Netflix announced more actors who will be starring in the live-action series of One Piece. Among them are many adversaries that the Straw Hat crew will have to face. However, one of them reveals a secret that was not really a secret, but that many were unaware of.
What new additions have been revealed? A total of 3 new actors were introduced, who will take on the roles of characters from the 2nd season of the Netflix series. These include:
Anton David Jeftha, who plays Kuromarimo aka K.M.
Mark Penwill, who plays Chess
Sophia Anne Caruso, who plays Miss Goldenweek
In a group photo, the three new actors are seen with some already known actors from the series. We obtained the photo from the X account of OP_Netflix_Fan:
The newcomers meet the actors of, for example, Ruffy and Vivi.
You might know Jeftha as Sergeant Mullen from the series Homeland. Penwill has appeared in many short films and series like Catch Me A Killer. Caruso has a lot of theater experience and played, for example, Lydia Deetz in the Beetlejuice musical.
However, one newcomer to the cast is especially confusing the fans. Many cannot understand why Caruso was cast as Miss Goldenweek. But this clarifies a mystery that the fan community was wrong about for a long time.
You can watch the trailer for Season 1 here:
Start video
One Piece – German Trailer for the First Season of the Live-Action Series by Netflix
Casting choice reveals the age of Miss Goldenweek
What is the problem? In the comments under the tweet by newworldartur as well as the TikTok video by brodie_loman, many say they thought Caruso was too old to play Miss Goldenweek. In the video, the TikToker also explains that he was very confused.
Fans actually thought that Miss Goldenweek was still a child. They believed that the girl was about 11 years old. Therefore, they could not understand that Caruso and not a child should take on the role.
What is the truth? According to a Vivre Card, Miss Goldenweek is said to be 18 years old after the time skip. This means that she is already 16 years old at her appearance in the anime, thus just one year younger than Ruffy.
The fans’ assumptions stem from the fact that Miss Goldenweek behaves like a child and has a small stature. However, a picture in the manga already shows that the girl actually has different proportions and looks more like a teenager.
Amazon Games has revealed the details for the upcoming first season of New World Aeternum. The plans for the Season of Conquerors are not well received by many players.
What do I need to know about the season? The Season of Conquerors starts on January 21, 2025. The first season world of New World revolves around the theme of PvP: All player characters will be flagged for PvP from level 15. Those who loot the new resources and loot items will drop them upon dying. Several special events will take place during the season. Eight new artifacts will be introduced.
In addition, there will be a pass with free and premium paths, through which you can earn loot like artifacts, skins, transmog tokens, dyes, and consumables. At the end of the season, the season world will be closed, and you can transfer your seasonal character to a permanent world. All of this has been known since December 2024.
The gameplay trailer for the launch of New World Aeternum:
Start video
New World Aeternum: Well-Staged Gameplay Trailer for Launch
A season for the niche
What have the developers revealed now? In an intensive course on www.newworld.com, the developers unveiled many new details about the upcoming season.
Along with the season worlds, a new character slot will be added so players can start with four characters without having to sacrifice one of them.
You will receive 25 percent more experience and weapon mastery in the season worlds.
From level 15, you can automatically ride. You will receive the first mount at a campsite.
You will have immediate access to the heart rune slot.
In the endgame of the season, you should face other players alone or with your company to climb the leaderboards and earn rewards such as mount attachments, helmet skin, tent skin, or a PvP-centered house trophy.
Although the developers had announced a free path for the season pass, the new article states: “To receive rewards from your journey on the seasonal server, you must purchase the premium pass.”
At the end of the season, ethereal and conqueror equipment will be converted into competitive items with PvP-centered effects.
For the season, the developers are introducing new equipment pieces:
The (easily craftable) ethereal equipment has a level requirement of level 15, while the even more powerful conqueror equipment requires level 20.
The ethereal and conqueror items will drop upon death and have durability. Conqueror items will lose significantly more durability upon death compared to ethereal items.
The base value of ethereal and conqueror items is stronger than that of other items. Weapons have a 20 % increased base damage, and armor and accessories provide 3 % damage absorption per piece. You cannot add gems to these items.
Ethereal items give players access to splinter stones, from which conqueror items can be crafted. Although splinter stones will drop upon death, they can only be created by wearing certain ethereal equipment while farming elite checkpoints, darkness outbreaks, and gathering resources.
When ethereal items break, you will receive a special dust that you can convert into player experience through crafting and opening ethereal lifespans. Additional dust can be obtained from refining wood, ore, fibers, hides, and stones.
When opening each ethereal lifespan, you have a chance to receive sandpaper, tanning agent, solvent, melting salt, fibrous fibers, ethereal mount food, mount straps and shoes, R4 heart runes, and crafting plans for all conqueror weapons.
The first season of New World Aeternum has a strong PvP focus.
How is the community reacting to the announcements? In December, part of the community had already criticized the plans for the new season of New World. One of the main criticisms at that time: player numbers are falling, servers are dying again – the new season will accelerate this process and lure players away from the normal worlds.
This point is also being raised again now. A_Grim_Ghost writes on Reddit: “Now that I see all the details… yes, I’m out. Have fun splitting the 13,000 players that are still left, and good luck when the first group of no-lifers starts dominating the seasonal servers. Nobody asked for any of this, we wanted actual improvements for the game.”
Many other Aeternum fighters also fear that players with a lot of time who acquire powerful conqueror items quickly will have a huge advantage and could ruin the experience for others. Chunky-Cat explains on Reddit: “The first group of people who acquire these ethereal and conqueror items will roll over the entire server.”
There is also criticism about the fact that you have to buy the premium pass to receive rewards from the season journey. Plumpy_Gnome puts it succinctly in his post on Reddit: “What a joke… Now we HAVE to pay for rewards that we earned?”
Puzzleheaded-Bass598 summarizes on Reddit: “It turns out there’s no reason to play on this server if you don’t want to buy a season pass.” Fluid-Run-1522 fears on Reddit: “If people actually play this and pay for it, they [the developers] will have no reason to improve and expand the game; it will just be recycled garbage until it dies…”
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz assess the upcoming season? The first season of Aeternum will appeal to only a certain niche due to its strong PvP focus. Most MMORPG fans prefer to play PvE content. Additionally, New World is not a very good game in itself to keep fans constantly pushing through the leveling phase.
With the recent announcements, the season will likely be even less interesting for players. This is catastrophic in multiple respects. Aeternum was supposed to give the MMORPG a third spring. However, the roadmap and the content supply for the normal servers should have come much earlier.
The Plunderstorm mode in World of Warcraft is back. New rewards await, along with a lot of chaos and a divided community.
When World of Warcraft tries something completely new, the community is usually divided. This was also the case with the Plunderstorm mode – a PvP mode for WoW that entices with a lot of cool pirate rewards. As of today (February 15, 2025), the mode is back active, and you can once again dive into the plundering action.
A brief explanation of the first Plunderstorm mode can be found here:
Start video
WoW: Plunderstorm – this is how the battle royale mode works
What is the mode about? Plunderstorm is basically the WoW variant of a Battle Royale. You will be thrown into a slightly modified version of Arathi Highlands, either solo or in small teams. There, you collect a lot of loot, but also abilities, and you fight only with these exclusive skills in PvP battles. Fairness is not necessarily the focus – because when two are fighting, a third party can often come in to take both out (and then be taken out by a fourth shortly after).
The mode differs drastically from the WoW gameplay that players are used to, so it might require a bit of adjustment to get used to it.
What’s new? New are some rewards. The well-known pirate set from last time now also comes in a black color variant, further enhancing the “evil pirate” look. Additionally, there are also two new mounts and 2 battle pets – so there is something for everyone.
Also new is the way of earning rewards. You no longer need to fill a new fame faction. Instead, you can spend loot in the “Plunder Store” and buy exactly what you want – you have full control over what you earn.
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As usual, you cannot lose your loot. All the “plunder” you collect during a match is retained – even if you get eliminated and defeated. Each match brings progress, no matter how far you get.
How long is the mode active? The mode will remain active for 5 weeks and will disappear on February 18, 2025. This is also approximately the time when the next big WoW patch 11.1 Lorenhalt is expected.
What about the old rewards? Those who could not participate in the Plunderstorm mode last year can earn the rewards this time. All old rewards can also be purchased in the “Plunder Store”. Those who already own these rewards will have to play less to get everything – as the “only” new rewards are naturally much quicker to earn than both old and new at the same time.
Cortyn says: Honestly, I was super excited about this mode – even a bit more than the next big patch. Just like the first time, the Plunderstorm mode will also divide the community this time. While some are really looking forward to the mode – like me, and I’m taking a few days off for it – others can’t stand it at all and will again complain that they “have to play” the mode to get the rewards.
As always, World of Warcraft cannot please everyone. But I still hope that everyone who is looking forward to the mode will have fun with it in the coming weeks. I definitely will.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
An experienced developer views it critically that game worlds are tending to become larger. He believes that there is a danger in this, and that the players themselves no longer enjoy it.
Which developer is it? Josh Sawyer has been able to gather a lot of experience in his career as a game developer. He has been involved in renowned projects like Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and the hidden gem Pentiment. All are from the developer Obsidian Entertainment, which will release its new game Avowed in February 2025.
Sawyer has expressed criticism about the size of game worlds in a video on his YouTube channel. He contradicts the misconception that bigger means better.
What does Josh Sawyer say? A characteristic of large and long games is that only a few players complete them. The developer himself says that he only finishes such enormous games when he is very deep into it and has already completed about 80% of it.
Whether one finishes a game at all is not that important. The fun that one has while gaming is also a priority for Sawyer when it comes to his own work. Nevertheless, he wishes that games would become smaller again.
We don’t need to get bigger. Just stop it. I don’t believe that most players want games that are six times larger than Skyrim or eight times larger than The Witcher 3.
What is the problem? For Sawyer, it’s not about the long time it takes to complete massive titles. In his opinion, the quality suffers if everything has to become bigger and bigger.
The individual aspects in a game world would feel less unique and tailored, especially in an open world. A world doesn’t need to be huge to seem impressive – it’s more about the illusion that is created, less about the actual size.
Sawyer might be right: Successful role-playing games like Baldur’s Gate 3 seem larger than they actually are concerning their game worlds. Nevertheless, you can spend countless hours on them. According to Sawyer, the exploration of game worlds should always feel entertaining, not repetitive and tedious.
An expert who has worked for many different gaming companies in high-ranking positions is concerned about GTA 6.
Who is it about? Gaming expert Mike Fischer mentioned in an interview with the online magazine Game World Observer why GTA 6 is keeping him up at night.
Mike Fischer is a professor of Interactive Media at the “University of Southern California”.
Currently, Fischer is also working as a consultant for the South Korean publisher KRAFTON (PUBG, The Callisto Protocol, Subnautica).
In the past, Mike Fischer has worked for various major gaming companies, including Sega (Product Manager and later Vice President Entertainment Marketing), Square Enix (President & CEO), and Epic Games (Head of Publishing).
Throughout his career, Fischer has contributed to 80 games, including titles like Deus Ex, Octopath Traveler 2, and various installments of Final Fantasy (via Moby Games).
Start video
The graphic comparison of GTA 6 and GTA 5 in the video
GTA 6 could consume all gamers’ time
What does Fischer say about GTA 6? Fischer states in the interview with Game World Observer that he is kept awake at night by the thought that GTA 6 could “consume” all the time and money of every player. When the action game from Rockstar Games is released, he feels that there has never been a “so big, so captivating, so incredible, so all-encompassing game” like GTA 6.
Additionally, Fischer wonders about the consequences GTA 6 will have for the competition: “I am a little concerned about what this will mean for many other AAA games in this space,” and adds, “when GTA 6 comes out, it will be a challenging disruption.”
However, Fischer also says that the release could have a positive effect on other games, as perhaps more players will purchase a PlayStation, an Xbox, or a high-end gaming PC to be able to play GTA 6.
Gen Z and the so-called Boomer generation differ significantly in various aspects, including the purchase and consumption of certain goods. This is evident when comparing the two generations directly. We will introduce you to items that are daily used or purchased by “Boomers”, which play almost no role for Generation Z.
There are hobbies and habits for which older people, the so-called Boomers (born between 1950 and 1964), spend money every year. However, usage and consumption behavior has changed significantly in recent years.
Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2010) has a completely different purchasing behavior and different interests. This also leads to young people not buying certain things that were still highly valued by Boomers.
Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions
Printed magazines and newspapers are still an important part of everyday life for Boomers. Many members of Generation Z, on the other hand, have turned away from magazine subscriptions. They see little reason to flip through magazines when there is so much information and entertainment available online and on social media (via yourtango.com).
Interestingly, Boomers are much more cautious with their spending. According to a study by Bango, Boomers typically spend less than 100 euros on subscriptions. In this study, 5,000 US users were asked about their habits: 82% of the surveyed Boomers keep their bills under 100 dollars per month.
Generation Z and also Millennials, on the other hand, spend significantly more and on many more services, especially for music services, movies, and streaming. Magazine subscriptions hold almost no significance for young people anymore.
Start video
“We have created a monster” – A Spanish model earns up to 10,000 euros a month, yet she is not real
Landline Phone
In Boomer households, there is almost always a landline phone, and many remember how they had to fight for the only telephone in the house just to make a call. However, young people have completely changed their habits and prefer to use their mobile phones.
There’s a reason experts also call Generation Z the “Mute Generation” because they want to decide when they communicate with someone else. Important matters are often handled via text or voice messages.
Many young people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, have simply become accustomed to communicating via text messages. Making a call is done much less frequently when it can be resolved through a message. According to a BBC survey, even one in four 18- to 34-year-olds never answers the phone (via rnd.de).
And by the way, young people also dislike interviews:
While many still find it normal to sit in front of the TV in the evening and watch the news via cable television, media consumption among young people has changed significantly. The magazine Mindshareworld.com reports that television consumption has declined sharply:
Generation Z reports watching about 47 minutes of television daily.
Millennials watch about twice as much at 87 minutes.
And Boomers watch an average of 111 minutes.
In comparison: According to data from 2022, provided to the Metz magazine, television times were considerably higher:
Members of Generation Z reported spending an average of 1 hour and 42 minutes daily watching television.
Millennials spend 2 hours and 18 minutes.
Boomers clock in at 3 hours, and older individuals at 3 hours and 24 minutes.
For all groups, the so-called “usage minutes” with the TV have been declining sharply for years, with Generation Z experiencing the most significant drop.
While Boomers still increasingly rely on cable television, young people prefer streaming services like Netflix or Disney+. While Generation Z turns up its nose at cable television, Boomers continue to use it with satisfaction.
While Boomers enjoy the traditional shopping experience, Generation Z heavily relies on online shopping for convenience and speed.
This, however, leads to entirely new problems: Young people recently explained that they have issues shopping in a physical store. A lack of experience arises when one prefers to shop online or prefers home delivery over visiting the supermarket themselves.
The payment institute Mastercard reports in its own study, published in 2022, that young people prefer online shopping significantly more than older individuals:
Young people appreciate anonymous shopping, while older individuals are almost entirely uninterested in it.
Both groups want to support local stores, but the willingness is much more pronounced among older people (62 vs. 46%).
The older age group (55%) sees a significant advantage in human interaction and personal contact when shopping in stores. Among younger individuals, this aspect has been steadily declining for years (40%).
Part-Time Vacations and Real Estate
The Boomer generation invested many years in real estate or so-called timeshare properties for vacations. This means acquiring the right to use the property for a certain period but not the property itself.
But with the younger Generation Z, more flexible travel options are much more attractive and popular, such as through Airbnb or other travel sites. Additionally, the travel budget within Generation Z is significantly lower than that of the Boomer generation.
It is also interesting to note that the nature of vacations has changed significantly. For example, Getyourguides.press reports:
Nearly 50% of Generation Z states that they spend a lot of time on social media while on vacation.
In contrast, Baby Boomers prefer to engage with the culture of the vacation destination (69%) and prefer not to make large plans (75%).
Additionally, Generation Z has a much greater fear of missing out on things that happen while they are on vacation.
As reported by the website Simon-Kucher, Generation Z primarily seeks flexibility, “maximal experiences at minimal prices.” Owning real estate or making long-term commitments is not as important to them.
Lottery Tickets
In Germany, there are numerous opportunities to play the lottery. However, enthusiasm among young people for lotteries is much more muted than among older generations. A study by Yougov.com reports in the UK:
38% of surveyed Boomers buy lottery tickets and actively participate.
Among Millennials, it is still 18%.
Only 1% of Generation Z report having played the lottery in the last 12 months.
Interest in lottery tickets has declined sharply across multiple generations.
In Pokémon GO there are some shinies that trainers sometimes have to wait a long time for. One special shiny is one that trainers have been waiting for a long time if they haven’t obtained it yet.
The hunt for Pokémon in alternative colors, known as shinies, is a great motivation for many players in Pokémon GO.
While events like Community Days exist where the shiny chance for a Pokémon is significantly increased, the sparkling forms are relatively rare outside of events. There are even monsters that generally have an increased shiny chance.
A Pokémon that is already rare can only be found as shiny in specific events. And that hasn’t been possible for a long time.
Start video
Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer
No Chance for Almost 2 Years
Which Pokémon is this? The Pokémon in question is Farb Eagle, the Normal-type Pokémon from Generation 2. You can catch this monster outside of events with corresponding bonuses only once a day. To catch Farb Eagle, it might also be necessary to have some stamina.
Currently, it is not possible to obtain the shiny version of the monster during the daily catch. This was last possible during the Color Festival event 2023 – and that ended on March 14, 2023.
Since then, there hasn’t been another event where shiny Farb Eagle was activated in the game. If you’ve set your sights on this monster, haven’t received one yet, and can’t get a specimen from your friends via trade, you’ll have to be patient a bit longer.
What does the community say about this? In a Reddit post on the topic, there are some trainers who have been eagerly waiting for a shiny Farb Eagle since the last Color Festival event. Some trainers weren’t even aware that there is no shiny variant of Farb Eagle outside of such events.
Some of the comments about this are:
It’s a bit crazy that a Pokémon that you can only get once a day can only appear as shiny in events. I wish they would make it permanently available with the next boosted event and only increase the shiny rate during events. That’s how it should be, says rquinain
“Wait a minute… so I took snapshots without the chance of getting a shiny?!” comments Maleficent_Sound_919
It’s one of the few shinies I need from Generation 2 and I have 2580 encounters on my snapshot badge. I’ve used all possible encounters during the events and still haven’t gotten a shiny, writes user tehminky
Do you have a shiny Farb Eagle from previous events in your collection? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Speaking of events: Of course, there are also many events and content waiting for you in the game in January. To find out exactly what they are, when they take place, and what you can expect from each, check out our overview of all events in January 2025 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Update from May 22, 2025: We have updated both lists of cars based on the latest DLC “Agents of Sabotage” and added new vehicles.
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List of the fastest cars from GTA Online – As of January 2025
The fastest cars by top speed
Rank
Car
Top Speed
1
Bravado Banshee GTS (HSW)
277.6 km/h
2
Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT (HSW)
271.2 km/h
3
Ubermacht Niobe (HSW)
256.7 km/h
4
Declasse Vigero ZX (HSW)
254.3 km/h
5
Karin S95 (HSW)
251.9 km/h
6
Benefactor Stirling GT (HSW)
251.5 km/h
7
Bravado Banshee (HSW)
245.8 km/h
8
Grotti Turismo Classic (HSW)
243.8 km/h
9
Överflöd Entity MT (HSW)
243.4 km/h
10
Principe Deveste Eight (HSW)
243.0 km/h
11
Grotti Vigilante (Boost)
236.2 km/h
12
Pegassi Weaponized Ignus (HSW)
235.4 km/h
13
Bravado Buffalo EVX (HSW)
233.0 km/h
14
Penaud La Courseuse (HSW)
229.3 km/h
15
Annis ZR380 (Arena)
228.5 km/h
16
Imponte Arbiter GT (HSW)
228.5 km/h
17
Coil Cyclone II (HSW)
226.9 km/h
18
Firebolt ASP (HSW)
224.1 km/h
19
Weeny Issy Rally (HSW)
222.9 km/h
20
Bravado Banshee GTS
222.1 km/h
21
BF Weevil Custom
221.3 km/h
22
Ubermacht Sentinel XS (HSW)
219.7 km/h
23
Pfister Astron Custom (HSW)
219.3 km/h
24
Ocelot Pariah
218.9 km/h
25
Maibatsu MonstroCiti (HSW)
218.5 km/h
26
Pegassi Toreador (Boost)
217.7 km/h
27
Vapid Imperator (Arena)
217.3 km/h
28
Grotti Itali RSX
216.5 km/h
29
Vapid Dominator (Arena)
215.7 km/h
30
Grotti Brioso R/A
213.2 km/h
31
Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT
212.4 km/h
32
Pegassi Torero XO
211.6 km/h
33
Principe Deveste Eight
211.2 km/h
34
Lampadati Corsita
211.2 km/h
35
Överflöd Entity MT
211.2 km/h
This is special: Some of these cars are on the list because they achieve such high speeds thanks to their rocket propulsion. Leading the way is the Vigilante – the Batmobile in GTA Online. The car is really fast, but has poor handling.
With the HSW upgrades, some cars have climbed to the top of the top speeds. HSW stands for Hao’s Special Works. This refers to the workshop you find at the LS Car Meet. There you can significantly tune your car with the HSW upgrade.
Start video
The graphic comparison of GTA 6 and GTA 5 in the video
You should know: The speedometers in GTA Online are not particularly reliable based on experience. The numbers in the list reflect the “real” speed of the cars. It’s possible that GTA Online might display different values for speed at times. However, this does not change the rankings.
It should be noted that there are many variables when it comes to top speed in GTA Online. This may lead to different (and higher) top speeds. Moreover, the fact is that the in-game speedometer and other forms of speed measurement either do not work or are at least inaccurate (Example on YouTube). So if you compare this with your own observations, you will most likely get incorrect results.
Explanation by YouTuber Broughy on speed calculations – Source
The fastest cars by lap time
Rank
Car
Lap Time
1
Benefactor BR8 (Open Wheel)
0:54.788 minutes
2
Pegassi Weaponized Ignus (HSW)
0:55.589 minutes
3
Ubermacht Niobe (HSW)
0:55.538 minutes
4
Coil Cyclone II (HSW)
0:55.823 minutes
5
Grotti Vigilante (Boost)
0:55.872 minutes
6
Penaud La Coureuse (HSW)
0:56.139 minutes
7
Progen PR4 (Open Wheel)
0:56.424 minutes
8
Declasse DR1 (Open Wheel)
0:56.473 minutes
9
Ocelot R88 (Open Wheel)
0:56.540 minutes
10
Pegassi Toreador (Boost)
0:56.624 minutes
11
Bravado Banshee GTS (HSW)
0:57.574 minutes
12
Progen Emerus
0:57.624 minutes
13
Declasse Scramjet (Boost)
0:57.775 minutes
14
Grotti Turismo Omaggio
0:57.775 minutes
15
Pegassi Weaponized Ignus
0:57.824 minutes
16
Benefactor Krieger
0:57.924 minutes
17
Principe Deveste Eight (HSW)
0:58.209 minutes
18
Overflöd Pipistrello
0:58.541 minutes
19
Benefactor LM87
0:58.658 minutes
20
Pegassi Ignus
0:58.742 minutes
21
Dewbauchee Vagner
0:59.194 minutes
22
Truffade Thrax
0:58.893 minutes
23
Annis S80RR
0:58.959 minutes
24
Annis RE-7B
0:59.076 minutes
25
Coil Rocket Voltic
0:59.209 minutes
26
Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT (HSW)
0:59.292 minutes
27
Ocelot Virtue
0:59.293 minutes
28
Grotti Itali GTO
0:59.359 minutes
29
Ocelot XA-21
0:59.459 minutes
30
Karin S95 (HSW)
0:59.559 minutes
31
Pegassi Torero XO
0:59.577 minutes
32
Lampadati Tigon
0:59.643 minutes
33
Coil Cyclone II
0:59.660 minutes
34
Ubermacht Niobe
0:59.726 minutes
35
Överflöd Autarch
0:59.776 minutes
Special features of Open Wheel: You can customize the vehicles of the Open-Wheel series. This changes the downforce value. Accordingly, the lap times of the Open-Wheel vehicles change depending on their downforce. Each one appears three times in the ranking. However, that would make our table confusing. Here we briefly show you the lap times of the Open-Wheel vehicles with different DF (Downforce) values.
BR8 (Mid DF) 0:54.788
BR8 (Max DF) 0:54.988
BR8 (Min DF) 0:55.823
PR4 (Mid DF) 0:56.424
PR4 (Min DF) 0:56.591
PR4 (Max DF) 0:58.258
DR1 (Mid DF) 0:56.790
DR1 (Min DF) 0:58.226
DR1 (Max DF) 0:58.559
R88 (Mid DF) 0:56.791
R88 (Max DF) 0:58.126
R88 (Min DF) 0:58.893
The fastest cars in GTA Online – Price, Dealer, Class and more
The fastest cars in GTA Online are usually very expensive. To give you a clearer picture of the various vehicles before you buy, we provide you with some additional information. We will take a closer look at all cars that are in the top 35 for both top speed and lap time.
These are:
Banshee GTS (HSW)
Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT (HSW)
Ubermacht Niobe (HSW)
Principe Deveste Eight (HSW)
Grotti Vigilante (Boost)
Pegassi Weaponized Ignus (HSW)
Penaud La Courseuse (HSW)
Coil Cyclone II (HSW)
Pegassi Toreador
Note that this list mainly features cars with the HSW conversion, which you can only use on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. At the end of the article, we will also mention a few alternatives that perform well even without HSW.
Banshee GTS HSW
Price: 1,989,500
Class: Sports
Seats: 2
Dealer: Legendary Motorsport
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Upgrade required? Yes, HSW
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races? Yes
Real counterpart: SRT/Dodge Viper (VX I)
Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT (HSW)
Price: 2,380,000
Class: Sports
Seats: 2
Dealer: Legendary Motorsport
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Upgrade required? Yes, HSW
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races? Yes
Real counterpart: Mostly Ferrari Roma
Übermacht Niobe HSW
Price: 1,880,000
Class: Sports
Seats: 2
Dealer: Legendary Motorsport
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Upgrade required? Yes
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races? Yes
Real counterpart: BMW i8
Principe Deveste Eight (HSW)
Price: 1,795,000
Class: Super
Seats: 2
Dealer: Legendary Motorsport
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Upgrade required? Yes
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races? Yes
Real counterpart: Devel Sixteen
Grotti Vigilante (Boost)
Price: 3,750,000
Class: Super
Seats: 2
Dealer: Warstock Cache & Carry
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Upgrade required? No
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races? No
Real counterpart: Batmobile
Pegassi Weaponized Ignus (HSW)
Price: 4,500,000
Class: Super
Seats: 2
Dealer: Warstock Cache & Carry
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Upgrade required? Yes, HSW
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races? Yes
Real counterpart: Mostly Lamborghini Sián FKP 37
Penaud La Courseuse (HSW)
Price: 1,990,000
Class: Sports
Seats: 2
Dealer: Legendary Motorsport
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Upgrade required? Yes, HSW
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races playable? Yes
Real counterpart: 2022 Renault R5 Turbo 3E
Coil Cyclone II (HSW)
Price: 2,250,000
Class: Super
Seats: 2
Dealer: Legendary Motorsport
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Upgrade required? Yes
Currently available in GTA Online? Yes
Playable in races/stunt races? Yes
Real counterpart: Rimac Nevera
Pegassi Toreador
Price: 4,250,000
Class: Sports Classic
Seats: 4
Dealer: Warstock Cache & Carry
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Who should buy the Formula cars? For the Formula fans among you, these cars should be a must-buy. It’s best to test them first in the Open-Wheel Series. If you enjoy racing in this style in GTA Online, go for it.
Have you found a new favorite in this overview that you absolutely want to buy? Here we show you 13 ways to quickly earn a lot of money in GTA Online in 2024. With that, you should quickly fill your account at Maze Bank and then go on a car shopping tour.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Season 7 of Diablo 4, there are new gems that you can socket into your items. How to obtain the Occult Gems and how they work can be found here on MeinMMO.
What are Occult Gems? Occult Gems are the new socketable gems in Season 7 of Diablo 4. The gems grant you additional affixes and complement the witch powers – the new seasonal mechanic. Each gem gives you an additional 160 armor and 8% resistance to all damage types.
Where can I get Occult Gems?According to Blizzard, you can craft the Occult Gems at the “Whispering Tree” with the NPC Gelena. She crafts the gems in exchange for the following items:
“Fleeting Heads,” which you receive from special seasonal enemies, the “Head Rotters”
“Restless Rot,” which is essentially the reputation in Season 7 – collected through Whisper tasks and killing “Head Rotters”
Gem fragments
As of now (January 14, 2025), there are a total of 19 Occult Gems in Season 7. Below, we list all the gems along with their functions.
Start video
Diablo 4 shows its witch powers in Season 7 in the trailer
All 19 Occult Gems and Their Functions
Blizzard has announced a total of 19 Occult Gems and has adjusted them again after the PTR (via Blizzard, January 14, 2025). If more gems are added, we will include them in the listing.
Scandalous Pact: Your non-unique witch powers of the Abominable gain 25% potency.
Heart of Anima: Your non-unique witch powers of the Psyche gain 25% potency.
Wish of the Toadlet: Your non-unique witch powers of Growth and Decay gain 35% potency.
Phantom Thread: You deal 15% more overwhelming damage to cursed opponents.
Ancient Seal: Your skills in the categories Agility, Corpses, Incarnation, Mastery, Weapon Master, and Wrath deal 25% more damage to cursed opponents.
Killing Wind: While you have three or more witch powers of the Abominable equipped, you gain 25% movement speed and 15% critical hit chance.
Ghost Hour: While you have three or more witch powers of the Abominable equipped, every 5 seconds the next core skill you cast receives the label “Abominable”.
Furious Enigma: Your unique witch powers deal 40% more damage.
Voice of the Stars: While you have an aura active, your Ultimate skills receive the label “Grimoire” and deal 10% more damage.
Crown of Thoughts: While you have three or more witch powers of the Psyche equipped, your Defensive, Macabre, and Trap skills receive a 20% cooldown reduction.
Spiral Coin: While you have three or more witch powers of the Psyche equipped, you gain a 30% bonus to loss of control duration and a 20% chance for lucky hits.
Horn of Plenty: While you have three or more witch powers of Growth and Decay equipped, you generate 30% more barrier, gain 30% fortification, and have 30% more thorns.
Vulture Claw: While you have an aura active, your damage-over-time effects deal their damage 50% faster.
Stretching Finger: Your summoned creatures deal 15% more direct damage to cursed elite foes.
Abominable Phylactery: While you have a witch power with the label “Summon” equipped and would take lethal damage, that damage is instead prevented. You then gain a barrier equal to 100% of your max health and disable your witch powers with the label “Summon” for 6 seconds. This effect can occur only once every 75 seconds.
Friend of the Swamp: While you have three or more witch powers of Growth and Decay selected, you gain 10% primary stat, 10% maximum health, and remain continuously unimpeded.
Moonlight Protection: For each rank of your equipped unique witch power, you receive 3% damage reduction and 0.5% maximum resistance to all elements.
Dust Stone: For each of your auras and hexes affecting an opponent, that opponent takes 2.5% more damage from you.
Hunger Void: While you have an aura active, you pull nearby enemies towards you every 8 seconds.
Three examples of Occult Gems in Season 7 of Diablo 4. Source: Blizzard
The Occult Gems are the new mechanic introduced in Season 7 of Diablo 4. Another mechanic is the witch powers. You can utilize the powers of witchcraft and learn special abilities. There are three or four different types of witch powers. More about this can be found here: Diablo 4 Witch Powers: How the mechanic works in Season 7
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Helldivers 2 there are many armors that are divided into different types. Depending on which one you choose, you get bonuses in battle that can secure your survival. We now show you 3 of the best armors and explain what to look for in armors.
Update, January 15, 2025: The article has been reviewed and is up to date.
What makes a good armor? That depends on your preferences. Depending on which mission you want to embark on, you should choose light, medium, or heavy armor and consider passive armor bonuses.
There is no “best armor” per se, but there are strong options that you should consider. We have examined all armors, compared them, and listed three options that we believe are among the best armors.
CM-21 Trench Medic (Light Armor)
CM-21 Trench Medic
Values:
Armor Rating: 69
Speed: 531
Stamina Regeneration: 116
Passive Armor Bonuses: Medikit
Why is the armor so good? The Trench Medic is a strong option if you want to carry quick, stable, and above all useful armor. With the “Medikit” bonus, you receive 2 additional syringes and benefit from a 2.0-second extension of your healing.
There are also medium armors with the passive bonus, but the Trench Medic has more speed and stamina regeneration, which helps you escape a horde of Termidons or robots, or to heal yourself.
Where can I get the armor? You can get the armor along with the helmet in the Über Store for 375 Über-Credits.
B-24 Enforcer (Medium Armor)
B-24 Enforcer
Values:
Armor Rating: 125
Speed: 475
Stamina Regeneration: 75
Passive Armor Bonuses: Amplifier
Why is the armor so good? The Enforcer is a medium armor with strong values. While many of its kind have a 100 armor rating, the Enforcer stands out with 125 points, providing you with more protection. Unfortunately, this affects speed and stamina regeneration, reducing both by 25 points, which is not a problem for medium armor.
The Amplifier bonus also gives you a 50% greater resistance to explosions and a 30% reduced recoil when crouched or lying down. A handy bonus, especially when things get explosive on the battlefield.
Where can I get the armor? You can get the armor along with the helmet in the Über Store for 225 Über-Credits.
UF-84 Doubt Remover (Medium Armor)
UF-84 Doubt Remover
Values:
Armor Rating: 100
Speed: 500
Stamina Regeneration: 100
Passive Armor Bonuses: Unshakeable
Why is the armor so good? The UF-84 Doubt Remover is a strong armor, especially when fighting against robots. With the armor bonus “Unshakeable,” you gain resistance when it comes to recoiling from enemy fire.
You can take more bullets before you visually react to fire in your sights or while fleeing. This can be especially important for sniper shooters, where every shot counts.
Where can I get the armor? You can get the armor along with the helmet in the Über Store for 600 Über-Credits.
Note that depending on the armor, you can also consider the aesthetic aspect. Depending on which armor you find cooler, you can customize and change your armor. Even with a “bad” armor, you can complete difficult missions; you just have to be able to play well.
What about helmets? Helmets currently do not have bonuses or better stats in Helldivers 2. Each helmet has 100 in each attribute and no passive bonuses. You can equip any helmet you want.
What do you think of our suggested armors? Do you have other favorites that you would recommend to players? Feel free to leave a comment!
In Path of Exile 2 you can defeat additional bosses to receive permanent buffs. We will show you where to find them and what buffs are available.
What are these buffs? In the campaign of Path of Exile 2, there are various optional bosses that you can defeat. Some of them grant you permanent buffs for your character. Below you will find a list of all the buffs you can receive.
Update: We checked the relevance of this article on January 15, 2025.
[toc]
Path of Exile 2: List of All Permanent Buffs
+10 % Chaos Resistance
+8 % Increased Maximum Life
+24 Weapon Set Skill Points
+30 % Increased Amulet Charges
+5 to All Attributes
Select 1 (choice cannot be changed):
25 % Increased Stun Threshold
30 % Increased Elemental Effects Threshold
25 % Increased Mana Regeneration
+20 Maximum Life
+15 % Mana Recovery from Potions
+15 % Reduced Effectiveness of Slow Debuffs
+20 % All Resistances (Lightning Resistance buff is easy to overlook)
+100 Will
Select 1 (choice can be changed, buff is granted twice):
+30 % Increased Amulet Charges
+15 % Mana Recovery from Potions
Here you can see how bosses are spawned in Path of Exile 2:
Start video
Path of Exile 2: The Cinematic Intro of the Greatest Diablo Competitor
Finding Bosses with Buffs, Here’s How
To find the bosses in-game that have buffs, you just need to take a close look at the map in the game. All bosses that grant a buff have a small plus sign next to their skull on the map. If the skull is grayed out, you have already defeated the boss.
Here you can see the bosses of Act that grant a buff.
A map of Act 1 highlighting bosses with buffs.
The maps in Path of Exile 2 are procedurally generated. Therefore, your map of Act 1 will look slightly different. However, the symbols are always the same:
Skull = Boss in the area
Skull with Plus = Boss in the area that grants a permanent buff
Chest = Valuable Chest on the map
Other Symbols = Side Quest
This also applies to the underground map, which you can toggle on the right side of the screen.
Since the bosses appear in Early Access both in normal mode and in cruel mode, they usually grant the specified buff 2 times. For bosses with different buffs, we have listed both buffs.
All Buffs in Act 1 and Act 4
Clearfell – Beira of The Rotten Pack
Buff: +10 % Cold Resistance
How? Defeat the optional boss.
Hunting Grounds – Crowbell
Buff: +2 Weapon Set Passive Points
How? Defeat the optional boss.
Freythorn – The King in the Mists
Buff: +30 Will
How? Defeat the optional boss (rituals must be completed first to summon the boss)
With the first roadmap for 2025, the developers of Aion Classic also announced server mergers. Part of the community reacted with concerns that this would completely erase the Asmodian faction. Now Gameforge responds with a statement addressing these concerns.
What did the developers announce? With the first roadmap for the year 2025, the leaders of Aion Classic presented upcoming events, content update 3.7, and plans for an upcoming server merger.
Specifically, in the first quarter of 2025, the populations of the Atreia and Tahabata servers will be merged into a completely new Aion Classic server. Following the announcement, part of the community expressed concern about the mergers. The Elyos faction is clearly in overwhelming numbers. Some players fear that this imbalance could worsen with the action.
The trailer for Aion Classic:
Start video
Aion Classic – Trailer for the EU Release
Statement from Gameforge
How do the developers respond to the concerns? MeinMMO has received a comprehensive statement from Gameforge officials in which the developers address the faction ratio, current player numbers, and the planned server mergers.
Regarding faction balance in Aion Classic, Gameforge explains:
The balance between the factions is a crucial factor for a fair and engaging gaming experience in Atreia, which is why we continually monitor this issue and take measures to ensure an optimal gaming experience.
We would like to address the recent discussions about faction balance. The population numbers of the factions vary from server to server; however, the extent differs. Some players have observed that Elyos often maintain the upper hand in Apheta Beluslan or in battles in Laphsaran. This can be partly attributed to the larger player base, which tends to perform better. At the same time, there are numerous high-level and experienced Asmodians whose tactical coordination and leadership can significantly influence the outcome of battles – thus, success remains attainable for both factions.
Gameforge in a statement for MeinMMO
A large part of the PvP content of Aion Classic is also designed in such a way that the faction ratio itself is not a factor. Additionally, in collaboration with NCSoft, measures are planned to further support the balance between the two factions in the future. The statement says:
It is also important to note that the planned server merge will only partially change the PvP dynamics. The majority of PvP activities take place on the shared “Battlefield” server, on which all factions can compete against each other freely. This ensures that players, regardless of server and faction, have access to exciting and competitive PvP experiences.
To further support faction balance, we have already initiated several adjustments and events in 2024 that aim to allow all players more participation. Even after the server merger, we will introduce further initiatives based on the player numbers available at that time. It is also worth mentioning that the merger with the Tahabata server was a long-desired step by the community to equalize different population numbers and enhance PvE and PvP opportunities.
Gameforge in a statement for MeinMMO
According to Gameforge’s statement, the number of simultaneously active players in the last quarter has steadily increased – which can be attributed to the regular updates and events the team provides for Aion Classic. We thank the officials for their explanations and hope that the merge will achieve all set goals!
While the MMORPG classics Aion and Aion Classic continue to be expanded with new content, the MeinMMO editorial team is particularly waiting for the release of the sequel, which is expected to be launched in the second half of 2025. Aion 2 focuses on PvE and a business model like Throne and Liberty.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Path of Exile 2 is currently considered the most difficult new ARPG. A new contender on Steam aims to be even more challenging.
What kind of game is this? Path of Exile 2 is not only popular at the moment, but it is also among the more challenging ARPGs on the market. Some even compare the game to Dark Souls. However, the new Project Pantheon is supposed to be even tougher.
The new title from the developers of Wolcen Studio is fully focused on hardcore aspects. If you make a mistake, you will quickly regret it in the ARPG.
Here you can watch the new teaser trailer for the game:
Start video
Project Pantheon shows in the trailer why it reminds everyone of Path of Exile 2 and EFT
Escape with or without loot
What defines the game? In the game, which calls itself an “extrAction RPG,” you will experience the typical dungeon crawler experience – but with the twist that you need to make it to the exit with your gear and loot.
If you don’t do that, you will lose all your stuff. Even the one you brought with you. The influence of Escape From Tarkov and Dark and Darker is hard to deny. However, what’s interesting is the gameplay, which is likely reminiscent of Path of Exile 2 or Diablo 4.
If you succeed in getting your loot and equipment to the exit, you can trade the gained items with other adventurers. The economy of the ARPG is supposed to be entirely in the hands of the players.
Even though there is no complete trailer yet, you can already see some of the official screenshots here:
Some screenshots from the game provided by the developers.
When does Project Pantheon start? The title is currently still in development. However, you will soon be able to try it out in the first free test. This will take place from Saturday, January 25, 2025, to Sunday, January 26, 2025.
Registration for the test is done through playgdr.com. Even though the test is scheduled to take place on Steam, the official Steam page for the game has not yet been released. On the developers’ website, you will need to answer a few questions and provide your email address to register for the test.
A combination of Escape from Tarkov and Path of Exile 2 sounds like one of the most difficult games currently available. After all, Path of Exile 2 thrives on intricate builds that are refined over many gameplay hours. The thought of losing everything in one go is something that many players likely don’t want to imagine. If you are still looking for a build for PoE2, take a look here: Path of Exile 2: This Witch Build with Minions will get you through Acts 1-3 and into the endgame
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Whether in movies or books –Sirius Black from Harry Potter has a hard time. First, he spends a long time in prison, then he has to lead a life that amounts to another form of imprisonment. According to some fans, the blame lies with J.K. Rowling’s careless handling of her characters.
Warning Spoiler: We reveal details about Sirius Black and his story in the article.
Who is Sirius? Sirius Black is a popular character among fans of Harry Potter and was introduced in part 3, “The Prisoner of Azkaban”. There he initially appears as the titular prisoner and is considered highly dangerous.
However, as it turns out, he was the victim of a scheme by his old friend Peter Pettigrew and unjustly spent 12 years in Azkaban prison. After he and Harry have grown closer, Sirius reveals that he is his godfather.
According to fans, author J.K. Rowling has been anything but gentle with the character and has made “mistakes” in her treatment of him. Because his suffering did not end even after Azkaban.
Start video
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Trailer for the 3rd Part of the Fantasy Series
A life in apparent freedom
How did Sirius fare? After escaping from Azkaban, things hardly got better for him. As a fugitive criminal, he could of course not move freely in the world. Therefore, he usually hid at 12 Grimmauld Place, in his family’s house. The Fidelius Charm makes the building hidden and virtually invisible.
Here, Sirius spent his time and left the premises to the Order of the Phoenix as a meeting place. However, it was by no means a life in freedom. The narrow, dark house with the family portraits stirred up unwanted memories of the past. In the end, the hideout became just another prison, and the character’s mental state deteriorated.
Sirius could have had it much better. On reddit, fans of the Harry Potter series express their irritation about why J.K. Rowling didn’t reach into the magic trick box to ease Sirius’s miserable life.
User OptimalCheesecake163 suggests using a Polyjuice Potion, which allows one to assume the form of another person. This way, Sirius could have transformed and gone outside unnoticed – normally this would have only been possible for him in the form of his Animagus. However, that would have startled random witnesses, as Sirius appears transformed as an intimidating dog.
Another suggestion is to use an invisibility cloak to become invisible. It seems Rowling had several options, but deliberately chose against them. Sirius was not meant to lead a normal life – this is incomprehensible to some fans.
What do fans think? On reddit, some users try to explain Rowling’s decision:
“In 50% of the cases, the answer lies either in the plot or in inconsistencies caused by J.K. Rowling losing interest, or in another reason not really related to the story,” finds Robinsonirish.
“I think Rowling just wanted to make his situation miserable for the plot, justify his recklessness towards the Ministry, and make his death through a wasted life seem even more tragic,” writes Silmarillien.
“It’s because J.K. Rowling is a terrible author when it comes to plotlines and often writes herself into a corner. She either doesn’t think about the consequences or doesn’t care, and that’s why there are many gaps like this,” suspects mastergriggy.
In any case, it is a part of the Harry Potter story that raises questions even years after the books and films were released. What do you think about it? Feel free to let us know in the comments. In the films, Sirius is played by Gary Oldman, who owes a lot to the character: “I thank God for Harry Potter” – actor explains how 2 major film franchises saved his life
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
New World is gearing up for a big comeback with a new direction and console version. But which server should you currently play on if you primarily want German players? We’ll tell you.
Are there servers just for German players? With the launch of New World Aeternum and the release on consoles, the cards are being reshuffled. For a long time, Aaru was the unofficial German server. The introduction of numerous new realms at the Aeternum launch has further fragmented the community. You can find the list of European worlds for New World Aeternum below.
Some tips for starting in New World Aeternum:
Start video
5 Tips if you want to start with New World in 2023
Which server is the best? This is hard to say. Keep in mind the following when choosing a server:
Any new world launched with the console will be a “standard world”.
The current “standard worlds” and “new starting worlds” will become “old worlds” once New World: Aeternum is released.
In order for players on the new worlds to have the chance to build their own community there, characters from the old worlds cannot be transferred to the new standard worlds.
However, it is possible to transfer characters from new standard worlds to an old world. Note: Once transferred, characters on old worlds cannot return to standard worlds.
Characters from standard worlds can also be transferred to other standard worlds as long as the target world is not full or blocked for other reasons. As for creating new characters, this is possible in all old and new worlds that are not marked as “full” or “no in transfer”.
New World Server List for Europe
Server
Language
Activity
Load
Aaru (old server – Crossplay)
DE/EN
Online
Medium
Nysa (old server – Crossplay)
FR/EN
Online
Medium
Aries (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Medium
Draco (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Medium
Apus (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Low
Sagitta (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Low
Phoenix (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Low
Andrometus (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Low
Asterion (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Low
Siren (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Low
Taurus (new – Crossplay)
mixed
Online
Low
Mardi (new – PlayStation 5)
mixed
Online
Unknown
Iroko (new – Xbox Series)
mixed
Online
Unknown
Where are the European servers located? The physical servers are located in Frankfurt am Main. So you can expect relatively low latency in Germany.
Dungeons and 3v3 arenas can be approached cross-server using the dungeon finder. The Outpost Rush also takes place with players from different servers. Which server are you currently on? And what can you tell about your server? Feel free to write it in the comments. More info on New World: Everything important for the start on console
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The release of Palworld is one of the biggest game releases in the world, something no one expected beforehand. However, the launch nearly turned into a disaster.
How did the launch of Palworld go? Even though some trailers had already gained a lot of popularity before the game’s release, no one knew how many players would actually play the much-touted “Pokémon with guns” in the end.
Ultimately, at peak times shortly after the release, there were more than 2.1 million gamers playing simultaneously (via SteamDB). A number that even surprised the developers themselves, as shown in an interview of Community Manager John “Bucky” Buckley with Polygon.com.
Here you can see the trailer for the last major update of Palworld:
Start video
Palworld: Feybreak – Trailer presents free update with loads of new content
One staff member for 2.1 million players
How could the massive influx of players be managed? As the player numbers continued to rise after the release, the developers had to return to the office after their work hours and on weekends. All of the developers’ online services gradually collapsed under the heavy player load.
Other developers, like those of Path of Exile 2, also had to expand their support teams due to the influx.
While a large part of the players were likely playing on self-hosted servers or offline, Palworld had already offered official servers at that time. These were completely overwhelmed by the many players. There were also other online services that Palworld needed to function.
However, for the servers, the developers only had a single employee who tried to keep the infrastructure running for more than two million players.
“He did his best,” said Community Manager Buckley about the employee. About the rest of the team, he remarked: “We definitely panicked more than we should have. We shouldn’t have had to pull as many night shifts as we did. And I wish I had consulted other people earlier.”
How did the developers ultimately succeed? The release of Palworld was nearly a disaster due to the few personnel and technical capacities. However, the rescue came in the form of Epic Games.
The company stepped in to assist the Palworld developers and saved them from disaster. Buckley states: “All our multiplayer features started acting weird, crashing, and failing. There was a lot of intense lag, but Epic was great. They quickly provided us with more resources and helped us.”
Alone, the single employee probably couldn’t have defended the servers against the hordes of gamers. Meanwhile, the company should now be able to estimate how many players want to play their game. By the way, the new update of Palworld caused another surge: Palworld suddenly has 10 times more players on Steam after its new update
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
At gamescom 2024, the developers of Dune: Awakening stated that the survival MMO is set to be released on PC in early 2025. Now it is 2025 and players are asking: What’s next?
What is the current status of Dune: Awakening? Since late 2023, the survival MMO from Funcom (The Secret World, Age of Conan, Conan Exiles) has been in a closed testing phase. In mid-2024, the testing mode transitioned to a persistent beta with permanently available servers.
Meanwhile, the developers regularly release updates for interested players. Additionally, there have been several interviews – at gamescom 2024, MeinMMO also had the opportunity to question the developers. Furthermore, the team revealed during the event that the game is set to be released on PC in early 2025.
You can watch the gameplay trailer for Dune: Awakening here:
Start video
Dune Trailer Shows Gameplay – From Survivor to Spice Hunter
The Sandworm is on Course
Will the familiar release plan remain? Now that it’s early 2025, players like the X user Cowfoot want to know what the status is. Is a delay looming? The developers’ clear answer: “The game is still on track to meet the announced release window.” – via X.
It shouldn’t be long before the developers reveal the final release date. Once this is known, we will, of course, keep you updated on MeinMMO.
What do I need to know about Dune: Awakening? Dune: Awakening is the new survival MMO from Funcom. The focus is heavily on sandbox gameplay, which aims to provide a free gaming experience. Additionally, a significant part of the game will have a PvP focus. PvE will primarily occur in the form of survival mechanics.
The MMO takes place on the planet Arrakis, the main setting for both Dune films by Denis Villeneuve as well as the popular book series. The desert planet is utterly inhospitable. However, there is the drug Spice, which is essential for the survival of humans in the Dune universe.
Your first task is to gather water, shelter, and equipment. The next step is to simplify your survival. You will acquire resources and blueprints to craft bases, armor, weapons, or transports.
To obtain more valuable loot, you will need to venture deeper into the desert. There, sandworms, deadly storms, and many more dangers await you. You can find all further details on our overview page about the game: Dune: Awakening – Everything about the release, beta, and platforms
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Great Brother War, or the “Horus Heresy”, is one of the great turning points in the history of Warhammer 40,000. While the eponymous Horus is the cause of the tragedy, another man played a significant role – although he never intended to. At least, that’s what a fan believes, sparking a major discussion.
Who is the man?
Leman Russ is the Primarch of the Space Wolves, one of the Legions of the Space Marines from the First Founding. He is thus a direct “son” of the Emperor.
The Primarch is known for his lust for battle, which he likely developed partly because he was raised among wolves. His entire culture is heavily influenced by the Vikings. A tank of the Imperium was even named after him.
At the moment, Russ is said to be in the Eye of Terror looking for a cure for the Emperor.
In the role-playing game Rogue Trader, you will meet a Space Wolf:
Start video
Warhammer 40.000: Rogue Trader – Der Trailer zu den Companions im Rollenspiel
Leman Russ – A Too Hot-Tempered Leader
What did Russ do? A user on Reddit suspects that Russ is largely responsible for the outbreak of the Brother War. During the Brother War, the Primarch Horus betrayed the Emperor, and several Legions of the Space Marines fell to Chaos.
As a result, the entire Imperium was nearly wiped out, and the Emperor almost died. You can read more about it in the history of the Imperium of Man. Russ was already involved at several points beforehand.
The Primarch was supposed to bring his brother, Magnus the Red, back to Terra. Instead, he attacked and didn’t even give his brother a chance to explain. The homeworld of the Thousand Sons, Magnus’s Legion, was destroyed. Magnus later became a traitor himself – presumably due to Russ’s attack.
During the later attack on Terra, Russ was supposed to help defend the world. Instead of obeying orders, he preferred to launch an attack against Horus himself. In direct combat, Russ is wounded, and his Space Wolves save him, but the entire Legion is later overwhelmed by a more powerful enemy, Abaddon. The Space Marines are missing in the battle against Chaos.
“If Russ hadn’t been made a fool of, it would have been someone else”
The Reddit user questions whether Russ could have prevented the entire heresy with a bit more sense. Indeed, many users agree: If Russ had acted more wisely, much could have been prevented. At the same time, it’s noted that it’s only partly his fault. The Space Wolves would have been able to accomplish little on Terra anyway.
Russ was deceived during the attack on Magnus. A message was supposed to lead to negotiations, but a disguised Chaos cultist as a messenger never delivered this message. A Reddit user explains: Magnus had been deceived by Tzeentch, the God of Deception, his entire life.
Magnus only wanted the best and failed because of his positive traits, not because of his negative ones. Russ was merely the tool to set Magnus’s fall in motion: “Russ had more than enough evidence that something was very, very strange. But if Russ hadn’t been made a fool of, it would have been someone else.”
If Magnus’s warnings and the messages had reached their intended recipients, even Russ might have been convinced. But in the end, the plan of the Chaos God Tzeentch succeeded, as is often the case. His ranking among the strongest Chaos gods is therefore not surprising: All Chaos gods in Warhammer 40,000 ranked – Who is the most powerful?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Flops have always existed in film history. Especially the science fiction genre is often affected because it’s quite expensive to produce such movies. This also applies to the animation sector. A sci-fi film from 1999 is considered a classic of the genre today, but back then it was a major flop.
Which film is it about? In 1999, The Iron Giant was released. The animated film was produced by Warner Bros. and tells the story of 9-year-old Hogarth, who finds a giant robot that must have come from outer space. However, it is peaceful, and they become friends.
The US agent Kent Mansley, however, has very different goals. He is convinced that the robot poses a great danger, which is why he wants to destroy it at all costs, even if it means endangering people.
Today, The Iron Giant is considered by many fans as an underrated animated classic, which deals with the topic of (weapon) violence in a child-appropriate manner. At the time of its release, however, the film was quite a significant flop. With an estimated budget of 70 million US dollars, the film only grossed about 23 million US dollars worldwide (via IMDb).
A major part of the blame for the flop falls, according to the director, on the studio Warner Bros.
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The Giant from Space – Trailer for the Emotional Story of a Boy and a Huge Robot
Insufficient Marketing
Why did The Iron Giant flop? While you can never definitively say why a film flopped, you can look at the evidence. The film’s director, Brad Bird, commented on the issue in an interview with joblo.com and sees the lack of marketing as the culprit.
Although the film was produced by Warner Bros., according to Bird, they lost interest in animated films after The Magical Sword flopped in 1998. He said: They just thought that animation wouldn’t really work for them.
According to Bird, there was also a long period without a proper release date. They waited until a date was available. The test screenings reportedly received good ratings, but Warner Bros. was unprepared. They lacked marketing.
They were not ready for the film, meaning they hadn’t done all the groundwork that you have to do, with fast-food restaurants, cereals, teasers, posters. We only had a poster and that was a teaser poster. We never had a proper poster, because they didn’t do more than the teaser poster.
Brad Bird on The Iron Giant and the lack of marketing (via joblo.com)
How is The Iron Giant received by critics and fans? Looking at the current ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that the film has left a strong impression to this day. With 144 critics, the film has a critic score of 96 %. And with over 100,000 user reviews, the film has a score of 90 %. Users particularly praise the themes and the emotional story:
Peter F: One of my all-time favorite movies that captures the imagination of a young child and the desire for adventure.
TROY S: This movie has a great balance, just enough character development, enough action scenes, and enough tension to keep the viewer engaged during its hour and a half runtime.
Hao Ian L: The concept isn’t really new, but it’s the simple yet profound themes of friendship and humanity that resonate with viewers of all ages.
What did Brad Bird do after The Iron Giant? After The Iron Giant, Bird continued making animated films, but this time for Pixar. With Ratatouille and the two Incredibles films, he created more movies that have stayed in the minds of fans of the genre to this day. In 2011, he even directed Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
The players of the new superhero shooter Marvel Rivals are convinced that something is wrong with their matches – yet the game has so many players.
How many players does Marvel Rivals have? Marvel Rivals is currently very popular. Already in December, about 2 weeks after release, the superhero shooter announced on X that the game had 20 million players.
Especially on Steam, where we can see the current player numbers through databases like SteamDB, the game is very successful. With the start of Season 1 on January 10, the player numbers increased again, reaching up to 644,000 concurrent active users.
Marvel Rivals is also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S and in the Epic Games Store.
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Marvel Rivals kicks off the first season with a new trailer
Not all “players” are human
What is this theory about? Part of the Marvel Rivals community believes that they are not only playing against real people in the hero shooter. Some players are convinced that in the unranked quick play mode, matches against bots occur.
According to a Reddit post, a player claimed that after 2 consecutive losses, there is a chance to play against 6 bots in the next match while their own team consists of up to 4 players.
The Reddit user spent a week testing and arrived at the following findings:
Bots only exist in quick play, not in competitive
After 2 consecutive losses, the chance of entering a bot lobby is very high
A bot lobby consists of 4 human teammates, 2 bot teammates, and 6 bot opponents
There are penalties for leaving bot lobbies
All bots have account level 1
All bot profiles have “restricted access” (as opposed to “limited access” for human profiles)
The post received a lot of support on Reddit, garnering over 3,200 upvotes and 2,500 comments.
What does the community say about this? Most players comment that it’s very easy to tell when you are playing against bots. Some are bothered by the fact that there is still no in-game notification indicating that it is now a bot match.
The fundamental criticism, however, is: The gameplay of Marvel Rivals is designed to play against other players. You do not want to play against bots.
However, one player has found a clever way to exploit the bot lobbies without completely wasting their time: He completes hero achievements that cannot be finished in regular AI matches and must be completed in “quick play” or “competitive.” These include achievements that require hitting 4 opponents with a specific ability, for example.
If you are still undecided about which heroes to play in Marvel Rivals, you can take a look at our tier list. We have examined the heroes, their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the current meta of Marvel Rivals and subsequently assigned each hero to a tier: Marvel Rivals: Tier List for Season 1 – All Heroes Ranked
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
