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Dynamax-Regirock in Pokémon GO: The best counters against the boss

All lure modules in Pokémon GO explained – With spawns and evolutions

von Patrick Freese

Team 3: Rexblisar, Baldorfish, Tortunator

What moves should the Pokémon have? If you choose this team, the following moves are a good choice for your Pokémon:

Rexblisar: Powder Snow (Ice), Ice Storm (Ice) and Energy Ball (Grass)
Baldorfish: Poison Sting (Poison), Hydro Pump (Water) and Ice Beam (Ice)
Tortunator: Overheat (Fire), Dragon Pulse (Dragon) and Heat Wave (Fire)

You will not need any Charged TMs for this team either. With the use of regular Fast TMs and Charged TMs, you can obtain all the attacks.

How is the team played? Start with Rexblisar in this setup. The Pokémon not only deals good damage with its Fast Attack Powder Snow but also carries strong Charged Attacks.

When your opponent brings a Fire-type Pokémon into the fight, then switch in Baldorfish. With Hydro Pump, the Pokémon has a solid Charged Attack of the Water type that charges very quickly. As backup, you have Tortunator afterward.

What weaknesses does the team have? Rexblisar has a single weakness against attacks of the types Fighting, Flying, Poison, Rock, Bug, and Steel, most of which shouldn’t be played much in the Color Cup. Against Fire attacks, the monster has a double weakness.

While Baldorfish has single weaknesses against Electric, Ground, and Psychic, Tortunator can only be effectively hit by attacks of the types Ground, Rock, and Dragon.

Team 4: Akkup, Flunschlik, Hutsassa

What moves should the Pokémon have? For this setup, you should choose the following attacks for your Pokémon:

Akkup: Volt Switch (Electric), Bug Buzz (Bug) and Charge Beam (Electric)
Flunschlik: Thunder Shock (Electric), Mud Bomb (Ground) and Charge Beam (Electric)
Hutsassa: Astonish (Ghost), Leaf Tornado (Grass) and Sludge Bomb (Poison)

For Akkup to learn Volt Switch, you will need to use a Charged Fast TM.

How is the team played? Akkup is a good starter with a strong defense. If your opponent switches in a Pokémon with Fire attacks, you can switch to Flunschlik. Hutsassa, on the other hand, can hit some opposing Pokémon hard with its attack combination.

What weaknesses does the team have? Akkup has a single weakness to Fire and Rock. While Flunschlik is weak against attacks of the types Grass, Water, Ground, and Ice, your Hutsassa should not take attacks from the types Fire, Flying, Ice, or Psychic.

Which team should I use? Which of these teams you want to use depends entirely on you. Depending on which Pokémon you own and whether you can and want to use Charged TMs, you can choose one of the teams or try several.

However, keep in mind that the Color Cup only runs for a limited time. You should also note that a good team alone is not a guarantee for a victory in the battle league, and there is no perfect team in Pokémon GO.

If you haven’t spent much time in the battle league yet, you should consider it. After all, you can earn some rewards here that can help you progress in other aspects of the game: That’s why you should play in the battle league, even if you don’t like it.

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One of the most popular heroes in the new Marvel game is weaker than players thought – Only one hero loses more often

Dariusz Müller 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

On December 6, 2024, a new hero shooter called Marvel Rivals launched, which incorporates the gameplay mechanics of Overwatch and wraps them in a Marvel superhero costume. Shortly after its release, many discussions revolved around a hero that many players felt was either very strong or at least quite annoying, but as it turns out, he is one of the weakest in the game.

Who is it about? Jeff The Land Shark is a small, friendly-looking “land shark” – a shark with legs that can walk on land – who is known as Hawkeye’s pet. In Marvel Rivals, Jeff is one of the strategists, or support heroes.

Jeff is primarily a healer and has various ways to regenerate the health points of his teammates. However, it was mainly Jeff’s ultimate that sparked conversations shortly after the release.

When Jeff uses his ultimate, he can swallow enemies and allies within a certain radius before spitting them out after a few seconds. Some players used this to walk to the edge of the map with the swallowed opponents and spit them out of the map. Subsequently, they fell helplessly to their deaths.

Start video

Marvel Rivals: The launch trailer for the shooter featuring Marvel superheroes on PS5 and Steam

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Some players found Jeff too strong because of his ultimate (via Reddit) and hoped for a nerf, after all, the little shark is a healer.

The little shark is one of the weakest heroes in the game

How strong is Jeff? Just in time for the start of Season 1, the developers released some statistics on the heroes. These statistics show: Jeff is very popular, but not particularly successful.

In quick play, Jeff is the most popular hero on both PC and console and is played in 21% of matches – almost 2% more than Venom. In competitive mode, Jeff is slightly less popular, ranking “only” 7th on PC, and still 6th on console.

However, Jeff is not that successful and has the second worst win rate across both modes. This means that only one hero loses even more often or wins fewer matches than the pet shark.

More on the topic

Marvel Rivals receives its first major update, bringing more new heroes in Season 1 than Overwatch in a year

Amazon silently removes the last hint of the MMORPG for Lord of the Rings

Who is worse than Jeff? Only one heroine manages to win even less often than Jeff: Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow.

The duelist has a melee attack and is armed with a sniper rifle – yet while she is considered a deadly fighter in the films and comic books, her appearances in Marvel Rivals are rather less successful.

Even former Blizzard head Mike Ybarra has not had a successful past with Black Widow. He embarrassed himself with a post in which he stated that Black Widow, her abilities, and her name were copied from Overwatch’s heroine Widowmaker – while the character Black Widow is much older. You can read the whole story here: Former Blizzard head calls Marvel Rivals an “Overwatch clone”, embarrassing himself in the process

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The largest MMORPG of 2024 aimed to bring the focus back to the massive, but it’s backfiring now

Karsten Scholz 9. January 2025 Reading time 3 minutes

Despite regular updates and sensible improvements, the player numbers of Throne and Liberty are decreasing. The strong focus on guild content and massive battles is increasingly proving to be a disadvantage.

What is the current status of Throne and Liberty? The Christmas break at Amazon Games has not lasted too long. The last update from 2024 (1.11.2) was released on December 19, and today – on January 9 – the first patch (1.12.0) for the year 2025 is already on the starting line. The servers are expected to be offline for about 10 hours due to database maintenance, until around 5:30 PM.

On playthroneandliberty.com you can find the official German patch notes for update 1.12.0 for Throne and Liberty

Thanks to the “Tico Talks” issue from December, we also know the rough goals of the developers for the start of 2025. They want to noticeably optimize “combat, movement, and targeting systems” and ensure that the activities of the MMORPG do not feel too much like work and a “bothersome chore”.

However, both the current and previous updates have not managed to stop the constant decline in player numbers. At the beginning of December, there was the last time a six-figure number of players simultaneously playing Throne and Liberty via Steam.

According to steamdb.info, the current daily peak is around 48,200 simultaneous active players. From the all-time high at launch (336,300 simultaneous active players), we are now far away.

The player numbers of Throne and Liberty are decreasing:

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Throne and Liberty loses more than 70 percent of players on Steam in 2 months

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Community demands action

How do the declining player numbers affect the game? It generally has a negative impact on MMORPGs when so many players drop out that wait times for group content increase, the game world feels empty, and there is hardly anything happening in the guild.

Throne and Liberty is particularly affected by this due to the enormous focus on the “Massively” in the genre designation MMORPG. Although there are now some contents for solo players and small groups, it is the guild challenges and large battles, involving over 1,000 characters, that make the MMORPG special.

In fact, on many servers, the few remaining top guilds have now united into alliances and are farming world bosses uncontested and winning castle sieges.

More about Throne and Liberty:

Amazon’s MMORPG has only 1 percent of its players left, responds to the case with … a new subscription

Couple wants to play Diablo 4 again after 6 months, accidentally lands in endgame with a button

How is the community responding? Just in the past month, dozens of Reddit threads have gone online due to the slowly dying server communities, where still active players of Throne and Liberty are demanding the merging of worlds.

Maleficent-Pop9697 writes in his post on Reddit: “The server Leonardas is completely dead, no one participated in the siege against the top guild, […] the server is dead, WE NEED A MERGE.”
On the ciwg server, it looks similar (via Reddit): “Server is dead, there are no fights for blessing stones/split stones, just 1 big zerg. That’s not fun at all.”
Ok-Concentrate-1084 writes on Reddit: “The top guilds are uniting across servers and destroying the game. It is unplayable on my server.”
InertBrain sees the situation critically (via Reddit): “If there are no merges soon, the game will actually die in my opinion. An MMO cannot function without a sufficient player density, especially not an MMO in which a single alliance can have 280 members.”

How does it look currently on your server? Are there still enough players online and guilds active to ensure a functioning coexistence and competition? Or do you also assess the situation of your world as critical? Let us know in the comments! More information on the current status of the MMORPG: Throne and Liberty is struggling with the same problem as Lost Ark – that should change, even if players are wondering

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„A reason to play again“ – Last Epoch receives a huge update on Steam, but it actually changes nothing

Benedict Grothaus 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

Many fans have celebrated Last Epoch as a potential competitor to Diablo 4. However, after an initial hype, the buzz around the game faded quite quickly. Now the developers are back with a huge update. Only: there is nothing in it for players.

What’s going on with Last Epoch?

In March 2024, Last Epoch launched from Early Access directly with over 250,000 players on Steam (via steamcharts). Until then, it was considered a hidden gem in the action RPG genre.
Fans of the genre see Last Epoch as an ideal middle ground between Path of Exile and Diablo: in-depth mechanics without overwhelming players with confusing details.
Recently, an update in July 2024 brought back 70,000 players. Since then, the numbers are falling again. Now there is a new update.

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With patch 1.1, Last Epoch brings new bosses, factions, and more

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This is included in the update: Players on Steam had to install an update of a whopping 8 gigabytes on January 8, 2025. That is almost a third of the total size of the game. However, patch notes were nowhere to be found.

The developers provided information about the update only on Discord. On Reddit, some fans complained and shared what actually changed:

The update brings the upgrade of the Unity 2021 engine.
Players should not be affected, the changes allow developers to use new tools.
Accordingly, there are no wipes, no graphic updates, and no new content.

A developer finally explains that they didn’t want to alarm the entire community immediately with the message: “Hey, everyone, nothing is changing!” Therefore, the patch notes are only on Discord.

However, one should have expected that the size would attract attention. Something like that seems like a big deal. The dev emphasizes: “Yes, this is the engine update. But we do not expect players to notice any changes.”

More on the topic

von Benedict Grothaus

“The Endgame is practically unplayable”: Path of Exile 2 pro finds that the developers have broken their promise

What if a Diablo season only lasts 20 minutes? You can test it for free in a new action RPG on Steam

von Caroline Fuller

Last Epoch has big plans for 2025

For some fans, the update is nevertheless a reason to check out Last Epoch again, even if nothing has changed. However, it might be more worthwhile later in the year, as Last Epoch plans major content for 2025. With the engine update, the foundations seem to have been laid to properly implement the new content.

Recently, Last Epoch brought a feature from Diablo 4 into the game with an update at the end of 2024: treasure goblins that are supposed to provide satisfying loot explosions.

How well the ARPG can hold its ground at the moment remains to be seen. Season 7 of Diablo 4 is starting soon and Path of Exile 2 is finally playable, even if still in pure Early Access. However, that doesn’t stop fans from sinking hundreds of hours into the game: Players are annoyed by Path of Exile 2, but just can’t stop playing – This is how the ARPG is doing after a month

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Pokémon TCG Pocket: Fans analyze over 15,000 tournament decks – These are the best

Max Handwerk 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

Which deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket is the best? Recent tournament data indicates a favorite.

What are these data? The portal “play.limitlesstcg.com” allows tournaments of various TCGs to take place. Pokémon TCG Pocket is also among them.

Data from the decks participating in these tournaments were collected. This has now been evaluated and published on reddit through the account “Practical_TAS”.

In total, data from 46 tournaments between December 24, 2024, and January 7 were included in the evaluation. Only tournaments with more than 100 participants were taken into account. In total, over 15,000 decks from more than 5,000 players were considered to determine a deck score.

Start video

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Promo A 008 – What is behind the missing card?

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Which decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket were the strongest?

Only data from players with a positive win rate were included in this deck score. The result aims to show which decks performed the strongest in these tournaments in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Cards from the Mystery Island expansion have also been considered.

You can see the post by Practical_TAS with the analysis of the numbers and the corresponding results here:

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What is the best deck? The highest score was achieved by the Mewtwo-ex deck, an old favorite that continues to play a leading role. The following cards are mentioned:

2 Mewtwo ex
2 Trasla
2 Kirlia
2 Gardevoir
1 Mew ex
2 Professor’s Research
2 Pokéball
2 Mythical Table
2 Leaf
1 Sabrina
1 Giovanni
1 Blue

It can be seen: Even in the early days of TCG Pocket, the Mewtwo-ex deck was feared, but it has now been supplemented with cards from the new expansion. Mew ex, the Mythical Table, Leaf, and Blue are perfect additions to the deck, which primarily revolves around supplying Mewtwo with plenty of energy and then dealing massive damage. Meanwhile, Mew ex serves as a powerful counter against some of the strongest cards in the game.

More strong decks: In second place is the Gyarados-ex deck, which has been possible since the new expansion. The Gyarados card can withstand a lot, deals considerable damage, and can disrupt the energy structure on the field quite a bit. With Misty, it can be quickly supplied with lots of energy if you are lucky. The cards:

2 Magikarp
2 Gyarados
2 Froxy
2 Ampharos
2 Greninja
2 Shardrago
2 Professor’s Research
2 Pokéball
2 Leaf
2 Misty

Following are:

The classic Pikachu-ex deck
The new Celebi-ex deck, which can deal extreme damage
The Aerodactyl-ex deck

Which deck in Pokémon TCG Pocket are you currently playing? Are you still relying on your favorites from the first booster packs, or have you turned to cards from the new expansion like Celebi or Aerodactyl? Let us know in the comments! And generally, you can find the list of the best meta decks in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

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In Pokémon GO, you will soon be able to catch a powerful Pokémon that has only been obtained by a few players due to a glitch.

Max Handwerk 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

In Pokémon GO the GO Tour: Unova is approaching. The event now has another exciting Pokémon added: The black and white Kyurem are finally making their official appearance.

When is the event? The global Pokémon GO Tour 2025 takes place on March 1st and 2nd. On both days, the event starts at 10:00 AM and ends at 6:00 PM.

The official debut of the black and white versions of Kyurem is now added to the known content. This has not existed in Pokémon GO before – well, at least not nearly.

Kyurem Black and White in 2023: While the regular Kyurem has been available in Pokémon GO for a long time, trainers are still waiting for the official release of the more powerful black and white forms of the legendary Pokémon. Kyurem achieves this when fused with Reshiram or Zekrom.

But in 2023, the two actually appeared briefly in the game: The legendary Pokémon was accidentally released at that time by being given as a reward in the battle league to a few trainers. Shortly thereafter, the Pokémon was completely removed from the game.

Since then, the two have been sought in vain again. But for the GO Tour, the monster finally appears officially. We will show you what makes the special Kyurem versions unique.

Start video

Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer

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All information about the debut of black and white Kyurem in Pokémon GO

When does the new Kyurem appear? The two new variants will appear at the local GO Tour events as well as at the global event. The latter is likely to be the relevant date for most players.

How do the black and white Kyurem appear? They debut in 5-star raids. However, after defeating them, you will receive the regular Kyurem. You can then fuse this with Reshiram or Zekrom.

How does the fusion work? The fusion requires 1,000 fusion energy (Volt for Black, Flame for White), 30 Kyurem candies, and 30 candies of the fused Pokémon – either Reshiram or Zekrom.

You receive the fusion energy by defeating the black or white Kyurem in raids. Overall, the whole process works similarly to the Necrozma fusion.

Special moves for Kyurem: Your fused Kyurem learns a special move – but only if the Kyurem you use already knows “Ice Time. This is something you need to keep in mind.

The black Kyurem learns “Frostvolt”
The white Kyurem learns “Frost Breath”

Detailed information about the moves, such as values or possible adventure effects, is not yet known. Whether they will receive such a special effect remains to be seen. Overall, the event has added an exciting Pokémon with Kyurem. However, it will take some time until that happens. Before that, there are still many other events coming up – all dates for January 2025 of Pokémon GO can be found here.

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44-year-old was once the most famous player of WoW, now speaks incoherently about Gen Z and how they destroy the MMORPG

Schuhmann 9. January 2025 Reading time 3 minutes

The Belgian Bachir Bourmaaza (44) was a pioneer on the internet and known as “Athene”, a famous gamer, especially in World of Warcraft. He was the first player at levels 80 and 85. Today he is 44 years old and comments on the current state of WoW and the “Gen Z”: This is what the currently biggest streamer on Twitch likes to watch.

Who is Athene? Athene began his career on YouTube back in 2007. Many of today’s creators were still “liquid in their fathers’ balls”, as he charmingly puts it. In any case, he is among the most famous players of WoW of all time.

The YouTuber played a fictional, exaggerated version of himself, similar to Tyler1 or DrDisrespect. He became known as “the best paladin in the world who crushes noobs”.

However, he was actually a good player and the first to reach level 85 in WoW in 2010, of course with a paladin. His channel received a lot of attention at that time. But in recent years, Athene has played hardly any role in gaming and has had some controversies behind him. We stopped following him on MeinMMO around 2019, as he founded a religion.

WoW is currently trending on Twitch, but not in the modern version, rather in the WoW Classic variant. Some big streamers are playing WoW in hardcore mode, in the guild OnlyFangs. Every death here is permanent:

Start video

Blizzard bans the man who ruined WoW Hardcore

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Athene sees himself as the Michael Jackson of WoW

This is now his appearance: in a wild video, the now gray-haired Athene comments on the guild “OnlyFangs” on the WoW hardcore server. The currently most successful streamer on Twitch, Sodapoppin, is watching the video. Sodapoppin is the long-time guild leader of OnlyFangs, but recently lost his main character foolishly.

Athene presents himself first as the greatest guy ever, who fears that his pure presence questions Sodapoppin’s authority as guild leader of OnlyFangs, due to a charisma that intimidates all other players:

I am a king, I am a leader. I determine the direction. I am a trendsetter. I am not just the greatest of all time, I am a lifestyle: You are a pro or a noob. That’s life!

While Sodapoppin is famous, so to speak the Soldier Boy of WoW, he is like Michael Jackson.

Gen Z only plays in easy mode – they should call it Pussycore

What does he say about Gen Z? Athene extensively mocks the “soft Gen Z”, all of whom are zoomers who only played “roleplay”. That was no hardcore at WoW. If it were “hardcore”, they would all be playing with activated PvP:

These are all zoomers, Skibidi Toilet and all that nonsense. People, please install Fortnite for God’s sake and not WoW Hardcore. They are so bad at the game. 18-year-olds – they were still swimming in their fathers’ balls when I was already smashing noobs in the game!

On the server, there are only beginners doing roleplay. He wants to do PvP:

I don’t understand it. Why no PvP-hardcore server? Why is everyone playing only in easy mode here? And then they call it hardcore: They should rename the server to Pussycore. In my time, RP was looked down upon. It was only for perverts and losers who couldn’t get a woman.

From his perspective, it is clear: When he left the scene, WoW started to decline. And that is no coincidence.

The video then becomes increasingly chaotic, Athene apparently runs out of material and only talks nonsense, while Sodapoppin can hardly contain himself. Athene repeatedly talks about the “Skibidi” toilet, an obscure meme seen as a symbol of the nonsense youth now amuses themselves with on the internet.

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Here’s what it’s all about: This is a very wild performance that resembles something like “drunken uncle tells at the wedding about his time”, but many are currently amused by this appearance. In the background of the video, a young woman is constantly struggling not to completely lose control. The video is apparently not meant to be taken seriously, rather Athene shows an even more exaggerated parody of himself than usual. Essentially, Athene apparently wanted to justify why he was only briefly involved with OnlyFangs.

Sodapoppin is currently the most successful streamer on Twitch thanks to OnlyFangs and WoW has seen a significant upswing due to all the drama surrounding the streamer guild. Athene wanted to remind people of himself after 18 years. The worst troll of LoL now leads the elite guild in WoW, where even the head of Riot plays

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If you miss your friend’s God Pack in Pokémon TCG Pocket during the Wonder Trade, there are good reasons for that

Jasmin Beverungen 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

Through the Wonder Pick, collectors can hunt for cards they still need to complete their collection in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Here, packs from other players accumulate. However, not all cards will necessarily appear in your selection.

Why doesn’t my friend’s God Pack show up? It’s particularly pleasing when you find out that a friend has pulled a God Pack. These are packs with particularly rare cards. However, it’s possible that they do not appear in your Wonder Pick.

The reason could be that your buddy has pulled a God Pack or even a normal pack containing too rare cards. Because God Packs, which have cards with a rarity of more than 2 stars, are not available for selection. So if you have a card with 3 stars or a crown, your pack will not appear in the Wonder Pick anymore.

While there is no official confirmation from the development team behind Pokémon TCG Pocket, there is currently no known case where such a God Pack has appeared. On Reddit, a player shows just one example where at most cards with 2 stars appear. There is also such a case visible on X.

You can find the trailer for the new booster from Pokémon TCG Pocket here:

Start video

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Watch the booster ‘Mythical Island’ in the official trailer

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There are more reasons why the God Pack doesn’t show up

And what if it still doesn’t show up? If the pack doesn’t show up in the Wonder Pick, even if the rarity fits, there could be another reason.

The Wonder Pick refreshes every 30 minutes. Only packs that have been opened in the last 24 hours appear. The packs themselves stay in the Wonder Pick for a duration of one to four hours. During this time, you have the choice between:

Up to 4 packs from your friends
Up to 16 packs from strangers
Up to 4 expired packs
Event picks like from the Charmander and Squirtle event

So it could be that chance decides to bring other packs to your Wonder Pick. Thus, you might miss out on your friends’ rare cards.

More about Pokémon TCG Pocket

Pokémon TCG Pocket: Codes – All Information in April 2026

7 strong spin-offs to Pokémon that are as good as the main parts

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Pokémon TCG Pocket Roadmap 2026 with Updates: All new sets and events at a glance

A man built his dream gaming PC over the years – selling it to spend time collecting memories with his terminally ill wife

What can I do to catch my friends’ rare cards after all? If no card with more than 3 stars is contained in your friend’s pack, you need to check the Wonder Pick in Pokémon TCG Pocket every 30 minutes within 24 hours. This gives you the best chance to snag the pack.

The chance of getting a specific card from the Wonder Pick is, by the way, 20%. You have the same chance for each card to catch it. After each Wonder Pick, you can thank the others. And you should always do this: Pokémon TCG Pocket: This is how you easily get even more daily rewards

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A gamer wants to build a gaming PC with her savings, but a friend says: You’d better buy a pre-built PC.

Benedikt Schlotmann 9. January 2025 Reading time 3 minutes

A gamer wants to build her first gaming PC, but a friend strongly advises her against it. A pre-built PC would be the better choice. The gamer fears that pre-built PCs are significantly more expensive. What is the current market situation like?

Our title image is a symbolic image.

A gamer reports on Reddit that she wants to finally build a gaming PC with the money she has saved for a long time. She shares that she has never built a PC and bought her last PC in 2021 through Facebook. It was, after all, built by the seller himself.

She shared her plans with a friend, but he told her that it was “stupid” to build a PC herself. She should rather buy a pre-built PC when she has saved up enough money. The gamer explains that this made her feel insecure: on the one hand, she believes that pre-built PCs are way too expensive, and on the other hand, she fears that she might make a mistake during assembly or that something might break.

I told a friend that I would build myself a new PC as soon as I have saved enough money. He told me to opt for a pre-built PC, but I don’t really want that, as they are so expensive. On the other hand, I am really afraid that I will make a mistake or that something will break while I am building it.

But is the gamer actually right? Are pre-built PCs really that much more expensive than building one yourself? Because the situation has changed dramatically in the last few months and years, even in favor of pre-built PCs. We have calculated this for you with an example.

Start video

Manufacturer shows sleek case, gamers are thrilled: “Great design! Goes directly onto my wishlist”

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Are pre-built PCs really more expensive than self-built PCs?

What are pre-built PCs anyway? When we talk about pre-built computers today, we often do not mean the computers that you can occasionally buy at the Aldi around the corner. Because nowadays you can assemble a PC from components of your choice with specialized manufacturers, which are then assembled for you. So you are buying a custom-built PC, and the PC builder charges a fee for the assembly.

However, you can still buy pre-built PCs with fixed hardware, for example on Amazon or at Aldi. But especially on Amazon, many pre-built PCs are sold that offer very poor hardware.

This is what it looked like in recent years: Particularly during the Corona pandemic, hardware was sometimes unaffordable: For a graphics card, you often had to pay more than double the recommended retail price, and PS5 consoles were constantly sold out.

At that time, pre-built PCs were a real alternative, as PC builders had access to graphics cards at a significantly cheaper price through specialist trade. This price difference sometimes led players to buy pre-built PCs only to then disassemble the graphics card and resell it.

What is the current situation like? Prices are now closer together again. As an example, we took a mid-range PC from CSL (via csl-computer.com). The seller is asking for 1,199 euros, it is currently discounted and 50 euros cheaper. However, we are orienting ourselves to the manufacturer’s RRP.

We calculated the components but had to use comparable parts for the power supply, case, and SSD since CSL uses proprietary components that cannot be purchased in retail. You can find the components and market prices we calculated via Geizhals in the following table:

CPU	Ryzen 7 5700X:	144 euros
GPU	GeForce RTX 4070	649 euros
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2	104 euros
Memory	32 GB DDR4	52 euros
Storage (SSD)	1 TB M.2-SSD	approx. 60 euros
Power Supply	Power supply with 600 watts	approx. 80 euros
Case	BeQuiet Pure Base 501	69.89 euros
Total Price		1,159 euros

What do pre-built PCs and self-build PCs cost in comparison? If you buy all the components individually, you would have to pay 1,159 euros for the hardware. Thus, you are currently just under the manufacturer’s RRP of CSL.

The calculation also shows that the self-built PC is hardly cheaper than the pre-built PC from a manufacturer in this example. And with the manufacturer, you also get a guarantee that the computer really works. By the way, neither system includes an operating system like Windows.

We cannot take into account special offers from PC builders or retailers like Amazon, Mindfactory, or Alternate that can significantly lower component prices.

More on the topic

von Benedikt Schlotmann

A player receives a gaming PC as a gift for WoW, but her partner catches her in the wrong game

von Benedikt Schlotmann

My colleague and MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus also believes that one should buy a pre-built PC. Because it is almost as good as self-built and is now hardly more expensive. You can read his opinion directly on MeinMMO: I used to build PCs myself – today I would never do that again

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Pokémon GO brings the first legendary Dynamax monsters – The community sees a big problem

Paul Kutzner 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

The first event with 5-star Dynamax raids has been announced for Pokémon GO. This introduces legendary Dynamax monsters, which might pose issues according to the community.

What kind of event is this? The Dyna-Mondays: Legendary Flights for Pokémon GO have now been announced. These will take place on January 20, January 27, and February 3, 2025, each from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

For the first time, they will feature a legendary Pokémon as a Dynamax raid. After each of the Dyna-Mondays, the corresponding Pokémon will also be available in the 5-star Dynamax raids for one week.

Start video

Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer

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Strong monsters, but what to counter with?

Which Pokémon are these? The Pokémon are the legendary bird Pokémon from Generation 1: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. The timeframes in which you can challenge these monsters in Dynamax battles are as follows:

Dynamax Articuno*: January 20 – January 27, 2025
Dynamax Zapdos*: January 27 – February 3, 2025
Dynamax Moltres*: February 3 – February 9, 2025

All three Pokémon can also appear as Shiny with some luck.

How should I obtain candies for the Pokémon? To level up your captured legendary birds, you need both stardust and the corresponding candies for the Pokémon.

With all previously available Dynamax monsters, you can place them in power sources and receive candies when your Pokémon helps other trainers in battle. If this mechanic works the same for the legendary Dynamax monsters as it does for regular monsters, then farming candies with the legendary Dynamax monsters should be significantly simplified.

What problem does the community see? The current number of available Dynamax monsters in the game is still relatively limited. While Zapdos has a simple weakness to rock-type attacks, Articuno and Moltres have a double weakness to these attacks.

Among the currently available Dynamax monsters, there are 2 monsters, Machamp and Excadrill, that have a charged attack of rock type. However, there is not a single Dynamax monster with a Dyna attack of rock type.

Since the 3 legendary birds are likely to be the toughest Dynamax raids to date (except for the Gigantamax raids), it’s important to have good counters in place.

Some comments on Reddit also point precisely to this problem:

“It’s a shame that there are still no rock Dynamax”, writes ultimagolddragon
“God, they need to accelerate the Dynamax releases for normal Pokémon. The selection of counters for some of these bosses (especially Zapdos) is criminal,” says LukesRebuke
“No release of rock attackers?”, wonders Fepl31
“Yes, the fact that both Articuno and Moltres are doubly weak to rock and Zapdos has a simple weakness, but we don’t have rock attackers, is terrible,” notes shawny_strolls

More on the topic

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

Dynamax-Regirock in Pokémon GO: The best counters against the boss

All lure modules in Pokémon GO explained – With spawns and evolutions

von Patrick Freese

The hunt for monsters in Pokémon GO can sometimes captivate trainers so much that they block out everything around them. This was also the case for a trainer from Bremerhaven, who inadvertently put himself in a dangerous situation: Trainer immersed in Pokémon GO finds himself in a life-threatening situation while hunting a monster.

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Streamer shows 21 very dumb ways to lose your character in WoW Classic forever

Cortyn 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

How easy it is to lose your character in WoW Classic Hardcore is shown by a streamer – he knows 21 different methods for it.

World of Warcraft Classic is currently very popular, especially the “Hardcore” variant of the game mode. The high viewer numbers on Twitch are mainly due to the large guild “OnlyFangs”, which unites many streamers under one banner and draws attention with fun role-playing, interesting rivalries, and some terrible character fates.

Start video

WoW Launches Fresh Classic Realms – The Big Birthday Gift

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Who is speaking? The Dutch streamer Grubby, known to many veterans from Warcraft III, also participates in the large streamer guild “OnlyFangs”. He has already experienced some painful deaths while the guild tries to prepare for the Molten Core. In one of his latest videos, he lists the 21 most dangerous methods of quickly losing your beloved character in WoW Classic Hardcore.

What types of deaths are there? In total, Grubby names a massive 21 different ways to lose your character in the Hardcore variant of Classic in quite a “stupid” manner. Although not all variants are entirely one’s own fault – like a disconnect, which is hardly controllable – most methods are avoidable, but require a lot of planning or knowledge. Here are some excerpts from the video:

Gravity: Any kind of fall or “slip” on rocky edges – or also elevators.
Large pulls in dungeons: Too many enemies in a dungeon at once. This leads to panic and mistakes.
CC mechanics: Many bosses have CC mechanics that temporarily stun the tank. The boss then usually goes for the character with the second most aggro – and if you’re not aware of this, you’ll be dead very quickly.
Caves: Caves in World of Warcraft are scary. Often there are elite enemies, many foes in close quarters, or the escape routes are severely restricted.
Kindness: Healing someone just before they die can be nice – but can also draw aggro. And then you can quickly become the victim yourself.
Forgotten buff: Buffs are powerful and often make the difference between life and death. Whether it’s the Warlock’s demonic armor or the Druid’s thorns – if a buff is missing, the game ends quickly.

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Basically, it is much easier for newcomers, who do not carry 20 years of WoW knowledge, to suddenly bite the virtual dust somewhere, simply because not all dangers are known. The accumulated knowledge of two decades is indeed hard to catch up with in an environment where every mistake means instant death.

Grubby has also illustrated most examples with videos that show exactly such incidents from the past months. Because whenever you think “No one is that stupid and this will never happen to me” – then that exact type of death is just a few mouse clicks away.

At least these numerous death variants also provide plenty of exciting stories, especially in the OnlyFangs guild. Because there, the guild’s reign is often handed from one tyrant to another – because the supposed pro just took a “quick” look around the corner.

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Player creates OP build in Path of Exile 2, takes out hordes with just one shot, but you shouldn’t copy it

Cedric Holmeier 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

In Path of Exile 2, a gamer has found a build that initially appears to be incredibly strong. However, the creator themselves does not want you to play it.

What kind of build is this? In PoE2, there are various powerful builds that can become really mighty thanks to creative combinations of skills and items. One player has equipped their mercenary in such a way that with a single shot from the crossbow, they can take down entire hordes of enemies.

While the build looks impressive, its creator now warns other adventurers against replicating it.

Have you already heard about this useful NPC in Path of Exile 2?

Start video

This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items

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Caution: Glass Cannon

Why does he warn about his own build? On Reddit, the OP’s build garnered significant interest, as taking out hordes of enemies with a powerful explosion likely appeals to many monster hunters. Users like Shwaazi express their enthusiasm on Reddit: “Where is this build? I want it so badly.”

Here you can take a look at the gameplay yourself:

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However, the creator of the build does not want to share it even upon request and even advises against replicating the character. In a comment under his post, he explains the reason.

The build is referred to as a so-called meme build. He explains on Reddit: “I have zero defense, I only get one shot [before the character is taken down], I fight against map bosses in 20 seconds. If I shoot and the enemy does not die, then I die.”

The character is thus a glass cannon that can deal a lot of damage but can take very little damage. The creator summarizes that the build is “not practical for regular play.” This could also explain why the video has many cuts, as the build seems to work really well only in certain situations.

More on the topic

Path of Exile 2 announces new season, the late date heats up players’ expectations

What to do if you die in Path of Exile 2 before you can loot? Community helps the affected with a trick, saves the loot

One thing must improve Path of Exile 2 for Update 5 to be a success, the players say

2 Years After Release, Helldivers 2 Presents Its First Roadmap, Showing That They Listen to the Players

What makes the build so strong? Like many other “OP builds,” this build also relies on the skill “Herald of Ice,” which can trigger large explosions by freezing and taking down enemies simultaneously, creating a chain reaction.

Ice skills are among the strongest abilities in Path of Exile 2. Especially beginners can benefit from the frozen enemies. If you’re looking for a new build, why not try out the Ice Sorceress: Path of Exile 2: Beginner Build lets you freeze the battlefield as a Sorcerer

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Reddit

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In Helldivers 2 there is a useful Easter Egg that helps you complete missions faster

Cedric Holmeier 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

In Helldivers 2 you can use an Easter Egg to complete your missions faster. With a bit of luck, you might even be doing this already.

What kind of Easter Egg is this? In Helldivers 2, there is an Easter Egg that many players are already using regularly without knowing it. Those who use it speed up the completion of their mission.

The Easter Egg in question is saluting while raising the flag. Some loyal fighters for Over-Earth do this out of pure pride for the nation, but the animation is useful not just in role-playing, but also because it increases the speed at which you actually raise the flag.

This works for all missions where you have to raise a flag and is independent of the chosen difficulty level. However, the sheer number of enemies makes saluting at higher difficulties correspondingly challenging.

Why this mechanic works at all is explained by the chief of Helldivers 2.

This trailer is where it all started with Helldivers 2:

Start video

Helldivers 2 Announce Trailer PS5 PC

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Chief of Helldivers 2 confirms the legend

What did the chief say? From the very beginning, many Helldivers have saluted while raising the flag in the spirit of role-playing. However, the idea that this is supposed to make the process faster was not always so, as Johan Pilestedt, the Chief Customer Officer of Arrowhead Game Studios, explained on Reddit.

Previously, Reddit user Sad-Needleworker-590 shared a video in which he salutes at the flag, even though fighting is going on around him. He titled his post with the words: “After I learned that a salute makes the flag rise faster, I have mostly done that.”

While other players claim this is just superstition, the chief himself then weighed in. Johan Pilestedt refuted the claims that it is just superstition on Reddit: “No, that’s true. Everyone in the studio has done it, so one of the programmers added it as an ‘Easter Egg.'”

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“Must be arrested” – a fundraising campaign in Helldivers 2 went so wrong that players are now demanding harsh consequences

von Caroline Fuller

Players in Helldivers 2 threaten generous Helldiver who wants to point out bugs to the developers for $1,000

von Sophia Weiss

How much faster does it go? It is difficult to determine the exact amount, and the chief of Helldivers 2 does not reveal it in his message either. According to user ShinCuCai on Reddit, the speed is said to increase by 15% for the first salute and 7.5% for each additional saluting soldier.

The fact that so many gamers role-play in a cooperative shooter is likely due to the setting that Helldivers 2 has fostered from the very beginning. So it’s no surprise that the loyal fans and soldiers of Over-Earth keep their game alive almost a year after the release. For all fans of the brand, the next “chapter” is now coming: Millions of players fought in Helldivers 2 on Steam and PS5, now it’s set to continue in theaters

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Cheat developer speaks openly about his work with Call of Duty – Says it’s so easy that it’s slowly getting boring

Dariusz Müller 9. January 2025 Reading time 4 minutes

A YouTuber spoke with a German cheat developer. He provided deep insights into the biggest problem of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

What kind of cheat developer is this? The Austrian YouTuber and Twitch streamer VinKub spoke in a video with a German cheat developer and asked him several questions – especially about Call of Duty and the anti-cheat system of the shooter. V1nKub primarily showcases Call of Duty on his channels, so the questions mainly concerned CoD.

At the beginning of the video, the cheat developer, whose voice was distorted, explains that he has been a “very, very unknown cheat developer” for 7 years now. By “unknown”, he means that he does not operate in the foreground.

He does not have his own service where he sells his cheats to hundreds or thousands of players and does not lead his own community. Instead, he sells licenses for his cheats to various providers, meaning websites that then distribute them to the actual users.

He started cheat development with Call of Duty because he was a CoD player himself before. When he developed an interest in coding and technology, it seemed natural to begin developing cheats for CoD. However, he now also makes cheats for other games.

Start video

CoD Black Ops 6: Prestige explained – Is it worth it?

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Cheat developer provides insights into the fight against Activision

What does he say about the anti-cheat of Call of Duty? The developer clearly states at the outset that it is not easy to bypass Ricochet. Nevertheless, he questions the functionality of the system: “It is still a kernel-level anti-cheat like Riot Vanguard, like BattleEye and EasyAntiCheat, even if Ricochet is more show than substance.”

He then explains that Ricochet “does not run continuously in the kernel”, unlike Riot Vanguard. Furthermore, he adds, most cheats today also operate in this kernel space, and if you operate from there, you can bypass most anti-cheat systems – even Riot Vanguard.

However, he is not sure what exactly the Ricochet system does. While Riot Vanguard might be one step behind the cheat, Ricochet is at least 3 steps behind, according to him: “It exists […], but it does not work at all.”

Disclaimer: Since we have not yet been able to speak with the cheat developer ourselves, we cannot currently confirm the accuracy of his statements. You should therefore view everything with a certain skepticism. However, we have already contacted V1nkub and asked about the contact with the developer in order to engage in a dialogue with him.

Cheat developer gets bored because it’s too easy

During the video, V1nKub asks whether the cheat developer could also imagine switching sides and, for example, working with Activision on anti-cheat. The cheat developer answered this with a clear “yes”, but not for Activision.

He finds the idea “very cool” to work for a software developer or generally in cybersecurity and says he is “a bit tired of cheat development – especially with Call of Duty, where there is not such a big challenge right now.”

He says he doesn’t even have to release an update himself after an update of the anti-cheat. “It gets a bit boring when they do nothing.”

More about Call of Duty

There is a secret number in Call of Duty that represents your skill – Here is how you request your data from Activision

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CoD Black Ops 6: Meta – The Best Weapons in Season 3 with Loadouts

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Call of Duty: World Champion Aims to Prove That Aim Assist Is Not a Huge Advantage – Completely Backfires

von Dariusz Müller

Spam reports do more than Ricochet, but lead to false bans

In Call of Duty, the so-called spam reports (massive reports) have been a big problem for a while now. Players are reported multiple times as cheaters by other players, which then leads to a so-called shadow ban. However, it can occur that legitimate players are punished due to false spam reports.

What is a shadow ban? A shadow ban is different from a normal ban. After a shadow ban, you can still play Black Ops 6 – but only against other players who also have a shadow ban. Often, a shadow ban is lifted after 7 to 14 days once it has been verified whether the player is a cheater or not.

What does he say about spam reports? The cheat developer actually describes Call of Duty’s report function as CoD’s most effective means against cheaters. For him, it feels like Ricochet consists only of these reports. He estimates that these lead to more bans of cheaters than the actual anti-cheat system. He adds that it feels like the anti-cheat does not include any mechanisms that detect cheaters in real-time.

However, the cheat developer is also convinced that the reports lead to bans of legitimate players. To check whether the bans are due to spam reports or a fault in his cheats, he created a new, so to speak, pristine account.

This account is supposed to have played for less than an hour. It seems that on the new PC, there was a new IP address and no cheats were active. They should have reported this account at least 5 times in 3 rounds, which then led to a shadow ban.

You can watch the complete video of V1nkub with the interview of the cheat developer here:

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Only 2 accounts have been permanently banned in Black Ops 6

What does he say about possible bans: In the video, the cheat developer also states that since the release, only 2 accounts using his cheats have been permanently banned – and that was in the initial phase when he had just developed the BO6 cheats. While there are often shadow bans, these are gone after 7 to 14 days and normal gameplay can resume.

Generally, he says it all depends on the player and the cheat used, whether and how quickly a cheat user gets a shadow ban. There are ways to get through without getting banned.

Cheating is currently the most significant problem of Call of Duty. Just recently, even a former employee of Activision commented on the issue and gave his assessment of why it is currently worse than ever: Former Call of Duty developer explains why the biggest problem of Black Ops 6 is worse than ever before

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Source(s):

YouTube via V1nkub

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One of the best wrestlers in the world is finally back – With epic boss music like from Final Fantasy XIV

Sophia Weiss 9. January 2025 Reading time 3 minutes

On January 5, 2025, the wrestling promotion New Japan held the major event Wrestle Dynasty, where one of the best wrestlers in the world celebrated his return – and that with epic boss music like from a raid in Final Fantasy XIV.

Update from January 9, 2025: Kenny Omega used the new song during his first appearance at AEW on January 8, 2025. The theme is called TAKE FLIGHT and a full version can currently be heard via @AEWMusic on X.

What happened? The long-awaited return of wrestler Kenny Omega was announced for the wrestling event Wrestle Dynasty. Even before the event, he stated via X.com that he would not only wrestle there for the first time in over a year but also present a new entrance music.

His return was ultimately accompanied by an epic theme composed by Masayoshi Soken, who is the long-time composer for the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV as well as the action RPG Final Fantasy XVI. The theme is sung by Jason Charles Miller, who previously collaborated with Soken on the expansion theme Shadowbringers, among others. According to Kenny Omega, the legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu also supported him.

Here you can watch a clip of the entrance. Soken and Uematsu were both present at the premiere, as they announced in a post on X.

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A post shared by Jason Charles Miller (@jasoncharlesmiller)

The One Winged Angel of Wrestling; Now with its own Boss Theme

Who is Kenny Omega? Kenny Omega has been active as a wrestler since 2000, but started under his real name Tyson Smith. He made his breakthrough in 2010 at the Japanese wrestling promotion New Japan. In 2019, he switched to the American competitor AEW (All Elite Wrestling), where he not only wrestles but is also active as an Executive Vice President.

Omega loves video games and cartoons. His finisher, a move he wants to use to defeat his opponents in matches, is for example the One Winged Angel – named after the Final Fantasy 7 villain Sephiroth.

At the end of 2023, Kenny Omega had to retire from wrestling due to a serious illness. Only in November 2024 did he make his first appearance at AEW again. However, he celebrated his return to the ring at his former promotion New Japan – indeed with the new theme.

Masayoshi Soken is known for his epic boss music. You can get an impression of it with the launch trailer for Final Fantasy XVI:

Start video

Final Fantasy XVI Launch Trailer

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Boss battles like from pro wrestling matches & honeybee gimmicks

What does Final Fantasy have to do with wrestling? The current 8-man raid in Final Fantasy XIV is based on wrestling: The Arkadian. Here players compete as wrestlers in promotions against fighters with so-called gimmicks: One boss transforms into a cat-woman while another is traveling as a cute honeybee.

The latter particularly delights the players: A pop song from Final Fantasy XIV is about a honeybee, and it is currently on repeat among MMORPG players.

As with real wrestling, each opponent has their own boss music and is introduced by an announcer.

Naoki Yoshida, the director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, also stated at a hands-on event for the also produced Final Fantasy XVI that the battles in the game are inspired by pro wrestling matches. This was mentioned during a now-unreachable interview with Game Informer. Excerpts can still be found among others at Gamerant.

Currently, Final Fantasy XIV is in the patch cycle between expansions. The next major content update is expected with 7.2 in March 2025. If Square Enix continues to stick to the established rhythm, the second wave of wrestling matches in the Arkadian should also go live then.

While the current 8-man raid is very well received by the community, some are still struggling with the story and the new characters of the Dawntrail expansion. Almost half a year after the release of the DLC, one of the biggest Final Fantasy XIV streamers has now spoken out: A major streamer on Final Fantasy XIV on Twitch explains what went wrong in the MMORPG.

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Anyone who looks closely at an episode of Attack on Titan will recognize a screenshot from a hit strategy game on Steam

Jasmin Beverungen 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

The grand finale of Attack on Titan led to the spectacular revelation of the main characters. In a crucial scene in the anime, fans were able to discover a painting in the background that bears striking similarities to a screenshot of a strategy game on Steam.

When is the image visible in the anime? In episode 14 of the 4th season of Attack on Titan, there is a showdown with the three protagonists. A dispute ignites between Eren, Mikasa, and Armin that puts their friendship to a severe test.

The three find themselves in a restaurant. The family seems to have a penchant for particularly impressive paintings, as there is an image in the background depicting ships engaged in a battle at sea.

However, one user on Reddit finds the painting exceedingly familiar. He notes that the artwork bears remarkably strong similarities to a PC game.

You can find the trailer for the grand finale of Attack on Titan here:

Start video

Attack on Titan – The Trailer for the Movie The Last Attack

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Attack on Titan borrows from strategy game

Where does the painting actually come from? The artwork closely resembles a screenshot from Total War: Empire. On Steam, you can view the image for yourself and compare it to the scene in the anime. For those who want it quicker: The user points out the comparison of the two images on Reddit.

Both the position of the ships and individual smoke trails and flags are in the same position as in the painting. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the screenshot was not taken over 1:1 into the anime, as for example, the clouds are somewhat different. However, the resemblance is undeniable.

Why did the artists use the screenshot from the game? In the comments of the Reddit post, many fans discuss why such a renowned production studio like MAPPA needs to rely on screenshots from PC games.

It could be that the painting is simply an Easter egg. Some suspect that one of the artists is a big fan of the strategy game.

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Others, however, believe that the production wanted to save some time to be ready by the release of season 4. During production, there were some comments from animators who estimated the workload to be 3 to 4 times that of a regular anime (via MyAnimeList).

There has been no official statement from MAPPA. Therefore, we can only speculate how the image from Total War: Empire made its way into Attack on Titan. The creator of the manga, Hajime Isayama, will have nothing to do with it. He is also already working on an entirely new project: Attack on Titan: The creator is working on a new manga after 10 years – Even the voice actor of Eren is involved

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Source(s):

Vida Extra

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Players are already complaining about the second beta of Monster Hunter Wilds – Even though they don’t understand what the developers are testing

Alexander Mehrwald 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

At the beginning of February, a second Open Beta for Monster Hunter Wilds is finally on the way. However, it will take place without the improvements and adjustments announced in the Pre-Launch Community Update. This seems to concern the community.

What does the Beta include? The second Open Beta runs in two phases at the beginning of February: The first phase takes place from February 7, 2025, 4:00 AM to February 10, 3:59 AM. The second phase begins on February 14 and ends on February 17, 3:59 AM.

Content-wise, this connects to the Beta in November 2024, allowing you to create your character, play the beginning of the story, and hunt Doshaguma and Chatacabra again. Additionally, you will be able to hunt the already known monster Gypceros from other parts.

Further content has not yet been confirmed but is expected to follow soon. However, Capcom stated that all improvements confirmed in the last Community Update would not be part of the Beta. This has led to discussions within the community.

Start video

Monster Hunter Wilds: Daisy Ridley explains the lore

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Fans are concerned that the second Beta could create a negative impression

Why is the community worried? In a thread on Reddit, there is currently heated discussion. On one hand, there is great excitement about another opportunity to play Monster Hunter Wilds in advance, while on the other hand, some fans see a problem: the first Beta had numerous technical issues in November 2024 that upset many players (see Steam).

Therefore, the community is considering how the mostly unchanged state in the second Beta might be perceived by players who want to check out the game but do not follow the news closely (via Reddit).

Some desire a clear disclaimer for everyone who may not be fully aware that this version does not correspond to the full version, even though the Beta takes place shortly before release (via Reddit). Others even fear a backlash because they worry that even a disclaimer might be ignored. However, they overlook that this is a Beta and not a Demo.

A Beta, not a full-fledged Demo

Why is there a second Beta? In a video announcing the Beta (via YouTube), producer Ryozo Tsujimoto says that many fans reported missing the first Beta or simply wanted to play again. Therefore, the decision was made to run a second round.

He also emphasizes that the team is working hard behind the scenes to process the feedback from the first Beta and is fully focused on improving the player experience in the full version. He continues to ask for understanding that these adjustments and improvements will not be part of the Beta.

The second Beta is primarily intended as a second chance for players to check out the game in advance one more time. It is important to note that this is intentionally referred to as a Beta and not a Demo. This is not a scaled-down version of the full version but access to a technical test.

This primarily concerns server load and aims to prevent future server issues at release. Over 360,000 players participated within 20 minutes during the first Beta in November 2024, and around 100 players could participate simultaneously per lobby.

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Monster Hunter Wilds: Sealed Dragon Cloth – How to Get This Fluttering Equipment Piece

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Monster Hunter Wilds: Blossomdance – Everything about time, rewards and quests

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With the approaching release, many fans are considering whether they should take time off for the launch. For those, the second Beta could be a good opportunity to reflect on this again: Is it worth taking time off for the release of Monster Hunter Wilds? Community expresses concerns about wasted time

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29-year-old streamer sold himself to an online casino for millions of dollars, but his parents are not using the money

Caroline Fuller 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

The streamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel (29) is well taken care of due to several deals worth multiple millions of dollars. His parents are also financially secure for the rest of their lives. His mother could already be retired, but it seems she doesn’t understand that.

What kind of streamer is he? Félix “xQc” Lengyel was long the undisputed number 1 on Twitch. In June 2023, he went to the competing platform Kick for a lot of money, which is backed by the controversial online casino Stake.

We at MeinMMO have already reported on the business of gambling on streaming platforms: Twitch streamers earn millions € with gambling deals – Their viewers go bankrupt.

Due to his success, the 29-year-old is able to send his parents into early retirement and financially support them for the rest of their lives. However, this realization seems difficult for his mother, as she apparently refuses to spend the money that is now available to her. The streamer is frustrated.

Start video

From Overwatch professional to number 1 on Twitch to 100 million $ – Who is xQc?

Autoplay

Saving despite financial security

Why don’t the parents want the money? In the stream on January 3, 2025, xQc spoke about the situation. Upset, he reports that his mother’s attitude drives him crazy.

“Since I made it, my mother is damn well taken care of,” says the streamer. “The only problem I have with my parents is that my mother doesn’t want to spend money. (…) She doesn’t understand it and that makes me really angry. Every time I see her, I say: ‘Wait, are you still saving? Are you still saving for life 2.0? Are you saving for the next life, is that what we’re doing today?’”

Apparently, his frustration lies in the potentially wasted time in which his mother is not using the money available to her. As a joke, he adds that his mother might be saving her savings because she wants to be prepared when she “respawns”.

What is the reaction of the fans? Fans of the streamer expressed their appreciation for his plans to fully secure his parents.

Statements like “I would really like to do that, it must feel good” or “paying off my parents’ credit card debt was probably the best feeling I’ve ever had” support and appreciate xQc’s opinion (via Dexerto).

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However, some people took the opportunity to mock other streamers. With statements like “I wonder if ExtraEmily would do something like that” they refer to a controversy because the streamer had explained that she did not want to pay her parents back the 170,000 dollars for college.

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

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WoW makes the warbands even better, allows much more freedom

Cortyn 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

The warbands in World of Warcraft are getting a visual, significant upgrade – and it looks really stylish.

The system of the warband was one of the biggest and best innovations introduced in World of Warcraft with The War Within. Finally, achievements and accomplishments of an account are combined, and all characters can benefit from various achievements and perks without having to “play everything anew” for each character.

But visually, the warband hasn’t made much of a statement so far. Only the selected four most important characters of the account gather around the campfire, while the rest stand lonely and alone in the background of their people. This will change with Patch 11.1.

What Blizzard said about a WoW 2.0 can be found here:

Start video

For the 20th Birthday, Blizzard Speaks About ‘WoW 2’ and What We Think About It

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What is changing with the warbands? With Patch 11.1 Undermine(d), there is a new area in the collections called “Campsites”. These are backgrounds that you can unlock for your warband.

So far, the only background available is the forest with the waterfall in the background. However, with Patch 11.1, you can unlock a series of new backgrounds.

In addition, you can create multiple groups on the login screen. This way, you can place your four most important characters in the forest, while four other characters stand in front of a different background. Of course, players can also arrange the characters by race or class – it is entirely up to each player.

How do you get new backgrounds? If the campfire in the forest is not enough for you, you can also collect additional backgrounds and assign them to the different groups of the warband.

The four new campsites must be unlocked first before you can select them. This is done in Patch 11.1 as follows:

Ohn’ahran Overlook: A campsite in the plains of Ohn’ahra. Unlocked automatically upon login.
Cultists’ Quay: A dark cave of the cultists of the Order of the Night. Requires progress in the depths of Season 2.
Freywold Spring: A small spring in a village on the Island of Thorns. Requires the meta achievement “All That Khaz” – multiple achievements in The War Within.
Gallagio Grand Gallery: A well-lit area in the goblin hotel. Requires the meta achievement of the area Lorenhall (Patch 11.1).

More news about WoW:

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Meanwhile, the actual functionality of the warbands remains unchanged. You can still transfer resources between characters, use the warband bank, and benefit from other account-wide bonuses, such as the glory levels. Therefore, the innovations are merely cosmetic changes that allow you even more individuality – even if you only spend a few seconds on the login screen.
By the way, something is being taken away from everyone else – because a popular excuse will no longer count in Patch 11.1.

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

Source(s):

wowhead.com

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While Destiny 2 drives players away, Destiny 1 receives a surprising update – Here’s what’s behind it

Dariusz Müller 9. January 2025 Reading time 2 minutes

Destiny 1 has received an update after years, indicating a cancelled event. But how did this happen?

What’s currently happening with Destiny 2? Bungie’s loot shooter is currently in a crisis, losing more and more players, as the numbers from the database SteamCharts show. In December 2024, Destiny 2 averaged only about 20,900 players on Steam – it’s never been this bad for the shooter before.

Since the game was released on Steam in October 2019, it has consistently had more players. The previous low was in September (2024) with an average of around 25,000 players.

In comparison: In December 2024, there were still over 49,000 players online on Steam on average.

Meanwhile, there is also a mobile game called Destiny: Rising. Here you can see a trailer:

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Destiny: Rising shows first gameplay in the trailer

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In the midst of the worst phase of Destiny 2, the predecessor, Destiny 1, received a new surprising update.

Surprising update decorates the Tower in Destiny 1

What’s behind the update of Destiny 1? On January 5, Destiny 1 received a small update that decorated the Tower, the social hub of the loot shooter, with new decorations. YouTuber Breshi suspects that these decorations are the remnants of a New Year event that was apparently cancelled (via YouTube).

This event, the YouTuber believes, was supposed to start on January 5, 2016. When it was cancelled, the responsible developer might have set a date in the “distant” future, which is now reached on January 5, 2025.

More about Destiny

5 secret facts about Destiny 1 & 2 that you probably didn’t know

von Christos Tsogos