strong boss from Elden Ring” – with this Clbull refers to the iconic Tree Sentinel that you see patrolling when you first step into the Lands Between in Elden Ring.
  • Due-Construction8477 has a humorous anecdote ready on Reddit: “That reminds me of my raid lead: During BfA, I often visited him and every day he said: ‘Let me just quickly do my Koa’fon Dailies.’ And one day he finally got that flying dinosaur and jumped off the hill, only to find out that his long-awaited mount couldn’t fly. I almost fell off my chair laughing.”
  • Internal-Success2759 criticizes on Reddit as well: “Yeah, that’s really a pity. I have no idea why some horses can fly and others cannot. What’s even funnier – some color variants of flying horses cannot fly.”
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What do you think: Should Blizzard also allow the remaining mounts to fly? What criteria do you use to choose your active mount? Let us know in the comments! What players go through in WoW for the perfect mount is also the topic of this story: WoW players invest fortunes to never have to hear the annoying dialogue of a boss again after years of grinding

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

5 strong alternatives when you are done with Expedition 33

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 5 minutes

Are you done with Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and still want more? Then we have 5 alternatives that are worth it – depending on what you liked so much.

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 was one of the big gaming hits of the year that thrilled RPG fans all over the world. But as good as the RPG was, it did eventually come to an end. This led many players to feel an inner emptiness and hunger for a new game.

But what should you play instead? We want to introduce you to a handful of games that you can seamlessly continue with after completing Expedition 33.

Of course, we are aware that there is currently no game that is “exactly like” Clair Obscur Expedition 33. The game was virtually unique in its blend of mechanics and gameplay content. But let’s take a look at titles that at least have similar mechanics, a fantastical world, or narrative depth.

Maybe you will find a game in this list that you can try if the hunger for Expedition 33 is still not satisfied.

Final Fantasy XVI

Even though you often hear that Clair Obscur Expedition 33 became what fans of Final Fantasy XVI wished for, FFXVI is a good game.

The combat system is action-oriented, and dodging is an important part of the gameplay, even though dodging here is primarily based on correct positioning and not on the lightning-fast pressing of a button – that is possible too, but not necessarily required.

Start video
Final Fantasy XVI Launch Trailer

Learning the attack patterns of the often gigantic enemies is also necessary to survive boss fights. Because when the massive harpy strikes with its claws, you’d better learn quickly where the blow will land if your life bar is on the line.

In terms of a complex story with exciting twists, FFXVI can definitely keep up with Expedition 33. The fantasy world is quite complex, consisting of different kingdoms full of intrigues and political machinations.

Especially when you have gotten used to Verso’s voice, switching to Final Fantasy XVI should be easy – because they share the same voice actor and the personalities of the two protagonists are relatively similar.

Pro
  • Strong graphics
  • Complex, multi-layered plot
  • Large game world with a lot of freedom
Contra
  • No parry system
  • Not turn-based
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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A survival game with zombies and knights seemed already dead, now it returns with a new trailer and it looks really good

Ody Ody Reading time 2 minutes

A survival game on Steam promised knights and zombies three years ago. For a long time, it seemed to be dead. Now, the developers are finally back with a new trailer, and it brings great joy to fans.

Which game is being discussed? Blight: Survival is a co-op game that throws you into a medieval world full of zombies. The game was announced in 2022 with a 5-minute gameplay trailer, after which there was a long silence.

Now, the developers have returned with a new trailer and a blog post on Steam. This one focuses entirely on one of the biomes in the game. 

You can see the trailer here:

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Blight: Survival – The survival game with knights and zombies on Steam shows its bleak swamp

Fans already love the dark atmosphere

What does the trailer show? It features the marchland: a muddy and bloody swamp area. At first glance, it doesn’t seem inviting – nor does it on the second glance. 

  • Countless corpses lie by the roadside, others are draped over torture devices or hanging from the gallows
  • The pale sunlight and heavily desaturated colors further contribute to a dark atmosphere
  • In the distance, the swamp stretches out, interspersed with scattered ruins

How are the reactions to the trailer? Those who have been there from the beginning are happy about the new sign of life. In the comments on YouTube, they write among other things:

  • “THE DREAM IS NOT DEAD YET. Wonderful to see that the project is still alive” (thealmightyaku-4153)
  • “You have no idea how long we waited for a new teaser – thank you” (Zekn48)
  • “I must say you guys really hit the nail on the head with the atmosphere” (kieranadamson3224)
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Co-op action with knights and zombies

What kind of game is this? The developers themselves describe their game as “extraction-lite.” In it, you search for the source of the “Blight” – a plague that transforms humans into zombie-like monsters, in co-op with up to three other players.

Since the original announcement, quite a bit has changed at the developer Haenir Studio:

  • In 2024, the developer announced a partnership with Behaviour Interactive. The studio behind Dead by Daylight is taking on the role of publisher.
  • At the beginning, there were only two developers working at Haenir on Blight: Survival, but now there are “some dozens of full-time developers” from Behaviour on board. This was revealed by the community manager Brandon in the pinned comment under the trailer.

When will the game be released? Unfortunately, there is still no release date for Blight: Survival. According to the community manager, the game still has “a long way to go” – so even a release in 2025 seems unrealistic.

Since the announcement of Blight: Survival, there have been hardly any new games that have transported the zombie setting to the medieval period. However, there is one, and that is God Save Birmingham. You can find out more in our article on MeinMMO: In a new zombie game on Steam, you must survive an apocalypse, but this time in the Middle Ages

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

A player buys an expensive gaming monitor, but the seller comes up with a brilliant idea and ships the device in a “garbage bag”

Benedikt Schlotmann Benedikt Schlotmann Reading time 3 minutes

If you order hardware online, you usually receive your order in a box. But for one gamer, it went differently: He had ordered a gaming monitor, but it arrived only wrapped in plastic.

What did the user do? The gamer reports on Reddit that he ordered an OLED gaming monitor from Alienware at the retailer Best Buy. The device was apparently used, but according to the seller in “excellent” condition. This generally means that the device is unused and, at worst, only the HDMI cable is missing, which the first buyer forgot to repack.

But when the shipment with the monitor arrived at the gamer, he was quite astonished. Because instead of arriving in the original box, the screen came without the original box and additional protection, only rolled up in plastic.

The gamer explained that he reacted quite incredulously and would send the shipment back without opening it. He stated in a further post on Reddit:

That corresponds quite closely to my reaction. I will return it. I can imagine that the service representative handling the return today will react the same way.

What’s going on behind this? Another user had a similar shipping problem with Best Buy and explained in his post on Reddit that he had called the seller: The person on the phone explained to him that while Best Buy has generic boxes, these are not suitable for shipping as they are not item-specific.

Therefore, such products generally should not be shipped. However, it is not known why this continues to happen. He himself explained when he brought his damaged, unpackaged television to the nearest store:

When I brought the device to my store, the store manager said that if it had come from their store (which was not the case), anyone who had dealt with the television would have been fired on the spot.

Some users additionally point out that one should never buy open boxes (in English “Open Box shipped”). Otherwise, you might end up with something like this, and both buyers and sellers would be frustrated.

Do not accept damaged packages

Amazon is now also shipping without a box: If you order things, you should pay attention to the condition of the shipping box if it even still exists. Amazon, for example, is now moving towards placing the shipping label directly on the product packaging to save an additional shipping box.

Amazon’s argument: One less box is better for the environment. The downside, however, is that the product is less protected, and everyone can see from the outside what you have ordered. Especially for high-priced products, this can quickly become a problem.

At Amazon, you can at least check the option during your order for Amazon to ship your package in an additional box. Be sure to do this while ordering, as it is no longer possible afterward.

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Do not accept damaged boxes and better return them

Do not accept a damaged box: If this box is already in a disastrous condition, you should refuse acceptance.

Even though such a refusal has become more difficult today: since the COVID-19 pandemic, many service providers have started to ring once and then leave the package at the door. This is not unproblematic: because with your signature, you confirm that the package has arrived in perfect condition to you.

In principle, it is stated, for example, by the Consumer Advice Center:

  • If the product in the box has suffered damage, you can report this to your carrier within seven days of receipt. This is DHL, UPS, Hermes, or whoever shipped your package.
  • If you notice damage, you must report it to the sender within seven days so that they can file a complaint with the carrier. The carrier is liable for safe transport.
  • If the package is lost, you must contact the retailer or sender. Because they bear the transport risk and are obligated to refund the purchase price.
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Such broken packages are unfortunately no longer rare. Recently, a user showed his “delivery” – and it quickly became a meme on the internet: User buys gaming system, but PC looks like it was run over by a truck: “I’ve never experienced anything like this”

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

Start-ups want to attract Gen Z with cool offers, but they want something completely different

Cedric Holmeier Cedric Holmeier Reading time 2 minutes

Generation Z graduates are not looking for cool benefits like ping pong tables in their first job, but rather to get rid of their debt.

Generation Z faces many stereotypes, especially in the workplace. Ben Christensen, co-founder of the career platform Handshake, recently explained what is really behind the mindset of Generation Z. His platform is aimed specifically at university graduates worldwide and aims to ease their entry into the workforce.

He observed that benefits like unlimited kombucha and a ping pong table are nice, but Generation Z values quite different things.

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Out of debt and a mentor, please!

What is important to Generation Z? Generation Z prioritizes differently than previous graduates. Christensen explains at Fortune’s Workplace Innovation Summit (via fortune.com):

Students tell us: Cool, your ping pong table with kombucha on tap is really nice, super fun, but I want to know what will make a difference in my life, […] They are looking for things like learning and development opportunities. They ask: ‘Where is your scholarship that I can invest in myself and my development in a few years?’

In addition to development opportunities, students also place importance on getting rid of their debt. The repayment of student loans “is important to them when thinking about their next job,” explains Christensen. Instead of fun benefits, Generation Z seems to care more about advancing in their careers.

What does Generation Z think about remote work? According to Christensen, there is also a misconception here. His data shows that 81% of users on his platform want to connect with people in their first job. 47% of them also want to maintain contact with people in the professional world after their first job.

Generation Z is looking for a mentor “from whom they can learn how to navigate the workplace,” says Christensen. He advises employers to think about how to implement personal connections, even if it is a company that offers remote work and home office options.

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91-year-old gaming grandma forgets her health check, prefers to play video games and breaks the high score
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That Generation Z prefers success in their new job and opportunities for further education over fun benefits may surprise many startups still trying to impress with outlandish offerings. However, once Generation Z enters the job, they are also quick to turn the tables: Generation Z has become bosses, and the first thing they do: They complain about how young people work

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Fortune
  2. Foto von cottonbro studio via Pexels.com