Hundreds of cards were sold on the internet as early prototypes of the Pokémon TCG for a lot of money. However, these have turned out to be forgeries – and this is despite the cards being examined by professionals and even signed by the original designer.
What kind of cards were these? The Pokémon cards were sold as prototypes that were printed for playtesting purposes. While the designs resemble today’s cards, they are more primitive – a “Work in Progress” version from the time before the game was released. Allegedly, the cards were created in the years 1995 and 1996.
However, the supposedly oldest Pokémon cards have since been revealed to be forgeries. A user in the forum efour found this out. In a detailed thread, he describes how he was able to date the supposedly ancient cards to be only 6 months old through metadata, thus exposing them as fakes.
Instead of being from 1995, the cards are from 2024.
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Pokémon TCG Pocket: Trailer for the Collision of Space and Time Expansion
Neither professionals nor the designer noticed the forgery
Weren’t the cards checked? Yes, and this was done by the reputable company CGC. Moreover, during the examination, the experts even worked closely with the original designer of the cards, Takumi Akabane, as stated in an article by the company on cgccards.com.
Takumi Akabane was previously Creative Director at Creatures Inc., one of the three companies that share the rights to Pokémon. The prototype cards were said to come from Akabane’s personal collection. They were even signed by him.
How much money has been lost? The cards were sold through online marketplaces like Ebay, and estimates suggest that around 10 million US dollars (approximately 9.6 million euros) were generated from these sales.
In a statement, CGC assures that they are investigating these allegations. However, the inquiries are likely to take some time.
In gaming, there are some influencers who maintain a “bad boy” image. These influencers include Adin Ross, who was permanently banned from Twitch in February 2023, and FaZe Banks, the boss of the “FaZe” clan, who once proudly reported on a betting site for Counter-Strike in Antigua. The two plan to enter GTA 6. They want to open their own role-playing server and link it to a new cryptocurrency. Allegedly, players will also be able to make money this way.
Why are they considered “bad boys”? Adin Ross (24) made a name for himself with GTA 5 and NBA2k. However, he has always been known for controversial content. After several temporary bans from Twitch, including for homophobic remarks, he was permanently banned from Twitch in February 2023 for showing his unmoderated Kick chat on Twitch, where racist and anti-Semitic comments were visible.
FaZe Banks (33) maintains a “bad boy” image. He was involved in a betting site for CS:GO in Antigua. He played a significant role in the contract dispute around Tfue. Recently, we reported on MeinMMO when he referred to an actress from Stranger Things as a “slut.”
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Rockstar Games shows GTA 6 for the first time in the trailer
Streamer duo plans the biggest role-playing server for GTA 6
What is their plan for GTA 6? Adin Ross has explained that he and FaZe Banks want to design the “biggest roleplay server for GTA 6.”
The plan seems to involve strongly establishing cryptocurrencies here. Everything on the server will be “pro-crypto.”
Because the economic system in GTA 6 is “fucking” crypto-friendly, and when you create a new server, you can build a world that will be linked to a “freshly minted coin”:
I will quickly tell the chat how it is – when GTA 6 comes out, Rick and I will create the biggest server together. We will make the best shit ever, and I promise you, it will be completely crypto, everything about it is pro-crypto.
How is it viewed? In the comments on X, the duo’s plan is met with skepticism:
“Rockstar will quickly sue you with a cease and desist order”
“The scam will last a maximum of a week”
“A crypto plan from Banks – What could possibly go wrong?”
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However, Adin Ross promises the fans: he means it seriously. You will find him in GTA 6, and fans will make money playing GTA 6. That is his plan, that is what Banks and he promise.
Banks then adds: Players will be able to build and operate their own businesses in their world in GTA 6. Everyone should be able to earn money here. Whether you run a restaurant or “are the biggest drug dealer who takes out all the others and rips them off” – Banks promises there will be opportunities to convert in-game wealth into real-life money.
Apex Legends has announced new information about the new Season 24: Takeover. One of the highlights is a new way to find your favorite weapons in the Battle Royale without getting frustrated during the search. On MeinMMO, you will learn what other highlights this season has to offer.
How do you find your favorite weapons? Apex Legends introduces the so-called Arsenals in Season 24. These are weapon caches that you can visit at designated locations.
These Arsenals then offer you a selection of weapons, allowing you to choose which one you want to play with. Apex’s “Battle Royale” Lead Designer Eric Canavese explained: “We wanted players to be able to use the weapons they want.” He also mentioned that the Arsenals will end the “guessing” involved in looting and instead give players more options for their loadouts.
In the future, you can simply visit such an Arsenal and take the weapon you like best. And to ensure that you don’t have to search for them for a long time, they will be visible during drops and from the dropship.
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Apex Legends reveals first trailer for Season 24
In addition to the Arsenals, you can now also see the POI names and information about the loot available during drops. This is intended to facilitate team communication.
Off with the helmets, bring on the headshots
What happens to the helmets? The developers also explained that Season 24 aims to focus more on actual fighting. Accordingly, all the weapons in the game will receive a buff. Nearly every weapon, for example, has received increased damage.
Additionally, white, blue, and purple helmets have been completely removed from the game to make achieving headshots more consistent. Building on that, headshot multipliers have also been tweaked. More details will be revealed in the patch notes.
Particularly, sniper rifles and DMRs are expected to feel really good in Season 24. Overall, these changes show that now it is the assault legends, not the supporters, who are in charge. Therefore, there will also be buffs for Ash and Ballistic.
Those who want to play Ranked must first prove their skill
What is changing in Ranked? The third major highlight of the update is the new Ranked challenges. From Season 24 onwards, anyone who wants to play Ranked in Apex Legends no longer has to reach level 20 to get started.
New players/accounts must now prove in a series of challenges that they have the necessary skill and teamwork ability to compete in the ranked mode.
Possible Ranked challenges include:
Restore 500 shields with shield cells
Deal 2,500 damage as a support legend
Reach the top 10 in Battle Royale 5 times
Accounts that have already played Ranked in previous seasons do not have to prove their skills anymore but can get started right away. This change only applies to new players and accounts.
Apex Legends has been a staple in the shooter scene for years, but in recent times the game has faced criticism from its most loyal fans. In the recently concluded Season 23, it went back to the past. With “Original Royale”, there was a mode that aimed to harken back to the beginnings of the game in 2019: After troubles with the present, EA’s big shooter goes back to its roots
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Sims is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The original lead designer, Will Wright, revealed a funny detail about the first game in the series on the occasion of the birthday. In an early development stage, the AI was actually too good.
Why did the AI have to be worsened? As soon as a player does not intervene in the situation, the wildest things happen in The Sims. The chaos that happens to the Sims in autopilot mode is intentional. Wright revealed that the AI was deliberately programmed to be worse because it had been too good at first.
“Almost everything the player did was worse than the Sims on autopilot.”
Therefore, the development team incorporated some bugs so that unpredictable things would happen. For example, it can happen that your Sim first makes a toast after not making it to the bathroom. Another example that Wright mentions is the bite of a guinea pig that suddenly leads to a deadly disease.
If the AI had not been worsened, a player would not have had to do anything to keep their Sim alive. The Sims would have perfectly fulfilled their needs and would have been well taken care of all around. To give players something to do, they had to make mistakes, which is why the AI was adjusted.
The Sims is known for its many expansions. One of them can be seen here in the trailer:
Start video
The Sims 4 – Trailer for the Expansion High School Years
Players should feel like gods
How did the autopilot come about at all?The Sims was originally supposed to be an architecture simulation, but at some point, the idea was abandoned. The basic thought for the autopilot comes from a tragic accident. In 1991, a huge fire raged in Oakland, which also burned down Wright’s house.
When he returned to the ashes of his house, he saw that only ants had survived the fire. He likely paid a lot of attention to them. Because he thought, what if humans used pheromones to communicate like ants? Then they would know directly when they were hungry that they automatically had to go to the fridge.
Initially, Wright developed the insect simulator SimAnt, but later The Sims emerged from it. The initially too good AI is due to observations of the ants, whose behavior Wright wanted to incorporate into the life simulation.
Wright found another analogy to the ants: with The Sims, the developer wanted players to feel like gods controlling small, stupid ants. In reality, they are the ants who believed they were gods. Even the cheats were only meant for one purpose: players should believe they could break the game.
Capcom gave a first look at the new biome Iceshard Cliffs and the monsters residing there during the Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase on February 4, 2025.
For the Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase on February 4, 2025, Capcom released a new trailer. It features a lot to marvel at, from the return of an old acquaintance to flying monsters and new gameplay. Here’s an overview:
The expedition team is taken to the frosty new biome Iceshard Cliffs
There they immediately encounter a whole horde of the new monster Hirabami, a leviathan with the ability to float
Players can also look forward to the return of the fan-favorite Nerscylla and its formidable prey Gypceros
In the new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds, it gets icy
Battle of the Titans
Starting at 1:10 in the trailer, there is a battle between two new Hirabami and a gigantic creature that seems to bury its opponents under its icy breath. Just based on its size, players speculate that this might be the apex of the region.
You have to look closely, however, as the battle only lasts about 3 seconds. Those who want a slightly clearer picture should consider pausing the trailer at the right moment.
You probably wouldn’t want to get caught in the crossfire during this battle (via YouTube)
As shown in the comments on YouTube, 3 seconds is apparently just the right length to spark speculation among players about what they actually saw. Another leviathan or more of a snake wyvern?
The trailer also provides a glimpse into the abilities of Arkveld before players can encounter the flagship monster in the second open beta. All important information about the beta is collected here for you.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, some old acquaintances return. But there are also numerous new creatures that you can hunt and turn into fashionable armor. We have compiled a list of all known monsters here on MeinMMO: Monster Hunter Wilds: All monsters in the currently known list
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Marcel “MontanaBlack” Eris held a big opening event on Twitch for the trading card game Pokémon TCG. With a special twist, up to 225,000 people tuned in to watch.
Note: We corrected the name of the expert “Butti” on February 7, 2025.
What kind of event was this? On February 2, 2025, MontanaBlack hosted a large Pokémon stream on his Twitch channel, where booster packs worth 15,000 euros were opened. The event featured 10 displays of the highly sought-after latest set, Prismatic Evolutions, as well as a rare 1st Edition Jungle Set as a special highlight.
The special twist is that MontanaBlack is not opening the cards for himself. Other streamers can “reserve” boosters for a few hundred euros.
In the stream, the names of the content creators were drawn randomly, and MontanaBlack, the Twitch streamer UnsympathischTV, and the trading card expert Christoph “butticards” Buttura opened the corresponding number of boosters.
The streamers then receive the cards from “their” boosters afterward – some are happy with rare specimens worth thousands of euros, while others go home empty-handed.
Start video
MontanaBlack is one of the most well-known streamers in Germany – This was his very first video
Viewers more than doubled through co-streaming
How did he achieve so many viewers? MontanaBlack’s stream attracted an average of over 68,000 simultaneous viewers, peaking at nearly 93,000 people. This is also an impressive accomplishment for the currently largest German streamer on Twitch: In a regular stream, he reaches an average of between 15,000 and 25,000 simultaneous viewers.
But not only MontanaBlack’s fans got to see the opening. The streamers who were also participating with some of the packs reacted live to the stream.
Those who tuned into Twitch on Sunday evening and sorted the German channels by reach would have seen this picture:
Among others, the following were present:
EliasN97 with an average of 33,700 viewers, peaking at nearly 55,000
Zarbex with an average of 20,500 viewers, peaking at around 53,500
Knossi with an average of 13,800 viewers, peaking at around 24,000
So, through just these three streamers, over 130,000 additional viewers were added for MontanaBlack. Additionally, there were several slightly smaller streams, like xRohat’s with an average of 5,000 viewers. Even though the streamer does not directly benefit from these views, the hype for the next big opening is certainly guaranteed.
Here you see Knossi reacting to how Zarbex reacts to MontanaBlack opening the packs he paid for.
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Already on January 19, 2025, he opened packs worth 24,000 euros. However, all of this is just preparation for a particularly large streaming event, where packs worth 300,000 euros will be opened. The stakes, in the form of packs, start here from 8,000 euros.
Deadlock is the latest MOBA shooter from Valve on Steam and offers many mechanics as well as 26 unique characters. Which heroes are currently particularly worthwhile, we show you here on MeinMMO in our tier list of the currently strongest heroes in Deadlock.
How was this tier list created? Each of the 26 heroes is rated in a tier level from the highest S-Tier to the lowest D-Tier. The different tiers are determined by the win rate and pick rate.
Update from May 16, 2025: We have updated the tier list to the current status.
S-Tier: These heroes are very strong, versatile, or hard to counter. They dominate the meta and almost always give your team an advantage.
A-Tier: The heroes in A-Tier are strong, but have minor weaknesses.
B-Tier: In B-Tier, there are heroes that work well, but many of them are countered by the right items and their usage.
C-Tier: These heroes are playable, but there is almost always a better alternative.
D-Tier: These heroes are currently weak, difficult to use effectively, or hardly fit into the current meta.
The big update with 4 new heroes and the extensive map update, which reduced the lanes from 4 to 3 (via steam.com), has already turned the meta upside down. With the latest major update of the item shop in May 2025 (via steam.com), Valve has added many new items and changed or completely removed old ones. Our tier list takes into account the new builds and items.
Who writes here? MeinMMO author Nico has been around since the beginnings of Deadlock and is among the top 15% of players. He has 12 years of MOBA experience in DotA 2 and League of Legends and compiled the tier list using various statistics of all heroes.
Start video
This is Deadlock – The new MOBA shooter from Valve
Each of the 26 heroes offers three unique abilities and a strong ultimate. Each skill can be upgraded multiple times and determines which role you play. With the many different items, you can further lean towards a support, frontline, or a straightforward damage dealer.
The heroes also offer different difficulty levels, ranging from simple abilities to mechanically demanding characters, everything is represented in Deadlock. In the overview from MeinMMO about all heroes, you can learn about their abilities: Deadlock: All characters in the overview
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Anyone who releases their first game on a platform like Steam must inevitably face the judgment of the community. However, one developer has had an astonishing experience with his debut.
Which developer is it? The talk is about a 31-year-old developer from Valencia, Spain. He goes by the name Wabbaboy online and develops indie games almost solo.
His first game is called FlyKnight and was released on January 31, 2025, at a price of just under €6 on Steam. Although Wabbaboy had previously published a demo for another project, FlyKnight is the first full-fledged release.
It is a dungeon crawler with old-school charm – apparently a popular genre on Steam. In classic fashion, players explore various dungeons from a first-person perspective, fight against enemies, and ultimately face the big final boss. There is even a co-op mode.
The curious part: In FlyKnight, as the name suggests, you play a fly. The enemies that stand in your way are also borrowed from the insect world. Combined with the reduced but atmospheric graphic style, this creates a wonderfully quirky mix.
Players on Steam have checked out FlyKnight and rendered a clear verdict. The developer can only marvel at it.
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Trailer for the indie dungeon crawler FlyKnight
The community agrees
What do the players say? On Steam, FlyKnight has received very good reviews since its release. The game stands at “extremely positive”. 97% of users have given it a thumbs up.
Of course, the developer Wabbaboy has noticed this. On x.com, he shared a screenshot of the Steam page and wrote: “What the hell?”
He seems overwhelmed by the strong positive feedback. At the time of his x-post, FlyKnight had only 668 reviews. A short time later, on February 5, it already had over 1940. The average rating hasn’t changed.
What is so good about FlyKnight? The users on Steam emphasize how fun the game is. Although it is not particularly long at around 4 hours of gameplay, it provides excellent entertainment during that time.
“It makes me feel like a child again playing Ocarina of Time on my parents’ N64,” writes Clonerecruit.
“Great game for such a low price! It feels like you mixed the sound and aesthetics of RuneScape and added gameplay elements from Dark Souls 1,” describes Striker his impression.
“A great example of less is more. Simple mechanics, an engaging little story, and memorable boss fights,” summarizes Mrbiz.
Even under Wabbaboy’s post on x.com, users agree that the praise on Steam is well-deserved. It once again shows that for a fun game, primarily a good idea is needed – as the success of Balatro last year proved.
In Path of Exile 2, the new update was released earlier than expected. Professional players are particularly excited about a ring that shows how well they play.
What is this patch? Update 0.1.1c for Path of Exile 2 launched on the night of February 5, 2025. On PC, you need to download approximately 700 MB. The servers are already live again, and no further downtime is expected. However, before you can start PoE2 again, you must first download the patch.
The patch notes for Path of Exile 2 are slightly shorter this time, which the developers have already indicated with the version number. This only adds a “c” at the end to the current patch, indicating that this is not too large an update. You can find the complete patch notes in German on the second page of this article.
[toc]
Here you can see the cinematic intro of Path of Exile 2:
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Path of Exile 2: The Cinematic Intro of the Greatest Diablo Competitor
The One Ring
What are the highlights of the update? Patch 0.1.1c brings versatile improvements. Controller players, in particular, can look forward to significant advancements in controls. Here, the developers have changed several functions in both menus and targeting skills.
This time there are also some nerfs, albeit through the back door. The developers ensure in the new update that inanimate objects such as ice crystals, the storm bell, or arrow vines can no longer be used by skills to generate energy. Additionally, they should not trigger on-hit effects anymore.
However, the most significant innovation occurs in the item shop of the ARPG. Here, professional players, in particular, are excited about the one ring from Path of Exile that tracks how many currency items the character has collected.
The looter’s ring of the exiled is one of the most popular items from its predecessor. The fact that it is recorded which and how many currency items a character receives is something players love, also because it allows for bragging rights.
Thrillers are one of the most popular genres for movies and series. Crime cases and villains have always fascinated audiences. But how realistic is it all? An expert has looked at various scenes in a video, including the Silence of the Lambs.
Editor’s note: The following article discusses The Silence of the Lambs and the realism of the depicted scenes. Those who have difficulty with such scenes should avoid watching the article or the mentioned YouTube video.
In a more recent YouTube video, it addresses movies and series about serial killers. The expert in this video is Pat Postiglione. He was an investigator at the Nashville Police Department for over 30 years and worked on 75 cold cases. He also investigated 6 cases of serial murders.
The video also discusses The Silence of the Lambs. The expert evaluates several scenes from the film.
A trailer for The Silence of the Lambs can be seen here:
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The Silence of the Lambs – Trailer for the Thriller Classic with Anthony Hopkins
Much of the investigation seems realistic
What does the investigator say about The Silence of the Lambs? The first scene the investigator looks at is the examination of a dead body by investigator Clarice, played by Jodie Foster. At the beginning, the expert speaks about the described wound, which shows how close the perpetrator must have been.
The classic aspect with dirt under the nails shows that the victim must have fought back. The cream that the detectives in the film apply under their noses seems to be used in real life according to the expert as well. This is supposed to help them ignore the smell of the corpse.
He himself says, however, that it was not used in his environment; his colleagues could apparently breathe out of their mouths without having to smell.
During the examination of the corpse, something is found in the victim’s mouth. According to the expert, this could either be a form of business card to indicate that it was not the first time or it refers to copycats who replicate another act.
Such aspects are actually beneficial for investigators in real life, because the more the perpetrators leave behind at the crime scene, the more evidence there can be.
What does he say about Hannibal Lecter’s assistance? In the next section of the analysis of The Silence of the Lambs, the expert talks about Hannibal Lecter and how Clarice seeks his help. He says that one cannot know how accurate the serial killer’s information is.
He states that he would also question such individuals extensively, simply to get information. In his experience, serial killers are often even trustworthy, as long as it helps them.
However, the expert does not find Hannibal Lecter’s analysis of other perpetrators very convincing. He states that it is not so easy to say why a perpetrator kills. There is not one reason that leads to it. He says about such perpetrators:
I think it’s really not that simple to say, well, he killed for this or that reason […] They have […] no fear, no guilt, no remorse. The only regret they have is getting caught.
How was The Silence of the Lambs rated as a film? Aside from realism, The Silence of the Lambs is considered one of the best films of all time. The film even won the 5 most important Oscars in 1992:
Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay
For movies, realism is not the most important aspect in every situation as long as everything that happens is credible. John Wick is a series that seems quite absurd. How realistic the John Wick films are can be found out here: Elite soldier explains how realistic the John Wick films are
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Path of Exile 2, there are some mechanics designed to deliberately weaken your character in order to keep the game challenging. One mechanic specifically targets your loot.
What mechanic is it? In Path of Exile 2, there are various shrines that first empower your enemies and later empower you if you activate the buff. While some shrines simply grant you increased damage of an element or make you move and attack faster, there are also shrines with rather negative effects.
Among these negative shrines are the “Corrupting Shrine,” which corrupts all items that are dropped, and the “Greed Shrine,” which turns all your item drops into gold. Especially the latter ensures that good and expensive items are destroyed by being turned into gold. The gold is not nearly as useful in Path of Exile 2 as the drops you would otherwise receive.
Many players now simply wait out these annoying shrines so they don’t accidentally destroy good items, but there is a simple trick to bypass this mechanic.
Do you already know this useful NPC?
Start video
This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items
Save loot and time with one click
How does the trick work? All buffs from the shrines can be removed directly with a click. This means you do not have to wait for the time to expire or avoid clicking on any shrines.
To get rid of the buff, simply hover on PC over the shrine buff with your mouse and click the left or right mouse button, and the effect should disappear immediately.
The trick also works on consoles. Here, you must first pause the game by opening the menu. Then hover over the buff with your right stick. Now you can simply remove it with your action button.
Is the trick known? Don’t worry, if you’ve always waited for the (de)buff to expire, you’re not alone. Recently on Reddit, user PermaCamille complained that he received only 60 gold on a level 15 map and got over 1,500 upvotes for it.
In the comments to the post, users like MemphisRitz are found. He writes on Reddit: “Bro what. I was in about 500 maps and didn’t know. lmao I knew you could read them like that but didn’t know you could click them away lol.”
User thethird725 has a suggestion on Reddit on how the developers could change the buff: “Give me a ‘turns all gold into drops’ shrine.” Also, lermaster7 has a similar idea on Reddit: “‘Converts all drops into currency items’ could be fun.”
Final Fantasy XIV is currently in the update phase of the expansion Dawntrail. Patch 7.2 is expected to be released in March 2025, and it could be so good that it even brings back one of the most popular YouTubers to the game from his hiatus.
Which YouTuber is so excited? Final Fantasy XIV’s upcoming Patch has excited YouTuber Larryzaur. He started his channel about eight years ago and became well-known for comedy and satire.
His first video was about job stereotypes in Final Fantasy XIV, followed later by the successful Basically series, where he explains the classes of the MMORPG in a simplified but understandable way. Currently, his channel has 217,000 subscribers.
However, two years ago he announced his withdrawal from YouTube to work on his own video game instead. Since then, he has been releasing new videos only sporadically. The outlook for the next Patch 7.2 is so promising that he talks about his newfound enthusiasm for Final Fantasy XIV in his latest video (via YouTube), because finally, the content is coming that he believes is absolutely needed.
Because he has been on a YouTube break for about two years, unfortunately, there are no Basically guide videos for the two new jobs from Dawntrail yet:
Start video
Final Fantasy XIV: Here are the 2 new jobs in Dawntrail – Pictomancer and Viper in under 2 minutes
After almost three years, the new MMO content finally arrives
What content is coming in Patch 7.2? Currently, Final Fantasy XIV is in Patch 7.1, which was released in November 2024. If the game sticks to its four-month update rhythm, the player community can expect the new update in March 2025.
Initial content will be announced on February 7 during the next Producer’s Letter, the developer update stream of the MMORPG. However, the following content is currently expected:
Field Exploration Occult Crescent
Crafter and gatherer endgame Cosmo Exploration
Part two of the 8-man raid The Arkdion normal and epic
A new challenging boss fight
A new dungeon
New main story quests
It feels like the whole community is coming together
Why is the patch making Larryzaur so happy? Larryzaur starts his video rather seriously: he has not logged into Final Fantasy XIV for a long time because there has simply been nothing to do. Patch 7.2 is just what the game needs right now – especially due to the anticipated new field exploration.
What are field explorations in Final Fantasy XIV?
Field explorations are classic MMO content. They consist of large, standalone zones where players can explore together and work towards goals. During the Stormblood expansion, Eureka was released, while during Shadowbringers there was the Bozja Southern Front. Both zones were designed for leveling the current relic weapons.
The fun lies in exploring a new, very active zone with over 70 other players. New boss enemies spawn regularly, leading to battles that must be completed in large groups. By successfully completing certain events, further events are unlocked, including 48-player raids that can only be played there.
In his video, Larry predicts a player boom upon the release of the expedition: Eureka and Bozja were content that all players in Final Fantasy XIV could participate in. You didn’t need to be particularly skilled, and there wasn’t much to unlock beforehand (editor’s note: Before entering the Bozja Southern Front, the Stormblood alliance raid questline had to be completed).
Especially when the new zone is brand new, it is particularly fun:
[…] and because [field explorations are something] the whole player base does, it feels like the entire community of this game comes together and figures out the best ways to progress and shares secrets about how to best complete their relic weapon. Those are always very special and fun moments.
Furthermore, Larry is particularly excited about the new main story quest. This has recently faced significant criticism for not reaching the heights that players have come to expect from Final Fantasy XIV. Even the prominent Final Fantasy XIV streamer Zepla voiced severe criticism:
Larry specifically points out that the ending of the story from Patch 7.1 left him really wanting more. Therefore, he strongly hopes that the story will pick up pace now and return to its old strengths: Call me crazy, but I think the 7.2 MSQ will be a blast!
Indeed, the endgame combat content is currently well received by players: The 8-man raid from Dawntrail is one of the best Square Enix has released so far. Positive feedback has also come from Larryzaur about the new alliance raid. However, both contents are now somewhat older. A new field exploration could therefore be exactly what brings players back to Final Fantasy XIV – precisely because theoretically all players can participate.
We still have to wait until February 7 to know more about what to expect in Patch 7.2. Recently, however, there were a few stirring topics in the MMORPG. On the one hand, the adjustment of a small detail changed the new chaotic alliance raid. On the other hand, a tool that allowed stalking in the game was banned: Mods for Final Fantasy XIV allow players to stalk their victims better – Now the director speaks out.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new shop mount bundle causes stress in World of Warcraft. Because actually, you are buying something completely different.
That one can buy additional mounts through the in-game shop in World of Warcraft has become accustomed to over the past few years. However, the latest offerings are causing discontent in the community. With a new bundle, you not only get two mounts but also an actually strictly limited resource that you can now slightly replenish with real money.
Start video
For the 20th Birthday, Blizzard Speaks About ‘WoW 2’ and What We Think About It
What kind of bundle is this? Since February 4, 2025, the “Cursed Flyer Package” offer has been available in the World of Warcraft shop. Here you get two mounts for the price of €30.
The two mounts are flying brooms, in blue and purple colors. They are “recolor” variants of the broom that can also be obtained this month in the trading post or as a rare drop during the “Love is in the Air” event.
Additionally, the bundle also includes a bonus: 600 trader’s tenders.
Are the trader’s tenders the bonus – or the main part of the offer?
What is the problem with it? The issue with this bundle is the 600 trader’s tenders that are given as a “bonus.” Trader’s tenders are a highly limited currency, of which you can only obtain a limited amount in the game per month.
Trader’s tenders are needed to buy various cosmetic items in the trading post.
The criticism is clear: Blizzard is essentially selling trader’s tenders with the bundle, even though it was previously stated that this should not be possible. In the past, Blizzard has occasionally included trader’s tenders as a “bonus” for various real-money bundles and thus diluted this rule.
That this bundle is being offered precisely in the month when many additional NPCs are available, who sell a lot of items from the trading post over the past years, is viewed particularly critically. From the perspective of many players, Blizzard’s intention here is clear: They create a large amount of rewards for trader’s tenders, but to possess enough trader’s tenders, you have to spend real money.
This is how the community reacts: Both in the WoW subreddit and on community sites like Wowhead, there is a lot of criticism, and nasty memes are pouring in. Some voices from the player base:
“To be honest, that’s $30 for 600 trader’s tenders. They’ve just included the mounts so they can say they aren’t directly selling the tenders. Personally, it doesn’t bother me that much, but don’t buy this waste of money, lol.” – Merrena
“I would welcome it if they didn’t sell tenders, because the trading post should be a reward for those who consistently have a subscription and play the game.” – Skullhawk13
“Just sell the tenders without any extras already. We all know it’s going to happen anyway.” – jive87
Will you buy this bundle? Perhaps even despite – or precisely because of – the additional trader’s tenders? What do you think of Blizzard’s approach? A step in the wrong direction or “not a problem at all” because no one is forced to buy? After all, this decision is not as bad as the 5 worst features that WoW ever had.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The universe of The Lord of the Rings is larger than one can guess from the films. Many creatures encountered on the screen are never shown, and among them are some mysterious and dangerous beings that even Gandalf knows almost nothing about.
What beings are we talking about? In the world of The Lord of the Rings, there are many creatures and entities about which almost nothing is known because they exist outside the known storyline and are sometimes even older than the oldest characters in the films. Among them is Tom Bombadil, who never appeared in the films.
Others, more malevolent creatures exist far in the dark depths of Moria. Little is known about these creatures, and even Gandalf refused to describe the Nameless Ones, although he likely encountered them.
Image rights of The Lord of the Rings belong to Warner Bros. Pictures
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Epic Trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
Gandalf fled from the mysterious creatures
What are the Nameless Ones? The Nameless Ones are mysterious entities about which little is known. Some of them are said to exist in the depths of Moria, in a place with tunnels that were not built by the dwarves.
After Gandalf fell into the depths along with the Balrog, he fought relentlessly against the Balrog. Gandalf described the depths as a dark place away from light and knowledge. The Balrog fled into the dark tunnels, where the Nameless Ones lived. Gandalf described the situation afterwards as follows: In this despair, my enemy was my only hope. (via YouTube)
Gandalf did not want to describe how these Nameless Ones looked to the Fellowship upon his return. The sight seems to have been that dark. However, he explained that these beings were likely older than Sauron. It is unclear whether he meant that these beings existed at the creation of Arda, the world in The Lord of the Rings.
According to Gandalf, Sauron is also said to know nothing of these beings, who are not under his command. Even Gandalf knows very little about these dangerous creatures. It can be assumed that the guardian in the water is one of the Nameless Ones that managed to reach the surface, but this was never confirmed by Tolkien.
What inspired the Nameless Ones? There is no official information regarding this, as Tolkien did not speak about it. However, similarities can be seen with the stories of horror author H.P. Lovecraft. The entire Cthulhu mythos plays with the idea that there are dreadful beings that cannot be described by human words.
Cthulhu is often depicted as a large tentacle monster, and the entities from Lovecraft’s stories often existed longer than humanity and the earth itself. This also fits with Gandalf’s reluctance to describe what he saw.
Mythological creatures might also have been a source of inspiration. 3DJuegos mentions Jörmungandr from Norse mythology as an example. The giant serpent is an ancient being that has existed as long as the world and represents chaos and darkness. The serpent is said to live in the depths of the ocean. However, these are just speculations.
Monster Hunter Wilds finally starts its 2nd open beta on February 7, 2025. There are some differences from the first beta, most notably new monsters that you can fight. One of them will challenge you particularly, as it is the new flagship monster.
Along with the new trailer, there was also more information about the open beta, which will run from February 7 to February 10 and from February 14 to February 17. The big highlight is that you can fight the new flagship monster Arkveld. However, it is emphasized in the presentation that the battle is not easy and is rather suited for advanced players.
But that is not the only innovation in the second beta.
You can watch the new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds here:
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In the new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds, it gets icy
New Monsters and the Ability to Learn Weapons
What new content is available in the 2nd beta? The content from the first beta can still be played. So you again have character creation, a story demo, and a Doshaguma hunt. In addition, you can once again face the Chatacabra, the Balahara, and the Rey Dau. The new beta expands the experience:
In addition to the flagship monster Arkveld, you can also confront the old familiar Gypceros
Both will be available as optional quests, but once you complete them, Arkveld will appear only rarely
Finally, you can also let loose in a training area to test different combos of the weapons solo. However, changes to the weapons are not yet included in the beta
You can create private lobbies in the 2nd beta
You can also play the beta without joining a lobby, but you can temporarily call for help with the emergency signal
There will once again be crossplay between PC and consoles
The character creation data can be retained for the full version, everything else will only be saved in the beta.
What bonuses for the full version do I get if I play the beta?
A plush charm that you can hang on your weapon or mount in-game
It won’t be long until you can enjoy the game in its full version. On February 28, 2025, Monster Hunter Wilds will be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S and X. Monster Hunter Wilds offers many new features that can already be seen in the beta: Monster Hunter Wilds: 10 hidden features you shouldn’t miss in the upcoming beta
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The world of Warhammer 40,000 is full of intrigues and complex, branching plots that have been developing for decades. In this story, however, there is one man who surpasses many others – even the famous Horus. For he is the reason why the greatest traitor of mankind became a traitor in the first place.
Erebus is a name that even some fans of Warhammer may not know or not know very well. And those who do know him mostly hate him, because Erebus is indirectly or directly responsible for most of the bad things in the recent history of the universe.
Although he is considered a traitor, he is strictly speaking not one, because: he never really believed in the Emperor, but has always been a follower of the dark gods – even if he only realized this later.
His first act of betrayal was committed as a child when he strangled the roughly same-aged but much kinder Erebus and assumed his identity. From then on, his path only went deeper into darkness.
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Warhammer 40,000: The Cinematic Trailer for the Horus Heresy, the Great Brother War
A manipulative intriguer without equal
The greatest tragedy in the history of the Empire is the Great Brother War, or the ‘Horus Heresy.’ Two men are mainly responsible for this: Horus, whom you also see in the cover image, and Lorgar, the Primarch of the Luna Wolves (later Sons of Horus) and of the Word Bearers.
However, it is Erebus who is responsible for the whole affair even starting. The short version: Lorgar and his Word Bearers wanted to worship the Emperor as a god, which he categorically rejects.
Since the Emperor expects his sons, the Primarchs, and the Space Marines to be role models, he punishes the Word Bearers. Erebus eventually turns to the humiliated Legion and introduces them to “other gods” that they can worship instead.
Erebus has already become a Space Marine by this time. Since he was born on the home world of the Word Bearers, he naturally found his way to the Legion, where he quickly rose due to his charisma.
As a Primarch who is actually loyal to the Empire, he had to deceive Lorgar, but eventually manages to convert him to Chaos. Through a later intrigue, he accomplishes the same with Horus by wounding him with a special sword and then offering the only cure.
Erebus is the man who split the Empire
The perhaps greatest crime that Erebus actually committed directly is the summoning of the Ruinstorm. This storm was so immense that part of the Empire was cut off from Terra.
As a result, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman, out of panic created a second Empire. Since the two parts of the Empire were cut off from each other and could not communicate, weakened armies had to defend themselves against Chaos. This was only achieved with great difficulty.
the killing of Erda, an Eternal, meaning a member of the same species as the Emperor (though Erebus had previously summoned four Greater Daemons)
the murder of Garviel Loken, a former loyalist of Horus, through which, as Erebus claims, Samus is created – a daemon that torments the Empire for years
the betrayal on Isstvan III, where numerous loyal Space Marines were killed by a man-eating supervirus
In the community, Erebus is only somewhat popular, at least among loyalist fans, but despite his wickedness, many respect his focused thinking. In a thread on Reddit, users discuss exactly that.
Even before he had met the Emperor for the first time, Erebus already knew that he wanted to overthrow the ruler of mankind. After the meeting, he was pretty much the only one who was not taken in by the divine aura.
Fans love Erebus for being a “resolute, incorrigible asshole in a setting full of morally ambiguous characters.” A true villain among people who are neither really good nor really evil.
Human resource managers were asked whom they find particularly difficult to work with. And Generation Z explains that their own peers are the hardest to work with. Almost half (45%) find their own generation difficult to lead and would prefer other employees.
In a survey by Resume Genius, 625 HR managers in the USA were asked about their relationships with different generations.
It was about, among other things, which generation is the hardest to collaborate with, but also which groups currently have the best chances for a job. It may be surprising that even Gen Z finds their own generation too exhausting.
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“We have created a monster” – A Spanish model earns up to 10,000 euros a month, yet she is not real
Gen Z managers dislike working with Gen Z employees
What do the survey results look like? In the survey, 45% of respondents stated that Generation Z is the most difficult generation to work with. Interestingly, young supervisors who also belong to Generation Z find working with their own generation to be burdensome:
The so-called Boomers perform best in comparison, closely followed by Generation X:
Generation Z is by far the most difficult (45%).
Millennials consider about a quarter of the respondents to be difficult (26%).
A tenth of the respondents find Generation X bothersome (13%).
The Boomers perform best among the respondents (9%).
For 7%, it does not matter which generation the employee belongs to.
Interestingly, however, HR managers of Generation Z focus more on the “hobbies and interests” of a candidate, with 57% categorizing this section as one of the three most important parts of a resume.
Generation Z is facing two major problems apart from criticism. On one hand, rents are getting more expensive, and on the other hand, they no longer want to take on any job just to earn money. And this is not well received, especially by older generations, who refer to their own life paths: Gen Z is currently facing two major problems, one of which it cannot solve without help.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A free shooter should put an end to the undisputed dominance of Call of Duty. Instead, one year after release, the end is certain.
Which game is it about? On May 21, 2024, after multiple delays, the release of XDefiant was finally happening. In this shooter, you can choose from various factions from Ubisoft titles as playable classes – including the Cleaners from The Division or the Liberators from Far Cry 6. Different PvP modes like Domination and Payload are played.
Some members of the shooter community hoped that XDefiant would finally create a worthy competitor to Call of Duty, which had received much criticism from players in the previous years. Initially, everything seemed to be going well, as the beta tests before the release appeared promising, and many players had real fun. MeinMMO editor Dariusz also found XDefiant really good in the beta.
Then the release came, and shooter fans flooded the servers of Ubisoft’s “CoD Killer,” as it was often called on social media. Industry insider Tom Henderson reported just a week after the release that the shooter had surpassed 8 million players, exceeding even the expectations of 5 million players (via Insider-Gaming).
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XDefiant Game Overview Deep Dive Trailer
The Decision for Final Shutdown
What happened to XDefiant? However, the success was short-lived. During the first half year after the release, there were multiple rumors and leaks announcing the death of XDefiant.
It was said that Ubisoft was not satisfied with the player numbers. Since the title was intended to be a live service game, meant to generate money for the developer over years through microtransactions, it could not meet the studio’s expectations (via Insider-Gaming).
In December 2024, the feared report followed: XDefiant is facing shutdown. The shooter will not allow any new downloads or player registrations and will only release the already completed contents of Season 3. In June 2025, the servers are finally set to go offline – just one year after the release.
Unresolved Issues and Player Exodus
What led to the fall of XDefiant? XDefiant had various problems, including servers crashing at launch. Players also complained about the netcode, as hits were often not counted. However, there were also other non-technical factors that players criticized about XDefiant.
XDefiant lacked a challenging progression system. There was nothing for players to work towards during a round. There was a constant call for the game to include something like killstreaks or score streaks from Call of Duty. A type of nuke that requires effort to achieve special success. In general, the limited amount of content was criticized, and the seasons that brought new factions, a battle pass with new weapons, and maps came too slowly. Some players had already turned their backs on the game before Season 2 started.
Why did players leave XDefiant? When a game cannot retain its players, it must try to attract new players. However, Ubisoft limited the shooter’s opportunities by only offering XDefiant on Ubisoft Connect for PC. XDefiant was never released on Steam. For many gamers, this is the primary hub where they find and download their games. Between 25 and 35 million users are active on the platform daily (via Steam).
We Germans have a fitting proverb: “Out of sight, out of mind.” Since XDefiant was not on Steam, players looking for a shooter on the platform could not stumble upon the Ubisoft title by chance. It is possible that XDefiant quickly faded from the memory of some players because they did not see it regularly while browsing Steam.
Missed Opportunity to Beat Call of Duty
What opportunity did XDefiant miss? XDefiant was originally supposed to be released in the summer of 2023. This would have allowed the shooter to come out before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and take advantage of the preceding Modern Warfare 2’s decline. It would have been the perfect time for the release.
Instead, XDefiant was released nearly half a year before Black Ops 6. At a time when XDefiant desperately needed to gain new players or bring back old ones, the perhaps most popular Call of Duty in years hit the market. And even though Black Ops 6 has also faced much criticism since then, the release of the shooter went very well. The head of Microsoft even revealed: Black Ops 6 broke records – never has a Call of Duty been played this much upon release
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The head of Electronic Arts, Andrew Wilson, commented during a call with investors about the role-playing game Dragon Age: The Veilguard. He sees the reasons for its failure in missing features that are typical for live-service games. The previous game by BioWare, Anthem, was planned as such a service game.
This is what Andrew Wilson said about Dragon Age: The Veilguard: In an investor call on February 4, 2025, the CEO of EA said:
Q3 did not bring the financial performance we wanted or expected. As a leading company in the global entertainment sector, we know that great titles can sometimes fall short of our financial expectations, even when they are developed and delivered with refined execution.
To grow beyond the core audience, games must directly address the evolving demands of players, who in this popular category are increasingly looking for shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality storytelling.
Dragon Age had a high-quality launch and received positive reviews from critics and players, but did not find sufficient resonance with a broad audience in this fiercely competitive market.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Unleashes the Dragon in Official Launch Trailer
Wilson says that Dragon Age lacked “Shared World” features
What does he mean by that? “Shared World features” and “deeper engagement” are ultimately terms that describe an MMO experience: here players share a world.
Wilson essentially says:
The role-playing game itself was good and was well received by players and critics.
But it only reached the core player base, and that is no longer enough today.
For a game to be truly successful and a hit that everyone talks about, it needs more MMO elements or at least a strong evolution.
Perhaps the phrase “fiercely competitive market” implies that EA wanted a success with Dragon Age akin to Baldur’s Gate 3. While it does not offer a “Shared World,” it has built a strong community. Baldur’s Gate 3 remained relevant for years because it was continuously developed.
“Shared World,” a shared world, is a code word for “MMO, but the cool way that shooters offer it, and not the boring Excel way, like MMORPGs do.” Destiny is considered a “Shared-World” shooter.
EA sounds completely different now than at the launch of Dragon Age
Why does he say that? What he actually means is: “Simply developing and selling a game is no longer making us the money we want to make.”
Wilson criticizes the direction of Dragon Age as a pure single-player title, without a roadmap or further development in line with a live-service game.
This is ironic because BioWare had developed Anthem as a similar game and such elements were consciously removed from the development of Dragon Age after Anthem flopped and was discontinued.
EA believes: To make money, more service game elements are needed
How do you see the problem? The CFO of EA strikes the same chord. He says:
Historically, blockbuster storytelling has been the primary way our industry has brought beloved role-playing worlds to players. The financial performance of the game underlines the evolving landscape of the industry and reaffirms the importance of our actions to shift towards our most significant and potentially largest opportunities.
Translated, this means: Pure storytelling, for which BioWare is famous, is no longer enough today. People want MMO elements and we have to offer them if we want to make money.
EA has a completely different view than the rest of the world
This is what’s behind it: To put it delicately: This is quite an exclusive analysis of the situation. It completely overlooks the reaction of the players.
It has been noted more that Dragon Age did not allow players to be as bad as in previous installments, and that the game lacks a bit of depth.
Wilson does not even address the whole discussion about “excessive wokeness”. However, they overshadowed the discussion about the game in parts of the internet.
It is true that service elements – like an expansion pass, expansions, or a cash shop – are certainly good for EA’s balance sheet. But even such methods first need the foundation of a good game to stand on.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is so successful because the game is of such high quality that a huge community has formed around Baldur’s Gate 3, keeping the game relevant for a long time – but such a community cannot be conjured up with an expansion pass; it first needs the foundation of an excellent game to grow.
Anthem had a cash shop and a large roadmap. However, it lacked the foundation for people to want to play the game beyond a month.
The new endings in Baldur’s Gate 3 are really evil again. They turn your character into the ultimate loner.
One of the most interesting aspects of Baldur’s Gate 3 is the fact that there are extremely many ways to conclude the story. Because depending on your decisions, there are several options for how the entire plot is wrapped up. With Patch 8, the last major patch for the game, two new endings are added that are clearly recognizable as “evil.” Because they make you or your hero party absolute egoists.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is 1 year old and to celebrate the creators share your dirty secrets
What are these new endings? In the Baldur’s Gate 3 subreddit, Hyperspace_Towel noted that there are two new endings in Patch 8 that were previously inaccessible. These endings become available during an “evil” playthrough.
After you have subjected the mind flayer to your control, you can decide how to proceed with all the infected. As before, you can choose whether you want to be a dark dictator or more of a destroyer – or eliminate all the infected.
However, the two new endings give you two more options:
You can choose to remove the larva from your head and then disappear with your allies.
Alternatively, you can remove the larva from your head and leave all your companions behind.
What makes the endings so evil? The sheer fact of acting this way is extremely selfish. Because at this point, you already have full control over the mind flayer. You could have also decided to free all the infected from their larvae – that would have required the same effort as just freeing yourself.
Acting so selfishly is basically like flipping the middle finger to everyone who has accompanied you on your journey and also to all those you met in Baldur’s Gate and its surroundings.
The ultimate egoist. But that fits a bit with Astarion, as shown in this video:
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How does one reach this ending? The new endings are only available if you choose to let the mind flayer live at the end and control it yourself. So it is definitely something that can only happen during an “evil” run. At the same time, you must not have become a mind flayer by that point – because then it is of course much too late to remove the parasite from your head, since the transformation is already complete.
