The shooter “The First Descendant” (Steam, PS4, PS5, Xbox) by Nexon is known for its revealing skins for heroines. With these outfits, publisher Nexon is believed to have made a lot of money. However, now they are introducing massive buffs for male heroes, who have apparently been too weak for a long time. The game director believes that new heroines like Serena or Ines have been introduced to the game too strongly.
This is what The First Descendant is known for: The loot shooter The First Descendant was released in July 2024 and was surprisingly successful on Steam.
However, it seems that the focus on female heroes led to a loss in balancing, which they now want to address.
She is considered one of the new heroines that came into the game too strongly:
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The First Descendant: Gameplay trailer for Serena, the new winged descendant
The First Descendant strengthens the abilities of male heroes
These are the changes in the patch: In a hotfix on April 3, numerous balancing adjustments are being made. According to the site MassivelyOP, this mainly affects male characters who have performed worse than their female counterparts.
As a result, there will now be massive buffs. The damage of some abilities will increase between 100 and 300%.
As MassivelyOp says, it may seem drastic, but the female top-tier characters are so far ahead that even with powerful buffs, their male counterparts will hardly reach the top of the meta.
Director regrets that new heroines came into the game too strong
This is what the developers say: According to the head of development, Minseok Joo, it has been widely discussed in the community that new heroines like Ines and Serena have made some content easier than intended by the developers. Therefore, they must now address the issue (via steam).
Characters like Freyna, Serena, and Ines are too strong, and they have released new characters that are “overpowered”. They do not know why this has happened and want to prevent it in the future.
We are also aware that we released the new descendants in too powerful a state. While the development team hopes that the new descendants will be in the spotlight, we do not want them to be so overpowered that the content structure collapses. We are internally looking for the reasons for this recurring problem and are working to improve our development process so that we can provide more stable and balanced content in the future.
However, the game director does not address the notion that heroines are favored in any way.
This is behind it: Two accusations come together, which are often found in online games:
Companies intentionally make new characters too strong, forcing players to buy them
Developers favor attractive female characters, designing more skins for them because they sell better
Both accusations are well-known, especially in games from Asia, and have been discussed many times. A typical case of “too much favoritism for women” has been leveled against the MMORPG Tera: TERA: Enough with the women classes – I feel discriminated
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Call of Duty: Warzone celebrates the return of Verdansk with an event where you can get a free skin – if you are not plagued by bad luck.
What kind of free skin is this? In Call of Duty: Warzone, since the start of Season 3, there has been an event celebrating the return of Verdansk. You need to open blue safes in random locations in each zone of the map to receive rewards.
These safes can contain various rewards, and with a bit of luck, they may also include the free skin “Pathfinder” for the operator Caine.
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Call of Duty shows what Verdansk looks like upon returning in Season 3 of Warzone
Players are unlucky, fearing missing the skin
What is behind the players’ bad luck: Part of the community fears they might miss the skin, as it can only be obtained during the event (ends on April 15), and the drop chances for the skin are quite low.
There are players who have already opened a multitude of safes and still have not received the skin. One player writes on Reddit: “[I have been] at it for 17 hours and have searched over 100 safes, with no luck.”
Other players are also convinced that the skin is very rare:
One player comments: “I’m starting to wonder if it’s even possible to get [the skin].”
Another believes: “Officially the hardest and rarest skin to obtain in COD history. Nukes were easier to get than this bullshit.”
A player wishes it were easier to get the skin: “I go into a round of Plunder, open an average of 5-6 safes per game, leave the match after getting nothing, and repeat the whole thing. Please CoD, make it easier.”
Many players share a similar fate: Those who have bad luck when opening safes and simply cannot get the skin, even though they would like to have it, are dissatisfied. Some players prefer a challenge that requires skill rather than luck.
Other players, however, appreciate the limited availability of the skin because it allows them to have a rare skin that others do not own.
Are there tips for opening the safes? Yes and no. The most important tip is probably: Play normally and don’t focus your matches on opening safes. It will only rob you of enjoyment.
If you want to focus on opening safes, you can weigh:
In Plunder, you have more opportunities to reach the safes due to respawns. However, other players have the same thought in mind, which makes the safes contested.
In Battle Royale, you obviously need to avoid being eliminated. For many players, the safes seem rather secondary there and are less contested. It’s more about victory there.
Additionally, it should help to go on a safe hunt as a team since you likely get the contents of a safe even if your teammate opens it. Moreover, a map showing the locations of the safes can help with locating them: CoD Warzone: Find safes on Verdansk and secure event rewards
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new season “Dawn of the Hunt” of Path of Exile 2 has caused a lot of frustration among players. Even the big YouTuber Penguinz0 is disappointed and rants for minutes about the ARPG in a new video. Now the developers are also speaking out.
Who is it about? YouTuber Penguinz0 is one of the biggest gaming YouTubers ever. Currently, 16.7 million fans follow him on the platform. His videos cover various topics, mostly trending ones, that are currently relevant. The content creator has also played Path of Exile 2 for about 250 hours.
However, in a new video, the creator explains how frustrated he is with the new season “Dawn of the Hunt” and strongly criticizes Path of Exile 2 in the process.
Here you can see the trailer for the new season of Path of Exile 2:
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Path of Exile 2 presents gameplay trailer with the new Hunter class
Strong criticism of the new season
What does the YouTuber criticize? YouTuber Penguinz0 criticizes the new season in his video for minutes. An important point is the tedious, frustrating leveling. It is “not hard, just incredibly tedious.” Even normal enemies take so much time that the flow of the game is disrupted.
“It’s so boring, I can’t even say it’s challenging. It just feels bad,” says Penguinz0 about the leveling in the game. The bosses are no better: “You have to get up during the fight, or you will die of thrombosis. It takes that long,” he jokes about the tediousness of the boss fights.
According to him, the massive nerfs are to blame, which have made character builds ineffective. Despite his glass-cannon build focused on minions, his character is barely equipped even against simple enemies: “It feels like my minions are healing the enemies.”
The YouTuber also comments on the developers. Their intention was to make Path of Exile 2 “slower and more meaningful,” as Penguinz0 explains. According to him, they have failed in this endeavor: “This is not slow and meaningful. It’s slow, tedious, and meaningless – except when it comes to suffering.”
What is his conclusion? For Penguinz0, “Dawn of the Hunt” has become a major disappointment, clouding his previous enthusiasm for the ARPG. The update is a step back, not forward, and the only thing he is still looking forward to is the endgame and the changes there: “I’m really looking forward to the endgame – that’s where the changes are supposed to shine. But so far, leveling has been an absolute disaster.”
Here you can see the video of his conclusion:
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How do the developers respond to the criticism? The YouTuber’s criticism is shared by large parts of the community. Already on the release weekend of the season, the ratings of the game on Steam dropped and there were many complaints on Reddit. Even the now 10 patches that the developers have provided to improve the situation have not convinced the players.
The developers are now speaking out in a long statement and explaining the changes they have made or will follow since the release of “Dawn of the Hunt” (via PathofExile.com).
The slow game pace is to be improved by a nerf of monsters, as monsters lost between 25% and 60% of their hit points.
The new Huntress class receives a new ability that allows her to gain Frenzy Charges even without parrying, so the class no longer has to be played in melee combat. The spear throws have also been accelerated.
The too weak minions that had also caught Penguinz0’s attention have been buffed and now have more damage and health at the start of the game, but they remain nerfed in the endgame.
In the endgame, many areas felt too big and empty since the new season. The developers have added more checkpoints and are investigating the problem. There are also further improvements in the areas of technology and quality of life.
The developers address some of the YouTuber’s criticisms, but things like the tedious boss fights and the sluggish campaign, which will only benefit from the weakening of standard enemies, remain unaddressed. Even Elon Musk found the new season too difficult. He died in the tutorial: Supergamer Elon Musk tries to play Path of Exile 2 by himself for once, dies in the tutorial.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The German gaming studio “Studio Fizbin” was founded in 2011 and most recently operated in Berlin. The studio has repeatedly won awards, but now Studio Fizbin is facing closure, having spent 3 years working on a new game, and “Reignbreaker” has received 84% positive reviews on Steam. In a podcast, studio head Alexander Pieper discusses the difficulties.
What is the situation around Reignbreaker? On March 18, 2025, “Reignbreaker” was released on Steam. The game costs only €10. For that, you could buy 2 beers, as studio head Alexander Pieper somewhat grumpily notes in a podcast (via okcool). But the pricing is determined by the publisher.
Reignbreaker has received 84% positive reviews on Steam. The reviews praise that this rogue-like has the desired “just one more run” effect that fans of this type of game love. Especially the character design is highlighted.
However, the game is not successful: it reached a maximum of 110 players on Steam. The studio head hopes that maybe a Twitch streamer will discover it, but that would be nothing short of a miracle. Otherwise, the studio faces closure. They have already come to terms with that. The focus is now on ensuring that employees are well transitioned.
Start video
Reignbreaker shows in the trailer how action-packed the roguelike is
German studio needs new money for every new game
This frustrates the studio head: In a podcast, Pieper talks about the problems the studio has faced, which have now led publisher Thunderful to decide not to invest further in the studio, which amounts to closure if Reignbreaker does not unexpectedly become a huge hit on Steam.
A studio like Fizbin lives from one game to the next: fresh money must be found for every new game developed.
Studio head says: Everything conspired against the studio
This is what the studio head says about the end of the studio: Pieper says about the end of the studio that in the last months, everything seemed to conspire against them. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
They could only pitch a single new project because they were still working on Reignbreaker. This new project was almost finished, but then the partner withdrew. Pieper says the high-profile client opted for something cheaper for cost reasons.
Because suddenly, venture capital fled from gaming. For all gaming studios, it became almost impossible to secure financing with fresh money:
Venture capital is moving away, moving out of video games.
The industry and the entire flow of money are a huge problem. There is no longer any risk appetite. One can see on live television how the whole bubble is bursting.
With the collapse of the traffic light government, funding also disappeared
What does Christian Lindner have to do with it? The collapse of the traffic light coalition was another extreme setback for Studio Fizbin, as Pieper explains:
What was also a death blow for us was the damn government, which fell apart thanks to Lindner.
Pieper says that due to the collapse of the traffic light coalition, the games funding collapsed because no new budget was passed. This federal funding is crucial as an argument for German studios to attract investors.
As a studio in Germany, you need this advantage to compete with Canada or the USA, where investors get tax credits that gift them taxes, allowing games to be developed much more cheaply in North America than in Germany. Studio Fizbin has to compare itself with such countries:
Since even that went wrong, everything went wrong that could go wrong.
Reignbreaker faces backlash on Steam, perceived as woke
What was the final end? The news that the studio would not be getting any new money from the publisher was then picked up by opponents of the project. Suddenly, it was said: Don’t buy the game, it’s already dead. The money only goes to the publisher anyway.
Pieper says they ended up on the radar of some “gamers” who consistently attack woke games. They then spread the narrative that the studio was dead and that any purchased game would only benefit the publisher, even though this narrative was not true. For if Reignbreaker had become a hit, the studio could have continued. Every sale helps keep the lights on at Fizbin longer.
The first thing that happened was that some gamers – and I intentionally say gamers and not players, because in my mind, gamers are often just jerks who have some problem when you release a game that doesn’t feature some strong male dude or – as an alternative – the main character can be female and have big breasts.
If that is not the case, then it is a nasty, woke game. People used the publisher’s announcement to share in Steam forums that Reignbreaker was already dead at release and should not be bought.
Among the topics on Steam with the most comments regarding Reignbreaker are: “Major turn off” – A game developer brings their political views into the game. They should leave that out. “Maximum ugly character” – Can’t boys just be boys and girls just be girls? “Butch lesbian Hades” – There is no further content in the post.
For Studio Fizbin, this was catastrophic. They had worked with passion for 3 years on the game, then the publisher pulled the plug on them, and then there was a warning about the game. This destroyed their work on the game.
The Twitch streamer Maximilian “Trymacs” Stemmler repeatedly opens Pokémon boosters in his streams and collects the cards. He would like to have them graded by a US company to determine their rarity. However, this would only be possible if he is a US citizen.
Now he wanted to have his pulled Pokémon cards graded, but that can’t be done from Germany.
We present you Trymacs’ career in our video:
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Vom Pizza-Lieferant zu einem der größten deutschen Twitch-Streamer – Leben und Karriere von Trymacs in 2 Minuten
“If I catch him”
What kind of company is this? It is the US company Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). They are located in the USA and grade trading cards or other rare collectibles. Many know them because they also grade Pokémon cards, and based on this grading, the resale value of a card can be determined.
The higher the value of the card it was graded with, the higher the resale price can be.
Due to the new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on imports into the USA, PSA is now forced to no longer grade items that must be imported into the country. They announced this on April 3, 2025 on their website.
People living outside the USA can no longer have their items graded. Of course, there are other companies that offer such grading, but PSA is the most well-known.
Therefore, Trymacs would need to live in the USA for PSA to give his Pokémon cards what is called “grading.”
How does Trymacs react? Trymacs is visibly shocked by this decision from PSA in a stream clip on YouTube. His original plan was to send his best cards to the company and have them graded by them.
He is frustrated and indirectly comments on Donald Trump: “My goodness, wow. If I catch him!” All of this with a sarcastic undertone.
Although Trymacs states that there are plenty of things to criticize about the company and its grading, they are still the “top dog,” and everyone, when talking about grading, refers to PSA’s evaluations.
The new simulation game Schedule I is currently a huge success on Steam. However, the publishers of a similar game claim their copyright has been violated and want to take action against the Steam hit. This has consequences, primarily for the studio that has complained.
What game is it about? Schedule I is the new hot hit on Steam. The criminal simulation currently exceeds 450,000 simultaneous players in Early Access and makes Twitch sound like an episode of Breaking Bad.
Only one person seems to be unhappy about the success: The Polish publisher Movie Games S.A. has noticed a certain similarity to their game series Drug Dealer Simulator and accuses the creator of Schedule I of having borrowed from them. This, however, backfires spectacularly.
Start video
Schedule I shows in the trailer what the simulation of criminal life looks like
Fans turn against the original game on Steam
What is the accusation? According to a report from the Polish Press Agency PAP, the studio reportedly started an analysis comparing the game to their title as early as March 24, 2025, around the release of Schedule 1.
This analysis is said to have identified several violations of intellectual property: Changes in the storyline, game mechanics, and user interface allegedly violated copyright. Movie Games S.A. now intends to explore possible legal action under Australian law, since the solo developer of Schedule I is based in Australia.
TVGS, the studio behind the Steam hit, has not yet publicly commented on the allegations. We have requested a statement from the developers and will update this section as soon as we receive one.
How is this being discussed? According to initial reactions, the action by Movie Games S.A. seems to have backfired considerably. Their own game, which until then had been mostly positively received on Steam, is now being torn apart by angry fans.
On April 6, 2025, nearly 300 new reviews were added, of which 265 were negative. Experience shows that Steam tends to intervene against such review bombings; however, currently, Drug Simulator 2 has a “mostly negative” score (as of April 7, 2025).
For fans of Schedule I, it seems clear: They are probably just angry because their game isn’t as big a hit. Aside from the premise of selling drugs, the games do not resemble each other.
As our colleagues from GRY Online report, Movie Games S.A. could benefit elsewhere, as their stock price on the Polish stock exchange has soared, apparently in anticipation of a hefty payday. After all, Schedule I is estimated to have already sold 3 million units.
Before the release of his hit, the developer of Schedule I asked the community for advice. He feared that the title of his game would not represent the content well. Ironically, users specifically advised him against titles like “Drug Dealer Simulator” – those would directly lead to yawning. Developer asks on reddit if a stupid name ruins his game, now has a huge hit on Steam
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Marathon is set to be the new game from the creators of Destiny 2. Now Bungie has released a teaser that shows some snippets from the game, and MeinMMO author Christos thinks it looks very promising.
What kind of game is Marathon?Marathon is expected to be an extraction shooter set in the universe of the namesake franchise. The game has a futuristic appearance with a dystopian touch and a world where everyone fights for survival. It is said to have several classes, as well as the ability to modify weapons to perfect one’s playstyle – but not much more is known about the game yet.
If you missed the trailer, you can catch up on it here:
Start video
Marathon provides a brief glimpse into the world of extraction shooters
Trailer demonstrates how well Bungie can develop games
As a Destiny player for 10 years, I’ve seen much and have often been disappointed, but I have a good feeling about Marathon – even if the genre is niche.
The trailer shows me that Bungie hasn’t lost its talent for capturing moods. The world appears colorful, mysterious, futuristic, and with a touch of darkness. The interplay of the scenes with the accompanying soundtrack gave me goosebumps.
I notice: Bungie has let its creativity run wild, something that has been lacking in Destiny 2 recently. As a longtime fan, I now know where this creativity has gone – and that convinces me.
The anticipation for the gameplay reveal is rising
The most important thing in the trailer is the ending, not because it ends there, but because Bungie announced the date for a gameplay reveal of Marathon. This is to take place on April 12, 2025, at 7:00 PM German time.
This is quite unusual, as most reveals from Bungie take place during the week on a Thursday. The Saturday might be strategically chosen to reach even more people, as many do not work on weekends.
So far, we haven’t seen much, particularly important aspects like performance and mechanics of the game, but just the teaser has convinced me to tune in on Saturday. If Bungie can impress on the weekend, Marathon might have a chance to make it into my library, even if that chance is slim.
Marathon continues to be hotly debated among Destiny fans
Why is Marathon being discussed so controversially? Bungie is currently not very popular among many fans and this has a lot to do with Destiny 2. The studio proved that they can build a really strong loot shooter, and this was evident in its success.
In recent years, however, the loot shooter has suffered from bugs and a lack of content. A recurring criticism from players is the recycling of old content. These critical voices spill over to Marathon and are regularly found among new information about the game. However, the harshest criticism Bungie has faced is mainly due to the waves of layoffs within the studio. You can read more about this here: Destiny 2: Bungie loses 450 employees, including the most experienced – halts all projects except for 2
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the latest update of Monster Hunter Wilds, several new features have been added to the game. With the Leviathan Mizutsune, another monster has also been introduced. And it holds a secret that veterans may find familiar and that could influence future hunts.
What secret does Mizutsune hold? The new monster is not only particularly stylish and extremely popular with fans (via Capcom), but it also had a special variant in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (MHGU): the Soulseer Mizutsune. Observant players have also discovered it in Monster Hunter Wilds.
If you break Mizutsune’s head during the fight, its eyes begin to glow blue, and it changes its behavior, which strongly reminds fans of the Soulseer Mizutsune. This one was blind in MHGU and perceived its surroundings through its bubbles – and becomes furious as soon as hunters come into contact with them. It then releases larger blue bubbles that deal explosive damage instead of the previous variously colored bubbles and attacks faster and more aggressively.
This behavior is also displayed by the seemingly normal Mizutsune in Wilds as soon as you break its head and it becomes blind. Such a transformation between different variants has not been seen in Monster Hunter before. Therefore, fans believe that this new feature could significantly influence their hunts in the future.
Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds shows its first title update with a new monster
“I don’t think people know what this means”
What impact could this new feature have? In his thread on Reddit, user HappyFreak1 discusses Mizutsune’s transformation during the fight. He believes that such a change would also suit other monsters and hopes that Capcom will use this new feature more often in the future, as it adds a new twist to the combat.
He outlines the following ideas on how this could be further integrated in the future:
I don’t think people know what this means. Mizutsune seamlessly transforming into a variant form after going blind in one or both eyes opens up completely new possibilities in monster design.
If monsters could transform into variants simply by meeting certain conditions, multiple forms or stages could be combined into a single monster in the future. Just imagine:
A Brachydios whose slime turns into the more explosive Flashpoint variant during the fight due to enough damage taken – more aggressive, more dangerous, the slime deals more area damage and injures itself in the process. Or a Rajang whose tail is cut off and who then permanently enters a state of rage – with new, brutal attacks. Or a Tigrex whose roar becomes so loud after several rage phases that it suddenly deals damage.
These are just a few examples – but think further: What other monsters could transform? And what would that mean?
In the comments, there are more monsters mentioned, such as Deviljho or Diabolos, that would be suitable for such a transformation if they were to have a place in Monster Hunter Wilds in the future. End boss Zoh Shia also shows a similar transformation during the fight, transforming from the white guardian into a black, demonic being.
The new feature thus offers almost endless potential to refresh fights with new forms and transformations within the hunts. Fans, especially considering the upcoming second title update in the summer, wish for such a transformation for Lagiacrus.
Other fans point out that this could also lead to a loss of potential for different armors if the various variants were unified in a single monster. One possible solution would be to do it similarly to Arkveld, by having a normal and a guardian armor for the monster. Or addressing it with “mixed armors” like the armor design of Zoh Shia.
Do you think of any other monsters that would be suitable for such a new feature? Or would you perhaps wish for completely new forms? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
A new Pokémon is appearing in Pokémon GO. It has become a favorite in the main series.
What kind of Pokémon is it? It is Forgita, which first appeared in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It combines the types Fairy and Steel and evolves from Tafforgita to Granforgita.
In particular, Granforgita has secured a spot on many players’ favorites lists of the ninth game generation. It is a small, pink fairy that is out to cause a ruckus with its huge hammer.
Its declared arch-enemy is Krarmor, which you could get in Pokémon GO earlier this year. According to the Pokédex, it lifts rocks into the air with its 100-kilo hammer to knock the Steel Bird out of the sky. That is also the reason why Krarmor is not used as a flying taxi in Paldea like in Galar – it would be too dangerous because of its natural enemies.
Granforgita is not to be trifled with. And it will be appearing in Pokémon GO soon.
Granforgita in the official event graphic
When is Forgita appearing? It will appear from April 16, 10:00 AM to April 22, 8:00 PM at the Horizon Event, which celebrates the start of the new season of the series.
You will obtain Forgita from 7 km eggs. You can evolve it to Tafforgita for 25 candies, and then another 100 for Granforgita.
After the event, Forgita will then hatch from 10 km eggs. That means: You need to walk a lot and also be lucky to get a Forgita.
Start video
Pokémon GO: What’s in the new Season Powerful and Masterful
Many bonuses for the event
What else does the “Pokémon Horizon: The Series – Event” offer? Various bonuses! From the 7 km eggs, additional Pokémon will hatch. Possible Shinies are marked with an asterisk*.
Elekid*
Brimova
Knarbon*
Forgita
Additionally, the following bonuses will be available: You will encounter more Rocket balloons, eggs will hatch twice as fast, and costumed Pikachu and Feliospa can appear. The shiny chance is also increased for both. Pikachu with a captain’s hat also brings the move “Volt Tackle”.
In the wild, you will encounter:
Morlord
Pottrott*
Schneckmag*
Nasgnet*
Schneppke*
Felori*
Feliospa with Hat and Likos Pin*
Krokel*
Kwaks
Pamo
And in raids:
Captain’s Pikachu*, Chaneira* and Wuffels* at Level 1
Glurak*, Alolan Sleimok, Metagross, Feliospa with Hat and Likos Pin* at Level 3
In addition, there will be a limited-time research and suitable field research. Another limited-time research will be available in the shop, which will, however, be paid and cost $4.99 (in Euros it will be roughly similar).
The event will not be the only one in the coming weeks, of course. Many dates are upcoming, and more new Pokémon will appear in the game. Do you want to know what exactly is in store for you this month? Then take a look at our overview: Here are all events in April 2025 for Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On April 3rd, the long-awaited Minecraft movie hit theaters. The German YouTuber and Twitch streamer Erik “Gronkh” Range was supposed to voice a major role in the film, but after the release, the community is wondering if he can be heard at all.
What kind of role is that? When thinking of Minecraft in the German-speaking world, the YouTuber and Twitch streamer Gronkh quickly comes to mind. He was one of the first in the German-speaking area to play Minecraft, and so some fans of the video game hoped that he would have a dubbing role in the film.
Gronkh himself was also excited and said: “I really want to get ‘Hallöchen Popöchen’ in there” (via YouTube).
We introduce Gronkh in our video:
Start video
Gronkh, the man with the voice – Career and life of Germany’s most famous Let’s Player
“I thought he was voicing the narrator”
The community is puzzled: On reddit, a user posted his astonishment about Gronkh’s speaking role: “I just came out of the Minecraft movie and didn’t recognize Gronkh’s voice anywhere. I thought he was voicing the narrator. But somehow there was no narrator.”
In fact, it seems that not Gronkh is speaking as the narrator in the film, but the voice actor Tobias Meister, who is the German voice of actor Jack Black. Nothing is heard from Gronkh as the narrator.
Is Gronkh in the Minecraft movie? The YouTuber reportedly recorded all the lines for his narrator role, but then the role was cut from the film. That’s what Lenny from the YouTube channel Cinema Strikes Back says in his critique of the Minecraft movie (via YouTube).
So, anyone going to the Minecraft movie just for Gronkh will be bitterly disappointed. Instead, the Twitch streamer only voices the character of a radio voice, and his speaking role is limited to just a few lines.
For many fans, this is likely to be a disappointment, as many associate Minecraft closely with Gronkh’s Let’s Plays or perhaps first became aware of the game through him.
For this reason, a user on reddit rules out a trip to the cinema for the Minecraft movie if Gronkh is not voicing the narrator: “Then I’ll just stay at home with my ass and wait for the Blu-ray.”
The creators of Warframe have been working on their new project Soulframe for several years now. The well-known MMORPG YouTuber TheLazyPeon recently had the opportunity to check out the online RPG for the first time.
What does TheLazyPeon say about Soulframe? The popular MMORPG enthusiast (759,000 subscribers on YouTube) was allowed to play the new project from Digital Extremes (Warframe) and summarize his impressions in a video.
In almost 34 minutes, he shows character creation, parts of the game world, dungeons, environmental puzzles, quests, many skirmishes against regular enemies, cute wolf pets, and a well-staged boss fight. At the end, there’s the usual conclusion drawn from the strengths and weaknesses experienced.
Here is one of the trailers for Soulframe:
Start video
The dark fantasy experience Soulframe in the trailer
The YouTuber praises:
The fights feel great and are fun, even though the start was difficult due to the unusual key layout.
The voice actors heard so far are doing an excellent job.
The sound design is among the best currently available on the market.
The graphics are appealing, and the game world has many beautiful corners.
The setting and style are quite unique.
The minimalist UI is initially a bit odd but enhances immersion.
With the combination of graphics, presentation, and sound design, there are already some great moments in the current demo that have goosebumps potential.
TheLazyPeon criticizes:
The camera behaves dangerously in fights, for instance, when it targets the wrong opponent or doesn’t want to aim at any enemy at all.
The standard keyboard layout for mouse and keyboard is a bit unusual and unintuitive.
The displays of content on the map can often confuse more than they help, as events, quests, and points of interest are hardly distinguishable for new players. Furthermore, the discovered dungeon entrances are not shown on the map.
In crafting, you need to plan a lot of real-time to make items. An item that the YouTuber wanted to craft at the end of his playtime took 5 hours to complete.
Overall, TheLazyPeon is impressed and pleasantly surprised by the alpha version of Soulframe. He even commented on the fully showcased boss fight in the video with an enthusiastic “This game is so damn cool”.
What does the community say about the video? The video has already received 4,434 thumbs up and more than 520 comments. Here is a small selection:
Faolan_Grey is looking forward to YouTube for Soulframe: “This game looks damn fantastic. Once they fix the bugs and it is fully released, it will definitely be a hit.”
WaterGuuru writes on YouTube: “I trust Digital Extremes. Warframe is a labor of love and has received so much free content over the years. It is also so cool to see a continuation of their unique art style, the bosses look so great!”
5H4D3 explains in his post on YouTube: “Some of the systems present at the time of this recording have already been overhauled, and more massive changes are planned (the polearm as a starter is still crap).”
Additionally, 5H4D3 comments on the MMO term used by TheLazyPeon: “The game is NOT an MMO, it is better described as a multiplayer online action RPG rather than a massive multiplayer RPG; you will not be running around seeing hundreds of other players on the map.”
What kind of game is Soulframe? The new project from the Warframe creators was first presented at TennoCon 2022 and is currently in an early alpha testing phase. The developers themselves describe Soulframe as a “Free2Play open-world adventure” with a fantasy setting.
The gameplay shown so far is reminiscent – in terms of atmosphere and combat – of the Souls games from From Software. However, the developers insist that despite the name, there are many more differences than similarities. The world is not as grim, and the combat is not as punishing. Soulframe is supposed to be even less hardcore than Warframe.
Due to the multiplayer content and Warframe roots, the MMO term often comes up for this action title. However, so far there are no indications that players will actually be roaming around with a “massive” number of other players in the world or certain regions. The developers themselves avoid the MMO designation. By the way, there should soon be significantly more access to the test version: New fantasy RPG from the Warframe makers is making access easier, soon distributing beta access via Twitch
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, there are some game systems that the developers do not explicitly tell you about, and that you have to discover for yourself. Among these is the fact that your loyal horse can be fed. Players on Reddit are shocked to find this out.
How does food work in KCD 2? Food plays an important role in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. The character Heinrich must eat regularly to avoid continuously losing stamina and eventually collapsing from lack of strength – you can read more in our beginner’s guide.
This game element is explained to you by the developers right at the start. However, they conceal that your horse can also consume food. A player has recently figured this out and shared his discovery on Reddit.
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2: Details, die das Spiel perfekt machen
Players feel guilty
How is the horse fed? It’s actually quite obvious. As Reddit user Sir_JumboSaurus shows in a video, you just need to open the inventory, select food, and drop it.
The carrots or whatever you serve your animal companion tumble to the ground and are immediately eaten by the horse.
However, because Kingdom Come 2 keeps this detail from you, very few players discover it themselves. It would be only logical in a game that requires you to eat regularly – wouldn’t it?
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How does the community react? Apparently, this feature has slipped past numerous players. This is evidenced by the many comments under the Reddit post. Many are just now finding out that they can feed their horse, and they feel guilty about it.
Among them is the user grimarchangel, who has put 200 hours into the game. He writes: “Now I feel like I let my buddy starve for 200 hours.”
Does food have an impact on the horse? Unlike Heinrich, it doesn’t matter to the horses whether they get something to eat or not. From a gameplay perspective, it makes no difference. Morally speaking, however… it does – depending on what kind of person you are.
At least on Reddit, it shows that most players now have a guilty conscience. Had they known about it, they would have thrown food at their horse much earlier. Did you know about this feature? Feel free to let us know in the comments. In KCD 2, there is still a secret feature related to horses: Players learn about a secret skill of their horse, feel guilty
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In 1995, Microsoft released software for Windows, but a year later, the project was discontinued. For years, the failed software remained hidden in Windows XP.
In 1995, Microsoft launched a software package for Windows 3.1. The software named ‘Bob’ was intended to serve as a replacement for the graphical interface and to make it easier for inexperienced PC users to access Windows and computers.
The software primarily relied on objects from the home environment: One entered a house through an apartment door and was greeted by animated figures that guided the user through the functions. In each room, specific functions were embedded, such as the calendar or an email program.
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In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
Bob was too child-friendly and too hardware-hungry for 1995
Why did Bob fail? Today, several factors are blamed for the failure:
The design, a cartoonish graphic, was off-putting for many, and many found the software overly childish.
‘Bob’ required computers with at least 8 MB of RAM, which was a considerable amount in 1995.
The result: Microsoft discontinued its software ‘Bob’ just a year later, and the software disappeared from the market. Soon after, Windows 95 was released, featuring an intuitive interface and completely without a mascot.
What happened next? When Microsoft was preparing the installation CD for Windows XP, the team found that approximately 30 MB of free space was still available. What should they do with it? To avoid wasting it and also to make illegal downloads more difficult, they decided to fill it with fictional data.
Instead of generating random files, a developer searched the company’s historical archives, found Bob’s original disk images, combined them, encrypted them with a randomly entered key, and eventually used them as digital filler. The result was as ironic as it was unexpected: Microsoft Bob was hidden in millions of legal copies of Windows XP, without anyone knowing (via xda-developers.com).
By the way, Microsoft Bob has not completely disappeared: The digital dog Rover from Bob later returned as a search assistant in Windows XP.
Chaos gods and their demons are one of the greatest dangers in the world of Warhammer. But which of them are the worst? MeinMMO dares to rank them and explains which demon you definitely do not want to encounter.
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Demons exist in Warhammer in various forms, but they all have one thing in common: they all come from the Warp, the realm of Chaos. As Warp entities, they cannot exist in the real world for long.
Nevertheless, even short stays here are enough to give you a really bad day. In and of itself, it doesn’t matter which demon you encounter: as a normal human, you have no chance and will likely perish within seconds. So it’s good to know what actually happens when you die in Warhammer.
The way you lose your life varies greatly from demon to demon. Some encounters are relatively pleasant compared to the alternatives. Therefore, we will take into account which encounter would go the worst for you.
By the way: Although Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 are separate universes, the Chaos in both worlds is the same. However, how exactly a connection exists here has never been explained.
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Das passiert, wenn sich die Space Marines aus Warhammer 40.000 dem Chaos verschreiben
10. Chaos Spawn
Mutations are considered a danger among humans and the Chaos spawn is one reason why. Strictly speaking, Chaos spawn are not demons, but mortals mutated beyond recognition by the power of the Warp.
Among the forces of Chaos, chaos spawn are considered one of the lowest forms, but in battle, they are still formidable fighters. However, an encounter with them would likely be rather short: chaos spawn behave more like a wild animal or a madman and would simply tear you apart without much ado. Not the prettiest demise, but still better than anything that comes after.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
At some point in the coming weeks, Patch 11.1.5 will land on the live servers of World of Warcraft. Included: a shadow worm mount that you must conquer a particularly tough challenge to earn.
What kind of mount is this? The shadow worm, officially named “Ny’alothan Shadow Worm,” is coming to Azeroth with WoW Patch 11.1.5 and is one of the new rewards you can earn through the returned version of a content from the expansion Battle for Azeroth.
Specifically, the Disturbing Visions from Patch 8.3 will celebrate their comeback with the next content patch. They will take you into the nightmarish versions of the faction capitals Orgrimmar and Stormwind as dreamed up by N’Zoth’s mind.
Your job: Prevent these visions from becoming reality! For this, you must find and defeat Alleria or Thrall. Additionally, you can also complete several optional tasks and hard modes during each run. Back then, through the Disturbing Visions, you could upgrade the legendary cloak Ashjra’kamas, thereby increasing resistance to N’Zoth’s corruption.
The trailer for the current WoW Patch 11.1:
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WoW Patch 11.1: Gallywix’s Control over the Cartels
From Hard Mode to Super Hard Mode
What changes with the new version? Those who wanted to tackle the toughest version of the Disturbing Visions back then could activate a total of five masks and thus as many affixes that significantly affected the difficulty of the challenge – at least until the nerfs.
There will be those five masks again this time. Additionally, you should also be able to unlock three more masks, allowing a total of eight affixes to be activated in the new version of the visions.
The new “Ny’alothan Shadow Worm” mount is very similar in design to the Mind Wyrm of the Riddler from Legion.
Those who activate all eight masks in Stormwind and Orgrimmar and successfully complete the resulting madness in each Disturbing Vision will earn the achievements “Beyond the Most Horrific Vision of Stormwind” and “Beyond the Most Horrific Vision of Orgrimmar.”
You need these for the new achievement “Mastering the Visions,” which rewards you with the already mentioned shadow worm mount.
What else does Patch 11.1.5 bring? The interim patch also includes the comeback of the Disturbing Visions, the new Glory faction Nightfall, adjustments to Children’s Week, and the boss event “Cunning Duos.”
As of now, there is no release date. However, the release candidate has already gone live on the PTR, which suggests a timely launch. Additionally, Children’s Week is likely to start on April 28, 2025. Since the patch brings various adjustments for the event, it must be released beforehand. More information can be found here: WoW Patch 11.1.5 – All Info on Nightfall, Disturbing Visions, and Cunning Duos
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A streaming service asked users how much time they spend on streaming. Half of the respondents stated that they don’t want to go to the office because they would have to give up binge-watching series.
Where do the data come from? The streaming service Tubi surveyed 2,502 individuals who stream video content for at least one hour per week. Tubi operates in North America, Australia, and the UK and has about 100 million monthly users.
In the survey, 53% of Generation Z respondents indicated that they would postpone their work to watch series or finish a movie they missed.
More than half of Gen Z reported hesitating to return to the office because they would lose their streaming time, according to the Tubi survey.
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Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds
More than 80% stream movies and series while working from home
Here are some additional responses from the survey:
84% of Generation Z employees admitted that they stream shows and movies while working from home.
53% of Generation Z reported that they have postponed work to finish a series they were watching in fast-forward.
73% stated that they are tired of having to watch popular content. Instead, young viewers prefer nostalgic favorites.
81% agree that watching advertisements is a fair exchange for free content.
Given the survey results, it may not be surprising that many employers have a certain distrust towards their employees regarding how they spend their work time while working from home. This is because, in the office, employees can typically be monitored better. On the other hand, there are also studies that prove, that employees working from home are more productive than their colleagues in the office.
Is that really a bad thing? Not necessarily, as some experts report that especially young people promote their concentration in different ways. Cynthia Clevenger, Senior Vice President of B2B Marketing at Tubi, explains to Fortune:
As hybrid work models become increasingly the norm, the boundary between work and entertainment becomes more fluid. It’s not just passive background noise – it’s part of how they take breaks, stay stimulated, or even regulate their focus throughout the day.
Watching a series in the background, listening to a podcast or music, does not necessarily have to be a distraction, but can also boost productivity.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Arcane Tower in the Underdark is one of the many mysteries you can explore. How to get inside and what you can find there is explained here.
Spoiler warning: We go into detail here on how to bypass the watchtowers and what can be found in the Arcane Tower.
What is the Arcane Tower? If you head into the Underdark at the end of Act 1, you can find the Arcane Tower, which is also partly called the Ruined Tower.
The exploration is optional, and there is no quest marker leading there. However, the mission Help Omeluum examine the parasite requires you to visit the said tower. There, you are supposed to find two mushrooms, namely Timmask spores and the Tongue of Madness.
Even aside from that, it can be worthwhile to undertake an exploration tour. Because in the tower, some helpful ingredients and equipment are hidden.
Update on April 7, 2025: We have adjusted the structure of the article and updated the information.
[toc]
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PS5 – Trailer prepares for console release
To reach the Arcane Tower, you need to head to the southwest of the Underdark. The nearest waypoint is Underdark – Shore.
From there, first climb the rope net, walk a short distance south, and then turn directly east. Here, you need to jump over the rocks once and then walk southwest.
You will quickly encounter the tower’s defense, the Arcane Cannons.
This is how you find the way to the Ruined Tower.
How to disable the Arcane Cannons
There are a total of four Arcane Cannons: two in the courtyard, and two on the ground floor.
While you can try to sneak past the cannons with great skill, it is much more effective to at least disable the two Arcane Cannons in the courtyard. You can achieve this effectively with two methods: lightning damage or Sussur blooms.
Whichever option you choose, it is best to play in turn-based mode!
The only type of damage that works well against the Arcane Cannons is lightning damage. So make sure that one of your characters can deal such damage.
Then break up the group to avoid endangering your remaining companions. Activate turn-based mode, move a short distance out of cover, and then cast your lightning spell on the first cannon. Then immediately move out of the cannon’s line of fire to avoid being hit.
Repeat this until the cannon is destroyed. With this method, you can also take out the second Arcane Cannon.
The Arcane Cannons can easily be destroyed with lightning damage.
Disabling Cannons with Sussur Blooms
The Arcane Cannons operate through magic. And you can use this to your advantage. The so-called Sussur blooms block all types of magic in their vicinity. Therefore, if you throw such a bloom near a cannon, it will become harmless.
Where do I find Sussur Blooms? You can find the glowing plant northwest of the Underdark by the Sussur Tree. If you haven’t been to this area yet, be careful – you will encounter some enemies.
In total, you should collect at least three Sussur Blooms. Two of them can be found right in the area of the tree. Another one is located a bit further north near some poisonous gas.
Be careful again on the way to the Arcane Tower. Because the plants block your magical abilities as long as you carry them. If necessary, temporarily store them in your camp.
How do I use Sussur Blooms? First, break up the group so you can control the character with the Sussur Blooms alone. Then move towards the first cannon in turn-based mode. Either use Darting to be faster, or seek cover behind the large rock along the way.
Then drop a Sussur Bloom to neutralize the cannon. Repeat this procedure at the second tower.
How to activate the elevator in the Arcane Tower
Once you have overcome the two Arcane Cannons in the courtyard, your next obstacle is the broken elevator. You need to repair it to explore the tower. Follow these steps:
1. Get to the backyard
Ignore the main entrance and instead jump down to the large mushrooms on the left until you are in the backyard.
2. Collect Sussur Blooms
In the backyard, you will find more Sussur Blooms. Collect them, as you will need them shortly.
3. Pull the lever to get to the basement
To enter the tower, you need to get past a locked door. You can either pick it or bash it down.
Alternatively, you will find a pipe on the side of the tower. To get through, use the spell Fog Shape or transform into a rat. Inside the tower, there will be a lever that opens the door.
In your normal form, you do not fit through the pipe.
4. Activate the generator
Once inside the tower, you can now go to the generator. Interact with it and place one of the Sussur Blooms in the appropriate slot. The elevator works again, and the Arcane Cannons are finally disabled.
What you will find through the elevator in the Arcane Tower – All floors
Once you have successfully activated the elevator, you can start searching the tower for loot. Walk up the stairs from the basement to reach the elevator.
It is best to search all floors one by one and take everything you like.
Ground Floor: Finding Quest Items
If you have the quest from Omeluum to seek Timmask spores and The Tongue of Madness, head to the level directly above the basement. Search the shelves and beds there, and you should find them quickly.
First Floor: Chest of the Profane
On the next floor, you will find a mysterious chest on the balcony, the Chest of the Profane. Its useless items transform into useful equipment and scrolls after a successful arcane test.
Tip: Take the chest with you to improve your inventory management! You can place heavy equipment in it to transform them into lighter items, thus allowing you to carry more. Don’t worry, the items revert to their original state once you remove them from the chest.
Second Floor: Documents
Here, you will mainly find the torn paper and the Book of Darkness. Read both to potentially avoid a fight later on.
The button in the corner only works if you have dug up the dog collar southwest of the Sussur Tree. Then you will receive dog food.
Third Floor: Talk to Bernard and find the secret basement
On the top floor of the Arcane Tower, you will meet the robot Bernard. He communicates through quotes from poems and carries the ring Beacon with him. You need this to get into a secret basement room.
If you go to this floor unprepared, you will enter a fight with Bernard and his companions. Once you defeat him, you can loot the ring.
If you wish to resolve the situation peacefully, you need to have read the appropriate documents on the previous floor.
Select the conversation action: “Or are you a friend, a savior from solitude?”
Then select: “How can I trust? …”
You will then receive the required ring.
Warning: If you have read the Dusty Book and choose the conversation option “There is a light in every living being…”, you will also get into a fight with Bernard.
Secret Basement in the Arcane Tower
In the secret basement room, you will find, among other things, the ring Glimmering Wall.
Once you have equipped Bernard’s ring, you can use the elevator to go one level deeper than usual. There you can find more loot, especially in the golden chest.
The ring Glimmering Wall makes you immune to lightning damage.
We hope that with this guide, you can navigate the Arcane Tower a little better. Once you have successfully crossed the Underdark, the second act of Baldur’s Gate 3 will begin. Here, many more secrets and powerful enemies await you.
If you want to prepare yourself as best as possible, you can try to optimize your builds with multiclassing. These can be very strong and bring a lot of variety to the game. One YouTuber managed to defeat boss enemies just by touching them with such a build: A multiclass build makes you untouchable, defeating enemies with a touch
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the House of Hope in Baldur’s Gate 3, you have to overcome some challenges, but you will be richly rewarded. MeinMMO will tell you how to enter the house, grab the Orphic Hammer, and defeat the boss.
What is the House of Hope all about? The goal is to get the Orphic Hammer from the House of Hope to free Orpheus from his chains in the Astral Prism (if you want to). Raphael has the hammer and is located in his estate – the House of Hope. Besides that, a cool battle and legendary items await you.
Alternatively, you can also make a pact with the devil Raphael in the brothel Sharess’ Caress to directly obtain the Orphic Hammer. However, at a price: In exchange for the promise to hand him the Crown of Karsus once you have defeated the Elder Brain.
Note: It is also possible to enter the House of Hope if you have already made a pact with Raphael. In this case, you can destroy your contract on-site to free yourself from the pact. However, Raphael will be anything but pleased about it.
Update on April 7, 2025: We have adjusted the structure of the article and updated information.
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3 Tips to Reduce Your Carrying Weight in Baldur’s Gate 3
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How to get into the House of Hope – Use the Ritual Circle
First, you need to get into the House of Hope. To do this, go to the occult shop Devil’s Price in Baldur’s Gate – about northwest of the Lower City, west of the smithy. This shop has many curious items, including items from hell. Examine the items to find out that there is more behind Helsik. Then speak with Helsik.
Go to the shop Devil’s Price to access the House of Hope.
Either convince her with the right price, promise to bring her Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength, or use skilled pickpocketing to obtain the necessary information. The Diabolist Helsik will reveal the secret ritual that will give you access to the House of Hope.
The Diabolist Helsik in the shop Devil’s Price
Solve the Ritual and Open the Portal to the House of Hope
From Helsik, you will receive a Spellbook Bound in Devil Skin with instructions on how the ritual to open the portal works and a ritual pouch with five materials. You will also receive a key to the upper floor of her shop, where the blood circle of the ritual is located.
What is in the portal’s instructions:
Instructions on what you need to do to open the portal.
This is how you implement the instructions at the ritual circle: Treat the table in the room as south. From there, lay out the following items correctly:
The skull on the star tip in the south (by the table)
The coin of Mammon (looking from the table) left on the tip
The diamond on the left tip in the north
The incense on the right tip in the north
The infernal marble in the middle of the star
Ritual Circle House of Hope
After you have taken the necessary steps, you can interact with the portal to get to the House of Hope.
Tip: It’s better to rest again and stock up on supplies – such as potions, elixirs, or certain scrolls. Once you are in the House of Hope, you can no longer use fast travel.
House of Hope – All Tasks and Solutions
Once you have arrived in the House of Hope, various tasks await you.
Encounter with Hope
Upon arriving at the House of Hope, you will first encounter a dwarf named Hope – more precisely, a projection. She gives you clothing so that you can move inconspicuously in the House of Hope. You should keep this clothing on, as otherwise, several opponents will appear, all of whom are hostile towards you.
Hope will help you with navigating the House of Hope.
There are still several skill checks to obtain information. She will explain to you that you need a key, the Orphic Hammer, or the contract (if you have made a pact with him) with Raphael and need to find them. In the end, you are also supposed to free her. The first step, however, is the archive.
House of Hope secret hideaway
House of Hope – Secret Hideaway
Explore the House of Hope and make your way to the archive. At a wall (X: – 6482, Y: 2944), you will encounter an inactive infernal gemstone with which you can interact. Pass the Wisdom and Intelligence checks to reveal a hidden chamber and loot the items. Here you will also find the contract of Mol.
This item can be looted:
Helllight Helm
Helllight Helm: What it can do
Go to the Archive to Obtain the Boudoir Invitation
Before the archive, it’s best to talk to Hope again. She will give you information that you can use to deceive the Archivist in order to obtain the invitation to the boudoir. For this, you must again pass skill checks. After that, you go into the archive.
This is how you obtain the invitation:
Go into the archive and talk to the Archivist, try to deceive him; this will immediately get you the boudoir invitation
Alternatively, you can try other skill rolls to get the invitation
If all fails, you can attack the Archivist or steal the invitation from him
After you have successfully received the invitation, make your way to Raphael’s boudoir.
Map of House of Hope
The Boudoir – Meeting Haarlep in the House of Hope
The incubus challenges you to a game of seduction. He can change his appearance at will, which is why you see him in the form of Raphael.
Tip: There is a fountain in the room that allows you to effectively take a long rest.
What options do you now have with Haarlep? Haarlep has the key to the vault, where the password for the Orphic Hammer is located.
Allow Haarlep to use your body as a disguise (disguise) to obtain the key. But do not sell your soul, because that leads to a Game Over.
Or: Fight Haarlep to obtain the key
Tip: If you want the Helllight Gloves, you need to fight Haarlep to loot them.
This is what the gloves can do:
You will obtain the Helllight Gloves when you defeat Haarlep in combat.
Once you have the key, look for a painting of Raphael – it is located to the left of the magnificent bed. Pass the perception check to notice the trap and disarm it. Under the painting is a button you can press, and behind the painting, the vault will reveal itself.
In the vault, there is also a note with the sought-after password. You need this password to deactivate the dome in the archive that protects the Orphic Hammer (or your contract).
Tip: Use the fountain in the boudoir to regain your spell slots and HP, and prepare for a fight.
Back to the Archive to Retrieve the Orphic Hammer or Contract from the House of Hope
Make your way back to the archive. Now you can go to the Orphic Hammer (or contract) and remove the dome using the password to grab the hammer or tear up the contract.
The Archivist will notice, and everyone will be hostile towards you as soon as you leave the room. Fight your way through after you have collected the items.
In addition to the Orphic Hammer (or the contract), you can collect other powerful items found in the archive, including:
Amulet of Greater Healing
Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength (which Helsik desperately wants)
Here’s a closer look at the items:
Amulet of Greater Healing
Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength
Orphic Hammer
Save Hope
After fighting your way through, head east to rescue Hope from the prison. To do this, climb down through a hatch into the prison. In the prison, Hope is chained, and another fight awaits you – so get ready.
After that, you can destroy Hope’s chains and free her by equipping the Orphic Hammer and smashing the crystals. She will assist you in the fight against Raphael.
Tip: Afterward, go back to the boudoir to heal yourself using the fountain and refresh your spell slots.
After that, you will encounter Raphael when you go back to the portal. The battle against Raphael is a very difficult one. If you have the option (depending on the decision in the Shar Temple), Yurgir will appear alongside Raphael. With a Charisma roll, you can try to convince Yurgir to fight on your side.
Raphael and Yurgir
Raphael has 666 hit points, which is a symbol for the devil, and an armor class (AC) of 21. Additionally, he has his own boss room and song. In the room, there are four soul pillars, which grant him additional fire damage and a bonus on Dexterity and saving throws. He uses the pillars to restore HP and cast powerful spells.
Tips:
Destroy the soul pillars before focusing on Raphael and the adds and ideally take blinding damage with you. With blinding damage, you can also disable the pillar for one round. Because if more pillars are active, it is harder to hit Raphael – as he gains more AC.
You can also try spells like Hold Monster or Tasha’s Hideous Laughter by casting spells on Raphael.
Hold Monster or Tasha’s Hideous Laughter work well because the saving throws are based on Wisdom – and Raphael has 13 Wisdom, which is not very much against his Charisma score of 19.
After you have defeated Raphael, you can loot the legendary Helllight Armor. If Hope has survived, you will also receive the Legendary Gloves of Soul Catching as a quest reward from her.
The Druid is a versatile class in Baldur’s Gate 3. This time, we show you the Druid build, the subclass “Circle of the Moon”, where you fight in animal form. We list subclass, attribute points, talents, and spells in our overview.
Update, April 7, 2025: We have reviewed the article, adjusted the structure, and updated information.
What is the Druid? The Druid is one of the major classes in Baldur’s Gate 3. It is nature-oriented and can thus cast various spells related to shape-shifting, spores from fungi, and necromancy.
In this guide, we will show you a build for the subclass “Circle of the Moon”, which specializes in transforming into other creatures like bears, spiders, panthers, or even saber-toothed tigers. So you predominantly fight in animal form.
We will now show you in the following section which attribute points, talents, and spells you should focus on if you want to play the Druid predominantly in animal form.
[toc]
Start video
Baldur’s Gate 3: Reset Character and Choose New Class
Druid Build: Subclass Circle of the Moon – Choose the following attribute points
Which subclass should I choose as Druid? Use the Circle of the Moon as your subclass.
Which attributes should I focus on? As a Druid with the Circle of the Moon, you should concentrate on Wisdom. As a second focus, concentrate on Constitution.
How do talents work? In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can choose a talent at levels 4, 8, and 12 to complement your build. However, if you dislike any talent, you can instead invest 2 points into your desired attributes.
Which talents do I need? In this case, we recommend focusing on the following talents per level:
Level 4: Alert
Function: You can no longer be surprised and gain +5 to Initiative. However, you can also choose any talent of your choice.
Level 8: No talent, but improve abilities
Wisdom should be increased to level 18.
Level 12: No talent, but improve abilities
Wisdom should now be pushed up to level 20. The talents in this level range are not optimal, and by improving your ability, you can strengthen yourself without taking risks.
As a Druid of the Circle of the Moon, spells that you can maintain with your concentration are especially worthwhile. You can cast a concentration spell before you transform into an animal of your choice. The transformation does not break the spell.
The good thing is: As a Druid, you can swap your spells freely before each battle. You do not have to run to Lazarus and reset your level. You don’t have a fixed loadout but can adjust your spells according to the situation. Thus, you can constantly swap out your spells and try out what works best for you.
The following spells and cantrips are worthwhile as a Druid of the Circle of the Moon:
Level 1
Cantrips: Guidance and Thorn Whip
Guidance is one of the strongest cantrips in Baldur’s Gate 3. With Guidance, the target receives a bonus of 1d4 on ability checks, which is particularly useful in conversations and for picking locks.
Spells you have at Level 1: Ice Knife, Thunderwave, Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Enhance Jump
You only get your animal form at Level 2, so at Level 1, you mainly use the damage spells Ice Knife, Thunderwave, and the cantrip Thorn Whip to deal damage. With Cure Wounds and Healing Word, you can heal yourself or allies.
Level 2
Spells that are worthwhile: Speak with Animals, Entangle, Healing Word, Thunderwave, Faerie Fire
Choose subclass: Circle of the Moon
Cantrip: Resistance
Animal form: Now you can transform into animals. The options available at Level 2 are: A badger, a wolf, a spider, and a cat. Through your subclass, you gain an additional animal form, the bear, which is quite tanky.
Faerie Fire is a handy concentration spell that you can use before transforming into an animal. All targets in the light become visible, and your attack rolls have an advantage.
Speak with Animals is not practical in combat, but it is very worthwhile in Baldur’s Gate 3 because you encounter numerous animals and thus engage in some fun dialogues.
Level 3
Spells that are worthwhile: Flame Sphere, Moonbeam, Hold Person, Entangle, Healing Word
Flame Sphere is a strong spell that creates a burning sphere. This sphere can be moved over a certain distance and causes fire damage to targets that come into contact with it or are immediately nearby.
You can conjure the sphere before you transform into an animal of your choice. Your concentration is not interrupted by the transformation. The sphere will support you in combat until your concentration is broken (or up to 10 turns).
Hold Person is also a very strong spell, especially if you have melee fighters on your team. If the spell is successful, the humanoid target becomes incapacitated and cannot perform any actions or reactions. All melee attacks against the target are automatically critical hits, allowing you to deal massive damage.
Level 4
Spells that are worthwhile: Here you could also prepare the concentration spell Heat Metal or Thorn Whip. Just see which spells you find useful. You can swap them out before each battle.
Cantrip: Pick your favorite
New animal forms: Deep Rothé and Nightmare Crow
You can choose your first talent (see above)
Level 5
Spells that are worthwhile:Call Lightning, Snowstorm, or Plant Growth
All three spells are strong. With Call Lightning, you hit multiple targets with lightning that are within radius. You can cast the spell with good concentration up to ten rounds each time without wasting a spell slot. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to always choose the highest spell level to get the most benefit from the feature.
The spells Snowstorm and Plant Growth give you plenty of crowd control effects (CC).
You can make a second attack after your first unarmed strike in your animal form.
Level 6
Prepare spells: Pick your favorites
First strike: You gain a new passive feature from the Circle of the Moon, making your attacks in animal form count as magical damage.
New animal forms: Owlbear and Panther
You heard right: You can turn into an owlbear, but you’re not as cute as this little owlbear cub!
New spells that are worthwhile: Wall of Fire and Summon Forest Creature
Wall of Fire is considered one of the most powerful AoE spells in the game. The spell can be flexibly placed as long as there is visibility to the entire area. All within the area take immediate 5d8 fire damage and catch fire. The spell covers large areas, is good for long distances or narrow corridors, and can deal damage to enemies over several rounds when positioned well tactically.
Summon Forest Creature allows you to call a dryad that follows you and supports you in battle. The cool thing is: it’s not a concentration spell. It’s best to summon her before the fight so that you don’t use an action in combat. And what’s even more practical is that your dryad can also summon another creature. A great two-for-one deal.
Level 8
Prepare spells: Pick your favorites
You can choose your second talent (see above)
New animal form: Saber-toothed Tiger
The saber-toothed tiger also focuses entirely on damage, just like the panther and the wolf. However, they have different abilities. See what you like best.
Level 9
New spells that are worthwhile:Summon Elemental and Insect Plague
With Summon Elemental, you can summon an elemental of your choice that supports you in battle.
Level 10
Cantrip: Pick your favorite
Prepare spells: Pick your favorites
You can now make two extra attacks after your first unarmed strike in your animal form.
New animal forms: Dilophosaurus and Myrmidon
You can transform into a dino and a Myrmidon of your choice. The Myrmidon comes in four different variants, each with different abilities. Overall, the 4 forms are very strong. To transform into a Myrmidon, you need two animal form charges.
Level 11
New spells that are worthwhile:Hero’s Feast, Wall of Thorns, and Sunbeam
Hero’s Feast gives your party strong buffs. You can no longer be sick, frightened, or poisoned. Additionally, your health increases, and you gain an advantage on Wisdom checks. The buff lasts until the next long rest.
Sunbeam is a far-reaching concentration spell that is worthwhile in combat. The beam deals a lot of damage and blinds enemies. You can use the spell once each turn (up to a maximum of 10 turns) as long as your concentration holds – without needing to use another spell slot again.
Level 12
Prepare spells: Pick your favorites
You can choose your third talent (see above)
These were the most important things. You can also swap spells as you like, depending on what you feel like in combat. So feel free to try out new spells. What do you think of the Druid? Have you tested it yet? If so, how strong do you find it? Let us know in the comments!
What animals can the Druid transform into?
To transform into an animal, you need animal form charges. You regain these through a short or long rest. You can also dispel the transformation yourself. If your hit points in animal form drop to 0, you automatically transform back.
Each animal form has different abilities and has its own attribute points. In total, there are 15 animals that the Druid of the Circle of the Moon can transform into:
One of the biggest quests in Baldur’s Gate 3 is “Finding the Nightsong.” We will show you what you need to do for the quest – and how to complete it.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of quests that may seem small at the beginning, but stretch over many hours and multiple acts. One of these missions is “Finding the Nightsong.” We will tell you everything you need to know about this quest, how to start it, and where it ends.
Spoiler Warning: The article contains some spoilers regarding the questline surrounding the Shadowsong and its possible outcomes. However, the summary with initial hints is spoiler-free.
Update on April 7, 2025: We have adjusted the structure of the article and updated information.
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The Essentials About the Nightsong at a Glance
You receive the quest as early as Act 1.
You can complete the quest at the earliest in Act 2, but it may extend into Act 3.
The questline has multiple different endings depending on your choices.
The questline is particularly significant for Shadowheart and her personal story.
How do you start the Nightsong questline? You will inevitably encounter the questline “Finding the Nightsong” during the first act of the game. After your first visit to the Druid Grove, you may meet Liam. Either in the grove itself, outside the grove with his crew, or – if he has died – the quest begins through a letter from his corpse.
Typically, you will find him when you leave the grove and head towards the swamp.
Alternatively, you can also receive the first hint about the quest from Halsin or Aradin, usually in connection with your mission to attack and take out the goblin camp.
In summary, the quest asks you to find the legendary “Nightsong” for a powerful wizard in Baldur’s Gate and bring it to him. Details about this Nightsong are initially unknown, but it is said to be a powerful weapon of the followers of Shar.
At first glance, the mission may seem like a simple side quest, but it holds great significance for the story of the game and extends throughout the longest part of your adventure.
Tip: Since the questline surrounding the Nightsong is particularly significant for Shadowheart, we recommend having her with you at all steps of the quest. While it is not strictly necessary for completion, Shadowheart has special dialogues and may unlock unique events and options during this questline. Additionally, Shadowheart may become very unhappy if you do not take her with you while fulfilling the quest.
Start video
There are secret rooms in Baldur’s Gate 3 that only a few of you will ever see
Act 1: Finding the Nightsong – Searching for More Clues
The Nightsong is supposed to be located somewhere in the Underdark; accordingly, that is your first clue.
Note that you basically have no time pressure for this questline. You will encounter many other side missions while searching for the Nightsong – especially in the Underdark – which you can all complete at your leisure.
You have several ways to enter the Underdark during Act 1:
Head to the Ruined Sanctum (the “Goblin Camp”). In the healer’s room Gut, one of the three leaders of the camp, you may discover a staircase with a perception check. The staircase leads into the defiled temple. There, you need to solve a small puzzle with moon discs or alternatively discover and unlock a lock (for example, with Astarion). Once done, a long ladder leads directly into the Underdark to the Selunite outpost.
In the small village controlled by the goblins, you can climb into the well. Down there, you will fight a large spider matriarch and see a deep hole in the ground. Cast the spell Feather Fall or use a corresponding potion to jump into the hole and thus fall into the Underdark.
Another access point can be found at Aunt Ethel in her teahouse in the swamp. Climb through the chimney into her hideout and make sure to grab one of the eerie masks. In the room with the many gas traps, after the waterfall, you can jump onto an elevation. Put on the mask (after Ethel has been defeated!) and you can walk through the wall. A magical mushroom circle teleports you into the Underdark.
In a barn next to the inn “Waukeen’s Rest,” you will find the hideout of the Zhentarim behind a trapdoor. In the northwest of the hideout, you may discover a wall that is merely an illusion. You can simply pass through the wall, but conversations with the wolves may also draw your attention to it.
Once you reach the Underdark, you need to advance to the west. There you will find a small ship, which you can take to sail to the Grymschmiede. Explore the area thoroughly and follow the story. After you have completed the situation regarding the “True Soul Nere,” you can go through the hallway filled with poisonous gas and unlock a locked door.
From here, you can see an ancient temple of Shar, but there seems to be no way to enter the temple from here. The quest continues in Act 2.
Act 2: Finding the Nightsong – The Trials of Shar
Once you arrive in the Shadowlands, you can continue your search for the Nightsong.
Here’s a clear warning: Completing this quest will – depending on your choices – rapidly advance the story in this area and cause significant changes. If you want to experience the Shadowlands in their original state, you should explore a bit before turning your attention to finding the Nightsong.
Far to the northwest of the area, west of the river and north of the House of Healing, you can discover access to a mausoleum of the Thorm family. The mausoleum contains a secret entrance to the temple of Shar.
To reach the temple, you must click the paintings on the wall in the correct order in the back room of the mausoleum. The order is:
The painting Towers of Moonrise
The painting of Grief
The painting of the General
The paintings must be activated in the correct order.
If entered correctly, a hidden access point will open, leading down into the temple. If you make a mistake, traps will be triggered – but you can try again.
The Access to the Deeper Temple of Shar
In the temple of Shar, there is much to do. Not only can you meet Balthazar here, but you can also complete a mission for Raphael, acquire plenty of powerful scrolls and weapons, or uncover the mystery behind the many rats in the temple.
To access the deeper part of the temple, you need to solve a small puzzle at the beginning. In the side corridors, you will find different levers to raise and lower the lanterns and turn them off. Make sure the room is in complete darkness to reveal glowing runes on the floor, which are placed around the statue.
These runes are barriers that you cannot cross. However, each rune circle has a gap through which you can maneuver to reach the statue at the end. This will break the seal of the gate and allow access to the deeper levels of the temple.
The Path to the Sanctum
In the next hours, you will have to overcome the various trials of Shar to ultimately obtain four shadowy gemstones.
The individual trials consist of fights, logic puzzles, and a small stealth mission. You will receive the last gemstone from the demon Yurgir, who has also settled in the temple.
Once you have collected all the stones, you can activate the floating platform in the center of the temple and advance to the innermost sanctum. There, you can plunge into a water basin and enter the area “Shadowfell.” Make sure to save beforehand, as there is (for now) no return from there.
The Fate of the Nightsong – Make a Decision
What happens in Shadowfell strongly depends on your previous decisions. By now, you have revealed that the Nightsong is not a weapon but a person. A demigod being that is repeatedly killed by followers of Shar – as a final trial for ascension to the Dark Justiciar.
Depending on your previous choices and the ones you now make, there are different options:
You can hand the Nightsong over to Balthazar. Nightsong will then be brought to General Thorm. You maintain your disguise as members of the Cult of Absolute and gain more trust with the cult. If you do not choose this option and Balthazar is still alive, you will have to fight against him.
You can persuade Shadowheart to kill the Nightsong. In that case, she fully commits to Lady Shar and becomes a Dark Justiciar with new powers and equipment.
You can dissuade Shadowheart from killing the Nightsong. In that case, you disappoint the goddess Shar, but the Nightsong is freed and helps you throughout the story, potentially even becoming a guest in your camp.
Which decision you make here should mainly depend on your story preference, as it will have significant consequences for Shadowheart.
If this scene ends with the death of the Nightsong, the quest will also be concluded here, as delivering her to the wizard is no longer possible.
Depending on the decisions you made earlier, the Nightsong and/or her partner is now one of your companions in the camp. If the Nightsong is present, in Act 3, you can decide how you want to proceed with her:
You can pledge your loyalty to the Nightsong and fight against the wizard who wanted to possess her.
You can betray the Nightsong and deliver her to the wizard.
You can meet the wizard Lorroakan in Baldur’s Gate. His wizard’s tower is above the large magic shop “Sorcerous Sundries.” You can enter the tower from the shop or the library.
No matter what you decide here, the questline about the Nightsong will inevitably come to an end. You can also determine your decision based on your preferred story outcome. Even if you deliver the Nightsong, you can still raid the wizard afterward and take his possessions if you wish. How did you handle the Nightsong in Baldur’s Gate 3? Tell us in the comments. And all other guides and tips for Baldur’s Gate 3 can be found here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
