WoW community discovers “Tauren baby fidget spinner” in the game data – then learns the dark truth

Some items in World of Warcraft seem funny or even silly – until you discover the truth and know where they are used.

World of Warcraft consists of quite a few different elements. Trees, rocks, and other objects, the “assets” of the game world, create a beautiful overall picture. However, in the game data of the MMORPG, there are always details that appear curious or eerie.

One of them is a mill that has apparently been repurposed to swing babies in a circle. What the community directly dubbed the “Tauren Baby Fidget Spinner” actually has a use in the game – and it is rather dark.

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WoW Cinematic with Liadrin: Everything Holy

A Tauren mobile for a nasty flesh eater

What kind of object is this? The object is named “babywheel01” in the game files and is exactly what the name suggests. A rotating mill, from whose ends wrapped Tauren babies hang, swung around in a circle. This could perhaps be considered quite practical, as the babies are entertained a little while grain can be milled at the same time.

However, many in the community believed that the object does not occur in the game and only exists in the data – which is wrong.

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Where can you find this in the game? When SCGLara showed the image in the WoW subreddit, the reaction from the user “whatisthisgunifound” came pretty quickly. He knew exactly where he had seen it before: in Nagrand.

Because in Nagrand (The Burning Crusade) there is the dark story of a shapeshifter named Challe, who frequently morphs into different forms. To survive, she apparently feeds on babies that she previously kidnaps – and that’s exactly where you can find this spinning Tauren baby mill.

For a long time, this was just speculation, but in the expansion “Warlords of Draenor” this myth was then addressed and provided with real quests.

Many also associate the object with a baby mobile, which some might remember from their baby years. These were small frameworks with different figures that were hung over the crib so that the baby had visual stimuli – either to fall asleep or when it woke up. The troll lady Challe might have taken the “baby mobile” a little too literally and directly hung babies on it.

Perhaps so that they always see something delicious when she lies down to sleep.

World of Warcraft is full of curious stories, objects, and strange NPCs. Some of the most absurd NPCs – from porn stars to soul legends and references to Hitler – we have presented in this article.

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

Pokémon GO: Mega Latias Counters – The 20 Best Attackers in the Raid Guide

The best counters against Mega Latias in Pokémon GO in the guide. We will show you the best attackers and movesets. With this, you can easily win the Mega Raids.

What kind of Pokémon is Latias? It comes from the third generation of Pokémon and belongs to the Dragon and Psychic types.

When does Mega Latias come? Mega-Lucario is part of this year’s GO Tour. There you can challenge the monster on February 28, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Mega Raids.

Defeating Mega Latias in Raids with these counters

  1. Eternatus with Dragon Tail and Dynamax Cannon
  2. Mega Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe
  3. Mega Garchomp with Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe
  4. Black Kyurem with Dragon Tail and Freeze Shock
  5. White Kyurem with Dragon Breath and Ice Burn
  6. Necrozma (Dawn Wings) with Shadow Claw and Moongeist Beam
  7. Shadow Garchomp with Dragon Tail and Breaking Swipe
  8. Mega Tyranitar with Bite and Brutal Swing
  9. Mega Salamence with Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor
  10. Mega Latios with Dragon Breath and Dragon Claw
  11. Dialga (Origin) with Dragon Breath and Roar of Time
  12. Mega Sceptile with Fury Cutter and Breaking Swipe
  13. Mega Guardevoir with Charm and Dazzling Gleam
  14. Zacian (Crowned Sword) with Metal Claw and Play Rough
  15. Shadow Hydreigon with Dragon Breath and Brutal Swing
  16. Mega Gengar with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball
  17. Shadow Dialga with Dragon Breath and Draco Meteor
  18. Primal Groudon with Dragon Tail and Precipice Blades
  19. Palkia (Origin) with Dragon Tail and Spacial Rend
  20. Mega Banette with Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball

Weaknesses of Mega Latias: The Pokémon belongs to the Dragon and Psychic types and has weaknesses against Bug, Ghost, Ice, Dragon, Dark, and Fairy Pokémon. So in raids, primarily focus on attacks and Pokémon of these types to defeat Latias.

Is there Shiny Latias? You can find and catch Shiny Latias in Pokémon GO. With a bit of luck, you might find the Shiny right after a raid. 

Pokemon-Go-Latias
The regular Latias (left) and Shiny Latias (right) in comparison

How many trainers do you need? If you have the top counter Pokémon and they are at a relatively high level, you can battle Mega Latias with four or five people – it will still be a very tough fight. We recommend at least 6 trainers with strong counters if you want to succeed in the raid. When in doubt, you may need more if there are no ideal counters available.

You can organize your raid teams in advance. This way, you can ensure that you save time in each raid and always go into battle with your best team without having to assemble it again each time: This way you keep track of your raid teams and save a lot of time.

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

Pokémon GO: Mega Lucario Counters – The 20 Best Attackers in the Raid Guide

Do you want to challenge and defeat Mega-Lucario in Pokémon GO? We show you the best counters to face Mega-Lucario in raids.

What kind of Pokémon is Mega-Lucario? Lucario is a Pokémon from the 4th generation and is the evolution of Riolu. It has the types Fighting and Steel. The Mega Evolution of Lucario also possesses these two types.

When is Mega-Lucario coming? Mega-Lucario is part of this year’s GO Tour. There you can challenge the monster on February 28, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in Mega Raids.

We show you the best counters against Mega-Lucario and the types it is weak to (type effectiveness).

Start video
Pokémon GO shows the new season Memories in Motion in the trailer

Defeating Mega-Lucario in Raid – With These Counters

  1. Mega Blaziken with Fire Spin and Aura Sphere
  2. Primal Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades
  3. Keldeo with Low Kick and Secret Sword
  4. Mega Charizard Y with Fire Spin and Blast Burn
  5. Mega Lucario with Force Palm and Aura Sphere
  6. Mega Garchomp with Mud Shot and Earth Power
  7. Shadow Blaziken with Fire Spin and Aura Sphere
  8. Blacephalon with Incinerate and Mind Blown
  9. Reshiram with Fire Fang and Fusion Flare
  10. Shadow Groudon with Mud Shot and Precipice Blades
  11. Landorus (Therian) with Mud Shot and Sandsear Storm
  12. Mega Latios with Zen Headbutt and Aura Sphere
  13. Mega Heracross with Counter and Upper Hand
  14. Mega Charizard X with Fire Spin and Blast Burn
  15. Shadow Moltres with Fire Spin and Overheat
  16. Shadow Ho-Oh with Incinerate and Sacred Fire+
  17. Shadow Raikou with Thunder Shock and Aura Sphere
  18. Shadow Heatran with Fire Spin and Magma Storm
  19. Shadow Chandelure with Fire Spin and Overheat
  20. Terrakion with Double Kick and Sacred Sword

Weaknesses of Mega-Lucario:  Since this Pokémon has the types Fighting and Steel, there are exactly 3 types you can effectively attack Mega-Lucario with. These are the types Fighting, Ground, and Fire.

So focus on attacks of these types in raids to quickly defeat Mega-Lucario.

Is there a Shiny Mega-Lucario? Yes, with a bit of luck, you may encounter the shiny variant of Lucario after the raid. If you trigger the Mega Evolution on it, you will get the shiny variant of Mega-Lucario.

How many trainers are needed? If you have very good counters at a high level, you can defeat Mega-Lucario with just 2 trainers. If you want to finish the battle quicker or have issues during the fight, you should use more trainers.

You can already prepare your teams in advance to save time in the raid lobby. Check out our tips for organizing raid teams.

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

Player became a hero in Elden Ring, then could not play for 180 days because he performed a silly dance

Let Me Solo Her became a legend in Elden Ring and is now back after being banned from the game by the developers for a whopping 180 days. The reason was a silly dance.

Who is it about? The player Klein Tsuboi, better known as “LetMeSoloHer,” has become a legend within the Elden Ring community. He has helped over 2,000 players defeat one of the strongest bosses in the game: Malenia, Blade of Miquella.

LetMeSoloHer did all of this true to his name without the help of those who summoned him. His outfit is also iconic, as he wears nothing on his body, except for a jar that covers his face and two swords.

LetMeSoloHer has become so famous that the publisher of Elden Ring sent him a gift – including a sword.

We show you how LetMeSoloHer became this legend in the video on MeinMMO:

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A half-naked player in Elden Ring became a community legend – This is his story

Legend performs silly dance, is banned for 180 days

What is this ban about? For almost 6 months, you could no longer encounter LetMeSoloHer in Elden Ring. But it’s not because he quit the game, but because he received a 180-day ban that has now ended.

With great joy, he announces on X.com: “I am free.”

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In this post, he also directly explains what the reason for this ban was: a mod that appears to be quite harmless at first glance. It simply adds a somewhat silly dance from Fortnite to the game. According to his own statement, he used the mod for a video of himself.

However, this dance had harsh consequences because due to the online component of Elden Ring, mods are actually not allowed. It didn’t help that the dance supposedly didn’t provide him with any gameplay advantages. His Elden Ring account was still banned for 180 days.

Since his rise to fame, LetMeSoloHer has caught up on other FromSoftware games. He occasionally posts videos of them on his YouTube channel. However, one boss from Bloodborne was even a tough challenge for him: A player has defeated the hardest boss in Elden Ring 2,000 times, but an enemy from Bloodborne was a challenge even for him

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

Shroud curses on Twitch, calls ARC Raiders “shit” – A few days later the developers show how the gaming experience is supposed to improve

ARC Raiders hat ein Problem, das Twitch-Streamer shroud abermals zum Fluchen bringt. Aber die Entwickler versprechen Besserung.

Warum fluchte shroud? Vor rund einer Woche war shroud während eines Livestreams mal wieder frustriert. Nachdem er und sein Team von einem vermeintlichen Cheater zerlegt wurden, fluchte er auf Twitch: „Das Spiel ist so scheiße. Ich bin überzeugt, Embark interessiert es wirklich nicht.“

Kurz zuvor meckerte einer seiner Mitspieler und sagte, dass ARC Raiders das schlechteste Anti-Cheat-System habe, das er kenne.

Bereits im Januar äußerte sich der Streamer ähnlich frustriert und kündigte eine längere Pause von dem Extraction-Shooter an. Er schimpfte, Embark habe keine Kontrolle über das Spiel.

Start video
ARC Raiders shows new Hurricane condition and hints at a new enemy

Maßnahmen von ARC Raiders gegen Cheater brauchen Zeit

Inwiefern soll das Spielerlebnis zukünftig besser werden? Am 24. Februar 2026 erschien das Update „Shrouded Sky“ in ARC Raiders, das unter anderem einen Hurricane als neue Map-Bedingung ins Spiel brachte.

In den Patch-Notes zu Shrouded Sky verloren die Entwickler auch einige Worte zum Anti-Cheat-System des Shooters und erklärten, warum die Maßnahmen des Studios im Kampf gegen die Spielverderber Zeit brauche, es zukünftig aber besser werde.

Sie schreiben:

Unsere Verteidigungsmaßnahmen arbeiten auf mehreren Ebenen: Einige Prüfungen sind einfach und definitiv, während andere verhaltensbasiert und datengesteuert sind und sich mit der Zeit weiterentwickeln. Wir nutzen außerdem umfassende Gameplay-Telemetrie und Techniken des maschinellen Lernens, um Muster zu erkennen, die auf den ersten Blick nicht offensichtlich sind.

Dann führen die Entwickler weiter aus, weshalb diese Maßnahmen nicht sofort Wirkung zeigen: „Die Entwicklung dieser Methoden nimmt mehr Zeit in Anspruch, sie müssen sich anpassen, wenn sich Spielsysteme ändern, und sie bieten nicht immer die sofortige Gewissheit, wie es bei stumpfen Software-Erkennungen der Fall ist.

Auch wenn wir also nicht sofort Besserung sehen, dürfen Spieler für die Zukunft hoffen: Wenn die Maßnahmen Früchte tragen, kann Embark Cheater zukünftig besser erkennen und sperren.

ARc Raiders will Cheater fortan strenger bestrafen

Was machen die Entwickler, wenn sie Schummler identifizieren? In der Vergangenheit gab es Unklarheiten und Kritik darüber, wie streng Embark Cheater in ARC Raiders bestraft. Ein Screenshot auf Reddit zeigte etwa, dass jemand nur temporär und nicht dauerhaft gesperrt worden sei. Viele Nutzer fragten daraufhin, warum Cheater nicht permanent gebannt werden.

Nun versprachen die Entwickler, ihre Regeln und die Durchsetzung dieser weiter zu verschärfen. Schwere Verstöße sollen fortan strengere Konsequenzen nach sich ziehen und ab sofort zu permanenten Sperren führen. Kleine Verstöße führen hingegen erstmal nur zu einer vorübergehenden Suspendierung. Jene Spieler erhalten dann eine einzige Chance, das Verhalten zu korrigieren.

Ähnlich streng möchte auch ARC Raiders kommender Konkurrent Marathon gegen Cheating vorgehen. Wie Bungie klarstellte, werden entlarvte Schummler dort sofort permanent gebannt. Mehr dazu könnt ihr auf MeinMMO nachlesen: Marathon lernt aus dem größten Problem von ARC Raiders: Bungie verrät, wie sie besser sein wollen als der Konkurrent

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

One of the best games on Steam gets a spin-off, delivers completely new gameplay, offers a free trial for a limited time

Vampire Survivors is one of the highest-rated games on Steam and will soon receive its first spin-off. While it stays true to the genre of the original, fans should expect completely different gameplay. For a limited time, there is also a demo available.

What kind of game is this? The new game is called “Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors.” It is a new action roguelike developed by poncle, the creators of Vampire Survivors.

Vampire Survivors is very high on the list of the best-rated Steam games. The game boasts a rating of 98% positive reviews, placing it at 5th place (according to steamdb), if you exclude apps like Wallpaper Engine.

However, Vampire Crawlers should not be understood as a sequel, the developers emphasize. The game is rather a spin-off, and if it were up to the developers, the first in a series.

Here you can see Vampire Crawlers in the trailer:

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Vampire Crawlers: The new game by the creators of Vampire Survivors in the trailer

Completely new experience from the creators of Vampire Survivors

What is the game about? In Vampire Crawlers, players can expect a turn-based deckbuilder with roguelite elements. 

From a first-person perspective, you race through dungeons where enemies lurk. You deal with them using a deck of cards. At the beginning, you select a “Crawler,” which is your character. Each Crawler comes with its own starter set of cards. You unlock more as you level up.

To defeat your opponents, you play one card after another in turn-based battles. Each card enhances the effect of the subsequent one, making them hit harder. Special wildcards also allow you to chain more cards together – unleashing even stronger attacks.

You get to decide the pace: whether you want to take your time and strategize, or just rush through the dungeons as fast as you can, is up to you.

Here’s how you can test Vampire Crawlers: As part of the Steam Next Fest, there is a playable demo on Steam that allows you to try the game for free for a short time.

The Steam Next Fest runs until March 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM. So you still have time to try the demo. The release of the spin-off is planned for 2026 – and before GTA 6, as the developers jokingly emphasize in a FAQ on Steam.

Steam is a true goldmine for roguelikes and roguelites. Several of the best games on the platform fall into one of these categories. MeinMMO author Ody has a favorite, which he discusses in this article: For over 150 hours, I defeated endless alien hordes on Steam as a potato, and with 96% happy players, I’m not alone

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

Marathon learns from the biggest problem of ARC Raiders: Bungie reveals how they want to be better than the competitor

ARC Raiders has a big problem that is ruining the fun for many players. Marathon wants to do better and reveals how.

What is the biggest problem with ARC Raiders? Like most online games – especially multiplayer shooters – ARC Raiders also suffers from cheaters who gain an unfair advantage in battles through cheating software.

Especially over the Christmas holidays, the cheaters became a nuisance for many players. The Twitch streamer shroud complained that the developers had lost control over the game and announced a temporary break from the shooter.

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Bungie presents Marathon in the launch trailer

No Mercy for Spoilers

How does Marathon want to be better? Bungie has published details about the anti-cheat measures of Marathon on X.com. There, the developers state: “Anyone caught cheating will receive a permanent ban from Marathon, without a second chance.”

What seems like a natural consequence for cheating from the player’s perspective became a problem for ARC Raiders: Embark faced criticism from many players in January because, for example, a screenshot on Reddit showed that someone was only temporarily banned and not permanently. Many asked, “If they cheated, why isn’t the ban permanent?”

Embark later announced that it would improve its anti-cheat systems and has since banned a number of cheaters, but it remains unclear how strictly the spoilers will be punished and whether permanent bans are now regularly applied.

What else did Bungie say about anti-cheat? The developer studio explained, among other things, that a system called “Fog of War” limits the effectiveness of cheats like wall hacks and “loot revealers.” This system restricts the areas of the map over which a player’s client receives information.

Additionally, the servers are constantly collecting data on everything players do. The gameplay will then be analyzed to detect unusual gameplay patterns.

If you want to test Marathon and its anti-cheat systems, you have the chance to do so this coming weekend during the server slam. This is the last opportunity to play the game for free. Here’s everything you need to know: Bungie lets you test Marathon for free one last time – All info on the server slam

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

ARC Raiders: Find Comet Igniter – Here’s how to obtain the new item

In ARC Raiders there are two new robots, and one of them has an important resource that Raiders are currently looking for – the comet igniter. We will show you how to get this item from the ARCs here in our guide.

Where do I find comet igniters? The comet igniter is a new resource that you receive from the new unit “Comet”. The robot has joined with the latest update “Shrouded Sky” and serves the ARC as an extension to its ranks. You need to defeat them to obtain the item, but it is not that easy.

Start video
ARC Raiders shows new Hurricane condition and hints at a new enemy

Fighting comets – Here’s how to do it easiest

Where can you find comets? You can find comets randomly on maps that are set on the surface – so any map except Stella Montis. Comets appear, as the name suggests, from the sky, as they crash down and land with a loud bang on the earth’s surface. If you’re lucky, you might even witness their spawn sequence.

How to best fight against comets? To best defeat comets, you should use rapid-fire weapons instead of armor-piercing ones. Their weak point is in the middle of their outer shell, exactly where their light is located.

Weapons like the Rattler or the Renegade do the job effortlessly, and most of the time, without needing to reload again. What is especially important here is: you need to defeat the comets to get the comet igniter.

If the comets initiate their self-destruction, you won’t receive any igniters from their remains. So, it’s best to keep your distance and shoot at their lamp.

What do I need the comet igniters for? Currently, you need the comet igniters for one step of the project “Weather Monitoring System”.

That was all the important information you should know about the comet igniters. Have you encountered one of these robots yet, or are you still desperately looking for them? You can find more about ARC Raiders and other guides here: ARC Raiders: All guides, tips, and lists at a glance

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

A character in the new Resident Evil is so good that I am already playing it for the 3rd time

As a huge fan of Resident Evil, MeinMMO editor Niko was able to play the new installment Requiem in advance and was thrilled despite some minor criticisms. Especially because an old character is at his best.

Resident Evil Requiem is not just a new installment of the Resident Evil series; it is the return of Leon S. Kennedy. Sure, there was the remake of Resident Evil 4 in 2023, but since the 6th installment in 2012, it is his first story return.

This is something special, not only because he is the clichéd cool guy, but because Resident Evil 4 is, for many fans, myself included, the best part of the survival horror series. 

Requiem has big shoes to fill. To put it briefly: Resident Evil Requiem is a damn good action game and especially fans of Leon will get their money’s worth, because he feels as good as hardly any character in the series.

Start video
New trailer for Resident Evil Requiem – Release in February 2026 on all platforms

Despite his older age, Leon is as fit as ever

In the game, you control 2 characters. On one hand, there is the new character Grace, on the other, veteran Leon Kennedy. While Grace often feels like Ethan in Resident Evil 7, Leon reminds players of the action from the 4th installment.

Here, you can also choose between first or third-person perspective. I kept it at the default setting: So Grace in first-person view, Leon with the over-the-shoulder view.

Especially with Leon, you feel right at home. The shooting has pleasant hit feedback and his other moves feel brutal and impactful. I especially grew fond of the axe, his melee weapon. With it, you can not only attack but also use it as a parrying tool.

This gives the fights a different dynamic and multiple approaches. The whole thing is further supported by cool finishers and the occasionally cheesy one-liners from the protagonist that seem stuck in the 80s.

On the other side is Grace. She is less of a super-soldier and has a significantly smaller arsenal. For her, planning paths, the right ammunition, and crafting various tools, like a syringe for quickly taking down enemies, were essential.

That felt good too. At first, I was worried that the two characters would clash in terms of flow, but during the first playthrough, Capcom struck a good balance. No sequence is too long, and the gameplay of both characters gets enough breathing room.

During the 2nd and 3rd playthrough, there were a few sections with Grace that felt a little slower. At these points, you sometimes have to wait, which hampers the flow a bit. But that’s nitpicking at a high level.

Strong atmosphere and a dream for the fans

Atmospherically, the game starts off exciting. I wanted to know after the first cutscene what Grace was all about and how she fits into the whole story. By the end, I wished for more development of her as a character, but it’s also just hard to exist alongside Leon.

I enjoyed the story, even if it was predictable in some places. Otherwise, as fans, you can look forward to countless Easter eggs. The story is once again in the well-known exaggerated Resident Evil style. Unfortunately, the villains are not as memorable as Nemesis, Wesker, or Lady Dimitrescu.

Leon as a character fits in well, and I felt reminded of Resident Evil 4 here again. The fan service itself often brought a smile to my face, but in some places, it was perhaps a bit too much. It could have been toned down a bit more to achieve a stronger impact.

Throughout the game, there are various tonal changes regarding the atmosphere, but thanks to the two characters, it fits quite well. The atmosphere works; I myself am a fan of both Resident Evil orientations: horror and action.

At this point, I also want to commend the controller controls. Not only was it fun during shooting, but thanks to the vibrations and the use of the speakers on the PS5 controller, the atmosphere was conveyed appropriately.

Of course, I played the game multiple times

I am currently in my third playthrough, and that alone should show how fun the new installment is. I want to experiment with gameplay and see how to take down certain enemies faster or more efficiently.

During the 2nd playthrough, I also noticed how good the level design of the individual areas is. When you know how to run optimally, you save a lot of time, and that is one of the coolest elements of the series. 

Although I know the story, I still learn something new every time. I am motivated by the various challenges and unlockable extras. Anyone familiar with the series will feel quite at home.

In doing so, I quickly got back into a flow and was able to love the excellent gameplay even more.

I can only recommend playing through the games in the series more often, because only then do you realize how clever the level design is. To top off the gameplay, I would have loved to have had a mercenary mode, like a kind of “challenge mode” that was present in previous installments, but who knows, maybe Capcom will still deliver it, because Resident Evil Requiem definitely deserves it.

I am already sure that Requiem will be one of the best action games of the year, even of recent years. It is a worthy return of Leon that has brought me, as a big fan of the series, an incredible amount of joy.

But now I am heading back to my 3rd playthrough; there are still some zombies to deal with. You can find out more about Leon’s design here: Female Capcom employees scrutinized Leon in the new Resident Evil so strictly that even his wrinkles looked perfect

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

Everything important about the release of Marathon: time, price, preload and more

With Marathon, the new shooter from Bungie will be released in March 2026. Everything you need to know about the game can be found on MeinMMO.

What is Marathon? Marathon (PS5, Steam, Xbox Series X|S) is a new extraction shooter developed by Bungie (creators of Destiny 2). As an extraction shooter, Marathon follows a specific gameplay principle:

  • You start a run, loot gear, fight against NPCs and other players (PvPvE), and try to extract. Loot includes weapons, materials, and equipment.
  • During a run, you also try to complete missions for the factions (essentially merchants) to earn rewards and faction progress.
  • If you die, you lose the gear you were carrying. If you lose all your gear and have an empty stash, the so-called factions can sponsor you a new loadout.

Marathon is best played in a team. A squad consists of up to three players. However, you can also go solo hunting for loot.

[toc]

Here you can watch the launch trailer for Marathon:

Start video
Bungie presents Marathon in the launch trailer

Marathon: All about the release, start time, and preload

When is the release?

The release of Marathon is on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

What time does Marathon start?

Currently, there is no specific release time for Marathon known. The upcoming server slam on February 26 starts at 7:00 PM German time. So it is likely that the release on March 5 will also be at 7:00 PM.

Is there a preload?

So far, it is not known if and when there will be a preload for Marathon. As soon as we know more about it, we will update the information here in the article.

Marathon: Price, platforms, and editions at a glance

On which platforms will Marathon be released?

Marathon will be released on March 5, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.

Will there be crossplay and cross-save between platforms? Yes, Marathon will support crossplay and cross-save at full release. This means you can use and continue your progress made on PS5 on Steam on PC.

How much does Marathon cost?

Marathon will cost €39.99 in the standard edition and has been available for pre-order since the end of January. The larger deluxe edition of the game is slightly more expensive at €59.99 and offers various bonuses such as skins for four runner shells. There is also a collector’s edition with special content.

Here is an overview of all editions of Marathon:

  • Standard Edition: €39.99
  • Deluxe Edition: €59.99
  • Collector’s Edition without game: €170.00
  • Collector’s Edition with game: €229.99

What is included in the collector’s edition? The collector’s edition includes among other things a statue of the runner “Thief”, postcards, and a lenticular poster – in other words, a wobble picture that creates the illusion of changing.

Bungie Marathon Collectors Edition

The key information about the Marathon server slam

What you need to know about the server slam

With the server slam, Bungie wants to test the Marathon servers again before the release. For players, this is the last chance to test the extraction shooter for free.

When does the server slam start? The Marathon server slam starts on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 7:00 PM German time.

When does the server slam end? The Marathon server slam ends on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM German time.

How can I participate in the marathon server slam?

The Marathon server slam has no special participation requirements. You can simply download the game as soon as the download is available and then play over the weekend.

Is there a beta?

No, there will be no more traditional beta before the release of Marathon that you can play. However, you can consider the server slam as a kind of open beta, where you can get an impression of the game.

For everything else you need to know about the Marathon server slam, you can find it here:

More on the topic
Bungie lets you test Marathon for free one last time – All info about the Server Slam
von Dariusz Müller

System requirements for Marathon on Steam

What are the system requirements? Bungie has announced the system requirements for Marathon that your gaming PC should meet if you want to play the game via Steam.

Minimum:

  • Operating system: Windows 10, 64-bit or newer
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4 GB) / Intel Arc A580 (8 GB)

Recommended:

  • Operating system: Windows 10, 64-bit or newer
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-10400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 (6 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB) / Intel Arc A770 (16 GB)

The minimum requirements for Marathon are relatively low, so you will likely be able to play the shooter even if you do not have modern hardware.

All runner shells from Marathon presented: These are the classes

What are the runner shells? Marathon differs in gameplay through its class system from other extraction shooters such as ARC Raiders or Escape from Tarkov. You are “runners”, cybernetic mercenaries who enter so-called “runner shells” at the start of a round. These runner shells are the classes you can choose and play in Marathon.

How many runner shells will there be? Upon release, there will be 6 runner shells, each with different abilities. In addition, as an alternative to the standard classes, there is the “Rook”. This is essentially a seventh class that allows you to play a free loadout instead of your own gear.

Here is a brief description of all runner shells:

  • Destroyer: A combat specialist equipped with a shield, missile systems, and engines for improved mobility.
  • Assassin: The stealth class of Marathon. Can use synthetic smoke and turn invisible.
  • Recon: The reconnaissance specialist can discover enemies with echo pulses and tracking drones and can track them using holographic footprints.
  • Vandal: The class for movement fans. It is the only class with a double jump and can slide further. In addition, it has a “recoil cannon” that allows you to knock enemies out of their cover.
  • Thief: The loot goblin: Can activate a visor to see loot through walls and can also use a controlled butterfly drone to locate and retrieve loot. In addition, the Thief has a grappling hook.
  • Triage: The team’s medic has drones that heal you, as well as a kind of defibrillator ability to revive downed teammates faster. He also has abilities to boost you or your teammates in combat.
  • Rook: The class for solo players allows you to join an ongoing match. However, you cannot bring your own gear with the Rook, but get a starter kit instead. However, the class has an ability that makes NPC enemies not perceive you as hostile and therefore do not attack you.

However, you can assume that Marathon may receive additional runner shells in the future. Currently, there are no details about this, but Bungie aims to update the shooter in the future. For example, a ranked mode will also be introduced in Season 1.

MeinMMO editor Dariusz particularly noticed the “Thief” when presenting the various runner shells. However, he is also sure that some abilities of the different classes will annoy him immensely: The 7 classes of Marathon look exciting for loot goblins like me, but I know I will hate my opponents

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

WoW makes housing even better, promises everything the community wants

The housing in World of Warcraft is being further expanded. The developers are looking to the future – and saying exactly what fans want to hear.

Housing has quickly become a highlight in World of Warcraft. Many players have only left their digital homes in recent months to visit neighbors or buy some decorative items in the world. The feature is hugely popular among a solid group of players – and is still just beginning.

Blizzard has therefore now disclosed plans in a blog post on the official WoW site and revealed what they are currently working on. This is sure to make the hearts of housing fans soar.

The most important points at a glance:

  • The decoration storage limit increases by 50% (from 5,000 to 7,500).
  • Pets will soon be available as placeable objects in and outside the house.
  • There will be many more endeavors with various new and old cultures.
  • A frustrating alignment bug will be fixed, but it will take some time.
  • The limit for outdoor decorations will be raised, and lighting will be introduced.
Start video
WoW Cinematic shows the journey of the Paladin Arator – Son of two worlds shows

Lighting for Outdoors

With the early access of housing, lighting in outdoor areas was disabled. This means that currently, players cannot place light sources in their gardens. The underlying problem was demonstrated in the beta of Midnight: players could stack many light sources on top of each other, leading to server instability and crashes.

Blizzard has apparently found a solution for this. Instead of banning outdoor lighting completely, there will be restrictions in the future. Light sources will only be able to be placed at a distance from one another so that they do not heavily influence each other.

WoW Housing Exterior Lighting
Soon you can finally place light sources outside as well.

This restriction only applies to outdoor areas, not inside your house. There, you can still stack as many light effects as you want until your visitors flee with teary eyes.

Save, Share, and Import Houses

A desired feature is the option to save houses that have been created once.

Many housing fans know the problem: You build a house with hundreds of decorations and many rooms. You are very satisfied. But then you think: Couldn’t I try a different style? Instead of a gloomy mansion, don’t you want to create a dark cave with secret passages instead?

Those who want to do that must demolish their house and start over – always with the fear that they might “never recreate it quite as well” as the first attempt.

Blizzard has a solution for this. Currently, they are working on a feature that includes the following options:

  • You will be able to save entire rooms, outdoor areas, or the whole house as code.
  • You will be able to save multiple layouts, for example, for each character. This way, each character can have its own house, between which you can then switch back and forth.
  • Those who want can also share the “codes” with friends and the community, so they can adopt the designs of rooms or spaces.

Pets in the House – As It Should Be

In World of Warcraft, there are over 1,000 different pets, and they of course belong in the house. This is not yet possible, but will change in the near future. The developers have clear plans for you to be able to place your companions in the house and also outside. The main points are:

  • You will be able to buy pet beds (or other suitable items) and bind a pet to it.
  • Inside your house, you can choose whether the pets should remain stationary at one location or wander through your house.
  • You can place pets multiple times. So if you want a dozen black cats in your house, but only own one black cat – that’s possible.
  • There will be a limit for placeable pets. Hundreds or thousands of pets in the house will not be possible.
WoW Housing Pets
A house full of pets. A dream comes true!

Additionally, Blizzard notes that there will be a “very small number” of companions that unfortunately cannot be placed in the house. These are probably pets with odd movement patterns, such as tentacle companions that burrow into the ground at various spots instead of moving normally. However, this has not yet been confirmed.

The Annoying Bug with Incorrect Alignment

Those who have done a lot in their own house will likely be familiar with the situation:

For hours, you have adjusted the details in the room. Picture frames were precisely moved, books and rocks perfectly aligned, and everything is just perfect. Then you log out, come back after a few hours – and somehow some items have shifted a bit. They suddenly clip into walls or point in a different direction.

Anyone who thought they were just suffering from hallucinations can be reassured – this is a bug that Blizzard acknowledges and has found. The fix may still take a while, as they want to test the solution extensively so that no player houses are adversely affected.

WoW Housing Safe Button
A new button ensures that soon you will be able to save layouts.

Visitor Codes You Can Show Off

You are really proud of your house and want to show off your Silvermoon palace to the public – but don’t want to risk visitors barging in while you are engaged in interesting RP with your blood elf harem? There will soon be “visitor codes” for that.

These codes can be used to generate a “preview version” of your house that can be viewed by visitors. This is a separate instance of the house and has no impact on what you are currently doing in your house. So if you are in the process of redecorating, others can still view the previous version of the house thanks to the visitor code.

Because Blizzard also wants more people to see the amazing houses, there will also be a “display case” feature. Here you can submit your house. Interested players can visit the house and provide an “upvote” if they like it. The most popular houses will receive a special decoration after some time, which has not yet been announced.

However you look at it: The housing team in World of Warcraft is rapidly becoming the community’s favorite and is saying all the right things. The future for housing looks wonderful. Now, it remains to be seen how long the developers will take to implement these plans.
In just a few hours, the launch of the new expansion is first on the agenda. What you definitely need to know before midnight, we have explained here.

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

10-year-old competitor of GTA Online is revived by a fan, offers raids like an MMORPG

A player has become so fond of Triad Wars that they did not want to give up the MMORPG. Half a year of work later, and the game is running again.

What kind of game is this? Triad Wars was a kind of MMORPG experiment by United Front Games, the creators of Sleeping Dogs. For many players, it was like Sleeping Dogs Online, where players were to build their own criminal empire. The game strongly resembles the big sandbox hit GTA Online, as both games feature a massive world full of vehicles and crime.

Although the “Massive” (as in “Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game”) was not the focus of the game, there were some mechanics that strongly resembled an MMORPG. Players were able to distribute skill points in skill trees that then enhanced combat skills, firearms, and driving abilities. Instead of experience points, players collected “Face”, a kind of street reputation. With a higher reputation, better equipment was also available.

The game world was always online, even when players were not actively playing. Through clans and leaderboards, players could compete against each other. Players joined forces to take control of Hong Kong.

However, there were also raids in the game where players could enter other players’ bases and fight against NPC guards. Although they did not fight against the players themselves, they had to get through the defenses placed by the defender before.

Here you can see the game in action:

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Rescue 10 Years After the End

What’s the status of the game? Triad Wars only ran in 2015, as the game was definitively shut down on January 20, 2016. At that time, the title never left the status of an “Open Beta” and there was never a full release.

The reasons for the quick downfall were related to the community and the title itself. Players were more thirsty for a Sleeping Dogs 2 than a Free2Play online offshoot. At the same time, the game offered too little “Online”, as there were never real fights with other players. It lacked interactions.

At the same time, the title clearly deserved the name Open Beta. There was a lot of grind as the thrilling presentation of the single-player campaign was missing and players constantly repeated the same actions. Additionally, the game world seemed too empty and unspectacular. However, the title still has one dedicated fan.

Where does the rescue come from? The fan with the username “Keiters” on Reddit has not given up on the title even 10 years after its end. According to his own statements, he revived the game 10 years after its conclusion.

To do this, he rebuilt the entire server structure himself, without having the server files. On the project’s website, he reports on his process. His Frankenstein project is now in a playable alpha, where many of the elements work, although not everything is functional yet.

Especially the core, the multiplayer and the economy of the title, are still not functional. At the same time, Keiters seems to be working without the permission of the former developers. Although he does not take any money, publisher Square Enix could intervene at any time and stop the project.

Since there have been MMORPGs, they have also died again. Loyal fans rarely manage to resurrect one. That one fan has succeeded is joyful, but it is not a solution for all titles. One initiative aims to save MMORPGs: Initiative to save video games had little hope, YouTubers and Twitch streamers rush to help

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

The world of Warhammer Fantasy has only fallen because a guy couldn’t cope with his wounded ego

The Old World from Warhammer Fantasy has perished in the “End Times,” and literally so. The greatest blame lies with a power-hungry vampire – and his wounded ego.

The “End Times marked the end of classic Warhammer Fantasy – at least until it was revived with “The Old World” a few years ago.

The End Times are a very controversial topic among fans. Most prefer to act as if they never happened. This is not only because the entire setting was left behind to market the new Age of Sigmar. Many are simply disturbed by how “out of character” some figures are perceived to behave.

One character comes off particularly poorly, as he betrayed everything and everyone – even when the survival of the world was at stake. His name: Mannfred von Carstein.

Start video
Total War: Warhammer – Mannfred von Carstein awakens the undead hordes of the vampire counts

The most cunning vampire of all

Mannfred is part of a powerful dynasty of vampires, the Von Carsteins. They ruled over Sylvania, a province in the east of the Empire. When Karl Franz was crowned its ruler, Sylvania had already belonged to the vampire counts for hundreds of years.

His exact origins are unclear. However, it is known that he was one of five vampires who conducted a bloody power struggle for the rule of Sylvania. In the end, only he and his insane blood brother Konrad remained. Mannfred then disappeared for a while and left the rule of the province to him.

Mannfred preferred to hone his necromantic skills. He traveled to Nehekhara, the land of the tomb kings – an entire civilization of the undead. There he researched in the tombs of ancient lich priests. At the end of his journey stood Nagashizzar, the fortress of the greatest necromancer of all time. At this place, his magic became exponentially more powerful.

More on the topic
Here are the 7 most powerful wizards in Warhammer Fantasy and why they couldn’t destroy the world anyway – or save it
von Ody

After Konrad was destroyed during an unsuccessful campaign into the Empire, Mannfred seized the opportunity and returned to Sylvania to claim the throne. To make the Empire believe that the danger from the undead had passed, he kept a low profile for the first years – Mannfred was far more cunning than other vampires, and certainly more than his bloodthirsty brother Konrad.

From commander to the greatest traitor in the world

During the End Times, Mannfred assisted in the return of Nagash, but only reluctantly. The powerful lich was supposed to help stop the latest and largest invasion of Chaos, which threatened to destroy the world. Mannfred would rather serve than be destroyed (even though his loyalty was dubious). He should at least serve as one of Nagash’s powerful Mortarchs.

However, in later negotiations with the remaining enemies of Chaos, Nagash disposed of his unreliable servant by making him the scapegoat. The vampire was locked in a cage of roots that drained his power. Enraged, Mannfred backstabbed his former allies and betrayed them to Be’lakor, a powerful daemon prince, who promised him freedom in return.

However, Mannfred did not actually join the forces of Chaos, even though he pretended to. His plan was to pit them against each other and then pick up the pieces in the end. He did not yet know that the leader of the Chaos invasion, Archaon the Everchosen, was planning a great ritual for the complete destruction of the world.

This ritual could still have been prevented, as a powerful mage of the Empire named Balthasar Gelt was conducting a counter-ritual. It only failed when Mannfred literally stabbed the wizard in the back in a final act of betrayal. The doom of the world was sealed.

The End Times are just one chapter in the grand story of Warhammer Fantasy – and not the only time the world stood on the brink of destruction. There have been many more such events. You can find out about the most dangerous ones here: Here are 5 threats that nearly wiped out the world of Warhammer Fantasy – and one that succeeded

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

Pokémon GO: All Events in March 2026 – Dates in the List

March 2026 brings you some events and content for Pokémon GO once again. However, a popular event is missing.

The end of February is near, and March is just around the corner. At the beginning of the new month, the new season Memories in Motion in Pokémon GO will start.

Undoubtedly, the highlights of the new month will be the two legendary Pokémon Zamazenta and Zacian, which you can encounter in raids. However, it is still unknown whether you can get the energy for the form change here. Additionally, another strong attacker, Regieleki, returns in March.

Moreover, you can find, challenge, and catch Regice as a Dynamax monster in Max raids in March.

The overview of all events and content will be shown in the respective lists. Monsters that can also appear as Shiny are marked with an *.

Start video
Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer

All Events in Pokémon GO in March 2026

DateEvent
March 3 – 930th Anniversary Pokémon
March 10 – 16Pokémon Pokopia Celebration Event
March 14Community Day with Hopplo
March 17 – 23Bug Out
March 21Research Day
March 28Max Battle Day with Gigantamax Pikachu
March 31 – April 6A Shockingly Good Time

All Legendary and Mega Raid Bosses in Pokémon GO in March 2026

DateRaid Boss
March 4 – 10Articuno*, Zapdos* and Moltres* (Raid Hour: March 4)
March 4 – 10Mega Pinsir*
March 11 – 17Zacian (Hero of Many Battles)* (Raid Hour: March 11)
March 11 – 17Mega Steelix*
March 18 – 24Zamazenta (Hero of Many Battles)* (Raid Hour: March 18)
March 18 – 24Mega Slowbro*
March 25 – 31Regieleki* (Raid Hour: March 25)
March 25 – 31Mega Houndoom*
On weekendsShadow Latias* in Shadow Raids

All Dyna Bosses in March 2026 in Pokémon GO

DateDynamax Monster
March 2 – 8Rookidee
March 9 – 15Pikachu
March 16 – 22Falinks
March 23 – 29Regice
March 30 – April 5Woobat

What about the Spotlight Hours? No Spotlight Hours have been announced for the new month so far. The information for the new season also completely lacks the Spotlight Hours. So currently, it is to be assumed that there will be none in the new month and in the upcoming season.

As soon as there are further information about the events in March 2026, we will update the list. However, before the new month begins, one of the big 3 annual events in Pokémon GO is coming up: the GO Tour 2026. This time it will take place in the Kalos region, which is why the event is also known as Kalos Tour 2026.

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

ARC Raiders: Keep Your Eyes Open – How to Complete the Quest

For the quest “Keep Your Eyes Open,” you need to find a graffiti in ARC Raiders and take a photo of it. We will show you where to find it.

What do you have to do for the quest? Celeste sends you on a quest to photograph a special graffiti as well as a hideout. The following is stated in the task:

  • Find the collapsed highway at the southern edge of the uninhabited clearing
  • Search Bilguun’s hideout and look for clues that he was there

Once you have completed all the tasks, you only need to report your progress to Celeste. However, many players have trouble locating the exact location. That’s why we’ll show you exactly where you need to go.

Start video
ARC Raiders shows new Hurricane condition and hints at a new enemy

Here you will find the collapsed highway

To find the collapsed highway, you need to go to the map “The Blue Gate.” Your target is located in the southern part of the map in the border areas adjacent to the forests. On our attached map, we have marked the exact location for you:

Before you embark on your journey, you should equip a zip line. Of course, you can also visit the highway without a zip line, but you need to aim for a specific opening in the broken bridge to complete the quest. It’s much easier with the zip line. It can take you directly there; otherwise, you’ll have to make a risky jump at the edge.

If you’ve made it into the opening, you just need to photograph the graffiti with the eyes. Once that’s done, you can extract and submit the task to Celeste. Note that you don’t have to escape from the map alive. You can also die or quit the round to complete the task faster.

These were all the important locations for the quest “Keep Your Eyes Open” in ARC Raiders. In addition to this mission, there are also other quests that you can complete. If you are looking for solutions for those as well, we have the right guide overview for you: ARC Raiders: All Guides, Tips and Lists Overview

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

Peaky Blinders is coming back to Netflix soon, reminds me of the greatest love-hate relationship I’ve ever felt

The trailer for the movie from Peaky Blinders has ignited the excitement of MeinMMO author Johanna, which is mainly due to the cast. At the same time, it also reminds her of her love-hate relationship with Thomas Shelby.

After lead actor Cillian Murphy announced he would return to the role of Thomas Shelby for a “Peaky Blinders” movie, my excitement was high. Now there’s finally a trailer, and it looks simply fantastic.

For a moment, I had concerns that Netflix might turn the movie into a cash grab. After all, Peaky Blinders is a very popular series. However, the cast shown speaks for itself and made all my doubts disappear. We obviously have Cillian Murphy himself, but also Rebecca Furgerson (Dune), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), and Stephen Graham (Adolescence).

I’m looking forward to the character Thomas Shelby as well, but at the same time, I’m not. Because I still don’t know whether to love or hate him. That’s what makes him so interesting to me.

You can watch the trailer for the movie here:

Start video
Thomas Shelby returns in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

Thomas Shelby drives me crazy

We all know the epic montages on the internet of scenes featuring Thomas Shelby. How he walks through the streets of Birmingham smoking in slow motion or casually strolls away from an exploding building.

For people who haven’t watched Peaky Blinders, Thomas Shelby may just seem like a cool protagonist who is superior to everyone else. No question, the gangster boss has his epic moments when you think, “Yeah man, what a cool character. He’s such a badass.” But just as often, if not more so, I find myself thinking, “You’re such a jerk.”

Thomas Shelby manages to test the limits of my own moral values and make me debate with myself whether certain actions are justified or not. Watching the gangster boss is almost exhausting.

His intellect makes him superior, but also cold

In countless moments, it gives the impression that Thomas Shelby is done for one way or another. His opponent has beaten him, but then comes the resolution that Thomas Shelby was once again a step ahead.

He is smart, and no one has finally beaten his intellect yet. His intelligence is one of his greatest strengths, but it also leads to his worst moments.

This often leads to his apathy. He treats other characters like chess pieces. He doesn’t even stop at his own family. He doesn’t involve them in his plans and forces them to do what he wants.

This can lead to funny situations, such as when he gets his little brother to marry and informs everyone except him. On the other hand, it also leads to situations like at the end of season 3, where Thomas Shelby knowingly lets the police take his family away.

Of course, one could say that it is the best for the family overall, but it is still not very nice.

Especially his brother Arthur seems to often be a tool for Thomas Shelby (Source: YouTube).

His insatiable ambition

One thing you cannot accuse Thomas Shelby of: laziness. The man gets things done. Actually, his older brother Arthur Shelby should have been the head of the family in his place. However, he is mentally too unstable to take on a leadership role.

With his intelligence and ambition, Thomas Shelby is the perfect candidate for it. But his ambition is also an insatiable thirst.

It seems almost irrelevant what Thomas Shelby achieves; enormous wealth and influence: he seeks the next goal. For this goal, he risks everything again and employs his morally questionable tactics.

The passing on of trauma

Thomas Shelby was in World War I. He is a severely traumatized man, which is especially evident in the first season. The experiences of the war haunt him, and he can only quiet them with drugs.

Help like therapy was pretty much non-existent at that time, so Thomas Shelby couldn’t have learned to cope with it. Add to that the prevailing gender roles: as a man, showing emotions was probably considered impossible at that time, as it was seen directly as a weakness.

The trauma Thomas Shelby has suffered does not get resolved; he passes it on. He murders and employs ruthless violence generally. Whoever stands in his way gets annihilated.

On one hand, I feel pity for him; no one should have to suffer such mental damage. On the other hand, I find it repulsive that he is also part of the problem.

Thomas Shelby is not an easy character. He is especially not one-dimensional, which is mainly due to the performance of Cillian Murphy but also to the writers.

The gangster boss remains one of the best and most interesting characters in modern cinematic history for me, even if I love-hate him or perhaps because of it. For me, Peaky Blinders is an absolute must-watch. If you want to shorten the time until the Peaky Blinders movie and have already finished watching the main series, we can recommend these 5 similar series: 5 series like Peaky Blinders

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

A manga wanted to become the new Naruto or One Piece, but it probably ends early

Yuki Tabata is the creator of the manga Black Clover. He had great ambitions at the beginning, but due to an important life decision, he lost touch with One Piece and Naruto.

What ambitions did he have? Right after its release, the manga Black Clover climbed into the top 20 of the best-selling mangas in France. It also celebrated great success around the world. A French blog wanted to know from him in 2018 what kind of story readers could expect.

When asked, if Black Clover would be told over the years like One Piece or Naruto, the mangaka Yuki Tabata responded:

Yes, that would be great, and I will do everything to make it happen. I am already mentally preparing to not have a vacation for a long time!

Originally, the manga started in 2015 in Weekly Shōnen Jump and was published there on a weekly basis. This continued successfully for 8 years, and the manga was able to accumulate numerous chapters through the weekly release. 

For comparison:

  • Black Clover currently has 389 chapters
  • Naruto has concluded with 700 chapters and has added some chapters with the successor Boruto
  • One Piece is currently the most prolific with 1174 chapters, although an ending is also slowly coming into sight

However, in 2023, a crucial decision by the mangaka shaped the future of the story.

Start video
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King – Official Trailer for the Anime Movie

Black Clover is unlikely to reach the chapter count of Naruto and One Piece

What is the status today? In 2023, Tabata decided to publish the manga not weekly but quarterly. So, after 12 chapters, there is now only one chapter per quarter. Mathematically, it is no longer possible for the author to catch up with other genre representatives like Naruto.

Tabata justified this in an afterword of the manga by stating that he always wanted to spend time with his daughter (read on X.com). At that time, he called the author of My Hero Academia for advice. He was nearly in tears during the call.

Since then, the manga has taken 3 years to reach its final stages. The final battle against Lucius Zogratis is largely completed, and the so-called Super Climax is confirmed for April or May 2026, where the question will still be clarified as to who will become the next Wizard King: Asta or Yuno?

Has he achieved his goal? In fact, the manga has managed to run for over 11 years. However, it has not quite reached the length of Naruto and One Piece, as it has not published nearly as many chapters.

The mangaka has not spoken about Naruto and One Piece himself but has addressed the question comparing the two mangas.

MeinMMO editor and anime expert Jasmin says: It is likely that the manga will end this year. Tabata clearly prioritizes family and only contributes one-twelfth of what he initially contributed. It is also known that he is struggling with health issues – which is not uncommon in the industry. Everything indicates that the manga will conclude in 2026.

Tabata made the comparison with Naruto and One Piece. However, another author wanted to distinguish himself from exactly these two mangas and create a somewhat different protagonist. More on this can be read on mein MMO: A successful manga differs from Dragon Ball and Naruto because the creator did not want a superhero

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Screen Rant
  2. CBR

Player loses hundreds of hours of work in Dune: Awakening because cheaters raid his base

In Dune: Awakening, a player has lost almost everything. His base is still standing, but his resources and thus hundreds of hours of work have been stolen.

Who is it about? The player Anax90 describes his situation on Reddit. He is in his base, but it no longer belongs to him. Ownership has been taken from him, and the items have presumably been stolen. He has no access to everything he has worked for in hundreds of hours.

A new exploit is to blame for this, which has caused trouble in Dune: Awakening in recent days. Players were able to damage the bases of others even though they were building in the PvE area. This is actually not possible and only happened through the use of an exploit.

Here you can watch a trailer for Dune: Awakening:

Start video
Dune: Awakening shows Chapter 3 and the free content update in the trailer

Rollback only for a few servers

How did the developers react? The developers of Dune: Awakening recognized the situation and fixed the exploit. However, a rollback only occurred for the servers where many issues were reported.

Here, the developers announced on Discord that players affected by cheaters on other servers should contact customer support. They are to review the situation and restore the stolen resources. However, it is unclear whether the support will also assist in regaining the base.

How long Anax90 has to wait until he gets his hundreds of hours of work back remains open. But his fellow players also know that only customer support can help him.

How do fellow players react? The exploit caused significant anger in the community. On one hand, players who weren’t affected lost the progress of an entire day’s gaming, while on the other hand, players like Anax90 are still waiting for a remedy. The mood is tense.

So players write on Reddit:

  • LookAlderaanPlaces: “Contact customer support! They will help you! And if not, let us know which server you are on and we (players) will help you!”
  • imrsn: “Such a bad feeling, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe they didn’t reset every server. It’s like a nice little ‘screw you’ to cap off the drama. No way a support package with a few random materials will make up for the loss, it’s insulting at this point.”
  • Gazrpazrp: “Bro, I felt like I lost 12 hours of grind this weekend. I created a ticket, but I think I’m done with this game if I don’t get any compensation from support. I’m just damn depressed.”
  • Slyder768: “Contact support so the guy who did this gets banned.”

The mood in Dune: Awakening is charged. Especially the veterans, who keep the survival MMO alive, feel disadvantaged. The player has announced to provide updates on whether and when support will respond. So we shall see. However, the biggest problem of Dune: Awakening has not yet been solved: Dune: Awakening doubles player counts on Steam, but according to the community, the identity crisis is not overcome.

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

Blizzard has quietly announced the first mobile game that I really want to play

Blizzard is going to try again with mobile games. But Overwatch Rush is different – it actually looks really good, thinks MeinMMO demon Cortyn.

You know, I actually felt quite mischievous and almost a bit diabolical last night. When it turned out, that Blizzard announces the game “Overwatch Rush”, my infernal writer’s soul was already looking forward to it – that would be a perfect topic for Mecker Wednesday. After all: Blizzard and mobile games, that is a story that, especially with Diablo Immortal and the quickly shelved Warcraft Rumble, is definitely a major uproar.

Then, however, I saw the gameplay trailer and also read the preview report by my colleague Dimitry Halley on GameStar and thought to myself: “I can’t write a Mecker Wednesday about this. I want to play it.”

Start video
Overwatch Rush: Gameplay trailer with the developers

Overwatch Rush looks like the first mobile game that I am genuinely interested in playing regularly and long-term. Overwatch in a 4vs4 variant, though from a “top-down” perspective sounds exciting and also looks surprisingly good in gameplay.

Yes, the developers’ dialogues are a bit “cringe”, as if a Blizzard executive told them beforehand: “And for the video, you all pretend to play your game for the very first time and that you are Overwatch fans who don’t insult their teammates’ mothers in chat every 3 minutes or spam ‘EZ EZ’ and Tank diff.”

I just can’t explain why Reinhardt is praised for his Awesome Shield already in the spawn room, and even receives a Nice! in reaction.

I look forward to learning more about Overwatch Rush. I want to know if all heroes from Overwatch also make it into Overwatch Rush. I want to see more of the gameplay and also get hands-on myself.

No mobile game has made me as curious as Overwatch Rush

Sure, I have also given other mobile games a chance. Hearthstone is basically a mobile game too, but I only really enjoy it on PC. Warcraft Rumble was really interesting in the first hours, but in the end, I only played it on PC and left it behind after the game sank into completely boring endless grind or one had to throw real money at problems until all accounts had reached their overdraft.

I know: For many (increasingly older) gamers, mobile games are not “real” games. Gaming is done with a keyboard or gamepad. I feel the same way. Long gaming sessions with immersive games – I want a big screen and a comfortable position to sink into for hours.

Screenshot of Anran from a trailer for Overwatch
Whether characters like Anran will also be in Overwatch Rush remains to be seen.

Above all, it’s not like “Overwatch Rush” is going to lose anything from the original Overwatch. It’s a game developed by a completely different development team than Blizzard’s “Team 4” (according to Blizzard).

It’s a bit curious that Blizzard announces the new game “just like that” at an unusual time. So detached from the major Overwatch announcements from a few weeks ago and practically two days before the release of WoW: Midnight.

Cynics might say that Blizzard does this because they themselves don’t really believe in Overwatch Rush. But I think rather that they have learned from the last mobile announcements from Blizzard and wanted to avoid a disaster like “Diablo: Immortal”. If Overwatch Rush had been the “big new announcement” at BlizzCon in September, a new shitstorm would have been pre-programmed.

So, Blizzard announcing Overwatch Rush rather on the side might also just be a sign that they don’t want to upset their core player base (which has historically indeed a very short fuse).

The usual fear of Pay2Win

And yes, I’m also fully aware that the game basically stands or falls with one thing – the cash shop. Because Overwatch Rush will be free-to-play, and that raises the question of how the game intends to generate revenue. I find skins and cosmetic adjustments perfectly fine; they can be as cheekily overpriced as in all other mobile games.

But that there is already talk of “adjustments to hero abilities”, so basically perks that are supposed to bring advantages and disadvantages, makes me grind my teeth quietly. It remains to be seen how drastic these adjustments are, and the danger of “Pay2Win” is initially given. For a game with competitive ambitions, this could mean that it immediately catapults itself out. But Blizzard will likely know this. Therefore, it is probably more effective if we let Blizzard know directly that Pay2Win has no place.

But all in all, I am positively surprised. Overwatch Rush looks fun. It could be the first mobile game in the history of mobile gaming that I want to play extensively. Because the gameplay looks good. The right mix of the well-known Overwatch but at a slightly reduced speed to be more tactical and to play solidly on mobile as well. I’m excited. Are you too?
Because at least currently, Blizzard is doing a lot right – also with Overwatch.

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

He just wanted to control his vacuum cleaner with a PS5 controller, instead he hacked into 7,000 foreign devices

A developer gained access to thousands of vacuum cleaners, including camera and location data. Meanwhile, the security flaw has been closed, but it also shows how much data the manufacturers have access to.

A software developer actually just wanted to control his vacuum robot with a PS5 controller.

However, instead, Sammy Azdoufal not only gained access to thousands of robots worldwide but also to integrated cameras and microphones. The manufacturer has now closed the security gap. This is reported by the English magazine PCGamer.

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Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds

Security flaw gives developer access to thousands of robots worldwide

What exactly happened? The developer had purchased a DJI Romo from the vacuum robot manufacturer of the same name. In the next step, he wanted to examine the traffic between his newly purchased vacuum cleaner and the manufacturer’s servers. For this purpose, he used the chatbot Claude.

However, the security token provided granted him access not only to his own device but also to thousands of vacuum robots worldwide. In this way, Azdoufal gained access to numerous data from the vacuum cleaners.

This included information about their cleaning routes, their battery status, and the obstacles they encountered. He could also access their integrated cameras and microphones. Moreover, he was able not only to reconstruct the floor plans of the apartments but also, thanks to the IP address, to determine the approximate location in each household.

Another “security flaw” often comes from passwords. Because many users put in too little effort to protect their data or accounts with secure passwords. Researchers repeatedly show how quickly simple passwords can be cracked: You think your password is secure? A graphic shows you how long hackers take to crack it

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