Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world. Nevertheless, he drives a simple electric car that he received as a gift. Even behind the gift lies a form of commitment.
According to Forbes, Bill Gates has 107 billion US dollars. And although the Microsoft founder possesses so much money, he drives only a small electric car. And he didn’t even buy the vehicle himself, but received it as a gift from a famous musician.
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Bill Gates drives a special Fiat 500
What does Bill Gates drive? Bill Gates drives an electric Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 Electric has a list price of 29,490 euros, and with extras, the price rises to up to 40,900 euros. It is clear that the Fiat 500 is one of the more affordable models in the automotive sector.
Bill Gates’ car is a special edition developed in partnership with the (RED) initiative. This brand regularly collaborates with global partners to offer limited edition products, with up to 50% of the gross profit donated to programs fighting AIDS in Africa.
From whom did Bill Gates receive his car? Gates received his car as a birthday gift from the singer Bono. Bono and Bill Gates met through Paul Allen, the other co-founder of Microsoft. The two men quickly became friends, and Bono is considered one of Gates’ closest friends.
Bill Gates explained that he and Bono “work together on global health issues” and described the car as quite beautiful (via fortune.com).
In Pokémon GO you will soon have the chance to collect a nice amount of Stardust. To get even more, you should be attentive now.
Stardust is one of the most important resources in Pokémon GO. You need it not only to teach your Pokémon a second charge move or to use adventure effects, but especially to level up your Pokémon.
From time to time, you have the opportunity to receive a large amount of Stardust at events. In April, there will be such an opportunity again. To make the most of it, you should prepare now.
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Pokémon GO: What’s in the new Season Powerful and Masterful
Collect, collect, collect
What kind of event is this? On April 22, 2025, a Spotlight Hour will take place from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This is a one-hour event that brings you not only a Pokémon that appears in large numbers but also a bonus.
During this Spotlight Hour, you will receive double the amount of Stardust for catching Pokémon. Conveniently, there will be Bubungus as the Pokémon, which already provides a decent 500 Stardust per catch without a bonus.
If you use Star Pieces during the event, you can even get 750 Stardust per catch.
How should I prepare? If you complete field research in the game, you can also be rewarded with Pokémon encounters. Once you complete a task and leave the catch screen of the monster, you can catch the Pokémon at a later time.
To collect them later, simply open the field research screen and click on “Claim Reward” at the top.
Here you can collect the Pokémon rewards from the field research
Currently, there are 3 field research tasks where you can receive Pokémon as rewards, which also provide more Stardust. You should complete these tasks before the Spotlight Hour, save the monsters, and then catch them during the event.
This way, you can benefit from the Stardust bonus of the Spotlight Hour and receive even more of the coveted resource.
Which field research tasks are they? The field research tasks that can lead to encounters with such Pokémon are as follows:
Catch 20 Pokémon: Encounter with Paras or Wadribie
Walk 2 km: Encounter with Muschas
Hatch an egg: Encounter with Unratütox
Note that the first field research is part of the current Bug and Crab Event and can only be obtained until March 30, 2025, at 8:00 PM. The other two field research tasks can also reward you with encounters with other Pokémon. If you get other encounters here, you should catch the monsters and only keep Muschas and Unratütox.
How do I get field research? To receive field research, you simply need to spin PokéStops. Note that you can only receive a new field research if you do not already have 3 field researches.
A lot of time will pass until the Spotlight Hour on April 22, 2025. But until then, you can participate in other events happening in the game. If you want to know which ones they are and what content they bring, then feel free to take a look at our overview with all events in April 2025 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Cybersecurity experts warn that fraudsters may have a new tactic targeting players of Counter-Strike 2.
What do we know about these fraudsters? The company Silent Push has identified a potential threat to players of Counter-Strike 2 with a team of cybersecurity experts.
The company discovered a so-called “phishing campaign” where fraudsters attempt to steal players’ Steam data. A pop-up window would open in the affected users’ browser, imitating Steam and disguised as Valve’s gaming platform, asking for your Steam login information.
The experts found the pop-up window on a page claiming to let you open a free crate and then presents you with a skin supposedly obtained from it. To collect this skin, you are asked to log in through the fake Steam window, according to the experts.
This is what it looks like:
The pop-up window and the website that integrated the window along with the supposedly free crate use the eSports team NaVi to capture the attention of CS2 players.
Additionally, the experts found various posts, for example on YouTube, that promote links to the website.
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Counter-Strike 2: Valve once again impresses with the launch trailer
What happens to the stolen login data? According to Silent Push, there are websites where Steam accounts are sold. Accounts that have a large number of games are said to be particularly valuable and can be worth tens of thousands of US dollars.
The experts suspect that stolen accounts are being resold for profit.
How can you identify fake pop-up windows? Silent Push advises to be especially vigilant and points out several signs that may indicate such a tactic:
The actors behind the CS2 phishing have not bothered to create convincing, mobile-optimized phishing sites, according to Silent Push. If you’re unsure about a page/window, opening the window on your smartphone may provide a clue.
According to Silent Push, legitimate windows, including pop-ups, can be maximized, minimized, and moved outside of the browser window. However, fake pop-ups cannot be maximized, minimized, or moved outside the browser window.
The simplest way to identify a fake pop-up window, according to Silent Push, is to pull the window out of the browser window.
However, we at MeinMMO are not cybersecurity experts and can only advise you to handle your data responsibly. If you’re unsure about a pop-up window, it’s best to avoid it.
The multiverse of Dungeons & Dragons offers players and dungeon masters a sheer amount of various spells. One is particularly powerful in its own way because it can destroy entire plans in just a few moments and even jeopardize friendships.
Which spell are we talking about? We are referring to the spell “Counterspell” (engl. Counterspell). It belongs to the abjuration spells and starts at level 3, so you can learn it early on if you are a wizard, sorcerer, or warlock, or if you play subclasses or talents from other classes.
What makes it particularly powerful is that, in theory, it can interrupt any spell from an opponent – provided you cast it at the necessary level, or your target fails the necessary saving throw to protect itself.
According to the “old” rules (also known as Legacy), any spell below level 4 automatically failed if a counterspell was applied. Otherwise, the caster would have to expend a higher spell level in advance by estimating the opponent’s spell level. If it is the same or higher, the spell also automatically fails.
Otherwise, a saving throw is required, which is 10 + the level of the spell. In the new 2024 rules, the level at which the spell is cast is irrelevant. Here, only the saving throw counts.
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“My dungeon master finally told me to go f*** myself.”
As one can imagine, this spell can really mix up situations and thwart entire plans with a single action. User MiniSkullPoleTroll shares his anecdote about the spell via Reddit:
They had just reached level 7 and he chose the counterspell when leveling up with his warlock, thinking it would surely be quite useful. As fate would have it, his group soon found themselves in a fight – thanks to their wizard with a fireball, who didn’t check beforehand if there was anyone in a mine shaft or not.
Among the enemies was a strong spellcaster who was preparing a powerful spell in return. So, their dungeon master began to describe his spell, taking the moment to punish the “foolishness” of his players with an ice storm. He went into great detail, and before he could unleash the spell on the group, MiniSkullPoleTroll interrupted him with “Counterspell level 4!”.
The expression on my DM’s face was priceless. In less than a second, he went from happy to frustrated to resigned and stoic. Then he told me to go f*** myself. The way he said it is hard to describe, but it was so funny, and the tone was very resigned and downcast. I think he had forgotten that I had chosen counterspell.
In the comments, various players share similar stories. Situations where counterspell saved their characters’ lives or caused a complete party kill.
Some also mention that their group has ruined some exciting story hooks due to a thoughtless counterspell. Many dungeon masters find the spell quite annoying because important scenes or plans can be stifled right at the start.
Many DMs often lure their players with lower-level spells when they know one has a counterspell ready. The players in the comments generally agree that both the group and the DM must try to maintain balance in order not to jeopardize the fun of the game.
It requires sensitivity from both sides, and above all, the principle that dungeon masters and players are not against each other, but rather, they play the campaign together and bring the story to life.
Counterspell is thus, despite its low level, a spell not to be underestimated. However, the multiverse of Dungeons & Dragons also offers far more powerful spells that can cause quite a stir in the wrong or right hands. We have compiled the 10 most powerful spells for you in our list: Dungeons & Dragons: The 10 most powerful spells you must use
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a horror game on Steam, you should pay close attention to what you say: One wrong word could mean your end.
What kind of game is this? Cursed Companions is a co-op horror game for up to 8 players that sends you into procedurally generated dungeons filled with ghosts and monsters. The twist is that you issue many commands directly through the microphone, using voice recognition.
The developer, Crimson Forge Studios, has not yet revealed when the release is scheduled. However, you can already download a demo on Steam and try it out alone or with friends.
You can see a trailer for Cursed Companions here:
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Cursed Companions: In the horror game on Steam, you need to be careful about what you say
Talking is both a blessing and a curse here
And here’s how it works: With certain words (or phrases), you execute specific commands. Saying “Light my fire” lights your torches if you want a bit more light in the dark dungeons, and the command “it’s a trap” disables traps in the area.
Your injured comrades could use some love – a simple “all you need is love” and their wounds are healed. You can scare off some monsters by rejecting them with “you’re not my type” (one almost sympathizes).
Your goal is to search for treasures in the dungeons for your dark queen. However, these artifacts are cursed and punish you if you say a wrong word.
With a “follow me”, your comrades quickly drop to the ground. If you want to warn your friends to be cautious, be direct: A simple “careful” and they no longer have to worry about the monsters because you’ve taken care of that for them.
Is there a kind of progression involved? Yes, there is. Items that you bring back from the dungeon can be sold for gold. You can then invest this in new equipment, skill upgrades, and decorative objects for your own little estate.
Cursed Companions also offers several game modes:
In Traitor Mode, one player acts as a traitor and randomly distributes curses. The other players must figure him out before he gets them all.
In team play mode, you can even compete with two teams of up to 8v8.
Does the game support other languages as well? Unfortunately no, at least at launch, Cursed Companions will only support English. However, the developers plan to provide simple instructions that allow you to add your own language.
8.2 billion people live on Earth. However, researchers have recalculated and believe that we have miscounted by hundreds of millions of people. Because above all, one group of people has likely been greatly underestimated: The rural population.
Officially, it is estimated that 8.15 billion people live on Earth. This number is provided by the Federal Statistical Office of the Federal Republic. However, population figures are always pure estimates, as no one has really counted every person on Earth.
For this reason, there has been ongoing discussion about whether and to what extent such estimates can actually be trusted. And researchers have now stated that the current estimates are likely to be significantly off.
According to researchers, the rural population is completely underestimated in many data sets
What do the researchers say? In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers from the Finnish Aalto University show how the data of demographers “profoundly and systematically” underestimate the population figures worldwide. The problem with this is that, according to researchers, several hundred million people are supposed to be missing from the estimates. But where does this large discrepancy come from?
Where is the population missing? One aspect the researchers point to is the rural population. Because it is not correctly calculated. As Josias Láng-Ritter explains:
Our study provides evidence for the first time that a significant part of the rural population may be missing from global population data. Depending on the data set used, the rural population was underestimated by 53% to 84% during the examined period.
The results are remarkable because these data sets have been used in thousands of studies and have largely contributed to decision-making, yet their accuracy has not been systematically evaluated.
What is the actual problem? The problem is not the estimates, but the data foundation on which the estimates are based: Many states do not have the financial resources to collect extensive data about their population, and this especially affects the rural population.
According to researchers, there is a large discrepancy between the actual population and the figures on the population maps used for demographic studies. And these maps are then used for estimates, even though they are said to be inaccurate.
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What did the researchers do? The researchers reviewed a total of 5 global gridded population data sets by calculating through 3 rural areas:
First, systematic differences between the population grids are identified based on the 33 rural areas covered by all five data sets.
Subsequently, the results are broken down according to the reference year of the map and the income level of the country, two aspects that are generally believed to affect map accuracy.
Finally, the percentage deviations for the five data sets are presented in each of the 35 countries.
The problem becomes very clear with the new data: Even the lowest estimate for all areas examined consistently underestimates the reported population. It is also problematic that the estimates for several areas with more than 1,000 reported residents are close to zero. Individuals who are simply not counted in the estimates.
With an estimated or at least a made-up country, at least one Scot became very wealthy many years ago: He thrives on a South American country and becomes wealthy from it. What no one knows: The country does not exist on any map: A Scot becomes a millionaire because he sells an invented country twice
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the coming weeks, the Starblossom Festival will take place in Throne and Liberty. MyMMO summarizes what you need to know about the MMORPG’s in-game event.
When does the Starblossom Festival start? In Throne and Liberty, the event starts on March 27, 2025, and runs until April 16, 2025. You can expect an event-exclusive transformation race and special prizes like the sheep transformation “Polydolly”. Additionally, the MMORPG offers new login rewards and Twitch Drops.
Update from March 27, 2025: Today marks the start of the Starblossom Festival in Throne and Liberty. The servers are expected to be back online around 11 AM.
The trailer for the new expansion Wilderness of Talandre for Throne and Liberty:
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Throne and Liberty: Trailer shows regions of the Wilderness of Talandre expansion
Transformation Races in Throne and Liberty
The transformation races come in three different variants:
Wild Sprint: Overtake your opponents with full speed, agile movements, and quick decisions on the way to the finish line.
Rushing Stream: Swim through rivers and lakes, overcome natural and artificial obstacles, outsmart other participants, and take the first place.
Skyborne Challenge: Glide through magically created air routes and overtake your opponents.
As a reward, you can earn up to 10 Starblossom Coins per week. After that, you can obtain high-quality Stellarit. Additionally, you might win something in an item roulette with a bit of luck.
What can I do with the Starblossom Coins? You can exchange them in the event shop for the following rewards.
Title: Force of Nature
Sprint Transformation: Polydolly
Food: Skewers
Temporarily increases evasion, ability damage resistance, and all CC resistances.
Cannot be stacked with defensive food.
Food: Fish Nugget
Temporarily boosts movement and attack speed.
Cannot be stacked with beneficial food.
Food: Marble Candy
Temporarily boosts critical hit and damage rates.
Cannot be stacked with attack food.
Stellarit
Selection Chest: Noble Ore
Noble Polished Crystal
Weapon Mastery Seal: 100,000 Points
The Specialty Blossom Mochi
A typical specialty of the Starblossom Festival is called Blossom Mochi and consists of three ingredients: milk, starblossom petals, and rice flour. You can find milk at various merchants, while starblossom petals and rice flour can be obtained through daily logins and certain activities (see below).
The dish provides bonuses for Sollant, weapon mastery EXP, and efficiency of Abyss Contract tokens.
What kind of login rewards are there? For each day you log in during the festival, you will receive one of the following rewards:
Rice Flour: Send your favorite Amitoi on expeditions for more rice flour.
Starblossom Coins: Participate in races to earn even more Starblossom Coins.
Starblossom Petals: Additional starblossom petals can be obtained through fishing.
In April, a new free shooter called Steel Hunters starts on Steam, where you fight with mechs for a valuable resource.
What kind of game is it? Wargaming, the developer studio behind World of Tanks and World of Warships, will release a new game called Steel Hunters on April 2nd on Steam.
The developers describe Steel Hunters as a mix of extraction shooter and battle royale, where you control powerful steel mechs called “Hunters”.
At launch, you will have a total of 7 Hunters to choose from, each armed with different weapons, abilities, and traits like heroes in a hero shooter.
While you also control a steel war machine in Steel Hunters, Wargaming’s latest game aims to play more like a traditional shooter compared to World of Tanks.
The Hunters were created to obtain a valuable resource. As typical for an extraction shooter, you’ll roam the map with your mechs and diligently gather loot.
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Wargaming kündigt neuen Shooter Steel Hunters an
Only the best duo can extract
What is Steel Hunters about? In Steel Hunters, you compete in duos against up to four other teams of two, but unlike most extraction shooters, only the best team can escape and secure their loot.
The major differences compared to similar shooters lie in the loot and extraction.
The loot is mainly there to enhance your mech during the current round with buffs. Additionally, you’ll find in-game currency that allows you to upgrade your mech after a successful extraction.
During the extraction itself, there will be a final PvP battle against other players, and only one team can escape. The teams of various players will gather around the extraction point to fight – whoever stands last wins and gets to extract.
In terms of gameplay, it’s essential to strategically utilize your Hunters, their equipment, and the map. For example, you can use a house as cover while reloading, but your opponent might also turn that house into rubble or flank you with a swift Hunter.
Will the game receive content updates in the future? Yes, although Steel Hunters will start with 7 different playable Hunters, this does not mean that the shooter will be permanently limited to these 7 mechs.
Over time, more Hunters are expected to be added to the game, constantly expanding the gameplay. It will also be important to choose the right strategy in battles with these new Hunters and to make the most of your mech’s strengths.
In Pokémon TCG Pocket there are secret missions, the Secret Missions. You need to collect certain cards to earn rewards. However, they are not displayed in the game. MeinMMO lists all secret missions for which you will receive valuable items.
Update on March 27, 2025: The article has been updated with the latest secret missions added in the “Shiny Festival” expansion.
What are secret missions in Pokémon TCG Pocket? When you complete missions in the mobile game, you receive certain items. In the start menu, you will find the Missions option in the bottom right corner, which also includes Event Missions and Dailies.
In this menu, you will find the Focus Collection at the bottom right of the screen. There, you need to collect certain Pokémon cards that match thematically to receive a reward. One example is the Vertania Forest, for which you need to collect Caterpie, Metapod, Hornium, Kakuna, and Pikachu.
However, there are some missions that are not shown in the Focus Collection. Therefore, MeinMMO lists all hidden missions so that you can receive the respective items.
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With the new “Shiny Festival” expansion, new Secret Missions have been added. You can find the trailer for the expansion here:
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Pokémon TCG Pocket: New Trailer for the Mini Expansion Shining Festival
New Secret Missions from Shiny Festival now available in Pokémon TCG Pocket
Where can I find the rewards? You automatically receive a notification as soon as you have collected the cards. You can collect the rewards from the Missions menu.
How do I get missing cards? To obtain the remaining cards, you should not hope that they simply appear in boosters. Instead, you can specifically look for the cards in the Wonder Trade and hope to grab them in the trade.
In addition to hoarding Pack Points, there are other things you can do wrong in Pokémon TCG Pocket. To be well prepared for the game and to avoid mistakes in the further gameplay, you should carefully read the following article on MeinMMO: Pokémon TCG Pocket: 8 Things you should definitely not do wrong
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
That animation can be exciting not just for children is no longer news. Animation projects for adults can be completely different in their themes and visual languages. In this list, we present to you 5 different animation series that are particularly aimed at adults.
What kind of series are these? This list exclusively features series that are available on Netflix. They do not necessarily need to be rated FSK 16 or FSK 18 – it is purely about series that particularly appeal to adults and cover corresponding themes. Therefore, they can vary in their age rating, art style, and genre.
The list is a supplement to an already published list and thus offers a larger selection of featured animation projects.
The image rights to all series mentioned in this article belong to Netflix.
Here you can see the trailer for Love, Death & Robots, a candidate from this list:
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German trailer for the anthology series Love, Death & Robots
Tuca and Bertie are two female birds in their early 30s who are best friends despite their differences. In the series, they experience the normal experiences of young adults, but also more difficult situations in their relationships, workplaces, and families that they try to master.
Tuca & Bertie was developed by the team that also created BoJack Horseman. This is reflected not only in the recognizable art style and humor but also in confronting more serious issues that the protagonists and the viewers of the series will deal with.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There is news from Star Citizen. In a letter to the loyal fans, visionary Chris Roberts writes that a studio in Los Angeles is closing. However, that’s fine; some things need to be moved on the home stretch. He’s giving the players something, at least those who have spent a lot of money: They will receive a picture, or rather, a graphic file. This amuses the critics.
This is the message from Chris Roberts: The video game developer begins the message cheerfully (via reddit): While working full steam towards the release of Star Citizen and Squadron 42, a lot is being moved. As already announced, “key employees” will be shifted, and the studio in Los Angeles will close. Employees need to be closer to their teams and to the action.
To celebrate all the nice contributions the studio has made to the project, every member of the “Chairman’s Club” will receive a piece of history: An image of the artwork that hung above Chris Roberts’ desk: An image showing the ship “Constellation”.
The picture is meant to honor the office but also the “unwavering support of the community.”
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Star Citizen: New Trailer Introduces the 3 Factions from the Event ‘Fight for Pyro’
Chris Roberts gives a picture to large donors
How is the closure of the studio commented on? The closure of the studio doesn’t seem to concern many. The music has long been playing in Manchester. According to fan circles, the studio in Los Angeles has been vacant for some time.
It has long been known that only marketing, finance, and similar operations should take place in LA for CIG, but nothing relevant to the game anymore.
There are again people who are scoffing at Star Citizen and the slow development. However, the closure of the studio in LA hardly plays a role in the discussion.
Squadron 42 was once announced for 2015 – still has no release date
This is the point: What is being mocked, however, is the “gesture” presented here: Giving away the digital picture of a ship and only to members of the Chairman Club, who are people who have invested at least $1,000 in Star Citizen to reach the concierge level.
This picture could then be hung by players who have spent enough money on ships in their hangar with Alpha 4.1.
Here you can already see part of the problem: While Chris Roberts talks fictionally about the release 1.0, there is no practical sense of it. Here we are in front of Alpha 4.1.0. Even the single-player spin-off Squadron 42, once announced for 2015, still has no release date (via golem).
This is the reaction to the gesture: There are some mocking comments on reddit, at least in the harsh forum regarding Star Citizen where players want their money back.
“How generous: A free JPG of a JPG”
“OH MY GOD – A picture that hung above the desk of THE Chris Roberts. I’m about to faint.”
“My God, the splendor of the building and office of Chris Roberts. He hasn’t released anything for 13 years and receives a billion dollars in investment. This guy is shameless. It’s incredible – and the whales still believe in the ‘forthcoming 1.0 release’.”
What’s behind it: From the outside, it is indeed a strange gesture: Associating the closure of a studio with the words: “Let’s celebrate what they’ve done nicely by giving you a free picture, but not to everyone, just to our whales” is definitely a strange gesture.
The reasoning that “employees need to be closer to their teams” sounds flimsy. Apparently, the focus of production has shifted to England, and it seems that one is getting bogged down with the many locations and different time zones.
Getting the desired characters in the RPG Genshin Impact can get quite expensive. A man ruined his relationship by investing their emergency savings in pulls.
The cover image is a symbolic image.
What did he do? In the Subreddit “Am I Overreacting?” (translated: Am I overreacting?) a woman reported that her fiancé took $600 from their emergency fund and spent it on the Gacha game Genshin Impact.
She explained that she would work 55 hours a week, while her partner made money as an Uber driver. The couple lived “paycheck to paycheck.” She also shared screenshots of their message history.
The character design is an important factor in the success of Genshin Impact.
Start video
Genshin Impact teases the Natlan region and new characters
Woman threatens to have her partner’s Genshin account banned
Here’s how it went down: The screenshots show that the fiancé swiped $600 from a credit card to pull for rare characters in Genshin Impact. He apparently had his sights set on Furina. However, the money was meant for emergency repairs on the couple’s car.
However, the man is unrepentant: he is 29 years old and can decide for himself what to buy. He doesn’t need his partner’s permission for that. He goes so far as to accuse his partner of being abusive and possibly a narcissist.
Only when the woman threatens to dispute the charge, which could lead to a ban on the Genshin account, does he change his strategy and apologize for his behavior. He also offers to borrow the money from a friend and pay it back to his partner.
On Reddit, the post garnered more than 66,000 upvotes and 20,000 comments. It apparently also caught the attention of Twitch streamer Charles “Critikal” White, who mocked it in front of 2.8 million viewers on YouTube.
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These are the consequences: The 29-year-old now has to endure not only the ridicule of the internet but also lost his fiancée, as she confirmed in an update to the community’s great applause (via Reddit).
She actually received the money. With that, she settled the credit card and closed the account. However, her ex-fiancé’s Genshin account remained untouched. He is probably still playing from his parents’ house.
With the right strategy, the man could have saved himself all the trouble – and the money. Because with a little discipline and a savings plan, you can also acquire the coveted characters without spending real money. MyMMO author Marie showed how it’s done: Why I Am Currently the Biggest Nerd Under the Sun in Genshin Impact
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new game on Steam transports the tactical battles from XCOM 2 to ancient Japan – with magic, demons, and steampunk. You can find out how it plays for free now.
What game is this about? Shadow of the Road is a story-driven RPG developed by Another Angle Games. You can currently sign up for a free playtest for the game on Steam. Simply click on the “Request Access” button. Once you receive a confirmation, you just need to download the game and you can get started.
You can see a trailer for the game here:
Start video
Shadow of the Road: The Role-Playing Game on Steam Gets a Free Alpha
Turn-based tactics in feudal Japan
What is the game about? Shadow of the Road takes place in feudal Japan, but expands the setting with magic, Yōkai, and steampunk machines. Yōkai are beings in Japanese folklore comparable to spirits and demons.
In 1868, a civil war rages in Japan between the traditionalist forces of Shōgun Tokugawa and the technologically superior army of Emperor Mutsuhito. As Tokugawa’s master spy, you escort a mysterious boy with enormous, uncontrollable powers along with the Ronin Satoru and Akira.
Fights in Shadow of the Road are turn-based. As in XCOM, the right positioning of your group members plays an important role: Only then can they effectively support each other in battle and quickly eliminate enemies before they overwhelm you.
Between missions, you will also face decisions, as is typical for a classic RPG. Depending on how you decide in the key moments of the story, future events in the game will also unfold differently.
When will the game be released? Shadow of the Road still doesn’t have an official release date. The free playtest offers the best opportunity to try out the game. However, spots for the alpha may be limited, so if you’re interested, you should secure access quickly.
Since its release in February 2022, Lost Ark has had a problem with bots and cheaters. A recent statement from the developers now reveals a reason why Amazon Games is struggling to manage the situation.
What is this statement about? This week, there was a significant update from Amazon Games on X regarding the fight against bots, cheaters, and players engaging in real-money trading. The focus was on the recent ban waves, which have noticeably affected the current player numbers of Lost Ark.
A few weeks ago, during peak times, there were over 30,000 players online simultaneously on the MMORPG servers, but recently there have been fewer than 14,000 active Arkesia heroes at the same time (via steamdb.info). Such drastic drops have been observed in previous ban waves – for example, in January 2023, player numbers even fell by 200,000 in a single day due to a ban wave.
While the ban waves themselves are important and justified, a passage from the statement is currently being harshly criticized by a part of the community. MeinMMO has translated the lines for you below:
After reviewing the ban waves, our team found that some accounts that had no prior violations or bad behavior were using the automation program for daily tasks. Even though these accounts do not deserve a permanent ban, the use of the program still violates the code of conduct and constitutes a serious breach. Therefore, the permanent ban for these accounts has been reduced to a 30-day ban. The days already banned will count towards this 30-day ban.
All important information about Lost Ark in 2 minutes:
Start video
Everything you need to know about the MMORPG Lost Ark – in 2 minutes
Cheating, Vacation, Jackpot
How is the community reacting to this? Whether you look at the comments on X or in this Reddit discussion: Many players are showing their frustration and criticizing the communicated strategy for the fight against bots and cheaters.
DanDaze summarizes it in his post on Reddit: “So the tactic is: Cheat as much as you can until you get caught. Take a vacation. You’ll still be much further ahead than you would be without cheating. Got it, thanks for clarifying, AGS. I’m getting a bot subscription and 50 million gold while we talk.”
According to Maifu, there are even inconsistencies with the first-time offender point (via Reddit): “I know someone who was banned twice for RMT [real money trading, editor’s note] and now banned for chaos botting, and the ban was lifted because ‘No prior violations’. That makes me sick.”
Doom complains on X about similar issues: “Unbanned cheaters simply come online to sell gemstones and accessories first, and then gold, just 3 in my guild. I really don’t understand why it has been and still is so difficult for you to ban rule breakers.”
A major problem is that the cheaters who are only temporarily banned often keep the items they obtained through botting or cheating. Depending on the yield, a 30-day ban can be easily manageable. Many players are still benefiting enormously from the so-called exploit surrounding the Ignite chests from last year.
Good to know: On March 25, 2025, the new update for Lost Ark went live. Included: The third chapter for the memory music box, new events, and more. You can find the official patch notes on playlostark.com.
Additionally, Lost Ark operates on a free-to-play model. It’s easy to create a new account after a ban and become a potential first-time offender again.
In MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, there are quite a few women – at least more than in many other games. There are reasons for this, as a YouTuber explains.
There are no women on the internet: This is a rule that is as old as the internet itself – and, like much else on the internet, it is, of course, completely wrong. Especially in World of Warcraft – or in other fantasy MMORPGs like Final Fantasy – you seem to encounter quite a few women. But what is the reason for that? A YouTuber and streamer attempts to explain what makes these games attractive and why one encounters more women there than in other games.
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WoW celebrates 20 years of the highlights of Azeroth
Who is saying what? The YouTuber Angelikatosh talks a lot about World of Warcraft on her channel and how it has influenced her life. Recently, she explained why she and many others consider WoW more as a solo game that can even have therapeutic effects. In her latest video, she discusses why WoW has such a strong fascination for women – more than many other games.
Why do so many women play WoW? According to Angelikatosh, there are many reasons that all come together in World of Warcraft, offering a perfect blend that allows women to feel comfortable there:
Women like World of Warcraft, not because it’s a game made specifically for women or specifically for men. It’s a game made for all people. There isn’t a specific group for which this game was made. I truly believe that there’s something in World of Warcraft for everyone. And I say this because I have never met anyone who had a half-hearted opinion about WoW. Either you try it, don’t like it, and disappear, or you play it, are completely captivated, want to absorb every bit of the world, and sell your soul to Blizzard to ensure the supply never stops.
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Later, she addresses why the game appeals to women more than many other games of that time (and today). One major advantage of WoW was that you had the free choice of your character – you could play as a woman if you wanted to. However, the appearance of female characters is a clear plus point for Angelikatosh:
When you compare the [female] models with the male ones, it’s quite obvious that neither version is exaggerated to appeal more to one group or the other.
As a good example, she mentions the Night Elves.
If we look at the female Night Elves, they are also quite tall, have a slender body, but you can see that they have muscular arms defined by muscles. They are strong and yet very feminine and beautiful. In a way, this feels true to their people and makes you believe in their existence.
The same applies to other races, such as Orcs. They are a bit rougher, have more of a “wild creature” look, but both male and female Orcs are unique and feel like they fit well within that race.
Another important point is that the world feels natural and yet diverges from the “traditional” roles of reality. Men and women in World of Warcraft are equal, with some minor exceptions for specific races – such as the matriarchal society of the Night Elves.
However, much more important than gender is class and thus the role in society – both of the game world and the community.
Furthermore, she highlights the women of the Night Elves, namely the sentinels. In most places in WoW, the major cities are defended by guards of all genders, but in Darnassus, they were exclusively female Night Elves.
They didn’t just make these female warriors the primary protectors of nature and the Night Elves to get a laugh out of it. These women weren’t placed there just so that there would be women somewhere, in the sense of “Oh, yeah. Girl power.” There are deep story and cultural reasons why the [Night Elf] society is like this. It’s so deeply embedded in the culture that you would never question the place [of the sentinels] in society.
Another point is the professions and the various “side” activities. Especially the professions, collecting pets, or filling up the wardrobe of one’s transmog templates can (not only) be a good starting point for many women to get into the game. All these activities contribute to making WoW often feel like a game with a multidimensional focus – unlike a lobby shooter or a real-time strategy game – but rather like a much more complex world where there’s more than just “getting stronger to take down bigger mobs.” There is that, too – but not only.
In conclusion, Angelikatosh emphasizes once again that the aspects she mentioned are of course not exclusive or necessarily applicable to all women. Many men also enjoy transmogging, pet battling, or the professions, or are enchanted by the often fairy-tale world.
However, the percentage of women in World of Warcraft is surprisingly high, precisely because the world is so diverse and provides numerous entry points – even for women who, due to old role models, perhaps did not have easy access to video games during their childhood, as is often the case for boys.
There is a lot of support on YouTube: Particularly in the comments on YouTube, many women agree with her. Many comments from women confirm that when they started playing World of Warcraft, they began with a class related to animals in some way – mostly a druid or a hunter. A few examples:
“I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one here who wanted to explore their druidic tendencies. You know, picking flowers and then transforming into a wild animal to get lost in a forest.” – festivalkyrie
“A woman here who also grew up with gamer parents. It was wonderful to have that as part of life that they shared with me and my siblings. My first WoW character was a Night Elf Druid (on someone else’s account) and later I switched to a Night Elf Priest and stuck with it. I think the fact that you can dress up characters so well and role-play has a huge appeal for many people. At least for my generation, it was super popular in the early 2000s to read and write fantasy novels.” – NymphaeaDreams
Therefore, the question to the women: How did you find your way to World of Warcraft? Which aspect of the game particularly appealed to you at the time, so that you were captivated by Azeroth and could not let go? Given all this, it’s not surprising that WoW is among the MMORPGs with the most players of all time.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Monster Hunter Wilds is a very extensive game – it can quickly happen that you get lost or overlook things that could quickly improve your gaming experience. To have them ready, we at MeinMMO have prepared an overview with our tips for you.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, you not only blindly venture into the vast world to hunt gigantic monsters. Because besides the hunt itself, there are all sorts of things to accomplish: crafting equipment, upgrading weapons, catching small animals, gathering resources, cooking, and much more.
In the flow, it can easily happen that details and useful features slip away from you, which you either forget in the heat of the moment or that simply pass you by. However, they could greatly enhance your gaming experience with just a few simple means.
To make your hunter life easier quickly, we have here an overview of 7 things you should definitely not forget.
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Update from March 27, 2025: We have structurally adjusted the article.
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Monster Hunter Wilds is about to be released: Here’s what you should know before buying
Don’t forget your meals!
In Monster Hunter, it has always been common to have a suitable meal before each hunt. Previously, it was usually prepared for you by sweet Palicos in a canteen, but in Monster Hunter Wilds, you cook on your portable grill yourself.
You can do this comfortably on the go, but it makes sense to take care of it early. Your meal buffs you for a certain period and then expires. Once you have started a quest, you can even cook recommended meals that fit your upcoming hunt. Therefore, it is wise to regularly refresh these buffs, especially when changing the monster you are hunting.
So, you should not forget to cook regularly and keep an eye on your food buffs. If necessary, you can also cook during the hunt when you catch a good moment because your grill does not care if an angry Doshaguma is attacking your comrades next to you.
Make use of the time on your Saikrii
With your new mount, the Saikrii, you also have the option in Monster Hunter Wilds to comfortably be carried by autopilot from point A to point B. You should take this opportunity to sharpen or switch your weapons, heal yourself, replenish supplies, or grab other items. Or you can gather resources from the back of your ride as much as you can.
The time in the saddle can also be useful in battle. Because while you sharpen, heal, or switch weapons, your Saikrii can also automatically dodge some attacks, protecting you from damage.
Additionally, you can jump from its back onto the back, head, or tail of a monster and attack from there, as long as you have enough stamina. So, the Saikrii is much more than just a mere mount that makes navigation easier for you.
Regularly lookout for weaknesses and wounds
In Monster Hunter Wilds, the new focus mode and a new wound system are introduced. These two features should also be used regularly in tandem, as they greatly simplify your hunting.
So don’t forget to briefly activate the focus mode regularly and see if the monster has wounds or weak points that you can target with focus attacks.
However, even without focus mode, you can recognize wounds and weak spots if you observe the monsters carefully. Also, the monster encyclopedia gives tips and hints on which areas to pay special attention to for which monster.
You should also not forget to carve up severed monster parts before the quest ends. Because they also provide you with useful loot that you need for your equipment.
Consult NPCs regularly
The cooks in Monster Hunter World were just adorable.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, there are several NPCs who supply you with useful items at regular intervals. You should not forget about them, as they save you time that you would otherwise spend searching for these resources.
You can regularly pick up rations at the logistics counter or assign NPCs to gather materials in various areas. Later, you can also manage them via Nata and request gathered items.
Always pay attention to your surroundings
The environment plays a bigger role in Monster Hunter Wilds than ever. Because not only is the world structure more open and invites exploration, but it also offers more possibilities than before.
That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on your surroundings and also pay attention to the displays that show you what you can find in the immediate area. This way, you can quickly recognize where you can trigger traps or utilize opportunities to deal extremely high damage to monsters by using chances in the environment.
Additionally, you should remind yourself before each hunt which area you will be venturing into. Depending on this, it makes sense to bring armor with appropriate skills or suitable items like hot or cold drinks.
Many environments also offer you opportunities on-site to deal with the adversities that confront you. For example, you can often find frost blankets on the walls in hot areas and vice versa.
Use optional quests multiple times and save monsters as investigations
It may sound obvious, but: Optional quests can be restarted and completed multiple times after finishing. The advantage is that the story quests cannot be replayed once completed.
You also have the option to visit and defeat monsters as part of a so-called field exploration when they are on the map. You can also save them as investigations for a later time with guild points.
You should also use this regularly because some monsters only come out at specific times or weather conditions, allowing you to “secure” certain monsters with various extra rewards when you don’t have time for them at that moment.
Remember the favorites list and favorites menu
A point that should not be underestimated is the favorites list, as the smithing menu can quickly become very confusing. With the favorites list, you can add equipment and weapons that you want to craft to a list so you can find them quickly again. But it also has other advantages, as:
Pins are set on materials and monsters that you still need for the respective part, both on the map and in the quest overview
If you receive material that you are missing during the hunts, a pop-up will directly show how much you still need and how much you already have
It is also useful to utilize the somewhat hidden favorites menu. Because the overall menu structure in Monster Hunter Wilds can also quickly become overwhelming. Therefore, it can make sense to customize the menu yourself.
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Monster Hunter Wilds: How to make menu navigation significantly easier
To do this, open the menu overview and press the button for the submenu. There, you can adjust the tabs and add the favorites menu with the star and hide, move, or add other tabs.
This allows you to find menus and settings that you use more frequently faster and saves you the hassle of searching through menus and submenus. Do it once, be faster forever.
With “Shining Festival”, new cards are coming to the mobile game Pokémon TCG Pocket again. However, one of them looks so disturbing that fans are making fun of it.
What kind of card is it? The new card is a Full-Art card of Jigglypuff, the evolution of Igglybuff. The card is of the Normal type, has 100 HP, and has the ability to heal 20 damage from the active Pokémon. Additionally, it can deal 50 damage with 2 Energy.
You can see Jigglypuff and other artworks in the following post on Reddit:
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Like other Full-Art cards, it has a rarity of one star. This makes it rarer than cards with a diamond, but still more common than cards with a crown. However, the artwork of Jigglypuff disturbs many fans and reminds them of a well-known meme.
Jigglypuff is part of the new expansion of Pokémon TCG Pocket:
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Pokémon TCG Pocket: New Trailer for the Mini Expansion Shining Festival
Jigglypuff divides the community and gives nightmares
What is so funny about it? The card of Jigglypuff stands out among the Full-Art cards, as seen on Reddit, because it is the only one that is 3D-animated. This technique was used, for example, in the movie Detective Pikachu, where Pokémon appear in the real world of humans.
So Jigglypuff in the image no longer has a smooth surface, but a furry body. Additionally, the Pokémon is completely visible in the image and stares at the viewer of the card with its large eyes, almost as if it wants to suck the soul of the owner.
How is the card received by fans? There are different opinions about the card of Jigglypuff. However, many users on Reddit agree that the card is creepy:
NegativKreep writes: “The Jigglypuff looks disturbing.”
ddhnam posts a meme from King of Queens. It shows Doug with a sly look, putting his hands in his pockets. Jigglypuff bears some resemblance to him.
AlexisF-11037 is disgusted: “Get it away from me. Gross. Gross. […]”
For many, Jigglypuff looks like it’s been torn from the world of Pokémon. Normally, the cards show hand-drawn Pokémon in 2D form, which are sometimes painted in a more artistic style. But so far, there is no card as a 3D model that stares you in the eyes like this one.
The best counters against Kapu-Fala in Pokémon GO in the guide. We show you the best attackers and movesets. With these, you can defeat the boss in 5-star raids.
What kind of Pokémon is Kapu-Fala? It is a legendary Pokémon from the seventh generation, belonging to the Psychic and Fairy types. You can find it in level 5 raid battles.
When does Kapu-Fala appear? You can find the boss starting March 31, 2025, in Pokémon GO. It will remain in the game until April 9. Additionally, a raid hour featuring Kapu-Fala will take place on April 2, 2025. Here, we show you the best counters against Kapu-Fala and what types it’s weak against (type effectiveness).
Defeating Kapu-Fala in Raids – With These Counters
Necrozma (Dusk Mane) with Metal Claw and Steel Beam
Necrozma (Dawn Wings) with Metal Claw and Shadow Ball
Shadow Metagross with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
Mega Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball
Metagross with Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash
Zacian (Crowned Sword) with Metal Claw and Iron Head
Mega Banette with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
Shadow Mewtwo with Psycho Cut and Shadow Ball
Shadow Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball
Mega Rayquaza with Air Slash and Hurricane
Shadow Excadrill with Metal Claw and Iron Head
Shadow Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball
Mega Alakazam with Psycho Cut and Shadow Ball
Mega Beedrill with Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb
Monetigo with Burden and Shadow Ball
Giratina (Altered Forme) with Shadow Claw and Shadow Force
Anego with Poison Jab and Sludge Bomb
Dialga with Metal Claw and Iron Head
Dialga (Origin Forme) with Metal Claw and Iron Head
White Kyurem with Steel Wing and Frost Breath
Weaknesses of Kapu-Fala: The Pokémon belongs to the Psychic and Fairy types and has weaknesses against Poison, Ghost, and Steel. So, focus mainly on attacks and Pokémon of these types in raids to defeat Kapu-Fala.
Is there a Shiny Kapu-Fala? Yes, since February 2023, you can catch Kapu-Fala in Pokémon GO as a Shiny.
Kapu-Fala compared in its normal form and as Shiny
How many trainers are needed? If you have the top counter Pokémon and they have reached a reasonably high level, you can defeat Kapu-Fala with two players. With lower levels but strong counters, you should rely on more trainers.
Before challenging the boss, be sure to assemble your raid teams. This way, you can ensure that you always start the raid with your best team. You can also save some time in each individual raid lobby: Tips for organizing your raid teams.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the major DLC of Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, many newcomers are also finding their way into the game. Before you can start the expansion, you first need to find your way through the main game. We at MeinMMO provide you with here a beginner’s guide with 12 tips and tricks that can help you at the beginning.
Update from March 27, 2025:The article has been reviewed and is up to date.
Elden Ring is a complex action RPG with a huge open world. Moreover, the developer FromSoftware is known for games such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Sekiro.
What connects all these games is their scope and mechanics, which can be complex and not explained immediately for every newcomer. Added to that is a high level of difficulty, as FromSoftware games challenge their players.
It can be quite frustrating if you haven’t already had such games before. Therefore, we provide you with a colorful mix of 12 tips and tricks for starting in Elden Ring so that you can immerse yourself in the world more easily and know what to pay attention to first.
Additionally, you can take a look at what to expect in Elden Ring here:
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Everything you need to know about Elden Ring – in 2 minutes
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Life and Death in Elden Ring
What happens when you die? In Elden Ring, you collect runes, your XP. You mainly obtain these by killing enemies or through redeemable runes found in the game world.
If you die, you lose your runes accumulated up to that point at the spot where you died.
You will respawn at the last site of grace where you rested. From there, you can retrieve your runes.
A helpful tool is your compass, which will display a symbol for your runes and guide you in that direction.
If you make it there, you can collect your runes again. If you die before that, you lose them completely and will have to gather new ones.
Besides the sites of grace, there are now also checkpoints in Elden Ring, called Marika statues. If you die in an area around these statues, you can also start there again, saving yourself some annoying runs. These are conveniently often only a few meters away from a boss or an enemy camp and will be activated automatically when you are near.
You also need to consider the following: Since the difficulty level in Elden Ring is high, you are likely to die often, especially at the beginning. First, you should know: When you die in Elden Ring, it is not a real failure.
It is merely another step on your path to mastering the game and learning the mechanics. Thus, dying should not be seen as a “fail,” but rather as an important training lesson.
Here’s how it works: At the start of Elden Ring, you receive two different flasks for your health points (HP) and your ability points (FP).
However, you only have a limited number of uses for the flasks available. You can increase these over the course of the game as well as improve the strength of your HP and FP regeneration.
For this, you need two important items:
Golden Seed: This increases the number of uses for your potions. The more you have, the more seed you need for another use.
Holy Tears: These can enhance the strength of your potions.
How to Find Golden Seed: Keep an eye out in the game world for small, golden, and transparent glowing trees. Underneath, there is always a golden seed. While at first, a single seed increases your quota, more are needed later in the game (you need a total of 30 to unlock 14 flasks). By the way, you don’t need to worry about missing a seed, as there are more in the game than you could ever redeem.
How to Find Holy Tears: You can find them in churches of Marika that are spread across the game world. They can be easily distinguished from other places in the landscape and located.
Once you have the necessary upgrade items, you must go to a site of grace and under the menu point “Enhance Flasks” you can then make the respective upgrades. Also, pay attention to how you distribute your flask uses.
If you use many spells, it is advisable to also take multiple FP uses. Even if you use many abilities like war ashes, you will need FP reserves.
If you rely on brute force without frills, you should assign as many uses as possible to your HP potions.
Here you see the corresponding menu for flasks.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
