In celebration of the 20th anniversary of World of Warcraft, fans of the MMORPG were able to indulge in the 78 Euro expensive, gold-adorned Trader Brutosaur for a limited time. Now, players have discovered that Blizzard has reused some designs from other mounts for the exclusive mount.
What have players found out? Have you ever sent away the two NPCs of your gold-adorned Trader Brutosaur and executed the special mount movement via the chat command /Mountspecial?
Player BrylicET noticed something during this. On Reddit, he reports that during the special animation of the exclusive anniversary mount, the seat from the Great Expedition Yak from Mists of Pandaria is visible.
But that’s not all! Under the post, PSBJ adds on Reddit that he was able to recreate this observation with the original Brutosaur mount from WoW, which was introduced in Battle for Azeroth.
The player speculates that this could be a bug that originated seven or eight years ago during the design of the first Brutosaur mount, which has now made its way into the code of the exclusive mount thanks to “copying and pasting”.
In other words: The gold-adorned Trader Brutosaur is, in several ways, a reskin of existing mount models, with its base seemingly coming from a Yak.
20 years of WoW – this was not only a reason to celebrate but also for retrospectives:
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WoW celebrates 20 years of the highlights of Azeroth
How does the community react to the discovery? It reacts with almost 2,000 upvotes and 370 comments. Various comments, however, also revolve around the fact that Battle for Azeroth is almost seven years old and that one would now feel old. Many also discuss copying in game development.
edrifighting doesn’t care (via Reddit): “My 90-dollar mount could be made of two piles of crap attached to a solid, white 2D square, and I wouldn’t care as long as its functionality works.”
GeneralBulko draws a parallel to the real world (via Reddit): “It’s just like most of us. Outwardly: fancy, shiny dinosaur with tons of gold. Inside: tired, hairy Yak that just wants to stay in the stable.”
demonya99 is pleased (via Reddit): “My 80-Euro mount is a portable auction house and mailbox. The fact that the mount inspires people to posts like this is the icing on the cake.”
Roosebuddy finds on Reddit: “Somehow, ‘Yak in a Dinosaur Costume’ sounds much louder.”
The latter comment led to follow-up comments such as “I would definitely buy mount costumes.”
The gold-adorned Trader Brutosaur features two NPCs that offer unique services. While one provides you mobile access to the auction house, the second helper functions as a useful mailman – and all of this wherever you are allowed to call mounts. For comparable alternatives, some WoW players have dug very deep into their gold pockets.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Cersei Lannister is one of the most hated characters from Game of Thrones. She is scheming, ruthless, and power-hungry. But how did it come to this? The series tells only part of the story.
Who is Cersei? To better understand Cersei’s character, it is worth taking a look at her background:
Cersei comes from the wealthy and influential House Lannister, one of the most powerful families in Westeros.
As the daughter of Tywin Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock, she grows up in an environment permeated by power and political ambitions.
She is the older sister of Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, with her relationships with both brothers playing a special role in her story.
But it is not only her family background that has shaped her. At about 10 years old, she received a dark prophecy that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Spoiler Alert: Warning, there are plenty of spoilers for Game of Thrones ahead.
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Game of Thrones: Trailer for the new action RPG shows familiar characters
In Season 5, Episode 1, we see a flashback of the young Cersei. The scene seems rather inconspicuous in the series and can easily be forgotten. But in reality, it was a key moment in Cersei’s life that significantly influenced her character.
Everything starts as a seemingly harmless game by three girls. Together with two friends, Cersei sets out to find Maggy, also known as Maggy the Frog. She is a witch and fortune-teller who lives in the woods, not far from Casterly Rock.
Cersei’s companions become increasingly fearful, and rightly so. But Cersei insists – a decision she would later regret.
The woods witch grants Cersei a total of three questions. The answers are all dark and mysterious. But have the predictions come true?
The young Cersei with her friend.Maggy the Frog, witch and fortune-teller.
1. When will I marry the prince?
That is Cersei’s first question. She means Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, the heir of the reigning King Aerys II Targaryen, whom she would like to marry.
With her answer, Maggy even reveals a bit more. She will not marry the prince, but the king. As it later turns out, this is not Rhaegar but Robert Baratheon. At first glance, this prediction sounds great. However, since the marriage between Cersei and Robert was far from happy, this already constitutes the first evil omen.
2. Will I be queen then?
Maggy initially affirms this. But only until “another comes, a younger and more beautiful one, who will overthrow you and take everything you hold dear,” she adds.
This statement became the cornerstone of one of Cersei’s greatest fears: the loss of her power. For a long time, Cersei suspected her daughter-in-law Margaery Tyrell to be the aforementioned usurper. This leads to the final scene of Season 6, in which Cersei blows up the Great Sept of Baelor, killing Margaery in the process.
What Cersei does not know, however, is that it was not meant to be Margaery, but Daenerys, who ultimately signified Cersei’s downfall.
3. Will the king and I have children?
Maggy’s clever answer to Cersei’s last question initially confuses her. It is: “The king will have 20 children, you three. Their crowns will be golden, their shrouds golden.”
With this, Maggy predicts several things:
Cersei and Robert will never truly have children together.
The 20 children of the king refer to Robert’s numerous bastards.
Cersei’s three children, Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella, wear “golden crowns”. This refers to their hair color, revealing that they are children from the incestuous relationship between Cersei and her twin brother Jaime.
Cersei’s three children will meet an early death.
At least Cersei understands the last point immediately. As one can imagine, this knowledge caused even greater fears than the previous question. This was likely also the main reason Cersei pampered and protected her children so much.
One can recall, for example, the famous piece of advice Cersei gives to her oldest son Joffrey: “Anyone who does not belong to us is an enemy.” With the looming death of her children in mind, this paranoia appears in a somewhat different light.
Already in the series, the prophecy was an important moment for Cersei’s development. But in the books, it gets even thicker. Here, Cersei even learns about her own death, which almost drives her insane. After the third question, Maggy predicts:
And when your tears have drowned you, the Valonqar will close his hands around your fair white neck and squeeze until you have breathed your last.
This interpretation is already a bit more challenging. The burning question is: Who or what is the Valonqar?
Valonqar is a High Valyrian word and means “little brother”. For Cersei, the matter is clear. It can only be her brother Tyrion, who is short in stature. This also explains her intense hatred for Tyrion – even better than in the series. For Cersei, he is ultimately her future murderer.
Is Cersei’s conclusion correct? That is questionable. Because she has another brother, Jaime. He is tall, but younger than Cersei and could therefore also be referred to as the “little brother”.
Due to her secret love affair with Jaime, Cersei naturally does not consider this possibility. But book fans have long suspected that in the end it will be Jaime who kills Cersei. Whether this holds true, we cannot say as George R.R. Martin’s books are still ongoing. However, the possibility seems quite likely and would fit with the tragedy of the story.
In the series, however, neither brother will be responsible for Cersei’s death, as we know since Season 8. Thus, the series is consistent here, as this part was already omitted from the prophecy. Further fan theories surround the prequel series House of the Dragon. We have explained the five best ones for you here on MeinMMO: House of the Dragon: The 5 best fan theories examined, do they really hold up?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Harrison Ford is a legendary actor for many people. This is mainly due to his roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones. MyMMO editor Nikolas Hernes believes, however, that a completely different role, in which he was already over 80 years old, is his best performance.
Which role is it? In the Apple TV+ series Shrinking, Harrison Ford plays the character Paul Rhoades. He is the boss of the main character Jimmy and is one of the key figures in the series. In the series, Harrison Ford is hardly recognizable.
Shrinking tells the story of therapist Jimmy, played by Jason Segel (known as Marshall from How I Met Your Mother). After the death of his wife, he is not doing well and is also overwhelmed by raising his daughter. One day he decides to throw out his classic therapy methods and try new, more direct approaches.
Behind the series is Bill Lawrence, who also created the series Scrubs. After Ted Lasso, this is his second series on the Apple platform.
Shrinking is a great series that not only has Paul as Harrison Ford’s best role of all time, but it is also one of the best comedy series I have seen, and there are several reasons for that.
You can find a trailer for the series here:
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Shrinking – Trailer for the Comedy Series by the Creator of Scrubs
Harrison Ford is one of the best aspects in Shrinking
Why is Harrison Ford so good in Shrinking? In his well-known roles, Harrison Ford is usually the cool guy, who can handle even the toughest situations with cheeky remarks. However, often these roles lack the diversity of his emotions. As Paul, he has a complexity that is not immediately obvious.
In the first episodes, Paul is presented as a mentor to Jimmy. He is an experienced and award-winning therapist who struggles with Parkinson’s disease. Throughout the series, his tough exterior cracks episode by episode, and we learn more about him. This reminded me of Dr. Cox from Scrubs, who also shows inner conflicts as the series progresses. Those were often the best episodes in Scrubs.
Because despite being so tough, he has his own problems. Aging bothers him, especially his illness. The thought of not being able to do everything for himself one day gnaws at him and affects his relationships.
Shrinking does not just show simple solutions but compromises. Paul realizes that he is getting worse, so he lets himself be driven to work by his colleague. This leads to not only gags, but also provides a small insight into his character development.
Harrison Ford performs all of this fantastically. He has the cool demeanor of Han Solo but also shows authentic emotions. In a speech in the last episode of the second season, his character can hardly hide the tears and trembling of his voice, and it does not feel forced at all. For the first time, he truly touched me emotionally as an actor.
The relationships between characters are the most exciting part of the series
What else does the series do really well? The big highlight in Shrinking is, like in Scrubs, the dynamics between the many characters, who constantly evolve.
Characters that seem like shallow supporting characters in the first episodes become multi-dimensional characters throughout the series, and this works mainly because many characters interact with each other, who initially don’t seem to have anything to do with one another.
This also creates smaller stories and relationships that feel organic. This is also a big plus for the series. Conflicts are not built up in one episode and then ignored for several episodes. Shrinking tries to resolve conflicts in 2, at most 3 episodes.
The red thread of the series is the emotional world of the characters, which evolves slowly and grows with each situationor sometimes is set back.
In addition to that, Shrinking, like Scrubs, has a fantastic balance of sometimes silly jokes and highly emotional situations. They always worked for me because they never felt forced. Real life is not just sad or just funny; it’s a mixture of everything.
That’s why Shrinking works for me as a comfort series. Sure, it deals with tragic and complex themes, but even in the worst situations, the series does not lose its sense of hope. It shows that most problems cannot be solved quickly, but one can work on oneself and slowly strive for a goal. That regularly brought a smile to my face.
You can feel Bill Lawrence’s style and craftsmanship at every corner.Shrinking has many of the things that Scrubs did really well back in the day:
Great actors, especially Jason Segel
Humor and dialogues that fit the current times
Nice balance between emotional and funny scenes
Well-written and relatable characters
I love Scrubs. I have watched the series 4 or 5 times, and Shrinking gave me exactly the same feelings I had with Scrubs. I missed the series immediately after finishing the second season and wanted to watch it again right away. Shrinking is one of the best comedy series of all time and quickly became one of my favorite series after just a few episodes.
Where can you watch the series? The series is available exclusively for streaming on Apple TV+. While the platform has a smaller selection than Netflix, there are many quality series and movies that you can watch in addition to Shrinking if you want to subscribe for a month or two. Jason Segel is mainly known from How I Met Your Mother. Did you know that in episode 9, there is an important clue about Ted’s wife: In episode 9 of How I Met Your Mother, you can discover a big hint about Ted’s wife.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Vegeta evolves over the course of Dragon Ball from arch-enemy to loving family man. What many don’t know: He even has a little brother who has his own family.
Who is the little brother? Vegeta’s younger brother is named Tarble. He is even smaller than Vegeta and comes from the same planet. His personality is atypical for a Saiyan, as he is considerate, polite, and cares about his fellow beings.
Unlike the Saiyans on Earth, Tarble still has his monkey tail. This allows him to transform into a giant ape. Toriyama, the mangaka of Dragon Ball, explained why the Saiyans on Earth no longer have them.
Tarble also has a wife named Gure. She introduces herself to her brother-in-law Vegeta in the OVA. Gure is of alien descent and is as polite as Tarble. The two have known each other since childhood and make a wonderful couple.
Tarble is mentioned among others in the movie Battle of Gods. The trailer for the movie can be found here:
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Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods – German Trailer for the Anime Film
Tarble has few appearances because he was banished
Where does he appear? Tarble makes his first major appearance in the Japan-exclusive OVA “Dragon Ball: Yo! The Return of Goku and Friends.” It is a single episode that was meant to bridge a drought of about 10 years in the anime. It takes place after the victory over Kid Boo.
Tarble’s home is attacked by two remaining soldiers of the Freezer army. As he is too weak to fend off the attackers, he travels to Earth in a Saiyan space pod and asks his brother Vegeta for help.
There are also other appearances of Tarble:
In the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Bulma mentions her brother-in-law when it comes to finding a sixth Saiyan for the Super Saiyan God ritual. However, Vegeta does not know where he is and does not have a phone number.
In the prologue of the movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Nappa, also a Saiyan, wonders if Tarble managed to escape the destruction of the Saiyans’ home. Vegeta does not care what happened to his brother.
Tarble also appears in video games such as Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 and Dragon Ball Heroes.
Why is he not seen in the anime? The Saiyan stood out as a child due to his gentle nature. This does not align at all with the principles of the Saiyans, who are known for their aggressive behavior. Therefore, his father, King Vegeta, banished young Tarble to a distant planet.
Accordingly, Tarble did not have contact with the other Saiyans. This is why he does not play a significant role in the anime. However, it could be that Tarble might reappear in the future after making contact in the OVA. After all, he now knows where Vegeta is located.
Jurassic Park is a series that now consists of six films and will soon welcome another one. In our ranking, we clarify which part is actually the best.
Jurassic Park has been telling since the first part in 1993 what happens when dinosaur DNA is experimented with in our present times. How realistic that actually is, an expert has explained. Apart from that, five more sequels have followed the first film.
In 2025, a seventh film is set to be released in cinemas, titled Jurassic World Rebirth. This is the perfect occasion to rank the previous installments against each other.
Importantly: We consider the three films of the Jurassic Park series, and the three of the Jurassic World series, because despite slightly different titles, they belong together and share some characters.
The ranking is based on the author’s personal opinion and is purely subjective. If you would rank the films differently, feel free to write your placement in the comments.
[toc]
Place 6: Jurassic World – Fallen Kingdom
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The Continuation of Jurassic World in the Trailer: The Fallen Kingdom
The second part of the World series continues the events from the first part. A volcano on an island threatens to erupt and cause a catastrophe. Now, it’s about saving the dinosaurs or leaving them to their fate.
In some aspects, Fallen Kingdom tells a similar story to the second part of the Park series. The mistakes that were made must now be rectified. As a movie, the sequel to World is loud and at times spectacular, but it doesn’t really tell anything new. This is a recurring issue with the whole series. Only the visuals impress here, which is not surprising given director J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls).
Place 5: Jurassic Park 3
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Jurassic Park 3 with fan favorite Sam Neill in the trailer
The conclusion of the first trilogy was not directed by Steven Spielberg, and you can tell. It differs in tone and has some absurd moments. Apart from that, hardly anything new is told here, and the actual story around an expedition with fan-favorite Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is quite thin.
If you just want to see more Jurassic Park, this film will satisfy you – however, it lacks the expertise of a director like Steven Spielberg. For the first time, it became clear that the series needed a fresh breeze.
Place 4: Jurassic World – A New Age
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Nostalgic Trailer for Jurassic World: A New Era
Alongside the World actors Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, the conclusion of the trilogy also features Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum (all known from the Park series).
The story is quite exciting, as the dinos have now become part of the ecosystem. However, this doesn’t come without problems. The film particularly shines with its nostalgic touch, brought about by the old actors. Although the characters have little to do, the film is still entertaining and gripping.
Continuing on page 2 with places 3-1.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Borderlands 4 is expected to finally be released in 2025. Until then, you can still have fun with the other titles in the shooter series. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes wanted to catch up on a part he had actually avoided for almost 3 years. And it was worth it.
First of all, I have to say, I love the Borderlands series. I started with the second part, immediately caught up on the first one, and also bought Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Borderlands 3 at release. I have logged over 1000 hours throughout the entire series, and I still enjoy playing parts 2 or 3 every few months.
However, that was different with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. When the game was released in 2022, I had no interest in the fantasy spin-off of the loot shooter. I love the DLC that this idea is based on, but I always thought it was just a stretched-out version of it.
In 2024, Borderlands 4 was finally announced. In light of this, I decided to take the plunge and catch up on the last part of the series that I had not played yet. And what can I say: I was actually wrong.
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Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: New trailer shows the entire madness of the shooter
Gameplay is as fun as expected
What kind of game is Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands? At its core, it is a classic Borderlands shooter. Instead of a dirty sci-fi world, there are classic fantasy themes. Outside of that, you shoot with regular weapons, which sometimes look like a crossbow. Instead of grenades, there are spells.
The pure shooting and looting is also, as usual, quite fun. You have the same movement and weapon handling as in Borderlands 3. Unfortunately, I didn’t like some projectile types at all, but that’s probably a matter of taste.
The skill tree was surprisingly fun. There is no fixed character anymore. You choose a class and later on pick a second one and combine the skills. I especially liked builds with a lot of elemental damage.
My initial problem was rather the setting. I am not the biggest fantasy fan, and the start of Wonderlands initially put me off. It simply felt like the Tiny Tina DLC from Borderlands 2 again. Even the first side quests felt like throwaway content.
But once I had completed the initial missions, I was surprised. The further areas and quests, especially the optional ones, were a lot of fun.
A giant beanstalk and the Witcher were my highlights
In a larger side quest, you are supposed to throw a bean man into a town. This causes the town to change and a giant beanstalk to emerge. Exploring this area was a lot of fun for me. Especially since it always presents a larger side quest, which is sweetened by short, other quests.
One of my favorite quests was a parody of the Witcher, who is presented in the game as an unfriendly guy whose personality is mainly defined by the fact that he can do everything and is a big womanizer.
However, the main quest is also charming. The new characters Valentin and Frette, who play a DnD campaign with Tina, are charming and you enjoy listening to their comments. I also liked smaller gags from the DnD universe. In one quest, for example, Tina has to come up with something completely new because the players are not taking the path she planned. A fate that many Dungeon Masters probably know well.
Additionally, I was surprised that there is a lot of visual variety, at least if you want to appreciate the Borderlands style.
I really like Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands now. I also want to check out the endgame. But there are also some criticism points that could annoy you while playing.
The overworld map was unnecessary. Conceptually, it is quite cute, but gameplay-wise, it is pretty unspectacular. The random encounters always felt like foreign bodies, which I skipped after the first time.
The endgame in Wonderlands mainly consists of chaos ranks. You go through small dungeons and battles and can get good loot after a run. Personally, I enjoy that a lot because it reminds me of games like Diablo. But more than small arena and boss fights, which get harder each time, they are not.
The biggest criticism point is probably the DLCs. Borderlands is known for offering extensive DLC campaigns as additional content. This is not the case here. The DLCs are new thematic dungeons, items, and challenges that you can run through. Completing them once takes a maximum of 30 minutes. There are no new stories.
This is wasted potential because the great DnD template offers many, often smaller, campaigns that present you with new scenarios.
Despite all the weaknesses, I enjoyed Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands very much. It is entertaining and has many strengths that I love about the Borderlands series. I would have liked to have experienced it at release and delve into secrets and new builds with the community. For me, the game doesn’t come close to Borderlands 3, let alone Borderlands 2, but it doesn’t have to.
Wonderlands, despite many criticism points, is a good game that can mainly sweeten the waiting time for Borderlands 4 for you. Especially in co-op with friends. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk has created a list of all Borderlands games ranked for you: 6 games to Borderlands ranked
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Season 7, a new feature is coming to Diablo 4 that reminds of the popular Hell Tides. In the “Witch Tides”, you can farm plenty of XP, gold, and loot.
What feature does Season 7 bring? With Season 7, the “Bounty Zones” are coming to Diablo 4, reminiscent of the Hell Tides. While the Hell Tides areas are marked in red on the map, you can recognize the Bounty Zones by the turquoise areas. In these areas, you will find numerous bounty missions that you complete to collect “Gruesome Gifts” for the Whispering Tree.
So far, the Hell Tides have been the best place for leveling and looting, especially in the early game. Due to the high monster density and the combination with the Whisper quests, you can farm XP, gold, and loot very effectively there. In Season 7, the Hell Tides will be complemented by the new Bounty Zones, explained Design Director Daniel Tanguay in the YouTube livestream on January 16.
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Diablo 4 shows its witch powers in Season 7 in the trailer
The “Witch Tides” as a destination for XP, loot, and reputation
What happens in the Bounty Zones? In Season 7, the Whispering Tree is missing its heads. To appease the tree, players need to complete new Whisper Bounties in Sanctuary. There is a chance that the tree offers you a “bequeathed” box to choose from.
The missing heads of the tree are roaming Sanctuary, looking for new bodies. This causes the turquoise Bounty Zones to spawn on the map, suitable for head hunting. If you complete them, you collect gifts for the tree. Additionally, “Uprooted Cocoons” can spawn, where head-rotting bosses appear.
What’s the benefit? The new “Witch Tides”, as some players on the PTR referred to them according to Daniel Tanguay, are worth it for several reasons:
You farm XP, loot, and gold in the zones.
You have the chance to collect gifts for the tree and pick up the boxes directly from a raven of the tree that spawns in the zones. This way, you don’t have to return to the Whispering Tree every time.
You gather favor of the Circle and thus level up in the new reputation system in Season 7. At the end, you will find another “Magnificent Spark” that you need for crafting Mythics.
You collect materials needed to craft the new “Occult Gems”.
You can recognize the Bounty Zones by the turquoise areas.The raven of the tree spawns in the zones.The Circle is the reputation system in Season 7.
In Season 7, it should be faster to farm the boxes from the tree, because:
The “Witch Tides” will be available at the start of Season 7 on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in Diablo 4. The season is all about the witch powers, which is also reflected in special mechanics. You will receive powers of witchcraft and “Occult Gems” to enhance your builds. You can find all the information about Season 7 in our overview: Diablo 4 Season 7 starts on Tuesday: All about release, PTR, and the content
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Building a gaming PC seems like rocket science to many inexperienced people. The components are expensive, one is afraid of making a mistake during assembly, and when it comes to the necessary wiring, the mind shuts down. After 16 years on a console, I finally dared to build my own gaming PC – without any PC knowledge: Here’s how it went.
Who is writing here? My name is Christos and I primarily write about various games such as Destiny 2, Elden Ring, or Fortnite on MeinMMO. When it comes to hardware knowledge, I have often disassembled my consoles and controllers, repaired them, and even cleaned them thoroughly. However, I had almost no experience in building PCs, so this project was exciting for me. I wanted to test myself and see if a complete tech noob like me could build his dream PC.
Why the sudden switch? 16 years on a console is a long time, but anyone who really wants to play professionally should consider switching to PC. I had many reasons for my part:
I was fed up with the annoying and expensive subscriptions from Xbox and Sony and wanted to play online without extra costs
The fixed graphics settings and limits for FPS were extremely bothersome to me
I always wanted to improve games like Skyrim through mods and play old games from my childhood without having to buy old consoles on eBay
Now I had a choice: either I break my piggy bank and treat myself to a real powerful gaming PC or continue to be annoyed about consoles for many more years: I chose the first option.
The first step is done, but how does a complete tech noob begin to realize his gaming PC? If you know nothing about the subject, you need to gather information, and a lot of it.
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In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
Without knowledge, you should keep your hands off
Knowledge is essential in everything you do. When it comes to building a gaming PC, I can give you one piece of advice: If you don’t feel like informing yourself from the start, buy a pre-built PC, otherwise it will be frustrating and expensive.
I spent an entire month acquiring knowledge about PCs. Through countless forum entries, YouTube videos, and questions to our tech expert Benedikt Schlotmann, I gathered everything necessary for building the PC.
It mainly focused on:
The necessary components
The functioning of the components
Compatibility of the components
Sizes of hardware
Types of cases
Which cooling solutions exist
How to connect the components
Why wattage plays a significant role in the power supply
Which operating system to choose
and much more.
Once you’ve acquired the necessary background knowledge, you already have half the battle won; now it’s time to buy the components, and here comes the second problem.
Strong hardware is extremely expensive and scarce
When purchasing my components, I obviously didn’t want to go for the most expensive offer, so I used sites like idealo.de or geizhals.de to snag the cheapest prices. Prices fluctuate depending on the season, and I, of course, got the worst timing – my prices weren’t at the highest limit but were close to the threshold.
But even if you have the necessary money, you need to be lucky to find a seller who delivers the hardware to you on time. Many vendors had the necessary hardware at good prices but could only impress with a delivery time of 6 months, which was inconvenient for my situation. So you have to choose either expensive hardware with a short delivery time or cheap hardware but long delivery time.
I must say, it was fun to receive a new package of a component every day and check it for damage.
Now comes probably the most exciting part – the assembly.
An indescribable experience that you have to experience
List of all components I installed:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
GPU: ASUS TUF RTX 4090
RAM: 2x Kingston FURY DIMM 32 GB DDR5-5600
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK
Power Supply: Montech Titan 1200W
Case: HYTE Y70
Fan Hub: ARCTIC Case Fan Hub – 10-Fan PWM
Storage for Operating System: WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD 1TB
Building my PC was really exciting, and I enjoyed every minute of it, even though I encountered many problems. One thing I must say, make sure to ground yourself when handling sensitive components.
When I was about to place my AMD Ryzen 7800X3D into the socket, I grounded myself first and got a shock from my heater. You can imagine how shocked I was. Had I not done that, the risk would have been high that my CPU could have been damaged.
But apart from that, everything went smoothly and according to plan. It felt like you were a real expert at what you were doing, even though you didn’t even know if the box would start or go up in flames.
The entire assembly took me two days and up to 12 hours, and that was just for one reason – my huge CPU cooler. That was the only annoying problem that cost me many hours, and let me show you why:
Slowly but surely, the PC took shape
My cooler was the Noctua NH-D15 G2 – a monster that looks gigantic compared to other CPU coolers. I had the ASUS TUF RTX 4090 as my graphics card, another massive piece.
In itself, there wouldn’t be any problems since I took the case from Hyte, the Y70. In theory, there was plenty of space, but then again, there wasn’t. The CPU cooler was screwed on, and now the graphics card had to go in, but the cooler took up so much space that I couldn’t insert the graphics card without damaging it. It can only be installed vertically in that case.
So I unscrewed the cooler, inserted the graphics card, and then reattached the cooler without the fans, but then the next problem arose: I didn’t have enough space on the graphics card side to attach the fan clips to the cooler – I was getting desperate.
I was about to give up, but then I thought I would try something unconventional. I tried to use a wire to pull the clips towards the GPU from a distance. It sounded really ridiculous, and you don’t want to know how long that took, but it actually worked.
Sure, my fingers were scraped afterward, I bled, and some fins on the heatsink were slightly bent (I could even bend them back), but it worked nonetheless. At this point, I advise you to send your cooler back and buy one that actually fits – I, on the other hand, was determined to have this bulky cooler, so I endured the ordeal.
This was how minimal the distance to the GPU was
Finally, I played electrician and wired my PC. Don’t expect perfect cable management; still, I did well, even though wiring is an art in itself. If you make a mistake and the cables are just loosely plugged in, you risk a fire, so be diligent.
When everything was finished, I took my PC to the TV and connected it. The hour of truth came, either it turns on, shows no reaction, or sparks fly. But it turned on. I felt like a little kid who built his first block tower.
Now, this was almost a month ago, but how does the PC perform and what is my opinion on the switch? You will find out in my conclusion.
The PC build was a complete success. I can now play at the highest graphics settings and also have a very quiet system. Should something break, I can simply swap out components, which is not possible with a console. Last but not least, I no longer have to pay annoying online subscriptions for a feature that should actually be free for everyone who pays their internet provider.
This is what the PC looks like now finished
However, there are also some cons, including the price. In my case, I tried to buy the best components for my needs and ended up with a price of +3,500 €. Depending on the components, you can also get along well with 1000 – 2000 €. But if you want to push the limits, you have to pay a lot.
Another point is the adjustment of your PC. Sure, you assembled the PC, but if you use PWM, you can adjust the speed of your fans to make them run even quieter. You can undervolt your graphics card so it doesn’t run hot as quickly and is preserved, and the same applies to the CPU. Why this is a downside is the extra effort. You don’t have to do any of that with a console.
Clearly, tuning is purely optional, but if you want a perfectly tuned system, you have to inform yourself again to find the harmony in your components so that the respective system operates as you wish.
As for me, I will now only play on PC and look forward to the upcoming years in which I will improve my setup. Do you remember the moment when you assembled your first PC setup? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Michelle Yeoh starred mainly in numerous martial arts films in the 80s and 90s and even performed her own stunts. She would have actually been the perfect casting for Kill Bill because director Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of her martial arts – but he rejected her for a reason.
What connects Tarantino and Yeoh? Yeoh recounts on The Graham Norton Show on YouTube that she had a serious accident on the set of The Stunt Woman in 1996. She was pushed too hard by an edge and fell awkwardly onto the ground.
Afterward, Yeoh had to recover from her injuries. At that time, she was going through a depressive phase and considered quitting acting in action films. At the same time, however, Tarantino traveled to Hong Kong and visited the injured Yeoh at her home.
According to Yeoh, Tarantino reignited her passion for action films. When the director shared how he was inspired by Yeoh’s films and what a big fan he was, she reportedly became very excited. The actress realized that one should not give up something they love.
Yeoh would have been the perfect opponent in Kill Bill. You can find the trailer for it here:
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Kill Bill 1 – Trailer to Tarantino’s action masterpiece
Michelle Yeoh did not appear in Kill Bill, even though Tarantino is a fan of hers
So why wasn’t she allowed to play in Kill Bill? 7 years after The Stunt Woman, Tarantino’s major film hit Kill Bill – Volume 1 was released. Despite the film becoming known for its martial arts scenes and Tarantino being a big fan of Yeoh, the actress did not feature in the film.
When Yeoh approached the director about it, he reportedly responded: That’s so off-putting. No one would believe that Uma Thurman could kick your ass.
Thurman played the lead role in Kill Bill and seeks revenge against her enemies in the film. If Yeoh had been one of the antagonists, it would have been unbelievable for Tarantino that Thurman could defeat Yeoh with her martial arts talent.
Why would Yeoh have been the perfect casting? The actress has a long career to look back on. While she is currently seen in somewhat quieter films like Wicked, she used to fight in numerous action and martial arts films like James Bond 007 – Tomorrow Never Dies and Yes, Madam.
With her years of experience in showbiz and her martial arts talent, she would have been the perfect casting for a fighter in Kill Bill. But as Tarantino already said, it would probably not have been believable if Thurman had defeated her in combat, even though she had less experience with martial arts films.
Aside from Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino has released other films. Unfortunately, Yeoh has not been able to appear in any of them. The quality of the films is showcased in the ultimate ranking on MeinMMO: All 9 films by Quentin Tarantino ranked – Which is the best?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Chinese app TikTok was recently banned in the USA and has not been accessible since January 18, 2025. However, as a side effect, the popular card game Marvel Snap was also disabled. This has even surprised the developers themselves.
Why was TikTok banned? TikTok belongs to the Chinese parent company ByteDance, which the US government suspects of passing data of US citizens to the Chinese government. Since the data and algorithms of TikTok are not publicly accessible and the app could easily influence its users due to its popularity and opacity, the social media platform has been classified as a threat to national security.
Therefore, a law was passed in April 2024, requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a company not based in China. This did not happen, which is why the app is now banned in the USA. Whether TikTok will be accessible there again in the future is currently uncertain.
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Marvel Snap – Official Announce Trailer
“This outage surprised us and was not planned”
Why was Marvel Snap also banned? The law in the USA not only affected TikTok but also all other applications belonging to ByteDance. Unfortunately, this also includes the small studio Second Dinner, which is behind Marvel Snap.
They apparently did not anticipate this, as the studio posted on x.com:
Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in the US app stores and cannot be played in the USA.
This outage comes as a surprise to us and was not planned. MARVEL SNAP will not disappear.
We are actively working to make the game available again as soon as possible and will keep you updated as soon as we know more about it.
Players currently trying to start the title receive a message that Marvel Snap is currently unavailable or cannot log in. The game has also disappeared from the stores and cannot be downloaded anymore.
What does this mean for the fans? Below the post, many justifiably wonder what will happen to real money they have already invested, as they can no longer use in-game purchases. In particular, users of the Gold Pass are upset since it is time-limited.
Many also do not completely believe the studio that it was a surprise for them that Marvel Snap was shut down. This criticism is also raised in other threads on x.com. So far, there has been no response to the allegations, and there has been no announcement regarding possible refunds up to this point.
While the next big hits on Steam are still to come, we give you some recommendations to bridge the gap.
The next exciting release is still a few days or weeks away, and in the meantime, you don’t want to start anything too big either. Many are likely familiar with this feeling, so we offer you a list of 5 games that you can play until the next big hit on Steam.
The list is not sorted in any particular order. We only considered games that can either be completed quickly or can be set aside at any time without missing anything.
The Quarry
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The Quarry in the Launch Trailer
Release Date: June 10, 2022 | Genre: Adventure / Horror | Game Duration: 9 hours (via howlongtobeat.com) | Multiplayer: Minimal
What kind of game is this? The Quarry is a narrative horror adventure where you control teenagers through their last evening and night at summer camp. Interestingly, your decisions not only influence the plot but also the survival of the teenagers.
Every choice has consequences, and there are numerous possible endings depending on how you decide in critical moments. You can either try to save everyone or do just the opposite and put your characters in danger with foolish decisions.
The game thrives on its storytelling, diverse characters, and dark atmosphere. Although it is a horror adventure, The Quarry is not overly scary. The developers describe it more as an interactive adventure with horror elements.
Why is it worth playing? The game offers an engaging experience where the thrilling plot, varied characters, and constant decision-making ensure there’s no boredom.
You are always in the thick of action and become part of the horror adventure. The cinematic presentation is particularly well done. It makes the game feel almost like an interactive horror film that perfectly captures the dark atmosphere of classic teen horror films.
Furthermore, the horror adventure has replay value due to the many different endings and decisions that allow for paths not experienced in the first playthrough.
Helldivers 2
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Helldivers 2 reveals the new enemy faction in the trailer for ‘Omens of Tyranny’
Release Date: February 8, 2024 | Genre: Coop Shooter | Game Duration: As desired | Multiplayer: Up to 4 players
What kind of game is this? The coop shooter Helldivers 2, inspired by Starship Troopers, shines through its strong presentation, quickly turning normal gameplay moments into almost cinematic experiences. Although the coop shooter is not a graphics dazzler, the effects provide a strong backdrop.
With up to four players, you can take on one of three factions, facing off against bugs, robots, or the new zombie-like “Illuminated”. The battles rely on your squad holding out as the underdogs until the last second to complete the mission.
If you feel overpowered, you can simply raise the difficulty level until you usually avoid most fights and instead focus only on mission objectives.
Why is it worth playing? Helldivers 2 is on our list because it has something that reminds one of riding a bicycle: You don’t unlearn it. The game is easy to explain, and even returning players will quickly get the hang of it after a few rounds.
The many difficulty levels ensure good balancing, as players can decide how much they want to get beaten up. Even if the shooter is designed as a coop game, it works well alone or with random teammates.
While the game has no end goal, the intergalactic war is managed by a game master who issues attack orders in the form of missions, demanding that the Helldivers conquer the galaxy. If you want, you can spend a whole weekend fulfilling the battle order.
The promising role-playing game Avowed is set to be released on February 18, 2025. Now, curious events on Steam have caused worries and confusion within the community.
What has happened on Steam? As user GAzvd reports in his thread on Reddit, Avowed has disappeared from his Steam library. However, the product page in the shop is still accessible and it shows that he has purchased the game.
Many other users are also reporting this mystery under his thread. The community hub has also been emptied, as user Turbostrider27 mentions in his thread on Reddit. All discussions, comments, and content have reportedly been deleted. The hub has since been revitalized, but the game still appears to be missing from the libraries.
This understandably leads to discussions among fans about what this could mean. So far, there has been no feedback from the developers regarding why the game is behaving so strangely on Steam.
Avowed in the trailer can be found here:
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Avowed – The Combat System in the Trailer
Fans fear another delay
Why are players concerned? In the Reddit threads, fans fear that the release on February 18 might be in jeopardy. The game was previously delayed from Fall 2024 to February 2025, with the explanation that many other releases were scheduled for the fall and they wanted to use the time to polish the game further.
Another incident, which the developers have yet to comment on, adds to this concern. According to SteamDB.info, the start of Early Access was recently removed as well. This was supposed to begin on February 13 and had interested players paying a significant amount to participate. Accordingly, it is understandable that affected fans are worried.
What is the actual status of Avowed? A post on X.com from the developers offers reassurance on this matter. The release was officially confirmed again, stating it should be in about a month. Thus, fans can breathe easy – there seems to be nothing obstructing the release at least. However, why these things are happening on Steam remains unanswered.
MeinMMO editor Max Handwerk had previously taken a closer look at Avowed. He has been waiting for a game that can at least somewhat alleviate his longing for a new Elder Scrolls. In his preview, you can read whether he has found a contender in Avowed: The role-playing game Avowed could finally fill the gap that Skyrim has left
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The development team of Mob Time is primarily known for the indie horror title Poppy Playtime. The studio is fed up with another developer misusing the name for fake apps. Google is also to blame and is now being sued.
What is the lawsuit about? Mob Time has filed a lawsuit against Google and Daigo Game 2020, Inc. in a California civil court (via de.scribd.com). The team claims that the name and brand image of Poppy Playtime are being used to scam fans.
On January 30, 2025, the 4th chapter of Poppy Playtime was supposed to be released. However, Daigo Game 2020, Inc. had already published an app in the Google Play Store named “Poppy Playtime Chapter 4” on October 15, 2024.
The same scenario is said to have occurred with chapter 3. The fake apps are disguised as the real version but demand up to €92.50 from players to access the full version upon opening. Afterwards, there would be an inactive URL, and the money would be gone. A similar scam exists with other well-known games like Baldur’s Gate 3.
The lawsuit includes claims for copyright infringement, trademark dilution, and unfair competition. Mob Time is therefore seeking compensation of at least €365,000 and the removal of the fake apps from the Google Play Store.
According to Mob Time, the other developer allegedly used official images from chapter 2 of Poppy Playtime to lure players into downloading the apps. The court document consists of a total of 40 pages.
You can watch the official trailer for chapter 4 of Poppy Playtime here:
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Poppy Playtime – Trailer for Chapter 4 of the Horror Game
Google is not helping, hence being sued
What does Google have to do with it? The fake apps were published in the Google Play Store. Mob Entertainment is said to have repeatedly urged Google to remove the fraudulent apps from the Play Store. The first request is said to have occurred on October 31, 2024.
This led to a short-term success: on December 9, 2024, the fake app for chapter 3 was removed. However, this did not last long, as the app was back in the Play Store on January 13, 2025, and has since been among the top search results for Poppy Playtime.
In comparison: The original was downloaded over 10,000 times in the Google Play Store. The fake app, on the other hand, has over 1 million downloads (via Google Play Store).
What is Poppy Playtime? Poppy Playtime is a survival horror game released in several episodes. In an abandoned toy factory, monstrous killer toys live, appearing to be harmless stuffed animals at first glance.
How can I recognize the fake? Mob Time charges €4.59 for chapter 3 of Poppy Playtime. If you end up on the fake site, chapter 3 initially appears to be free. You should under no circumstances download this version, even if the free version seems tempting at first.
Path of Exile 2 is considered an extremely complex game, especially in the action RPG genre. Although it is supposed to be more beginner-friendly than its predecessor, it can overwhelm new players with its content. At least that’s what a well-known developer and Twitch streamer thinks.
Who is speaking?
Jason Thor Hall is a software developer who has previously worked for Blizzard and Amazon. He appears on Twitch, YouTube, and other platforms under the name “Pirate Software.” On Twitch, he has set a record twice in one week.
Path of Exile 2 shows new gameplay trailer for early access
This is what Pirate Software says about Path of Exile: Already in October 2024, Hall commented on Path of Exile 1. He said at the time that the game’s massive skill tree would immediately deter any new player (via TikTok):
Once you reach level 2, you get this. It scares new players to death. […] The problem with Path of Exile has long been that the community standard is to play a character to level 70, delete it, and start over once you understand how the game works.
Path of Exile 2 is slightly better in this regard, but even in the second part, there is a huge skill tree for all classes. In a more recent clip on YouTube, Hall explains: “I still think this is daunting for new players.”
For new players, such an extensive skill tree is simply too large. However, players like himself would love exactly that.
“It doesn’t have to be optimal, just fun”
In a later stream, a viewer asks Hall about his build. He replies that the build exists nowhere else but with him right now. He doesn’t play by any guides but selects items that somehow fit.
It’s a trap to let others think they have already solved all problems for you. Hall asks: “Are you even playing at this point? Just play. Don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be optimal. Just fun.”
After the MMOs that are likely to cease to exist in 2025, MeinMMO editor and MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz is now highlighting the games that could particularly enrich the new gaming year in a positive way.
How was this list created? Every year, the MeinMMO editorial team looks into the crystal ball to determine the MMOs and MMORPGs that are likely to end up on the graveyard in the new year. Last week, the results of the latest predictions were revealed: Which MMOs are dying in 2025? I’m worried about 5 games.
But why only look at the new gaming year with a negative lens? After all, 2025 is set to bring some exciting MMO releases. I will elaborate on which new and existing online role-playing games I have particularly high hopes for and why.
Who is writing here? Karsten Scholz is the MMORPG expert from MeinMMO. He’s been involved daily with the best genre in the world for almost 15 years and has played all the major (and some of the less important) new online rpgs since the launch of World of Warcraft – often right into the endgame or over many months and years.
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Chrono Odyssey
Genre: MMORPG | Developer: Chrono Studio | Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series | Release: Q4 2025 | Model: Buy2Play
What kind of game is this? Chrono Odyssey is an action MMORPG that is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, announced in 2020, and about 120 developers are working on it. The developers promise a large world that is constantly changing – thanks to seasons, weather events, and a time travel system that allows you to switch from past to present or future.
These transitions are supposed to happen seamlessly and also play a role in combat. You can choose from the classes Paladin, Swordsman, Berserker, Assassin, Ranger, and Sorceress, who are allowed to use multiple weapon types. Battles will also take place in dungeon and raid challenges, and there will be PvP and crafting as well.
One of the gameplay trailers for Chrono Odyssey:
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Chrono Odyssey – Gameplay Trailer
That’s why I believe Chrono Odyssey will be great: When it comes to games, I can be quite superficial at times. In other words: I really like it when games look great. And judging by the previous trailers, screenshots, and the feedback from some testers, all genre fans can expect a real graphical treat with Chrono Odyssey.
Furthermore, I also find the feature regarding time manipulation very exciting. This could add a fresh layer to the gameplay experience if well implemented.
If Warhammer 40,000 is known for one thing, it is for its pumped-up Space Marines. These superhuman warriors are taller, stronger, and tougher than any other soldiers of the Imperium. But which of them are the best of the best? MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus takes on a ranking.
Who is being ranked here? In the world of Warhammer 40,000, there are 1,000 or more orders of Space Marines, over 200 of which are known. To keep the list manageable, here you will only find the strongest of the nine original orders of the Second Founding and without their successor orders.
The Second Founding took place immediately after the Great Brother War and restricted the orders to 1,000 Space Marines through the Codex Astartes. These new orders are all loyal to the Imperium of Man. This makes it easier to compare the fighters.
Many successor legions have already emerged from the Second Founding. Here we are talking about the nine with which everything began.
[toc]
This is how the ranking was established: Each order has its own specializations, strengths, and weaknesses. Their versatility is one of the reasons why the Imperium is still the currently second strongest faction in Warhammer 40,000.
For the ranking, I assume an open battle between the orders to test their strength, tactical skill, and logistical capabilities. Since they are all of equal size, the evaluation includes:
how strong the warriors are physically and how they fight in battle
what expertise in weapons and strategies the Space Marines bring to win a war
what the general structure of the order looks like when it comes to managing its own realm
Especially the last point should reflect how disciplined and orderly the order actually is. After all, administration is also important for the fight against great dangers over millennia. With this information, I arrive at the following ranking.
For the sake of completeness, here are the remaining four orders in the ranking
Place 9: Salamanders
Place 8: White Scars
Place 7: Raven Guard
Place 6: Imperial Fists
Place 5: Iron Hands
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Warhammer 40.000: Die Armee der Iron Hands im Tabletop
Although their Primarch Ferrus Manus has fallen, the Iron Hands boast some of the strongest warriors in the galaxy. The reason for this is their affinity for augmenting their bodies. Translated, this means: The Iron Hands stuff themselves with bionic implants – even though they are already genetically modified.
Brothers of the order believe that flesh is a weakness, and there are even rumors of Iron Hands Space Marines who have now been completely transformed into machines. Imagine Arnie’s Terminator, only bigger and with futuristic super-weapons.
Actually, the Iron Hands are about on the same level of strength as the Imperial Fists, who specialize in siege warfare. However, what sets the cyber-order apart is their particular war doctrine.
Their leaders, the Iron Council, analyze data from battles and reduce it to bare, raw numbers. With these, the council then rationally calculates whether an operation is worthwhile or not (the Calculus Rationale).
This is how the Iron Fists develop plans that they carry out with cold calculation. They choose whether to deploy or not with full strength – even without regard to losses when they think it is necessary. These sacrifices can even include other Space Marines. So the Iron Fists roughly use the same methods as the Tyranids, who are the greatest threat in the galaxy for good reason.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Path of Exile 2, you can customize and enhance your gear with various items. However, until now, it was not possible to swap runes on your gear. Grinding Gear Games has now changed that – much to the delight of the community.
Which items are involved? In Path of Exile 2, you can use socketable items like runes to specifically enhance your character’s stats. Some runes, for example, increase your resistances against certain types of damage, while others boost health or mana points. Good defensive stats are important to progress through the content, which some compare to Dark Souls due to its difficulty level.
Once inserted into the gear, you could not remove or swap the runes previously. This meant that, in the worst case, you had to forgo important defensive stats, as you could only use suitable runes if you swapped out your gear.
Patch 0.1.1 finally lets you swap runes
What has changed now?With the latest patch 0.1.1, GGG (Grinding Gear Games) introduced a change to the socketable items in Path of Exile 2. The change in the patch notes states specifically: “Socketable items, such as runes, can now be overwritten with another socketable item in the socket.”
Now, when you insert a new rune into an item, you will be asked if you want to replace the existing rune with the new one. If you decide to do so and click “Accept,” the old rune disappears irreversibly. If you do not already have a large stock of runes, you should think carefully about which rune you insert into which item.
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This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items
“Now we can finally start”
How the community reacts: As a post on Reddit shows, the small but important change is received very positively by the Path of Exile 2 community. Many players had hardly used their runes before because they regularly changed their gear and didn’t want to “ruin” or waste their high-quality gear.
In a comment, xisupaz_blackbird writes: “Very nice. All of us who have hundreds of runes can finally start clearing the stack.” And oxyscotty thinks: “This increases the value of many items that people had socketed with poor or useless [runes] for their build.”
Vorstar92 adds that it is nice to now be able to adjust gear more easily and swap runes for resistances. “I’m sure we all used runes to maximize resistances, only to then end up excessively capping one resistance,” he writes.
And Pokepunk710 writes: “Such a great change. I just left my sockets empty because I frequently switch gear and it would have messed up my resistances.” And Foray2x1 also says he can finally socket runes into his gear. “Before, I didn’t do it because I didn’t want to create problems for later,” he explains.
Runes drop from both monsters and bosses in the campaign of Path of Exile 2, as well as in the endgame. Additionally, there is the possibility to trade runes with other players. However, the trading system is increasingly under criticism, and more and more players complain about its poor implementation. You can learn more about it here: Fans of Path of Exile 2 demand an important feature, but the developers refuse it on principle.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A US agency has raised serious allegations against the Gacha game Genshin Impact and is demanding a hefty fine.
What are the allegations? As announced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the creators of Genshin Impact have agreed to a payment of $20 million (approximately €19.5 million) (via ftc.gov). The FTC is the trade commission of the USA.
Additionally, the developers have agreed to exclude children under 16 years from in-game purchases without parental consent. The FTC states: ‘The company violated a law protecting children’s privacy and deceived children and other users about the actual costs of transactions in the game and the chances of winning rare prizes.’
The allegation of violating children’s privacy stems from the collection of personal data. HoYoverse was aware that children under 13 years old were using their service and still collected data without parental consent.
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Genshin Impact: Trailer shows gameplay for Natlan
Furthermore, the FTC criticizes the Gacha mechanics of the game: ‘Genshin Impact deceived children, teenagers, and other players into spending hundreds of dollars on prizes for which they had little chance of winning.’
This is set to change in the future if a federal judge agrees to the FTC’s requested orders.
The FTC’s orders demand:
The payment of a fine of $20 million
Prohibition on allowing children under 16 to purchase loot boxes in their video games without explicit parental consent;
Prohibition on selling loot boxes with virtual currency without giving consumers the option to buy them directly with real money;
Prohibition on false representation of win probabilities, prizes, and features of loot boxes;
Obligation to disclose the odds of loot boxes and exchange rates for multi-level virtual currencies;
Obligation to delete all personal data previously collected from children under 13 years, unless they obtain parental consent to retain this data; and
Obligation to comply with COPPA, including notification and consent requirements.
What is the problem with Genshin Impact? Genshin Impact is a so-called Gacha game. This means you get new characters and weapons by trying to pull them from a type of gambling machine. In Genshin Impact, the ‘Gacha machines’ are called banners.
Players of the action RPG often aim for the rare 5-star characters. However, the chance of getting such a character is very low. With a lot of bad luck, you may have to pull up to 180 times to get the desired character.
A pull in Genshin Impact requires ‘Fate,’ which you can obtain with the premium currency ‘Primogem,’ which in turn can only be exchanged for Creation Crystals, which can only be purchased for real money in the shop.
The U.S. Department of Justice believes, according to the FTC, that the system of Genshin Impact is confusing, especially for children and teenagers. This obscures the amount of money players spend to obtain a 5-star character. You can learn more about the Gacha system of Genshin Impact here: Genshin Impact: FAQ on the Gacha system – How Pay2Win is it really?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days is a zombie game that is set to enter Early Access on Steam later this year. However, it has already reached a special milestone.
What kind of game is this? Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days is an upcoming survival game where players must lead a group of survivors through a zombie apocalypse in 1980s Texas. The game is reminiscent of the indie gem This War of Mine, which is considered one of the best genre representatives – just with brain-eaters.
However, the gameplay is supposed to be quite different from the mobile games of the same name. The focus is on stealth rather than running around.
But it’s not just the living dead that players need to worry about. The developers promise to challenge players’ humanity with tough decisions: Will you convince other survivors to join your group, or will you strip them of their supplies to ensure your own survival?
Into the Dead is set to enter Early Access on Steam in the second quarter of 2025. Even before the launch, the game has achieved a significant milestone: as the developers shared on X, the free demo for the game has already been downloaded by 300,000 people.
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Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Reveals Gameplay in Trailer
What do the early players say? 300,000 downloads doesn’t automatically mean 300,000 players, but so far Into the Dead seems to be leaving a good impression. On Steam, the demo has a “Very Positive” rating (94%) with just over 1,000 reviews as of January 18, 2025.
The reviews emphasize the potential of the game and highlight the atmosphere as well as the creative approach to the zombie genre. However, there is criticism of the combat system. We’ve put together some reviews for you:
Džomumma (recommended): “This game feels quite different from its predecessor. It feels like This War of Mine, which is a good thing. What the game lacks is blocking or dodging in fights, as the combat is too simplistic because of that. But overall, I enjoyed the demo.”
Dan Ce (recommended): “I’ve played a lot of survival games. From Tld [The Long Dark, ed. note] to This War of Mine, DayZ, Scum, and so on. But this one is the best so far in terms of atmosphere and how it feels. It’s new and shows all the advantages of that, making zombies great and scary again […]”
Dr.Winton (not recommended): “[…] Overall, it’s a cool game. My main issue is the combat system, or perhaps the lack thereof since I wouldn’t call clicking a button and maybe running a combat system. Anyway, keep working on the game; it could really be cool when it comes out.”
Can’t get enough of zombies and need to kill some time until the release of Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days? Then we have 7 disaster movies featuring zombies for you here on MeinMMO, offering something for every taste from macabre humor to brutal action.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For Twitch streamer Kalei Renay, it was a dream to be a member of the cool FaZe Clan. But in 2024, that dream was shattered. Now, the 25-year-old explains the consequences of her dismissal.
What kind of streamer is she? Kalei Renay, who streams on Twitch under her first name, primarily showcases shooters like Call of Duty, Apex Legends, or recently Marvel Rivals. This made her a good fit for the cool e-sports clan FaZe.
However, the clan became increasingly commercial starting in 2015. In 2024, the “original members,” who had previously sold their shares, regained control of the organization and made the decision to return to their roots.
At the moment, Kalei is playing the trending game Marvel Rivals.
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Marvel Rivals kicks off the first season with a new trailer
“I have no place in gaming anymore”
This is what the streamer says: In a series of posts on X, Kalei lamented on January 17, 2025, that no one would play with her: “I don’t like to get emotional on stream. It’s just frustrating when I have to beg people to play with me.”
The streamer believes this has nothing to do with her skills: she has achieved nearly every rank in the games she plays. The problem has persisted since 2023, but it has worsened due to her dismissal from FaZe, as she can no longer provide any benefits to others.
“It’s just not worth trying to convince myself anymore when the truth is that I really don’t have a place in gaming anymore, and that’s a shame,” summarizes the 25-year-old.
Shortly after, she added that she was actually very motivated and had planned a long stream for the day. But after just 5 hours, she called it quits because she was on the verge of breaking down in tears.
Why is her situation so difficult? The meta on Twitch clearly trends towards collaborations.
This effect was recently evident at the big Christmas event of MontanaBlack, where the 36-year-old set a new career record. He has been one of the most successful streamers on German Twitch for many years.
Even if Kalei doesn’t want to play with other streamers, but only with gamers from her environment, entertaining social interactions can arise from playing together, which can be captured and shared by viewers as clips.
