Baldur’s Gate 3: Trials of Shar – How to solve the 3 Shar trials

If you want to progress from Act 2 to Act 3 in Baldur’s Gate 3, you first need to successfully navigate through the Shadowlands. An essential part that is not optional are the Trials of Shar. We have the answers to all your questions about the Shar trials.

The Trials of Shar are one of the most important things you complete in Act 2. They are not optional and an important part of the personal quest of Shadowheart. Additionally, you need to pass them to find the Night Song and progress to the finale of Act 2.

You will find them in a hidden temple of Shar, which also turns out to be a real labyrinth. To avoid wandering aimlessly through the world and potentially getting lost, we have gathered everything you need here: namely where to find the trials, how to reach them, and how to master them.

Depending on which step you need support with, you can jump to it using the table of contents.

Update, April 7, 2025: We have adjusted the structure of the article and updated information.

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Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PS5 – Trailer prepares for console release

Trials of Shar – how to find the temple

How to reach the Trials of Shar in the Overworld

You can find the Trials of Shar north of Reithwin in Act 2. The entrance is located in the mausoleum of the Thorm family. If the devil Raphael has gotten in your way, you know it is nearby. Depending on the run, you might also meet the young Tiefling Arabella on your way there.

The easiest way for you is to go over the bridge to Reithwin and then head north. Leave the mausoleum on your right and continue north on its left until you reach the entrance of the mausoleum.

How to unlock the entrance to the Shar temple

In the mausoleum itself, you will face a few challenges. Once all opponents and traps are cleared, make your way to the northernmost chamber. Don’t forget to loot everything you can – you’ll find a lot of background story about Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Shadow Curse specifically. Not to mention the actual loot.

In the northernmost room, you will find a picture puzzle: Three large pictures hang on the walls. Each depicts a moment in the life of Ketheric Thorm. Below each picture is a button. You need to activate them in chronological order. To determine the correct order, you can read several books, notes, and stone tablets in the main chamber.

This is the correct order:

  1. The painting Towers of the Moonrise
  2. The painting of Grief
  3. The painting of the General

Once you solve the picture puzzle, the northern wall will open. You can now enter the temple of Shar.

Entering the Temple of Shar and unlocking the main part

Before you can delve deeper into the sanctuary, you need to solve another puzzle. If you go straight from your spawn point, you will reach a chamber with a statue.

To fully open the temple, you need to get to the statue. Unfortunately, you cannot do this as your characters keep getting thrown back. To circumvent this barrier, you need to lower the lamps from the ceiling and extinguish all lights – you must also not carry any light source with you.

You can lower the lamps with levers. These can be found on the sides of the corridors leading directly from the main chamber. Disarm the preceding traps and activate the levers. Each lever lowers a lantern to the ground, whose light you can then extinguish.

When it’s dark and you’ve done everything correctly, you should see a circle of runes around the statue. You cannot walk over the runes themselves. However, they have holes through which you can reach the statue like through a mini-labyrinth.

Once you reach the statue, interact with it and the gate to the temple should open.

This is what the room should look like when you have solved the puzzle.

Mastering the Trials of Shar – here’s how

The temple of Shar and the trials are on multiple levels. Navigation is therefore not particularly easy. Here we describe the path through the temple as suggested by the layout of the sanctuary.

Important: You do not have to complete the trials with Shadowheart or any other single character. You can have your whole party help, which at least makes the Gentle Step and Same trials easier.

We have walked through the temple for you to show you exactly where to find what:

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Baldur’s Gate 3 Temple of Shar Runthrough

Trials of Shar: Find all Shadow Gems

To complete the temple, you must collect a Shadow Gem at the end of each trial. These spheres open the way to the final room and towards the Night Song.

The first three spheres can be found at the end of the trials described here. The fourth sphere, on the other hand, is hoarded by the Orthon Yurgir. If the devil Raphael encountered you at the beginning, the name might ring a bell. The encounter with the Orthon can happen in various ways. In the end, just make sure to search his belongings after the last Shadow Gem.

Trials of Shar 1: Gentle Step Trial – find & solve

The first trial takes place down the western stairs. Activate the waypoint and go down further stairs to the right from there. The door to the Gentle Step Trial is labeled Your Most Desired Treasure.

Once you go through the door, you are in the trial area. However, before you can start, you must make a blood sacrifice. This starts the challenge.

Trials of Shar: The entrance to the first trial.

How do you solve the trial? The fundamental goal for you is to obtain a crystal sphere at the other end of a labyrinth. The path through the labyrinth is not straightforward: with levers and buttons, you can adjust and change the layout. Watch out for traps and enemy shadows.

There are several ways to solve it. The easiest is to send a party member through the labyrinth and to the other end before you start the trial. This way, you can take your time to explore everything and find a safe path before the enemies spawn and make it harder for you.

If you don’t want to cheat, grab your character with the highest stealth score. Here is your route:

  • Start the trial.
  • Have the selected character use the Hide action.
  • Send this character through the gate to the left of the Shar statue where you started the trial.
  • Take the first left turn. Continue west until you reach the slimy ground.
  • Use the jump action to jump through the window.
  • Then continue west until the end of the trial.

Here are some additional tips:

  • Try to disarm the traps while passing through.
  • The skeleton to the left of the entrance to the trial has an invisibility potion that makes the trial much easier.

Don’t forget to collect the Shadow Gem at the end.

Trials of Shar 2: Same Trial – find & solve

The so-called Same Trial can be reached if you turn left after the Gentle Step Trial. It is the next door on the same wall as the first trial. Also start this trial by making a blood sacrifice at the statue of Shar.

Trials of Shar: The entrance to the second trial.

How do you solve the trial? This trial is relatively simple: Once you have started the trial and entered the area, doppelgangers of your current party will appear. They attack you, and what follows is a normal fight – only this time against yourselves.

The twist: Your evil selves can become invisible and distribute the debuff Cheater’s Folly. Cheater’s Folly, translated as Betrayer’s Folly, lowers an attribute by 1. The debuff is triggered when your character attacks a doppelganger that is not their own. The effect can be applied up to four times – so you can temporarily lose up to 4 attribute points.

To avoid the debuff, let your characters always fight their own doppelgänger first. Once a doppelgänger is defeated, its original can attack whoever they want.

Here are some tips to make it easier for you:

  • Once the trial has started, sneak into the battle area and overwhelm your opponents from the shadows.
  • Make sure to have Shadowheart with magic/weapons/attacks that deal radiant damage. This makes the invisible enemies visible. Just make sure they defeat their own doppelgänger first so the debuff is not transferred.

Also, don’t forget to take the Shadow Gem with you.

Trials of Shar 3: Trust Leap – find & solve

The third and final trial can be found one floor down. To do this, exit the second trial and go left down the stairs. There are a few more steps down on your right – that’s where you’ll find the trial.

Trials of Shar: The entrance to the second trial.

How do you solve the trial? Before you now stands a statue and behind it a deep abyss. The object of your desire, another Shadow Gem, is placed on a platform above the void. So now it’s about overcoming the abyss in order to collect the sphere.

So how to overcome the abyss?

On the floor in front of the statue where you start the trial, you will see a floor plate with weird patterns. They show you where there are invisible but walkable paths above the abyss. You can also make these paths visible with a lever next to the entrance door.

Alternatively, you can fly over the abyss. Or jump with a character who has a long jump distance from visible platform to visible platform.

However, if your character falls into the abyss, they are immediately dead. The corpse will reappear at the starting point and can be resurrected with the spell Revive or a scroll.

Once you have collected the gem, the Trials of Shar are finished. You can now return towards the entrance and continue the quest towards the Night Song. But if you want, you can also go one room further into the Silent Library – where you can obtain the Night Spear, among other things.

One last word of warning: When you make your way to the Night Song, you will be asked if you are sure you want to proceed. This decision can exclude you from a lot of content. All about it can be found here: A decision in Baldur’s Gate 3 costs you many quests – here’s how to prevent it

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

Baldur’s Gate 3: Find Lathander’s Blood and Use the Ceremonial Weapons

Already in Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3 there is a really powerful weapon. Where to find it and how to obtain the mace Blood of Lathander, you can read here.

Update from 07.04.2025: We have restructured the article and adjusted the designation of some items.

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When exploring the mountain pass in Act 1, it’s best to visit the Monastery of Rosenmorg. There you will find the Githyanki crib and can, among other things, obtain Blood of Lathander. The weapon has been blessed by Lathander, the god of the monastery.

It deals 8-13 damage per hit. With the ability Blessing of Lathander you can, once per long rest, resurrect: If the wielder’s hit points drop to 0, they and all allies within a radius of nine meters regain 2-12 and 2-6 hit points, respectively. Additionally, you can cast Sunbeam with the weapon and blind fiends and undead.

However, to unlock the mace, you need the so-called ceremonial weapons.

More reasons to visit the Gith crib can be found here: Baldur’s Gate 3: The 5 most important decisions in Act 1 and what they do

The steps at a glance:

  1. Collect the ceremonial weapons
  2. Activate the crest with the ceremonial weapons
  3. Enter the secret cellar
  4. Exchange the desired weapon for the crest

Step 1: Collect ceremonial weapons

To secure the Blood of Lathander, you need the three ceremonial weapons:

  • The ceremonial axe,
  • The ceremonial hammer
  • And the ceremonial mace

You can collect the ceremonial mace shortly after entering the monastery: When you stand in front of the entrance, you can climb through a shattered stained glass window. One of the goblins drinking there carries it with him.

If you continue climbing, you will find a magically sealed door. However, with a bit of dexterity, you can simply open it. Unfortunately, a ghostly guardian still blocks your way. He must be defeated to obtain the ceremonial axe .

The image shows the ghostly guardian from the Monastery of Rosenmorg in Baldur's Gate 3.
The ghostly guardian is tough, but defeatable.

On the roof of the monastery, you will eventually find two eagles. They have the ceremonial mace with them. The two are part of another quest that you can receive from a small bird.

A custom-made Tav from Baldur's Gate 3 in combat with the two Eagles on the roof of the Monastery of Rosenmorg.
If you touch the nest, the eagles will immediately attack you.

If you address that or even touch the nest, you will have to fight. Alternatively, you can also sneak invisibly to the nest and snatch the weapon.

Step 2: Use ceremonial weapons and unlock the crest

In the monastery, you will find a room with several altars and a stained glass window in the floor. Now you must place your spoils on the respective altars. Read the tablets: The hammer belongs to the Seed Altar, the axe to Vaseid, and the mace to Stockhalt.

The ceremonial room in the Monastery of Rosenmorg in Baldur's Gate 3.
The ceremonial room gives you more information about the original purpose of the monastery.

Theoretically, you could also take weapons of the required type that are not the specific ceremonial weapons. However, if you have already collected them, you can use them immediately and then take them back with you.

If you did everything correctly, a secret door will open. Take the crest hidden behind it.

Step 3: Enter the secret cellar

The next step takes you to the Githyanki crib in the cellar of the monastery. Make your way to the northernmost room. There on the left side, you will find two statues that need to be turned.

Unfortunately, the mechanism has not been used for a long time. Use the spell “Grease” or one or two vials of oil. The lubricant will allow you to use the statues again.

Step through the now opened door and follow the path. Next, a magical door will block your way. You can disable it by destroying the blue crystal on the wall.

Step 4: Obtain Blood of Lathander without blowing up the monastery

If you continue down the path to the left, you need to eliminate a second such crystal. There are a few traps that you can skip or disarm. Finally, you need to destroy a third crystal.

Now you stand before the object of your desire: Blood of Lathander.

To prevent triggering the security mechanism when stealing the weapon, you must take the mace and place the previously collected seal on the pedestal.

Important: If you do not receive the seal, you can still retrieve the mace. However, the mechanism recognizes you with the seal as the so-called “Twilight Master” and cancels the self-destruction. If you don’t have it with you, you need to leave the monastery within four turns to avoid being blown up.

Alternatively, you can also try to shoot down the four energy cores in time. Where there is no energy, there is no explosion. Now you are in possession of the weapon. If you do not want to give it to your own character, it works particularly well in Shadowheart’s hands. How to skill the cleric best, you can read here: Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Shadowheart Build – How to play your cleric correctly

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

Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Wizard Build – Which Subclass and Skills Should I Choose?

If you want to deal significant magic damage in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Wizard class is a great choice. But what is the best Wizard build? You will find out in this guide.

What can the Wizard do? The Wizard is one of the few classes not represented by any of the potential companions in Baldur’s Gate 3 by default. Nevertheless, it is very worthwhile to take a closer look at the class.

As a Wizard, you have the power to cast and even modify powerful spells. You prefer to stay in the back rows and deal a lot of damage from there.

Compared to their mage counterparts, Wizards cannot change their spells at will. Instead, they receive powerful bonuses that vary depending on the subclass, as well as the ability to make their spells even stronger through Metamagic.

This makes the Wizard one of the more complex classes in Baldur’s Gate 3. In contrast, you can find out here which class is particularly beginner-friendly.

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The best class for beginners in Baldur’s Gate 3

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Update on April 7, 2025: We have adjusted the structure of the article and updated information.

Wizard Build – Best Subclass

Even at level 1, you need to choose one of three subclasses as a Wizard.

  • Wild Magic
  • Draconic Bloodline
  • Storm Sorcery

One of the most fun subclasses in the entire game is probably Wild Magic. Its unpredictability can lead to chaotic and hilariously funny situations.

However, if you want a truly reliable damage beast for your team, you should go for the Draconic Bloodline. This gives you the option to specialize in an element. Additionally, you will become significantly more resilient. In this guide, we will therefore delve further into this subclass.

Which element should I choose? As a member of the Draconic Bloodline, you can choose a Dragon Ancestor for your character. This determines which element you specialize in.

To create a powerful fire mage, we will choose Red (Fire) here. This gives you the strong spell Burning Hands right from the start. Starting at level 6, not only will fire damage increase, but your character can also become immune to fire damage. Since this type of damage occurs quite frequently in Baldur’s Gate 3, that’s pretty handy.

Character Creation in the Wizard Build: Which Race?

Just through the initial character creation, you can receive some bonuses that make life as a Wizard easier and should not be underestimated.

The following options are recommended when choosing your race:

  • Half-elf
    • Darkvision: Helps you stay at a distance even in darkness.
    • Fey Ancestry: You have an advantage on saving throws against being charmed and cannot be magically put to sleep.
    • Human Militia: You gain proficiency with some weapons, light armor, and shields, making you somewhat more resilient.
    • Subrace: Here, either the Half-Orc for the additional cantrip, or the Half-Wood Elf for the increased movement speed is advisable.
  • Drow
    • Superior Darkvision: Even better darkvision than the Half-Elf.
    • Fey Ancestry
    • Cantrips: Additional spells that can be helpful in certain situations.

A background that suits your character particularly well:

  • Sage: Skills Arcana and History
  • Noble: Skills History and Persuasion

Attributes in the Wizard Build: Focus on Charisma and Constitution

The most important attribute for any Wizard is Charisma. You should definitely invest the most points here. A high Constitution score also helps you strengthen your defenses. A good distribution for the start is:

  • Strength: 8
  • Dexterity: 14
  • Constitution: 16
  • Intelligence: 10
  • Wisdom: 10
  • Charisma: 16

For optimal selection, you should generally choose even numbers for point distribution. This is because the respective bonuses are only actually increased every two levels.

Baldur's Gate 3 - Draconic Bloodline Attributes
The high Charisma score helps us both in combat and outside of it.

Which skills should I choose? In addition to the attribute points, you can choose two skills for your character. You will receive two additional skills based on the background you’ve chosen.  

Make sure to possess the skill Persuasion, as it can be particularly useful in many situations.

Additionally, Deception and Intimidation are also good choices, as they are based on your (high) Charisma score.

Wizard Build – The Best Spells at Every Level

In Baldur’s Gate 3, you have a wide array of spells and cantrips available. Which ones you should choose depends on many factors, especially your team composition and personal play style.

Which spells are generally strong in the game can be found here:

As an Elemental Spellcaster, you should certainly place special emphasis on all spells of your chosen element, which in this case is fire. The spell selection across all levels and the choice of Metamagic could look like this:

1. Cantrips

  • Level 1: Fire Bolt; Blade Ward; Shocking Grasp; Mage Hand
    • If you have already chosen one of these cantrips through the subrace Half-Orc, choose another option like Poison Spray instead.
  • Level 4: Minor Illusion

2. Spells

  • Level 1: Magic Missile; Chromatic Orb
  • Level 2: Thunderwave
  • Level 3: Misty Step
  • Level 4: Cloud of Daggers
  • Level 5: Fireball
  • Level 6: Dispel Magic
  • Level 7: Wall of Fire
  • Level 8: Polymorph
  • Level 9: Telekinesis
  • Level 10: Cloudkill
  • Level 11: Disintegration
  • Level 12: Globe of Invulnerability

3. Metamagic

  • Level 2: Extended Spell; Twinned Spell
  • Level 3: Quickened Spell
  • Level 10: Focused Spell

Wizard Build – Talents at Every Level

At levels 4, 8, and 12, you have the opportunity to choose a talent. The following are recommended:

  • Level 4: Ability Score Improvement (Charisma +2)
  • Level 8: Elemental Adept: Fire
  • Level 12: Ability Score Improvement (Charisma + 2)

So by level 12, you should have brought your Charisma score to the maximum of 20.

Baldur's Gate 3 - Draconic Bloodline Talents
As Elemental Adept, you ignore opposing resistances to your element.

We hope we could help you with this guide. Have you ever tried the Wizard class? And if so, what were your experiences? Feel free to let us know in the comments.

In this guide, we focused on a pure Wizard build. However, in Baldur’s Gate 3, you also have the option of multiclassing. This allows you to mix multiple classes. For example, if you want to give your Wizard more supportive abilities, you could invest a few levels in Cleric. You can find all the important basics about multiclassing here: Why beginners should refrain from multiclassing in Baldur’s Gate 3 and when it makes sense

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

Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Weapons in Act 1 – The most powerful weapons for beginners

In Baldur’s Gate 3 has a ton of weapons. Since we want to make your choice easier, we will show you the best weapons for beginners that you can get early in Act 1.

With this guide, we aim to ease your introduction to the epic adventure of Baldur’s Gate 3 by presenting the best weapons for newcomers that you can obtain early in the first act of the game.

These weapons will provide you with a crucial advantage and are therefore a smart choice for the start of your journey. The weapons in this game feature a diverse range of properties, bonuses, and types of damage. Some of them even allow you to use useful spells and tricks that can expand your tactical options in combat.

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Best Melee Weapons in the Early Game

Below we present the best melee weapons that you can obtain early in the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Everglow Blade

What can the weapon do? The Everglow Blade is an ideal weapon for Paladins, Barbarians, and Fighters. Its fire damage represents an impressive bonus and makes it an excellent choice.

Especially against enemies like Treants, who are resistant to slashing damage but vulnerable to fire damage, the blade shows its strength. Additionally, it looks damn cool.

Particularly suitable for the companion Lae’zel, the Everglow Blade is perfect. As a Githyanki warrior, she masters the use of greatswords.

Everglow Blade – Stats Overview:

  • Two-handed great sword
  • 2d6+4 slashing damage
  • Additional +1d4 fire damage

Where can I find the Everglow Blade? You receive the Everglow Blade at the start of the game from Commander Zhalk on the Nautiloid. In a duel against a Mind Flayer, he commands you to flee.

To obtain the blade more easily without defeating the enemies, you can use a clever strategy:

  • Use the spell “Command” to command the commander to drop the weapon. Tip: Save beforehand as it doesn’t always work the first time – the chance is 65%.
  • You can prepare this spell yourself if you play as a Wizard or Cleric. Alternatively, you can free her Shadowheart, who is located in a previous room.

Once you’ve done this, you can simply pick up the Everglow Blade and make your escape.

Sword of Justice

What can the weapon do? The Sword of Justice is a good alternative to the Everglow Blade if you want to equip two melee fighters. You get a spell called Tyr’s Protection, which gives you +2 to armor as long as you concentrate on it and wield the weapon.

Sword of Justice – Stats Overview:

  • Two-handed great sword
  • 2d6 slashing damage
  • +1 weapon enchantment
  • Spell “Tyr’s Protection”

Where can I find the Sword of Justice? Early in Act 1, you can recruit Karlach into your party and complete her quest “Hunt the Deviless.” You can find the Tiefling Barbarian hidden south of the Stiegstraße in Act 1.

For the quest, you need to go to a house that is nearby, where you found Karlach. There, you need to speak to Anders. Defeat Anders and you will receive the great sword.

Lightning Spear

What can the weapon do? When you deal damage with this weapon, the wielder gains two lightning charges. This is a buff that provides you with an additional +1 on attack rolls, and you deal an additional 1 lightning damage.

If you receive 5 charges, they are consumed, and on the next attack, you deal an additional 1-8 lightning damage. You lose one charge per turn.

Lightning Spear – Stats Overview:

  • Trident, one-handed or two-handed
  • 1d8 piercing damage

Where can I find the weapon? North of the waypoint “Waukeen’s Rest,” you will encounter a burning house.
Yeva urgently needs your help to rescue the people, including Advisor Florrick, from the burning house.

If you succeed in the task, you can then choose one of the three weapons as a reward. Further down in this guide, we will address the other two weapons that are suitable for ranged fighters.

Returning Pike

What can the weapon do? As the name suggests, this pike always returns to you when thrown. For starters, the weapon is strong because it automatically returns. If you enjoy throwing weapons, this pike is a good choice for beginners.

However, be aware that the pike is quite heavy, and its wielder should not be overloaded.

Returning Pike – Stats Overview:

  • Two-handed pike
  • +1 weapon enchantment
  • 1d10 piercing damage
  • Best suited for strength-based characters like Barbarian, Paladin, and Fighter.

Where can I find the Returning Pike? During Act 1, you will come across the Goblin Camp. There, you will find a merchant (right at the entrance) who sells the Returning Pike.

Sorrow

What can the weapon do? Sorrow is a two-handed glaive that grants you the cantrip “Painful Whip Stroke.” This weapon is particularly well-suited for strength-based characters like Paladins, Fighters, or Barbarians.

Sorrow – Stats Overview:

  • Two-handed glaive
  • +1 weapon enchantment
  • Cantrip: Painful Whip Stroke
  • +1d10+1 slashing damage

Where can I find the glaive Sorrow? To get the glaive, you need to rescue Halsin and return to the Emerald Grove and speak with the NPC Rath. After that, you will receive a “Rune of the Wolf.”

Alternatively, you can also steal the rune. This rune can then be used in the enclave library. Once you activate all four runes, you will find the weapon in the basement.

Bloody Two-Handed Axe

What can the weapon do? This two-handed axe is one of the best weapons for the beginning of the game. You can easily carry this weapon well into the second act of the game.

It inflicts slashing damage, and if someone who is proficient with two-handed axes wields it, the damage is increased. If your hit points drop to 50%, you inflict additional damage.

Bloody Two-Handed Axe – Stats Overview

  • Two-handed great axe
  • +1 weapon enchantment
  • 1d12+5 slashing damage
  • At hit points at 50%: Additional 1-4 damage.

Where can I find the weapon? You can easily buy this weapon. Go to the merchant Roah Moonglow inside the Goblin Camp. Coordinates – X: 274, Y: -32.

Here you can find 5 helpful tips for Baldur’s Gate 3:

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5 helpful tips for Baldur’s Gate 3

Best Ranged Weapons in the Early Game

Next, we present to you a selection of the best ranged weapons that you can obtain early in the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Harold

What can the weapon do? Harold is a ranged weapon and is one of the best weapons that players can obtain early in the game. Every hit with Harold has a chance to curse enemies, reducing their effectiveness and making them more vulnerable to damage.

Harold – Stats Overview:

  • Heavy crossbow, two-handed
  • Range: 18 m
  • 1d10 piercing damage
  • Weapon enchantment +1
  • Suitable for ranged characters like Rangers.

Where can I find the weapon? During the quest “Find the Missing Delivery,” the weapon is awarded by Zarys as a reward for recovering her lost delivery. Do not open the delivery, but bring it back unopened.

When you finally reach the Zhentarim hideout, there is a possibility to hand the delivery to Zarys. The hideout is located in the villa at the waypoint “Waukeen’s Rest.” This way, you receive gold and the rare crossbow called “Harold” as a reward for your integrity and commitment.

Titan String Bow

What can the weapon do? This longbow deals additional damage equal to your strength modifier, which can be quite powerful.

Titan String Bow – Stats Overview:

  • Two-handed longbow
  • +1 weapon enchantment
  • Effect Titan Weapon: Additional damage equal to the strength modifier.
  • 1d8+3 piercing damage
  • Range: 18 m

Where can I find the weapon? You can purchase this bow from the merchant at the Zhentarim hideout, it couldn’t be easier. Coordinates for the hideout – -65, Y: 566.

Spell Sniper, Shock Shooter

What can the weapons do? When you deal damage with one of these weapons, the wielder gains two lightning charges. This is a buff that gives you an additional +1 on attack rolls, and you deal an additional 1 lightning damage.

If you receive 5 charges, they are consumed, and on the next attack, you deal an additional 1-8 lightning damage. You lose one charge per turn.

Spell Sniper – Stats Overview:

  • Combat staff, one-handed or two-handed
  • 1d8 bludgeoning damage
  • Very suitable for wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks.

Shock Shooter – Stats Overview:

  • Two-handed longbow
  • 1d8 piercing damage
  • Range: 18 m
  • Suitable for dexterity-based characters such as Rogues (Astarion) and Rangers.

Where can I find the weapons? North of the waypoint “Waukeen’s Rest,” you will encounter a burning house.
Yeva urgently needs your support to rescue the people, including Advisor Florrick, from the burning house. If you successfully complete the task, you can then choose one of the three weapons as a reward.

Best Weapons for Beginners – Outlook: These weapons provide you with an excellent foundation to successfully start your adventure in Baldur’s Gate 3. The choice of the right weapon depends on your character and your preferred play style. Experiment with different weapons to find out which one suits your heroes best.

In the later part of Act 1, even stronger weapons await you. For now, these best weapons will help you along the way.

More about Baldur’s Gate 3: You can get a legendary sword in Act 1 if you’re a cowardly save scummer

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

Baldur’s Gate 3: Save the Owlbear Cub – How to Get the Cute Companion

With the owlbear cub, Baldur’s Gate 3 offers you a heartwarming animal companion. MeinMMO reveals how to secure this companion.

Update from 07.04.2025: We have slightly revised the article.

Where can you find the owlbear cub in Baldur’s Gate 3? You can win a cute owlbear cub as a friend. To do this, you must save it twice before it appears in your camp:

  • Owlbear Nest: X: 86, Y: 448
  • Goblin Camp: X: -112, Y: 430

Initially, you will find a helpful feature that makes life in Baldur’s Gate 3 easier:

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A useful feature can make your life in Baldur’s Gate 3 much easier

Baldur’s Gate 3: Save the owlbear cub and find a friend for life

This is how you find the owlbear cub in the nest: The first time you encounter the owlbear cub in Baldur’s Gate 3, it is with its mother in the owlbear nest. The spell (or potion) “Speak with Animals” helps with most checks regarding the owlbear cub.

  • Go to these coordinates, west of the Emerald Grove: X: 86, Y: 448
  • Crawl into the cave to the owlbear nest
  • Keep the owlbear cub alive
  • Spar the owlbear mother or kill her
  • If you killed the mother, then interact with the cub afterwards

In the owlbear nest, you can also find a gilded chest that you can open.

This is how you rescue the owlbear cub from the goblin camp: If you kept the owlbear cub alive in the nest, you will encounter it again in the goblin camp. When you interact with the owlbear cub there, it leads to a discussion with the NPC “Krolla”.

  • Free the owlbear cub from the goblins’ clutches
  • Goblin camp coordinates: -112, Y: 430
  • Tell Krolla you are leaving and taking the cub with you
  • You have the following options:
    • Persuade
    • Intimidate
    • Illithid Mind Control
    • Bribe (500 gold)
  • Speak to the owlbear cub to have it pick up your trail: Pass the animal handling check, or use the spell (or potion) “Speak with Animals”

Alternatively: Slaughter all goblins and their allies in the goblin camp – after speaking with the owlbear cub. This way, the owlbear cub escapes and also returns to you.

A feared but also cute friend in the camp: On a random day, the owlbear cub will appear in your camp. To gain a new friend, you still have to go through a few trust tests. After that, the owlbear cub will gradually gain your trust and will appear at regular intervals in the camp.

This is what you need to do:

  • Pass the animal handling check – roll at least a 10
  • Feed the owlbear cub
  • At first, it will flee into the forest, but it will return
  • Heal the owlbear cub’s wound
  • Accept its food

What kind of animals are these? The owlbear is a creature from the Dungeons & Dragons universe. They are usually considered particularly bloodthirsty and one of the most feared predators. Owlbears are majestic beings and a cross between a bear and a giant owl.

With their sharp claws and pointed beaks, they are beings deserving of respect. However, our little feathered companion in the camp presents itself in a completely different light.

Are you also a bookworm in private? In Baldur’s Gate 3, there are numerous interesting books to discover: Players give 3 reasons why you should read every damn book in Baldur’s Gate 3

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

Monster Hunter Wilds: Alma Quest Guide – How to Start ‘The Apple of Her Eye’

In Monster Hunter Wilds, you can start the quest “The Apple of Her Eye” after downloading the first Title Update to give Alma a new pair of glasses. But where does the quest start, and what do you need to do for it? We will show you.

How do I start Alma’s quest? To start Alma’s quest, you must have downloaded Update 1.010.00 first. After that, log in to Monster Hunter Wilds and speak with Alma first. She will tell you about her glasses. Now the quest “Blurred Vision” begins. You can find all the quest steps here:

  1. Talk to Alma to start the quest (the location doesn’t matter, but we recommend the Crimson Forest)
  2. Now go from the base camp of the Crimson Forest to the marked river and talk to the Wudwud “Champel”
  3. Look around for a Wudwud with glasses
  4. Then go to the “Wudwud Hideout” in the Crimson Forest and talk to Donk
  5. Rest until “Night” and “Abundance” are active and then return to the Wudwud Hideout
  6. Talk to the Wudwud “Donk” at the entrance
  7. Gather information from the celebrating Wudwuds on the roof of the hideout (can be reached by vines)
    • Talk to 4 Wudwuds that are marked with exclamation points
  8. Visit Wilbrill, who is near the campfire in the Wudwud camp (not on the roof, but below in the covered camp)
    • Wilbrill is hanging in a nest of leaves and sleeping
  9. Obtain Eastland Honey
    • Can be acquired through trading with Ren
    • Can be obtained with some luck by collecting honey
  10. Deliver the Eastland Honey to Wilbrill to complete the quest

What rewards are there? Once you have completed the quest, you will have the opportunity to craft the Strategist Glasses and the Square Glasses for Alma. Additionally, you can now equip Alma with new skins and change her glasses. In the future, more skins for Alma may appear, which you can then add to her wardrobe.

Those were all the important steps for Alma’s quest. If you are looking for more guides on monsters or weapons, we have the right overview with all the help for you. You can find more about it here: Monster Hunter Wilds: All Guides, Starter Tips, and Information Overview

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

Monster Hunter Wilds: Mizutsune Guide – How to Defeat the Elegant Leviathan

With the first major Title Update (TU1), Mizutsune moves in as a new monster in Monster Hunter Wilds. The agile leviathan is very cunning, so caution is required. We will show you how to defeat him safely.

Where can I find Mizutsune? To hunt Mizutsune, you must first have reached Hunter Rank 21. Then speak to the NPC Kanya in the Base Camp in the Crimson Forest. You will find her by the lake in your camp, recognizable by her fishing rod.

If Kanya does not have the quest for you, you must first complete at least the first fishing quest with her. If Kanya does not have the quest for you, you must first complete at least the first fishing quest with her.

Once you have spoken to her, the optional mission “Spirit in the Moonlight” will be unlocked, and you can go after Mizutsune. Once you have hunted him down, he will appear freely in the Crimson Forest and in Wyveria on the map, so you can hunt him there or you can start the optional 5-star quest “Flowers in Purple Foam” with Alma.

What you need to know about him and how to defeat him best can be read here. If you are interested in what loot you can get from him, you can take a look at our monster list: Monster Hunter Wilds: All monsters with weaknesses, locations, and loot in the list

Update from April 7, 2025: We have added information about the Soulseer-Mizutsune.

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Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds shows its first title update with a new monster

Exploiting Mizutsune’s Weaknesses

What weaknesses does Mizutsune have? You should focus on Dragon, Ice, or Thunder as your best elemental options. The leviathan has a weakness against these elements.

He is resistant to fire and water. He is also moderately weak to various status effects (2*).

What weak points does he have and what can be severed and broken? His mouth is his weak point. Head, claws, dorsal fin, and tail can be broken. You can also sever his tail.

Preparation is Key – Things to Consider

This is how you optimally prepare for the hunt: Before the hunt or when you have started the quest, you should eat a meal to strengthen yourself. In addition to healing potions, the following items in your bag will be helpful:

  • Pitfall Trap
  • Shock Trap
  • Thunderbombs
  • Cleaner against Bubbleblight
  • Tranquilizers or ammunition if you want to capture him

Sound bombs have no effect on him. Also, make sure to bring weapons that have an element that Mizutsune is weak to. Abilities like Earplugs or those that increase your resistances to water and fire damage are also helpful.

Mizutsune’s Attacks: How He Harms You

Mizutsune can hit you with the following attacks:

Basic Attacks

  • Body Slam: He stands on his hind legs and after a few seconds slams back down to the ground, burying everything underneath him – including you.
  • Claw Attack: Mizutsune raises his paws and lets them go at you after a short delay.
  • Spin Jump: Mizutsune can jump a large distance and spins, potentially knocking back the hunters hit by the attack.
  • Tail Attack: Mizutsune frequently resorts to this type of attack. He spins around and sweeps everything down with his tail.
  • Water Shot: Mizutsune shoots a stream of water forward or moves it sideways to hit his hunters.

Bubble Attacks

  • Bubble Breath: Mizutsune raises his head and shoots a series of bubbles from left to right (or from right to left). Typically, this movement is followed by an identical attack in the opposite direction.
  • Unstable Bubble Breath: Mizutsune jumps backward and expels a large, single bubble that deals moderate damage. This bubble can still be burst.
  • Bubble Launcher: Mizutsune spins quickly in place and expels many bubbles that spread out while circling around his original position. These bubbles can come in three colors:
    • Normal (White/Pink/Blue) – Deals damage and continuously stacks Bubbleblight
    • Red – Grants a damage boost
    • Green – Heals
  • Fire Bubbles: When Mizutsune is angry, he can also make bubbles explode, causing great damage.
  • Bubbleblight: If you collect too many bubbles, you will receive the Bubbleblight status. This causes you to move poorly and take more damage.

Soulseer-Mizutsune

If you break his head, Mizutsune will go blind and enter the Soulseer state. While in this state, he becomes enraged and his eyes glow blue. He then perceives his surroundings mainly through his bubbles. His attacks become faster and more intense. Additionally, he starts shooting larger, blue-burning bubbles that can explode.

Catch Your Chances: These Tips Will Help You Defeat Him Safely

When Mizutsune is angry, he spits out a large explosion-like bubble. After this, he is exhausted for a few seconds and his mouth becomes a weak point that you can immediately target with a focus attack to deal significant damage.

You can also dodge his water beam attacks and attack from the side, as he is well occupied at that moment and cannot inflict any damage otherwise. Additionally, you should focus on continuously inflicting injuries and maximizing them to extract the optimal damage.

You should also always pay attention to the colors of his bubbles and burst the green and red bubbles to gain their buffs.

Mizutsune is not the only new content that has come to Monster Hunter Wilds with Title Update 1. If you want to get an overview of what the first major update has brought, take a look here: Monster Wilds gets its first major Title Update and we get exactly what we all wanted

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

CoD Warzone: Meta – The best weapons with loadouts at a glance

If you want to play for the round victory in Call of Duty: Warzone, you should take the best weapons of the game. We show you what the current meta is.

What kind of overview is this? We looked at which weapons are played a lot in Call of Duty: Warzone. Based on that, we created an overview of the current meta weapons of the Battle Royale.

The 5 Best Weapons in CoD Warzone

These are the meta weapons: In selecting the 5 meta weapons, we focused on the 2 strongest assault rifles for medium to long-range combat and the strongest submachine guns for close-range combat, as well as the HDR as the currently best sniper rifle.

These are the top 5 meta weapons:

  1. SWAT 5.56 with the Grau upgrade (Assault Rifle)
  2. C9 (Submachine Gun)
  3. KRIG C (Assault Rifle)
  4. LADRA (Submachine Gun)
  5. HDR (Sniper Rifle)
Start video
CoD Black Ops 6: Prestige explained – Is it worth it?

The Meta Builds of the 5 Best Weapons

What are these builds? The individual weapons can, of course, be played with various attachments, resulting in quite different loadouts. Therefore, we list the loadout for each meta weapon from the top 5 that is currently played the most.

HDR (Sniper Rifle)

  • Muzzle: Silencer (Monolithic)
  • Barrel: Barrel with Progressive Twist
  • Grip: Command Grip
  • Magazine: Magazine Extension 1
  • Fire Modification: 108 mm Overpressure Ammo

SWAT 5.56 (Assault Rifle)

  • Sight: Reflex Sight Volzhskiy
  • Muzzle: Monolithic Silencer
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Magazine: Magazine Extension for Full Auto
  • Fire Modification: Grau Upgrade

C9 (Submachine Gun)

  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Long Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
  • Magazine: Magazine Extension 2
  • Grip: Command Grip

Kilo 141 (Assault Rifle)

  • Sight: 3x Sight Willis
  • Muzzle: Compensator with Holes
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Magazine: Magazine Extension 2

LADRA (Submachine Gun)

  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Long Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Magazine: Magazine Extension 2
  • Grip: Command Grip

Strong Loadouts for Warzone

Which loadouts are recommended? In Warzone, you have to be prepared for both long and short-range battles. Especially a combination of assault rifle and submachine gun is therefore recommended, such as:

  • SWAT 5.56 with Grau Upgrade + C9
  • KRIG-C + LADRA

If you want to play the HDR, it is advisable to pack an assault rifle as a secondary weapon. Currently, the strongest combination is HDR and SWAT 5.56 with Grau upgrade. Other assault rifles work as well. Various options would be:

  • HDR + SWAT 5.56 with Grau Upgrade
  • HDR + GPR 91
  • HDR + Kilo 141

That way you are equipped for both short and long distances.

If you are not only playing the Battle Royale of Call of Duty, but also regularly playing in the multiplayer of Black Ops 6, you are probably also interested in the best weapons of the most recent installment of the shooter series: CoD Black Ops 6: Meta – The Best Weapons

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

Hunters in Monster Hunter Wilds worship a hidden bird that distributes gifts

The new update for Monster Hunter Wilds introduced a new NPC that is already being worshipped by players. We at MeinMMO will show you how to find the big, beautiful bird that is revered by players.

This is the situation: Anyone who reaches Hunter Rank 16 in Monster Hunter Wilds can gain access to “The Great Site”, a social hub that is much more suitable for experienced and successful hunters like you will be than the barren starting camp.

In this “The Great Site”, Capcom has hidden a bonus feature that hunters are increasingly discovering: a large, extremely round, yellow bird.

How exactly you get to this bird, we explain to you on MeinMMO in this short video:

Start video
So findet ihr das flauschige Huhn in Monster Hunter Wilds

Fluffy bird distributes gifts

What does the bird bring? The bird has chicks around it that collect items and deposit them in the nest. The bird has no use for them and instead gives the items away to players who pass by.

The site PCGamer reports that the bird distributes

  • Crafting items
  • Resources that can be shared with villagers
  • but also items that can be sold for cash.

He does admirable things

This is being discussed: On reddit, hunters are singing the praises of the new friend. Some even call him a bird-god. It is said:

“He is as kind as he is fluffy.”

“I ran around him and bumped into him and he stood up. I have never felt so much fear because I thought I had angered God. But luckily, he is a benevolent god and forgave me before lying back down.”

“If you hang around him for a while, he does a few things that are all fun and admirable. I won’t reveal what he does, but it’s great.”

More information about the new update in Monster Hunter Wilds and what it changes in the so successful monster hunt can be found in our article on MeinMMO: “What the hell was that?!” – Players found Monster Hunter Wilds too easy, new update now breaks hunters in droves

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

Dark Souls fans find mysterious bird in Monster Hunter Wilds: ‘I joined immediately, didn’t even read the fine print’

Players have discovered a mysterious giant bird in Monster Hunter Wilds. Fans of Dark Souls know immediately what to do and swear their loyalty to it.

What kind of strange bird is this? The giant bird is located in a hidden cave in Monster Hunter Wilds. There, it sits in a large nest surrounded by smaller birds. Its body resembles a fluffy egg, with eyes and a beak.

You can find out how to find this bird in this video:

Start video
So findet ihr das flauschige Huhn in Monster Hunter Wilds

A little secret brings players back to Dark Souls

A certain type of player feels transported to another world: Just as the light shines down on the bird, many a Dark Souls player feels compelled to pledge an oath to it. This is also the case for Reddit user angelXholika, who shared her first reaction to the bird in a post in the subreddit r/MHWilds:

“My first thoughts when I found this bird,” writes angelXholika, showing a screenshot with a pop-up from Dark Souls inserted at the bottom. This pop-up always appeared when a new Covenant was offered to you.

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What are Covenants? In the first Dark Souls, some NPCs offered so-called “Covenants” that players could join. The mysterious yet majestic presence of the bird makes it seem like one of those NPCs.

Even though this Covenant mechanic doesn’t exist in Monster Hunter Wilds, that doesn’t stop fans from pledging an oath anyway:

  • Metaruoreo89 comments on the post: “I joined immediately, didn’t even read the fine print, lol.” angelXholika then confirms that she and her team also pledged their oath to the bird. Both share pictures of this moment.
  • redshieldheroz reminds them of Snuggly the Crow, another famous bird from Dark Souls. angelXholika also immediately thought of Snuggly’s lines “You! You! Just give me…”.

Have you discovered this little secret yet? Feel free to let us know in the comments what went through your mind. If you need help with Monster Hunter Wilds, you can find all our guides, beginner tips, and information about Monster Hunter Wilds here.

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

The 5 Best Raid Mechanics in WoW of All Time

World of Warcraft had many raids – and even more mechanics. Here we present to you the 5 best among them.

Over the course of more than 20 years, World of Warcraft has released a lot of raids – more than 40 in total and several hundred bosses, each of which had dozens of mechanics that had to be played correctly. Although many mechanics have repeated themselves over the years or function very similarly, there are a few that have remained memorable due to their creativity or entertainment value.

In this article, we want to take a look back at 5 very special raid mechanics from the history of World of Warcraft that have remained memorable due to their creativity.

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3 NPCs mit seltsamen Realvorbildern in WoW

Class Calls in Blackwing Lair

One of the first bosses in World of Warcraft was the great dragon Nefarian, who could be found at the end of Blackwing Lair. Not only was this one of the few bosses with clearly separated phases that differed drastically, but also the owner of one of the most interesting raid mechanics ever, the so-called “Class Calls”.

During the fight, Nefarian called forth individual classes repeatedly, forcing the respective characters to take action:

  • When Nefarian, for example, called the “Mages”, they began to transform their own allies into various animals using Polymorph.
  • If Paladins were called, they suddenly granted Nefarian a blessing, making him untouchable for a few seconds.
  • Warlocks suddenly summoned Infernal beasts that stunned player characters and then dealt high damage.
WoW 5 Bossmechaniken Nefarian Dragon
Nefarian was one of the most creative bosses from Classic.

This way, all classes had their own mechanic – a tradition that Blizzard continued even after introducing new classes (like Death Knights or Monks).

With Dragonflight, Blizzard wanted to bring this mechanic back in the renewed fight against Nefarian, but it proved to be difficult in terms of balance, as raids would then tend to leave the “worst” classes out of the fight.

Even today, Nefarian’s “Class Calls” hold a special place in the hearts of many WoW fans. It’s also one of the few Classic mechanics that was exceptionally complex and versatile.

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

The 5 Most Expensive Ships in Star Citizen

A short time ago, Star Citizen achieved the milestone of 800 million US dollars in crowdfunding revenue. This is made possible in part by the continuously new spaceships that are sold for real money. In this special, MeinMMO takes a look at the most expensive ships of the SciFi MMO.

Although Star Citizen has still not officially launched after 14 years of development, the MMO continues to enjoy steady millions in revenue in 2025. Recently, it even managed to surpass the historical threshold of 800 million US dollars.

The impetus for the uninterrupted flow of money that continues to this day was the Kickstarter campaign launched in 2012, which aimed to raise 500,000 US dollars but ended up bringing in 2,134,374 million US dollars. Since then, it has primarily been starter packs and spaceships from the store that have been contributing to the cash flow.

The Polaris was introduced in November 2024, is supposed to cost nearly 1,000 euros, and still does not make it into the top 5 of the most expensive ships from Star Citizen. Here is the trailer:

Start video
Star Citizen: The new capital ship Polaris in trailer

The developers are naturally aware of this and therefore seize every opportunity to offer new spaceships or special variants of well-known ships at sometimes enormous prices, and in return, remove older ships from the store. The five most expensive spaceships in Star Citizen’s history are presented to you by MeinMMO below.

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Rank 5: Idris-P

Star Citizen: Idris-P
The Idris-P from Star Citizen.
  • Price: 1,500 euros
  • Ship Type: Frigate (Combat)
  • Size: Capital / 240 meters long
  • Crew: Maximum 28 people

The Idris-P is a slightly more expensive version of the Idris-M, which costs 1,000 euros and is more suited for military operations. The P variant does not include “ship-to-ship guns” and the spine mounts instead features increased cargo capacity and speed.

The frigate is currently not available in the Star Citizen shop and is still in the production and testing phase before being implemented into the game. The last update apparently occurred three months ago.

Next up on the next page with ranks 4 and 3.

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

A face of German gaming is in financial trouble, facing harsh criticism

The influencer and host Simon Krätschmer is firmly rooted in German gaming and someone whom many gamers around 30 associate with their youth. In the 2000s, the now 46-year-old was a host at GIGA and later created the show GameOne. Since 2015, he has been with RocketBeans TV on and off. But now he is addressing the fans in a video.

These are his financial struggles: Krätschmer is facing similar financial difficulties as the Twitch streamer Tanzverbot:

Krätschmer earned well in previous years but did not immediately settle the tax bill back then.

In recent years, his income has significantly decreased.

Now the tax office is demanding a huge tax payment for the “good years”, which Krätschmer cannot easily pay.

Simon Krätschmer has about 440 viewers on Twitch – in 2021, it was an average of 2,000:

Start video
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He has the money, but doesn’t want to sell at a loss

This is what he says about his situation: Krätschmer says (via youtube) that while he has the money the tax wants, that money is tied up in investments, cryptocurrencies, stocks, and ETFs, in which he is currently at a loss because everything is crashing. Therefore, he is reluctant to sell the investments at this time.

The high demand from the tax office has caught him off guard and it weighs heavily on him; he hasn’t been able to sleep either. Although he names some individuals who have acted poorly and are involved in his current financial difficulties, he also says that ultimately, it was his mistake.

Therefore, he asks his community that if they ever wanted to buy something from him to support him, now is the ideal time for that:

You don’t have to help me, but right now I could really use some money. If you ever wanted to buy anything, now is a good time.

The 46-year-old says he thought: if others ask their fans for money, why shouldn’t he?

Then he talks about the “good years” when he earned €300,000. Times when he still had 4,000 viewers and plenty of advertising deals.

Viewers talk about the steep fall

How is this being discussed? In the comments on YouTube, Krätschmer has to hear quite a bit, and on Reddit, his video is discussed critically. It is often read that he is begging for money. A post on Reddit about Rocketbeans is titled “BeggarMon”.

In one YouTube comment, there is talk of a “steep fall”. Many say they have followed Krätschmer for 20 years, have been big fans, but the video and his behavior in recent years come off as unsympathetic. He, as someone with a lot of money, is asking his fans for support.

Some viewers in the comments on YouTube express their annoyance at the audacity of the influencer to ask his fans for money because he refuses to liquidate his assets. One says: “If I can live on €500, you can do it too.”

Another user states: “I don’t even know what’s worse. Rich people living off donations or the people who donate money to rich people.”

A consequence to save money is something Krätschmer is already doing:

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Krätschmer feels misunderstood and says on Twitter that it was not meant that way. His video is being used as a template to “trash talk about his life”. It is too exhausting for him. He is also a person. Several years ago, we reported about a colleague of Simon Krätschmer from RocketBeans on MeinMMO: German gaming influencer causes a shitstorm on Twitter

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

Ubisoft has a ‘creative’ idea to earn even more money with its most successful game

Ubisoft is reportedly planning a new installment of its most successful game, according to an insider report. Rainbow Six Siege is set to receive a completely new gameplay perspective.

Which game is it? The financially most successful game of Ubisoft is the tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege. This was revealed in a financial report on October 30, 2024.

It was stated that the company has earned over 3.5 billion euros with Rainbow Six Siege since its release in December 2015. This made the shooter almost as much as the entire Assassin’s Creed series, which at that time had earned Ubisoft 4 billion euros.

Game series such as Far Cry (2 billion €), Ghost Recon, and The Division (both 1 billion €) lag behind Rainbow Six: Siege, even though they released several new games during that period.

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New game for Rainbow Six with a new perspective

What kind of idea is it to earn even more money? As the well-connected industry insider Tom Henderson reports on his website Insider-Gaming, Ubisoft is currently developing a new game in the Universe of Rainbow Six, which could be released in one to two years.

The new game is supposed to be a turn-based strategy game from a top-down perspective. This means you look at the played character from above. According to Henderson, various operators from Rainbow Six: Siege will be available to you as playable characters. The gameplay loop is also said to resemble that of the tactical shooter. Players would choose operators with different abilities to storm buildings and complete objectives such as rescuing a hostage.

A source compared the game to the popular strategy game XCOM to Henderson. The insider quotes: “Just look at some XCOM games if you want to get a picture. I would say it’s an updated version of that, with cinematic cutscenes and so on.”

The new game is being developed for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC and may also be released for the Nintendo Switch 2, for which Nintendo recently revealed the release date.

Has Ubisoft ever attempted such a spin-off before? The upcoming game for Rainbow Six is already the second attempt to leverage the success of Rainbow Six: Siege for a new game. In January 2022, they released the PvE shooter Rainbow Six: Extraction, which never really resonated well with players. In the meantime, the shooter is stagnating. The last major announcement regarding the game was the roadmap for the year 2023 (via ubisoft.com).

According to various industry experts and insiders, Ubisoft has been in a financial crisis for some time. A new game for Rainbow Six: Siege is likely to provide relief.

The tactical shooter is also part of the newly formed partnership between Ubisoft and the Chinese mega-corporation Tencent, which both companies first announced on March 27. They are establishing a subsidiary responsible for the development of Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Tencent invested around 1.16 billion US dollars for a 25 percent stake: Ubisoft is now collaborating with Tencent, selling shares in 3 important game series for 1 billion euros.

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

The Art Director of WoW and Overwatch has unexpectedly passed away

On April 5, 2025, the death of William ‘Bill’ Petras was announced. A close friend and long-time colleague of the deceased made this known. Petras was the artistic director of World of Warcraft and Overwatch at Blizzard.

Who was Petras? Bill Petras was the artistic director of World of Warcraft at Blizzard Entertainment for 8 years, from 1997 to 2005, significantly influencing the style of WoW. Before that, Petras worked on Starcraft at Blizzard.

In 2005, Petras left Blizzard to work as a co-founder of the developer studio Red5 on the MMO Firefall. In 2010, Petras returned to Blizzard and was the artistic director of Overwatch and Overwatch 2 until 2021.

Former Employees Mourn

The news of Petras’s unexpected death reached the public through a LinkedIn post by Harley D. Huggins, a long-time friend and colleague of Petras. They had been good friends for about 28 years and started at Blizzard in the same week. Huggins writes:

I will miss our regular, long, rambling conversations about life, game development, games, art, comics, toys, monster movies, and Conan. He will be greatly missed by me and all who knew him.

Many other former employees of Petras are mourning their former colleague. Petras’s former companion at Blizzard, James Waugh, finds emotional words:

The loss of William Petras breaks my heart. Billy was someone I worked closely with during the transition from Titan to Overwatch, and he was an important partner in the short films and comics and building the world and all those things. He was incredible. Kind. Generous and sincere. He was the kind of person who built trust immediately, and you knew he really cared. […]. The industry has lost one of its masters, and the world has lost a great person.” – via LinkedIn

With Petras’s death, the world of gaming has lost a person who played a crucial role in what is perhaps the most important MMORPG in history. A game that has a long history of its own: The story of World of Warcraft to date – all the lore summarized

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

“I would rather go to work than play this” – Path of Exile 2 is no longer fun, complain fans

In Path of Exile 2 the new season started on April 4. This is now receiving sharp criticism from players. The game is no longer fun. One player even says: He would rather go to work than play.

What are the players criticizing? Path of Exile 2 has nerfed numerous skills and items with the new season “Dawn of the Hunt”. The patch notes make it clear: All the strongest builds have been destroyed. A part of the community is now criticizing this.

After the nerfs, the combat system no longer feels good, no longer fun, and the newly added or extended cooldowns do not help. And without the powerful builds, the game is too difficult for some players.

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

“It feels like they forgot what makes a spear fun”

What exactly are the players saying about the nerfs? One player is so disappointed that he even canceled the vacation he had taken for the update, he explains on Reddit:

“I actually wanted to take a day or two off to play the game. But I canceled my vacation that I had submitted. I would rather go to work than play the game. […] Path of Exile should have exciting abilities that feel great when you use them. The fights should feel good. This does not feel good. Not at all. Every single nerf you made needs to be reversed.”

The post received over 7,000 upvotes and more than 1,400 comments within a day. Many players agree with him. One commenter says: “It feels like they forgot what makes a spear fun.”

Another says: “Jonathan [Note: Jonathan Rogers, game director of PoE 2] said he wanted the fights to be fun, but I just don’t see how any of this is supposed to be really fun. Zero damage, the areas are way too large, the movement speed is way too low.”

The opinion of many fans is: “You really messed it up.”

Developers respond to criticism

This is the latest status: Since the update on April 4, Path of Exile has received many angry reviews on Steam. 64% of all reviews since the start of the new season are negative.

The developers responded to some of the criticism and reduced the health points of numerous enemies. This is supposed to help make defeating the respective monsters easier despite the many damage nerfs.

The current situation of Path of Exile 2 is reminiscent of the developments of the co-op shooter Helldivers 2. After an impressive release, it was heavily criticized by players when several of the most popular weapons were nerfed. The community complained that the developers were patching the fun out of the game, and they responded with an elaborate plan to save the game: Head of Helldivers 2 promises to fix the game within 60 days

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

Developer Asks on Reddit if a Silly Name Will Hurt His Game, Now Has Huge Hit on Steam

In December 2024, a young developer asked in a forum on reddit if he might be jeopardizing his chances of success with his abstract name. Because the name of his game refers to a term from US law. Today we know: no. Because Schedule 1 became a massive hit on Steam.

That was the question: On December 12, 2024, the developer Tyler from “Tyler’s Video Game Studio” asked on reddit GameDev:

I’m a little worried that the name “Schedule 1” is too niche and vague and may limit my audience too much. Most games similar to it have “drugs” or “narco” in the title. I’m considering changing the name.

He was very grateful for feedback.

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Schedule I shows in the trailer what the simulation of criminal life looks like

How important is a name for the success of a game on Steam?

What were the answers? The developer’s question sparked lively discussion on reddit. The responses were friendly but not particularly conclusive:

The answer with the most upvotes was: He thinks too much about this. The title isn’t that important; it only appears at the end of trailers.

Another said: Really bad names could harm games; particularly very long names are difficult.

Another one said: He likes the name “Schedule I,” he doesn’t even know what it means, but when he saw pictures of it, he could immediately associate the name with the game.

A fourth reddit user explicitly advised the developer to avoid something like “Drug Dealer Simulator.” That makes him yawn. Especially the images of his game are good. He will succeed with it.

What does “Schedule 1” even mean?

Where does the name come from? “Schedule 1” is a name from US law. The drug agency DEA classifies under “Schedule 1” all drugs that have the highest potential for abuse, so to speak, drugs of the highest hazard level.

In total, there are 5 different levels of danger.

One of the reddit users warned the Australian developer to take the name. It is very “US-specific.”

Another responded ironically that “Grand Theft Auto – GTA” also refers to a US law.

But the developer said that is true. The name is US-centric, but he hopes it can work if the name is established.

Developer is very successful with his game on Steam

This is how it really turned out: Schedule 1 is the hit of the month on Steam and peaked at 414,000 players. The actual number of players could be even higher. Rumor has it there are some pirated copies: A 63-year-old game has 138,000 players on Steam because pirates stole a popular game

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

Microsoft employee crashes major party with Bill Gates, gets thrown out

Microsoft is turning 50 years old and celebrated its anniversary with an event in Redmond, Washington. However, an employee of the company, Ibtihal Aboussand, crashed the celebration with a political protest and was removed from the event. She accused Microsoft of having blood on its hands.

This was the situation: The head of Microsoft AI, Mustafa Suleyman, was just giving a presentation about the long-term vision of “Copilot,” Microsoft’s artificial intelligence.

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were also in the audience at the event at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

An employee approached Suleyman and shouted, “Mustafa, shame on you.” She was escorted out of the building.

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Why do tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg keep wearing the same clothes?

Employee protests and is removed from the event

This was the employee’s protest: The employee shouted at the CEO of the AI department:

You claim that you use AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli army. 50,000 people have died, and Microsoft is enabling genocide in our country.

Suleyman said from the stage, “Thank you for the protest, I hear you.”

As the employee was pushed out of the room, she shouted that Suleyman and everyone at Microsoft had blood on their hands. She threw a scarf onto the stage, which serves as a supportive symbol for the people in Gaza.

As she was being escorted out, she shouted: How dare you celebrate here when Microsoft is killing children?

Suleyman stood visibly moved on stage, looking down and repeatedly said that they could hear her.

Here you can see how the situation unfolds:

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Employee saw no other way to articulate her protest

Who is the woman? She is an employee of Microsoft, Ibithal Aboussad. As The Verge learned from sources, the employee reached out to “hundreds or thousands” of employees at Microsoft in an email after the event.

She has been working at Microsoft for three and a half years as a Software Engineer in AI and decided to protest when she learned that her company was supporting the genocide of her people.

The employee writes that Microsoft has suppressed dissent from her colleagues, and there was no other way for her to make her voice heard than through public protest.

She writes that initially she was glad to be working on AI at Microsoft. However, she was not informed that Microsoft would sell her work to the Israeli military, intending to spy on and kill journalists, doctors, aid workers, and entire families. If she had known that her work would be used to better target Palestinians, she would not have joined the company. She did not sign up to code that violates human rights.

This is what Microsoft says: In a statement to PC Gamer, Microsoft stated:

We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard. It’s important that this happens in a way that does not disrupt business operations. If this occurs, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to conducting our business practices to the highest standards.

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

Everyone is only talking about the thighs of the new heroine in Marvel Rivals

The third-person shooter Marvel Rivals (PC, PS5, Xbox) is one of the most successful recent games on Steam. The hero shooter features heroes from the Marvel superhero universe. Compared to earlier hero shooters like Overwatch, Marvel Rivals has a wide selection of characters with already 37 playable heroes; the 38th is now attracting particularly much attention. On April 11, with Season 2, the new character Emma Frost will join Marvel Rivals.

This is the new heroine: With Season 2 of Marvel Rivals, the character Emma Frost, known as the White Queen, will arrive.

In the comics and films, Emma Frost is mostly an antagonist of the X-Men, belonging to the Hellfire Club. Even in the comics, she is explicitly sexualized, wearing a white corset that shows a lot of skin and using her effect on men to her advantage.

She is a powerful telepath, a capable close-combat fighter, and can transform herself into an almost unbreakable diamond form.

The idea for the character Emma Frost comes from the British series “The Avengers”: Diana Rigg, who played the agent Emma Peel in the series, is considered a worldwide sex symbol of the 1960s.
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Marvel Rivals presents its second season in an action-packed trailer

Fans are excited about Emma Frost’s thighs

This is how she appears in Marvel Rivals: In Marvel Rivals, Emma Frost will be played as Vanguard, as a tank. She will appear as the 38th character in Marvel Rivals with Season 2; later in Season 2, Ultron will become playable.

The discussion around Emma Frost mainly revolves around her character design, less about her skills.

emma-frost-marvel-rivals
This is Emma Frost’s standard skin. In the title image, you see the Revolution-X skin.

In the film X-Men: First Class (2011), Emma Frost was played by January Jones. Compared to the actress, the character was further sexualized in the video game, and, as many fans notice, made “thicc,” meaning fuller. Especially her thighs are generating a lot of comments:

  • “As a power creep, she changes the balance of the whole universe in the leg area.”
  • “I can’t decide if I want to play as her or if I want an opposing Emma Frost to crush me between her thighs.”
  • “I feel like I can just use her thighs to win and don’t even need her diamond form.”

Is this being discussed critically as well? The only criticism is that Marvel Rivals now has 3 female heroes who are blonde and whose color schemes are based on blue and white.

Besides Emma Frost, Dagger and the Invisible Woman, Sue Storm are also designed this way. There are fears of confusion. At the same time, there is a belief that the designers have similar preferences for women.

marvel-rivals-emma-frost

This is behind it: This tendency to sexualize female characters in hero shooters was also very strong in Overwatch 2016, where Blizzard planned the game to be especially family-friendly and didn’t actually want that. But fans fantasized about the heroes in Overwatch and created fan fiction. In Marvel Rivals, however, the sexualization of the characters seems to be fully planned, and fan service reaches a new level with Emma Frost: Overwatch: Sex – About Porn, Waifus, and Penis Controllers

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

Star Citizen skips the big show where they raise money, focusing on release

In 2025, there will be no CitizenCon for Star Citizen in the form that fans are used to, but rather a digital event on October 11. The developers say they want to focus on the work on Squadron 42, which is finally set to release in 2026.

This is what CIG says: In a forum post on April 4, a CIG employee says (via rsi):

No traditional CitizenCon will take place in 2025, but rather a one-day “CitizenCon Direct,” a special showcase that will show players something to look forward to.

The event is being promoted with “reveals, exciting surprises” and hints at “Bar Citizen” events, watch parties for fans.

CIG states that the reason for the change is to maintain development momentum and focus on delivering meaningful updates and improvements.

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Star Citizen: The new capital ship Polaris in trailer

Players of Star Citizen react cautiously to the announcement

This is how it’s being discussed: Under the forum post, there are some people who cynically react to the announcement because they wish for a pure focus on an imminent release. It is then stated:

“Please cancel all CitizenCons until 1.0 is released.”

“Hopefully, the excuse will be gone now that they can’t work on the game because everyone is working on CitizenCon.”

Some also say: It would be even better to hold such an event in Star Citizen itself and to make the game so stable by then that the servers can handle it. This is ultimately the “ultimate goal” – but it is pointed out to people that Star Citizen currently cannot handle nearly that many players.

However, there are also people who say: The shift to a digital event will change nothing. The developers will still neglect working on the game and will work on the DigitalCon instead.

Decision for a “clean show”

This is why it’s important: The “CitizenCon” is the event for Star Citizen that raises the most money for crowdfunding. Here, new ships are showcased, which supporters then buy for sometimes very high amounts:

  • It is an important factor for development to keep the huge project financially afloat.
  • At the same time, it draws resources away from development, causing further delays.

With such “live” events, something often goes wrong. The PC crashed during the presentation in 2024. This casts a poor light on such a project, especially for a technology-focused company.

If such an event is held digitally, the presentation can definitely be made clean and the execution can be more organized.

However, this does not necessarily mean that the developers will spend less time on the “digital event” if it is long prepared than with a live event. The statement “We are focusing on the release” is in any case the justification that Star Citizen knows the fans and supporters want to hear.

Surely the developers have thought the decision for a digital event through well. It is the decision for a “structured, organized process” in which Star Citizen is presented in the best light. Whether this really draws fewer resources away from development is unclear. Star Citizen shows gameplay on a big stage, but in the middle, the demo crashes and the audience applauds

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