Today marks the start of the first part of the Holiday Event in Pokémon GO. We have summarized what content to expect.
What kind of event is this? The “Holidays” is a two-part event in Pokémon GO. The first part starts on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 10:00 AM and ends on Sunday, December 22, 2024 at 09:59 AM. Immediately following this, the second part of the Holidays in Pokémon GO will begin.
During the event, you can expect many Pokémon that you can encounter in the wild, in raids, or in eggs. Some of them will even come in holiday clothing. And there is even a brand new Shiny available for you.
Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer
Holidays Part 1 – All Content
What debuts are there? Sankabuh, the Pokémon from the 7th generation with the types Ghost and Ground, will be available as a Shiny for the first time during this event. If you evolve a Shiny Sankabuh, you can obtain Colossand in its Shiny variant.
You can find and challenge Sankabuh in the wild and in level 1 raids.
Additionally, Dedenne in holiday clothing will be making its debut in the game. This Pokémon can also appear as a Shiny. You can find it in level 1 raid battles.
Which Pokémon can you find in the wild? During the event, you can find the following Pokémon in the wild:
Alolan Sandan*
Alolan Digda*
Quiekel*
Botogel with Holiday Ribbon*
Camaub*
Shnebedeck*
Flampion*
Leufeo*
Arktip*
Sankabuh*
All Pokémon in the wild can also appear as Shiny.
Which Pokémon can you find in raids? During the event, you can find, challenge, and catch the following Pokémon in raids:
1-Star Raids:
Pikachu with Winter Carnival Outfit*
Enton with Holiday Clothing*
Dedenne with Holiday Clothing*
Sankabuh*
3-Star Raids:
Damhirplex with Holiday Outfit*
Glaziola with Underwater Holiday Outfit*
Frigometri*
Mega Raids:
Mega Latias*
Mega Latios*
All Pokémon marked with a * can also be found as Shiny.
Which Pokémon can be found in eggs during the event? The Pokémon that can hatch from 7 km eggs have been adjusted for the event. You can hatch the following monsters:
Hisui-Fukano*
Pichu in Summer Look*
Seemops with Holiday Scarf*
Petznief with Holiday Ribbon*
Amarino*
Knarbon
Pokémon marked with a * can also be hatched as Shiny with some luck.
What bonuses are there during the event? There are 2 bonuses active during the event. First, you will receive double the amount of experience points when you catch Pokémon, and second, you only need half the distance to hatch eggs.
This bonus only applies to eggs that you place in incubators during the event.
Field Research: There will again be field research tasks during this event that reward you with event Pokémon.
Collector Challenges: If you complete the tasks for the collector challenges, you can earn Stardust, Poké Balls, and Ultra Balls. To do this, you need to participate in raid battles and catch Pokémon.
PokéStop Showcases: At some PokéStops, you can participate in showcases again. You need event-related Pokémon to participate.
Paid Limited Research: For $2 (approximately €2), you can also purchase a limited-time research task for the event. If you successfully complete it, you will receive 2 premium battle passes, an incubator, 1,500 Stardust, and encounters with event Pokémon.
In the Pokémon GO Webstore, there are also 2 boxes available for purchase. The first one costs $4.99 (approximately €5) and gives you an upgrade for your Pokémon box and item bag, plus 17 special candies.
The second box costs $6.99 (approximately €7) and includes tickets for both parts of the event as well as a premium battle pass.
Of course, there are also several more events waiting for you in the game until the end of the year. You can find out which events they are, when they take place, and what content to expect in our overview of all events in December 2024 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Square Enix has successfully invested enormous amounts of energy, time, and money over the past 14 years to turn the mixed launch version of Final Fantasy XIV into one of the best MMORPGs on the market. Now, for the first time, there is sustainable backlash from the community.
Why did Square Enix have to struggle? When Final Fantasy XIV was released in its original version on September 30, 2010, fans of the iconic role-playing franchise were met with a mixed, unfinished MMORPG that had numerous issues and shortcomings.
The people responsible at Square Enix were obviously afraid that the harsh criticism could permanently damage the Final Fantasy brand due to the dire state of the online role-playing game. So they decided on unprecedented measures:
The MMORPG was taken offline to receive a complete overhaul under the new leadership of Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida – including a new engine, optimized server structures, and an adjusted storyline.
In August 2013, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was launched, which still had its quirks but represented a significant improvement across the board compared to the first version.
With enormous amounts of energy and effort, the team around Yoshida built on this new foundation over the following years, with content updates and expansions that were so packed with content that at times even the big competitor WoW looked outdated.
The enormous risk that Square Enix took with the restart paid off. While most other online role-playing games complained about declining player numbers or had to endure poor expansions, Final Fantasy XIV became better and more popular with each addon.
This way, it was able to establish itself among the best representatives of the genre and relied on a payment model with mandatory subscriptions all these years. Moreover, the writers managed to conclude a story arc that was built over ten years in a way that was appreciated by a large part of the community with Shadowlands and Endwalker. For many fans, that was “Peak Final Fantasy XIV.”
With Dawntrail, a new chapter begins for Final Fantasy XIV:
Start video
Final Fantasy XIV: Launch trailer for Dawntrail prepares for the adventure in Tural
A slip-up or the beginning of a downward trend?
What is happening with Dawntrail? With the current expansion, the launch marked the beginning of a completely new story chapter, and the first steps were already rocky. There was criticism of the story, of a main character, of the rather passive role of the player characters, and of the design of certain quests.
On the product page of the expansion on Steam, the MMORPG from Square Enix has received a “Mostly Negative” rating for the first time. Only 32 percent of the reviews from the past 30 days were positive. For the entire duration, Dawntrail stands at “Mixed,” with 54 percent positive reviews. For comparison:
Shadowbringers is rated “Very Positive,” with 86 percent positive reviews (via Steam).
Endwalker is rated “Very Positive,” with 82 percent positive reviews (via Steam).
Criticism in the negative reviews of Dawntrail continues to focus mainly on the story, but also the slow pace of updates, the lack of endgame content, the excessive simplification of classes, and the lack of activities that feel fresh and new.
Raise your hand if you had the most fun in Final Fantasy XIV with Shadowbringers or Endwalker!
What does the community say about it? It’s clear that this critical examination of Dawntrail is also being discussed on community platforms.
Furia_BD writes on Reddit: “As much as I respect Yoshi P, and no one can deny that he saved the game, he is obviously too afraid to change the game formula, even after 10 years, so maybe it’s time for someone else to take the helm.”
Xerlot11 is not surprised by the criticism (via Reddit): “The game really needs something big to shake things up. I think most people are feeling burnout. Especially since most have caught up on the major backlog of content, which was a common defense for the last expansion Endwalker being content-less.”
Slim_Neb_27 writes on Reddit: “I’ve been playing since 4.0 and quit the game once I finished the content from the Dawntrail launch. So much potential is being held back by the terrible net code and engine limitations, and every bit of progress at this point feels like a damp band-aid.”
Rogalicus admits on Reddit: “I’m not sure if I feel justified because I’ve been complaining about it since Shadowbringers while people acted like it was the best MMO of all time. Literally nothing has changed since then, other than two minutes of meta, a bad X.0 story, and slower patches.”
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz evaluate this? Final Fantasy XIV has been an MMORPG that has captivated players primarily with its story and world since the A Realm Reborn restart, along with a multitude of different content. However, there has always been room for improvement, especially in quest design or the old-school combat experience.
As long as the strengths are really strong, people tend to nod at and tolerate the weaknesses. However, with Dawntrail, Final Fantasy XIV has now lost some of these strengths, making the longstanding weaknesses more pronounced.
In my view, Naoki Yoshida’s focus is no longer solely on Final Fantasy XIV. Initially, he was basically overseeing the team for Final Fantasy XVI on the side, and now the MMORPG is also getting a mobile spin-off. Such additional projects naturally divert the focus that Square Enix had maintained for many years after A Realm Reborn. Speaking of mobile: The spin-off of Final Fantasy XIV shows its first job trailer, hinting at further gameplay
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO, a new event has been announced. This event focuses on hatching eggs.
What kind of event is this? The event “Sparkling Hatching Day” will take place on Sunday, December 29, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
As the name suggests, this short event revolves around hatching eggs. During this time, you will benefit from an increased shiny chance and some interesting bonuses.
Start video
Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer
Sparkling Hatching Day – All Contents
Which Pokémon have an increased shiny chance? In the event, you can find the two baby Pokémon Elekid and Magby in 2 km eggs. They hatch not only more frequently but also have an increased shiny chance.
What bonuses are available in the event? In addition to the increased chance of shiny variants of Elekid and Magby, the following bonuses await you during the event:
double the amount of candy when hatching eggs
increased chance to receive 2 km eggs at PokéStops
halved hatching distance for eggs (active from December 27, 2024, at 10:00 AM)
Field Research: There will also be appropriate field research during the event. If you complete them, you can look forward to rewards of stardust and experience points.
Free, limited research: Additionally, you will receive a free, limited research during the event. If you complete it within the event, you will earn a super incubator and experience points.
Event Box: For 925 PokéCoins, you can also get an event box. Inside, you will find 5 incubators, 5 super incubators, and 2 lucky eggs.
Paid, limited research: For $1 (approximately 1€), you can purchase a ticket. This will give you double the amount of stardust when hatching eggs, as well as limited research.
If you complete the tasks of the research, you will receive a star piece, a super incubator, and 2,500 experience points.
Hyper Hatching Box: Furthermore, you can purchase a Hyper Hatching Box for $19.99 (approximately 20€) in the Pokémon GO webstore. This includes 15 super incubators, 10 incubators, and 5 Knursp.
In addition to Hatching Day, many more events and highlights await you in the last weeks of the year in the game. If you want to overview them, feel free to take a look at our overview with all events in December 2024 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the world of Harry Potter, there are many different magical creatures. Some of them are extremely dangerous. Others are simply adorable. We will look at the 10 cutest creatures that have completely enchanted us.
What are magical creatures? The Ministry of Magic, or more precisely the “Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures”, roughly categorizes magical beings into three categories:
Magical beings: intelligent creatures that can understand the laws of the magical community (e.g., Dementors, house-elves, goblins, or vampires)
Creatures: do not possess enough intelligence to understand laws
Spirits: incorporeal soul of a deceased wizard
We want to focus on the creatures in this ranking. Which ones are considered particularly cute is of course very subjective. Feel free to let us know in the comments which magical creature is your personal favorite!
Start video
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Trailer for the Harry Potter Spin-off
[toc]
Place 10: Norbert
In 10th place is Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback. If you asked Hagrid, the little baby dragon would surely be in 1st place. After all, one of Hagrid’s greatest dreams is to raise his own dragon.
Admittedly, dragons are not really cute. On the contrary – they are among the most dangerous creatures in the wizarding world. But somehow little Norbert is still quite adorable, as he sneezes his first flames and thinks Hagrid is his mother.
Therefore, we make a small exception here and specifically award the place to baby Norbert instead of a whole species.
Place 9: Fwuuper
Fwuuper are colorful, fluffy-looking birds that originally come from Africa. They can appear in the brightest colors – from orange to pink to lime green. Their magnificent feathers are often used as quills.
As cute as the magical birds can look, they are not entirely safe. Their song can drive listeners insane. If you want to keep a Fwuuper, you should place a silencing charm on it.
Place 8: Golden Snidget
Golden Snidgets are small, extremely agile birds. They are completely round, with a long, thin beak and golden-yellow feathers. Therefore, they look like little, cute, flying balls.
As such, they were used for a long time in Quidditch. However, since the Snidgets were threatened with extinction, they were eventually replaced by the now well-known Golden Snitch.
The Diricawl is another bird on this list (and also the last, I promise). It comes from East Africa, is rather plump, cannot fly, but has a very fluffy plumage.
Despite its inability to fly, it possesses remarkable abilities to get out of danger. It can teleport.
Diricawls are even known among Muggles. However, we know them as Dodos, which have been considered extinct since the 17th century. However, since the supposed extinction had a positive effect on the environmental awareness of Muggles, the Ministry of Magic never felt it necessary to enlighten about the teleportation ability of Diricawls.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The German Twitch streamer Elena “Thunny” S. had the evening of her life on Sunday in League of Legends. This was not planned: She had to step in for her ill partner Broeki. Thunny appeared alongside the German Twitch streamers from NNO at a major event in Paris. She played against the world champions in LoL, T1 with superstar Faker, and triumphed.
This was the event in LoL: On the evening of December 15, 2024, an event by Red Bull called “League of its Own” took place in Paris. The world champion in LoL, T1, competed in League of Legends against 6 different teams, each in a single match. These were show matches with some special conditions to make them more exciting.
The event was a massive deal in Paris: About 18,000 spectators were in the hall.
Agurin is considered the best player of NNO and demonstrated this in the match:
Start video
Many consider a German to be the best SoloQ player in LoL – How does Agurin play?
Streamer steps in for her boyfriend, who fell ill just before the event
What was the streamer doing there? The streamer team NNO from Germany, which includes the biggest German Twitch streamers, competed. Thunny is actually not part of the active team and usually serves as the manager of NNO.
However, her partner Daniel “Broeki” Broekmann, whom she almost pressured into a proposal, plays there as ADC. Broeki fell ill at short notice (via X) and Thunny quickly stepped in for him.
So it was against T1 and Faker, who almost fielded their best lineup. Only the supporter Keria was missing; Untara (27) played for him, who actually works as a content creator for T1 and is a trained top-laner.
However, Faker switched from mid to top lane and played against Tolkin, who must grin every time he talks about Faker. Tolkin repeatedly emphasizes the outstanding importance that Faker has for his own life and how much he reveres the South Korean.
Additionally, there was a “Nemesis Draft”. NoWay selected the champions for T1, while Faker chose the champions for NNO. A wild mix was played:
Thunny ended up on Seraphine, a champion she apparently felt comfortable with.
Faker had to cope with Riven and struggled against Tolkin’s Camille on the top lane.
NoWay dominated with Heimerdinger in the mid lane against a quickly frustrated Gumayusi.
A wild match swings back and forth
How did the match go? The match was wild, but from the beginning, NNO appeared to be on equal footing and fought back vigorously. Especially the jungler Agurin took the match into his hands repeatedly and was able to secure important kills for NNO.
NoWay surpassed himself with Heimerdinger in the game and became a damage machine. Tolkin managed several great plays on Camille, including solo kills on Faker.
While the laning phase offered slight advantages for NNO, it seemed during the teamfight phase like T1 could barely win the game through superior teamplay and escape with a black eye: The South Koreans had pulled ahead by 5,000 gold.
But NNO managed to turn the game around in a fantastic final spurt:
Here is the brilliant trap:
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NNO sets a trap and the world champions fall for it
This was the decisive scene: The decisive scene was a trap that NNO set for the world champions on the top lane. Tolkin baited the T1 players scattered as a “decoy”, while the rest of the team jumped out of the bush and ambushed the Koreans, who had been baited: The lonely Faker could no longer defend the base against the attacking German streamers, and the game was indeed won for NNO.
German streamer in the spotlight of the international e-sports scene
What was Thunny’s reaction? Thunny immediately announced her retirement as a professional player on Twitter.
On Reddit, people are excitedly discussing: Thunny is indeed “Seraphine” herself and can now claim to be the only woman who has ever defeated T1 – and that with a 100% win rate.
There is also gossip in other threads: A team of streamers defeats T1, and they even had a woman on their side!
Even her boyfriend graciously congratulates. He writes that it is better for him that Thunny, as the only woman, is in the spotlight than if he himself had stood there.
Even before Christmas, the developers of Path of Exile 2 are gifting you a major update, with numerous improvements. MeinMMO has the German patch notes for you.
What is supposed to change? The developers of Path of Exile 2 are releasing the last patch of the year before the holidays. The focus of this massive update is on several aspects that have recently been heavily criticized within the community.
The PoE2 community has recently complained, for example, about the nerfs that prompted some players to change their builds. They demanded compensation from the developers, such as a free reset of all skill points or at least a discount on it. Here, the developers are now conceding.
With the new update, respecializing for players in the endgame is supposed to become 40 to 50 percent cheaper. Additionally, the so-called death effects will be adjusted. They are a common cause of death and are supposed to deal significantly less damage after the patch.
Also, during the Trial of the Sekhemas, the damage to your honor from damage-over-time effects has been significantly reduced. The normal damage to your honor now scales with the distance to your opponent, making it easier for melee characters.
In addition to many new balance changes, two new gems are being introduced. The “Tremors Support Gem” gives your abilities more aftershocks but comes with reduced damage. The “Bidding Support Gem” buffs the damage of your minions’ command skills.
The developers also announced that they will take a break over the holidays to rest. They will not resume work on Path of Exile 2 until the new year.
[toc]
An NPC in Path of Exile 2 is particularly helpful:
Start video
This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items
Path of Exile 2 Patch Notes in German
The following changes will soon be introduced in the game with the massive update. However, there is currently no exact date for the patch. Here are the official patch notes in German:
Gameplay Features
As we mentioned last week, we will add the ability to travel quickly between checkpoints within an area, and also add many more checkpoints in areas, basically at all entrances and exits to areas. This means that if you find them first, you can immediately travel to them to continue your exploration.
We will also lower the costs for resetting passive points, especially at higher levels. The cost curve has increased relatively aggressively with character level; we have flattened this curve so that it no longer rises as exponentially. This should generally lead to around 40-50 % lower gold costs for resetting points between the beginning and the midpoint of endgame progression.
Trial of the Sekhemas
Players found Trial of the Sekhemas particularly frustrating in close range, so we have adjusted how honor damage scales in close range and also fixed a major bug that caused players to suffer far too much honor damage from damage-over-time.
Honor damage now scales down based on distance to enemies. In close range, you take 35 % less honor damage, and the effect decreases the further you are from monsters.
A bug was fixed where damage-over-time dealt three times as much damage to honor as intended, and another bug was fixed where honor resistance was only applied to two-thirds of that damage. (This was also confusing for us)
Skitter Golems no longer use normal attacks and only explode instead.
The Burrow and Ambush Attack of the Serpent Clans now has an improved visual announcement and can no longer be used from such a great distance.
The volcanoes created by Rattlecage’s Fissure Slam now last only half as long.
Endgame and Monster Balance
Overall, the balance in endgame maps has been tougher than intended. Therefore, we have reduced damage in various ways and disabled a specific on-death effect where the visual announcement was not as clear as it should have been.
Maps now have no more additional elemental resistance penalties that were automatically applied from Tier 6 and Tier 11 or higher. This is now consistent throughout the endgame.
Chaos damage now scales less aggressively in the endgame.
Critical hits from monsters now deal 40 % less bonus damage.
The base monster density in Breach encounters has been reduced, mainly through a reduction in the frequency of elite monsters appearing.
The Volatile Crystals Modifier has been disabled. We will revisit this in the future once the visual announcement has been improved.
The purple explosions caused by the Volatile Plants Modifier on rare monsters now deal significantly less damage.
The Siphons Flask Charges Modifier on monsters now drains ten times fewer flask charges per second. (This effect unintentionally drained too many charges)
These changes should lead to a significantly more survivable endgame overall. We will continue to address problematic cases as they arise.
Character and Item Balance
We have made charm modifiers on belts significantly more common; they now appear at much lower levels. The “of Symbolism” modifier now appears from level 23, and the “of Inscription” modifier appears from level 64.
Electrocute is now 25 % harder to build. (However, the damage penalty has been removed from the support gem.)
A new cluster for lightning damage and Electrocute has been added to the passive skill tree, between the areas of the Rangers and Monks.
It is now more difficult to freeze enemies continuously as the amount of frost buildup after an already applied freeze has been reduced.
The Hunter’s Talisman Notable now grants +1 charm slot. The small passive skills leading to it now grant the stat it used to provide. The charm tooltip has been updated to indicate that you cannot unlock more than three charm slots, allowing us to add more sources for this in the future.
Skill and Support Gem Balance
Since launch, we have unfortunately had to nerf some skills that were far too overpowered. What do we define as overpowered? Basically, these are situations where a certain skill is so strong that players feel like no other playstyle is viable.
In general, we try to do this in such a way that a build does not become unplayable (but we also make mistakes sometimes!). Ideally, truly meta-changing adjustments are only made alongside a content patch and a new league.
However, this does not mean that we have not also addressed weaker skills and support gems. We have a number of adjustments planned that should improve some of these skills. The full list of changes will be in the patch notes, but here is an example of what to expect:
Improvements to Rolling Slam and all shield skills in the mace area.
Improvements to various bows skills, especially for generating frenzy charges.
Improvements to bone spells and chaos damage-over-time spells in the occult area.
Improvements to various crossbow skills, particularly those at higher levels.
Improvements to some weaker quarterstaff skills.
In addition to these improvements to skill gems, we have also revised the support gems. We have added two new support gems and removed or reduced penalties on many others, especially for support gems for fire, lightning, and cold exposure.
Tremors Support Gem added: Allows adding multiple additional aftershocks to abilities, but with a damage penalty.
Bidding Support Gem added: Grants more damage to the command skills of supported minions.
The Fire Exposure, Lightning Exposure and Cold Exposure Support Gems no longer penalize the damage of supported skills. They now have a mana cost multiplier of 120 %.
There are also some notable nerfs for a few of the remaining overly strong skills:
The spirit costs of the Skeletal Arsonists now match those of the other two skeleton mages. This should lead to a slight reduction in the number of Arsonists at higher levels.
A nerf to the damage-over-time component at very high levels of Tornado and Vine Arrow. These skills were never intended to deal damage themselves but were meant to serve as a method to spread the damage of other skills.
Magnetic Salvo can now only use your own set lightning arrows and no longer those created by your group members.
As we slowly move towards the Christmas season, we want to thank you all for our most successful launch so far. We couldn’t have done it without your support. A large part of our team will be taking a well-deserved break in the coming weeks, but we look forward to returning refreshed in the new year and ushering in an exciting 2025 full of new developments.
A known bug that kicks players out of Path of Exile 2 when they perform their actions too quickly will probably not be fixed this year. This may still appear in the full patch notes, detailing every change. Recently, Elon Musk was also affected by the problem: Path of Exile 2 kicks out Elon Musk, but he denies all cheat accusations
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft, it is well known that one can spend wonderful years chasing a rare mount drop. Or you can do it like a father and his two sons.
Which mount are we talking about? Since a certain Baron Aurius Ravencrest from Stratholme drops his death knight steed, heroes from Azeroth have been chasing this rare drop. In the oldest post on wowhead.com from December 2006, it says:
“It is a great mount if you are lucky enough to see it drop. It is definitely something to admire. And it definitely has one of the lowest drop rates in the game at the moment. UD-Strath run number 141. Still no mount!”
In tribute to their father, a WoW player moved the community to tears:
Start video
WoW Player Moves to Tears with Tribute to Her Father
Who had the big drop luck now? On Reddit, Fat_Cat_Rudy writes that a family reunion of a rather different kind took place recently. After a few years break, his brother and father returned to WoW to explore Azeroth together again.
Clearly, they also paid one or two visits to Stratholme (via timewalking). Just two weeks after the return of the two relatives, the trio was able to take a screenshot of themselves each riding their own death knight steed from Ravencrest. But see for yourself:
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How does the community react to this? On one hand, with more than 1,350 upvotes so far. On the other hand, of course, with many comments. Among them, there are also some speculations about the drop rates of the mount in certain situations.
Androza23 wonders on Reddit: “I wonder if there’s a built-in increase in drop chances for returning after a long break. When I returned at the beginning of TWW, I got 4 rare mounts in a row and a bunch of cards for the deep things while my friends still hadn’t found a single card.”
tdy96 celebrates the family on Reddit: “This is really totally sweet. Please adopt me into your WoW family.”
knightsandsounds noticed a detail (via Reddit): “Please tell me your dad is the Brewmaster Brewmiester.” Spoiler: Yes, he is!
No-Lion54 remembers on Reddit: “A shout out to the druid who traded me the reins a few days ago (he already had them)! I’m glad I was able to reciprocate with a toy that dropped in the timewalking run immediately after. WoW can truly be a feel-good place.”
Infamous_Koala6468 is still farming (via Reddit): “I’m jealous! I farmed the area and only saw the reins drop once. It was right the first time I started repeating Stratholme runs. I didn’t get it, but was glad to see it drop for someone.”
Currently, there are more than 1,220 mounts in World of Warcraft. A passionate collector from Azeroth was able to achieve the milestone of 1,000 riding and flying animals in September 2024, which was celebrated extensively by the community. MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz, on the other hand, has … a lot less. More on that: 408 attempts for grave stalkers, but that’s just one mount of 1,000 that a player has after 20 years of WoW
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In The Walking Dead it is mainly about survival. Characters you hate or love are confronted with difficult situations within a zombie apocalypse in the series and also in the comics. But who is actually the strongest character? The creator of The Walking Dead has answered that.
What is The Walking Dead? In 2010, The Walking Dead started a successful zombie series that has now had several spin-offs that are still running today. These include:
Fear the Walking Dead (8 seasons)
The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2 seasons)
Tales of the Walking Dead (1 season)
The Walking Dead: Dead City (currently still running)
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (currently still running)
The Walking Dead: The One Who Live (1 season)
The original series is actually based on the comics by Robert Kirkman. In a special edition of his comic, he even explained who the strongest character in the series is: Carl Grimes, one of the least popular characters in the series.
Start video
Trailer for Season 1 of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Comic Carl is different from in the series
What does Robert Kirkman say? Between 2003 and 2019, the comic series The Walking Dead ran. While the series is based on the comics, many events and characters are different. There is also a significant difference between series and comic Carl.
For Kirkman, he is the strongest character in the series and one of the few survivors at the end. In the special edition The Walking Dead Deluxe #101, he explains this, as Sensacine reports:
Carl is probably the strongest character in the series… he handles these things better than anyone else… which should be alarming. He still has a lot of life in him… I believe.
Robert Kirkman about Carl Grimes
Carl is a markedly different character in the comics. In the series, he is one of the least popular characters among many fans, especially because he often acts quite irrationally and puts the group in danger. Just like a child.
At the end of the comics, Carl is also one of the last survivors of the group. At the end, he lives a life with his own family. In the series, Carl, played by Chandler Riggs, died in Episode 9 of Season 8.
What about Daryl? For many series fans, Daryl would probably be the strongest character in the series. He has shown his survival skills from the beginning and is still living in his own spin-off. In fact, Daryl is a character exclusive to the series. He never appeared in the comics. In his own series, you can even find an anime Easter egg: In The Walking Dead, there is a scene where a character from One Piece appears
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Science fiction movies are not always created by experienced, visionary directors. In the case of a true classic, the creative mind behind it was even just 16 years old.
Which movie is being talked about? The Fifth Element is a film by the French director Luc Besson. It belongs to the genre of science fiction and has developed into a modern classic since its release in 1998.
In it, Bruce Willis plays a taxi driver in the distant future who encounters the mysterious woman Leeloo, portrayed by Milla Jovovich. Together, they must save the world and all its living beings from destruction by evil.
The film is among the best works of Bruce Willis, even though the actor and his director did not get along particularly well. Luc Besson ended up bringing the film even more fame than he already had. Before The Fifth Element, Besson directed films such as Léon: The Professional or Nikita.
The idea for his science fiction epic is older than all his films. It actually comes from his youth.
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The Fifth Element – Trailer for the Cult Sci-Fi Film by Luc Besson
A lot of time to think
When did Luc Besson get the idea for the film? In an interview with Nerdist, the director talked about the development of the film. According to him, he got the idea already at the age of 16.
At that time, he formed a concept of the world and its inhabitants and wrote the first drafts of the story.
When I started writing at 16, it was more like a novel. In my mind, it wasn’t a film. I never thought about turning it into a movie. So it was a novel for a long time, and at some point, ten years later, I said: “I would like to make a film out of it. But I started changing a lot of things because a novel is really different.”
And that’s certainly not a disadvantage. Because on one hand, the long consideration of such a complex idea can certainly not hurt, on the other hand, Besson was able to refine the ideas he had at 16 with increasing life experience and maturity.
How did the film perform? Only at the age of 38 was Besson able to bring his long-term project to theaters. The Fifth Element received mostly positive reviews and currently has a score of 71% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The visionary images, quirky characters, and eccentric style are particularly praised. After all, the film stands out significantly from other science fiction classics like Star Wars. Although George Lucas’s franchise remains very popular, MeinMMO editor Niko Hernes has something to criticize: Star Wars currently has a big problem, and that problem happens to be the Jedi.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Spiritborn came with the expansion Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4 and is currently the strongest class in the game. Soon, many of you can get a brief impression of it for yourselves – all without having to purchase the expansion.
Update, December 17, 2024: The article has been updated with new information about the current event.
This is the Spiritborn: With the first expansion for Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred, the new class was introduced: the Spiritborn. The “Spiritborn” have a connection to the “Spirit Guardians” and can summon them to utilize their skills. They currently dominate the tier list of the best builds for Season 6.
To play the Spiritborn, you actually need to purchase the DLC – which costs nearly 40 euros. However, soon you will have the chance to play this class for a short time without paying for it.
When can I test the Spiritborn? You can test the Spiritborn class from December 19, 2024, to January 3, 2025 – on Battle.net, Xbox, and PlayStation. This is a good opportunity to get a little impression of the class, about which the community keeps discussing its crazy builds. If you are convinced by the class and decide to purchase Vessel of Hatred afterwards, your progress will be carried over.
What can I test? During the test, you can play the new class and level up to level 25. You can take a look at many skills and the spirit hall of the Spiritborn, and try out the fast gameplay. You can find out more in our overview of all skills of the Spiritborn.
During the offer, several other events will also take place in Diablo 4, making it even more worthwhile to start the game from December 19.
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Blizzard explains the Spiritborn, the new class in Diablo 4 and its spirits
Events for more gold, XP, and loot
Here’s why playing is worth it even more: Alongside the offer to try out the Spiritborn, two other events will start in Diablo 4. Here you can level up faster and defeat special enemies for unique loot. It is definitely worth checking out the game at this time. Perfect for leveling new characters or further developing your existing ones.
The following events await you soon in Diablo 4:
“Mother’s Blessing” Event: The “Mother’s Blessing” event is returning from December 17, 2024, to Thursday, January 2, 2025, where you can farm XP and gold. It is not yet clear how high the bonuses will be. In the past, they were around 35% more XP and 50% more gold.
You also have the opportunity to boost a player character on the eternal realm. If your character is already at level 50, you will still receive legendary items. If you own Vessel of Hatred, you can boost 2 player characters (via Blizzard).
For the boost, you need to go to Kyovashad, and you will then receive level 50, various builds to choose from, a gear set, gold, and materials. On top, you will receive Obolus, which you can exchange at the curiosities dealer for strong loot. Additionally, you will unlock all altars of Lilith. This is especially beneficial for those who have not done so yet.
Will you take advantage of the offer and check out the Spiritborn? The Spiritborn is currently the strongest class in Diablo 4. But be warned: that could change with Season 7. Blizzard has no nerfs planned for the upcoming midseason update, but adjustments have been announced for the next season. The developers advise players to enjoy what they have now.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon TCG Pocket, everything is about collecting cards. On December 17, 2024, a new booster pack called“Mystical Island” (Mythical Island) will be released, bringing a bunch of new cards. You can find the card list here at MeinMMO.
Update on December 17, 2024, at 07:00 AM: “Mystical Island” has been released, and all the cards are now known. We list them for you here.
What is included in the booster? The new booster pack contains a total of 80 new cards. Among them are 5 ex cards (i.e., particularly powerful cards), 5 trainer cards, and one immersive card.
An overview of all known cards can be found here.
Here you can see the trailer for the pack:
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Pokémon TCG Pocket: Watch the booster ‘Mythical Island’ in the official trailer
All Cards in the Booster Pack “Mystical Island” (Mythical Island)
Below you will find an overview of all cards listed from the rarest to the most common. If you’re not sure what the rarities mean, check out here.
The Spotlight Hour on December 17, 2024, in Pokémon GO offers you Snail Mag and Arctip. How to make the most of the event is summarized here for you.
What is the Spotlight Hour?The Spotlight Hour takes place every Tuesday evening. For 60 minutes, one Pokémon is put in the namesake spotlight – or, in exceptional cases like this week, multiple Pokémon.
You will find these Pokémon significantly more frequently throughout the game for an hour. This week, you can look forward to Arctip and Snail Mag.
This is Arctip: Arctip is an Ice-type Pokémon from the 6th generation. It evolves into Arktilas. Additionally, you can use its candies for Hisui-Arktilas if you have already caught one. This monster occasionally appears in raids. Arktilas is quite useful in the Master League, but there are better options in the other PvP leagues and as a raid attacker.
This is Snail Mag: Snail Mag is from Generation 2 and is a Fire-type Pokémon. It evolves into Magcargo. However, both are not worth considering as fighters in Pokémon GO; they are not among the best attackers in Pokémon GO.
But: There is also a bonus on top of that.
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Pokémon GO reveals the new season Dual Destiny in the trailer
Spotlight Hour on 17.12.2024: Start, Bonuses, is it worth it?
Start of the Spotlight Hour: As always, it starts at 6:00 PM. At 7:00 PM, you will meet the event spawns of the Festivities event starting on December 17.
Bonus: You can earn double the number of catching candies during the hour. This also applies to all raid or Dynamax bosses you defeat during this time. Additionally, the Festivities event grants double catch XP and half the incubation time for eggs.
Are there Shiny Arctip and Snail Mag? Yes, you can catch both as Shiny. However, the Shiny rate is not increased. But due to the sheer number of spawns, you could get lucky.
Is the hour worth it? Both Pokémon are not super useful in battles, but the bonuses make the hour quite interesting. Moreover, you might get lucky with Shiny hunting. And at least as a Master League fighter, Arktilas is worthwhile. If you want to have some fun with that, you should take the bonus candies from catching during the hour. And if you are still missing the monsters, it’s a good opportunity to fill your Pokédex.
However, if you are more focused on raid attackers, neither Snail Mag nor Arctip or their evolutions are particularly useful. There are significantly more helpful Pokémon that can deal much more damage to the opponent. But speaking of raids: There seems to be a change that helps you defensively. You can read all about the change in dodging in raids here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There was almost a movie about Sailor Moon in which Uranus and Neptune would have appeared for the first time. The story was supposed to revolve around the two warriors, but ended up in a completely different anime.
What kind of movie would that have been? Kunihiko Ikuhara was the director for the movie Sailor Moon Super S. He had the idea that not Sailor Moon, but Uranus and Neptune would be the main characters. The story was to be independent of the series and introduce the two warriors to the franchise for the first time.
Sailor Neptune was supposed to be in a 1000-year sleep in a place called “The End of the World”. Uranus was supposed to steal a talisman from the Sailor Warriors to resurrect Neptune.
There was supposed to be a chase scene in which Sailor Moon rides on a white Pegasus behind Sailor Neptune on a black Pegasus. The climax of the whole thing was to be a battle between the two warriors on the flying horses.
You can see another movie about Sailor Moon here:
Start video
Japanese trailer for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos – Part 1
From the Sailor Moon film to another anime
Why was the movie never made? Before the production began, the movie’s producer left the animation studio. It would have still been possible for Ikuhara to make the movie without the producer. But since they developed the idea together, the director also left the animation studio.
What happened to the idea? However, the idea of the “End of the World” never left his mind. Therefore, he included that part of the story in the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena. The anime is also a magical girl series like Sailor Moon and premiered in 1997. Ikuhara worked there as a director.
You can even see the idea of the flying Pegasi in the opening of the anime. You can watch the complete video on the YouTube channel of Ladyserena13.
What kind of anime is this? After her parents died, Princess Utena Tenjou was visited by a prince. He gave her a ring with a rose emblem that she should always keep with her. At Ootori Academy, she is then pulled into the world of duelists due to a misunderstanding.
There are many people there who have a similar ring as she does. The duelists fight for the Rose Bride. Utena finds it unfair that she is seen as an object and participates in the battle for her to spare her a cruel fate.
In Pokémon TCG Pocket, a new booster pack is on the horizon. Unfortunately, a currency you have collected so far will not help you with this.
On December 17, 2024, the next booster series titled “Mythical Island” will be released in Pokémon TCG Pocket. This series brings a total of 80 new cards to the game, which you can collect from the release date.
While there has only been one booster series in the game so far, this marks the release of the 2nd booster series. Although many players may be excited, there is already a limitation that may somewhat diminish this excitement.
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Pokémon TCG Pocket: Watch the booster ‘Mythical Island’ in the official trailer
New Pack, New Pack Points
What is this limitation? When you open booster packs, you receive 5 so-called pack points for each opened pack. You can exchange these for cards from the corresponding booster series, thereby obtaining the cards that you cannot get by drawing cards.
In the past, it has already been announced that pack points have an expiration date and can only be used for the corresponding cards of a booster series as long as that series is available in the game.
Although the new booster series Mythical Island is just a small expansion (code A1a) and not a large new series (which would carry the code A2), you still cannot use your existing pack points for cards from the new expansion.
These points can only be exchanged for cards from the previous booster series, Unbeatable Genes. Therefore, you will need to collect new pack points for the new booster series if you want to trade them for cards.
“When you open booster packs of a specific expansion, you receive pack points for that expansion. These points can only be exchanged for cards included in that expansion. Expansions are card sets marked with a single code. The expansion code (e.g., A1, A1a, and A2) indicates which cards belong to which booster packs.”
A card from the new booster series seems to be highly anticipated by many players already. This is because it has a powerful attack that could effectively counter some of the currently strongest cards in the game: Mew ex will be your counter against the strongest cards in the game.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer QTCinderella hosted her annual show, the “Stream Awards,” on December 7, where the scene celebrates itself. However, actress Grave Van Dien (28, Stranger Things) had a score to settle with the gaming clan FaZe, and that escalated. She insulted the masculinity or the lack thereof in the contentious group of gamers.
That was the scandal: Actress Grace Ban Dien was supposed to present the award for the best shooter gamer at the Stream Awards 2024 of QTCinderella. However, she used her time on stage for a reckoning with the gaming clan “FaZe”:
I am so excited to introduce the best first-person shooter player because I am stuck on bronze in every game I’ve ever played: That’s why the FaZe clan never really accepted me. Right, guys? Oh well, I’m not a fan of Donald Trump anyway.
On Twitter, the actress added:
The FaZe guys are so brave online, but when they saw me last night, they just stared and whispered. Micro-Energy.
The “Micro Energy” was understood as a reference to “Big Dick Energy.” Van Dien apparently wanted to express that the gaming streamers from FaZe lack “masculinity,” in a figurative sense, but also literally in their pants.
In Stranger Things, Van Dien plays the role of “Chrissy Cunningham.”
Start video
Stranger Things – Trailer for Season 1 of the Netflix series (English)
Actress becomes a streamer
What is the actress doing on Twitch? Van Dien decided in March 2023 to end her acting career and become a streamer because she could no longer stand the film industry (via GameStar).
She streams under the name “bluefille” and has 320,399 followers on Twitch. The FaZe clan accepted her in March 2023 (via Twitter).
This was the statement of the streamer at the Stream Awards:
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What was the reaction? The head of FaZe, Richard “Banks” Bengston (33), tweeted after her appearance at the Streamer Awards and her tweet about Micro-Energy (via sportskeeda):
You are an ugly bitch lol, no one is afraid of your baby voice or your 40-kilo emo boyfriend. Stop clinging to our shit, no one knows you or gives a damn about you. You tried to push yourself into FaZe, you are a damn nutjob that none of us wanted, and YOU’RE STILL MAD.
Bad boys clan repositions itself, but it backfires and the actress is the victim
What is it about? The FaZe clan is originally a group of shooter players who gained recognition and fame in the scene. They consciously took a controversial stance and played with their image:
They cultivated an image as a “bad boys club,” with a villa in Los Angeles, rough parties, and the “fast life.”
However, the clan gradually became more commercial over the years, even went public, and apparently tried to become more diverse by bringing people like Grace Van Dien on board.
The original members were against this realignment. Grace Van Dien was a red flag for them and a symbol of everything that was going wrong in the new FaZe clan. They quickly pushed her out of the clan.
Banks later, when FaZe’s stock plummeted, took back control with the help of an investor and brought FaZe “back on track.” In a hastily arranged action, they kicked out new members from the clan and once again hung the “No Girls Allowed” sign on the treehouse.
As one can see from the tweet, the tone of voice is rough. Episodes like the one with Grace van Dien are apparently something they want to forget.
This is FaZe Banks (right) with his protégé Tfue (left).
How did her outburst at the Stream Awards go for the actress? Disastrous. Van Dien has since deactivated her Twitter account, and Banks has deleted the tweets. However, he apparently doesn’t really regret his statement since there are still retweets of the discussion on his account:
The tone of voice is harsh.
The action at the Stream Awards shows, probably, that some things are better left unsaid. The feedback on Van Dien’s action seems to be devastating. Especially as the usual suspects, like Asmongold, jumped on the topic and clearly sided with the FaZe clan.
They behaved like assholes, as Asmongold said, but that’s how it has always been, that’s how one knows and loves the clan.
USB-C cables have long been a standard in the tech world. However, a recent study shows that they also pose a growing security risk. Hackers are embedding hidden hardware in these universal cables to steal data or manipulate devices.
Why are USB-C cables a popular weapon for hackers? USB-C has become the standard due to its versatility and speed. Whether for smartphones, laptops, or gaming consoles, almost every modern device uses this connection. Yet this widespread use makes it the perfect target for hackers.
According to reports from TechSpot and The Verge, USB-C cables can be manipulated to look like normal charging or data cables, while actually containing problematic hardware. These cables can hook into devices when connected, transfer malware, or even simulate keystrokes. Particularly alarming: The alterations are so well hidden that they are not visible to the naked eye.
Start video
Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds
How does the manipulation work? The so-called O.MG cables, which were first introduced at security conferences like DEFCON (one of the largest hacker events in the world) in 2019, are barely distinguishable from ordinary USB cables at first glance (via MG.lol). However, they conceal highly advanced technology within.
Once such a cable is connected to a device, sensitive information such as passwords or bank details can be read out. Additionally, malware can be surreptitiously installed on the system, remaining active in the background.
A test by Golem.de showed that the manipulation of the cables is so perfect that it is difficult for experts to recognize. The technology has advanced to the point where there are no visible differences from conventional cables.
A CT scan reveals what lies within
What makes the cable so dangerous? Hackers primarily exploit users’ inattention. USB-C cables are often exchanged among colleagues, friends, or even in public charging stations. This increases the likelihood that a manipulated cable comes into one’s possession or is used for a conventional data transfer.
An investigation by Lumafield, which analyzed the internal structure of O.MG cables using CT scans, confirmed that the malicious hardware is extremely compact and not visible from the outside. This makes it a genuine “invisible threat”.
What they discovered was that the modified cables contain hidden microcontrollers, antennas, and memory chips. These components are so small and well integrated that they are not recognizable to the naked eye.
Simply put, the microcontroller controls actions such as injecting malware, the memory stores or transmits data, and the antenna allows hackers to control the cable wirelessly from a distance.
How can you protect yourself? To protect yourself from attacks through manipulated USB-C cables, users should observe some important measures:
Only buy certified cables from trusted providers
Avoid foreign, public, or borrowed cables
Use USB data blockers
A USB data blocker, often referred to as a “USB condom,” is a small adapter that is inserted between the USB cable and the device. It blocks the data lines of the cable, allowing only powerto be transmitted. This prevents data from being transferred or manipulated unnoticed – ideal for safe charging at public stations.
Although the examined cables are currently still relatively expensive (from €100) and therefore rarely circulate among the public, it cannot be ruled out that they will become more readily available in the future. Vigilance remains the best protection. Those who pay attention to trusted sources when buying cables and take appropriate security measures can significantly reduce the risk.
USB-C was supposed to end the cable chaos, but often causes frustration: too many differences, broken chargers, and hidden problems annoy users worldwide. Why the universal standard is anything but perfect and what you should definitely pay attention to can be read here: USB-C as a standard was supposed to make everything easier, but now it’s worse than before
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 some players suffer from packet burst and the associated problems. MeinMMO therefore shows you some solutions that can help you resolve the annoyance.
What is packet burst?
Packet loss (English: packet burst) is a network or server problem that can cause lags or stuttering in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Packet loss primarily affects individual players and rarely an entire lobby
If you have packet loss, it will be indicated to you in CoD Black Ops 6 by a symbol on your screen. The symbol consists of three overlapping squares.
Packet loss can significantly spoil your gaming experience and lead to frustration. Therefore, we show you a few ways how you can ideally resolve the problem.
Note: None of these steps guarantees improvement. You may continue to suffer from packet loss despite our tips. Nevertheless, we want to at least provide you with a few approaches that you can try and that, based on the experiences of other players, have already helped.
Start video
CoD: Everything you need to know about Black Ops 6 – in under 2 minutes
How to fix packet burst in CoD Black Ops 6
How do I fix an occurring packet burst? If you are currently experiencing packet burst, try the following steps to resolve the problem:
Exit CoD Black Ops 6 and restart it
Turn off your console (PlayStation/Xbox) or your PC and restart it
Restart your router. If you have network problems that lead to packet loss, this may help.
If you play CoD Black Ops 6 over Wi-Fi, switching to a LAN/Ethernet connection may help.
If you play CoD Black Ops 6 on console (PlayStation/Xbox), disable crossplay and see if that helps.
On PC, crossplay cannot be disabled.
In past CoD titles like Modern Warfare 3, some PC players reported that installing on an SSD helped. If this is an option for you and you haven’t saved the game on an SSD yet, it is worth a try.
Deadpool & Wolverine was a huge success for Disney. The movie is filled with jokes and references, not only to the MCU. The entire Marvel film history is celebrated in this superhero film. However, you might have missed a brilliant joke if you didn’t watch the movie in German.
Attention Spoiler: The following article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine was a gigantic success for Disney and the MCU. For many fans, it was finally a good Marvel movie again. The third installment of the Deadpool series is not just another superhero film, but a love letter to decades of Marvel movies.
In the film, there are, of course, countless cameo appearances, typical of comics. One of them is part of several jokes. However, the best joke with the character can only be found in the German version, and it has to do with the dubbing.
Start video
Wolverine is back: Official Trailer of Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool and Art Attack
What kind of joke is that? After Deadpool and Wolverine land in a kind of intermediate dimension, they encounter various versions of well-known heroes and villains. One of them is played by Chris Evans. But it is not Captain America; it is Johnny Storm, also known as Human Torch from The Fantastic Four.
This, of course, disappoints Deadpool. In the German version of the scene, Deadpool explains that he should have recognized it immediately. You can see this in a TikTok video from comiccosmos. Deadpool says: I should have recognized it by the voice.
Johnny Storm is voiced in German by Benedikt Weber. In most movies, Chris Evans is voiced by Dennis Schmidt-Foß. Therefore, he has a different voice in Deadpool than the one you know from the MCU, by which Deadpool should realize that it cannot be Captain America.
This moment does not exist in English at all. In the original, Deadpool says: We thought so, after Wolverine says: We don’t know him.
In Path of Exile 2, many players have already seen Act 3. However, the length of the act makes players anxious about the release.
What kind of mechanic is this? In Path of Exile 2, your character becomes stronger over time. This allows you to progress slightly faster as you can defeat your enemies more quickly. To ensure your speed remains balanced, the maps get larger from act to act.
The maps in Act 2 are larger than those in Act 1, and the maps in Act 3 are larger than the maps in Act 2. However, this mechanic creates a significant problem, as players of Path of Exile 2 find.
An NPC in Path of Exile 2 is super useful:
Start video
This NPC in Path of Exile 2 identifies your items
“Act 6 as big as a Minecraft world”
What problem do players see? Currently, only three of the six planned acts are available in Path of Exile 2. Instead of playing acts four, five, or six, players are replaying acts one, two, and three on the Cruel difficulty level.
However, the community is now worried about a problem when the additional acts are released. Because if the mechanic remains as it is, these chapters will be even larger than Act 3, which many already find too large.
DepletedPromethium writes on Reddit: “Act 3 maps are damned terrible, they seem to never end, 5–10 minutes in and I think, okay, this is fine. 20 minutes pass and I’m still looking for the damned exit, 30 minutes in and I’m yawning out of boredom, especially due to the lack of pack density, the absence of rare mobs, and any loot […]”
Upbeat_Syllabub_3315 takes it to the extreme on Reddit: “Rumor has it that Act 4 maps will be of real Minecraft size.”
Also, painseer is concerned on Reddit: “Act 2 is longer than Act 1. Act 3 is longer than Act 2. … will it continue like this? … Act 4 will be longer than Act 3. Act 5 will be longer than Act 4. We’ll never experience Act 6 because no one will ever get that far.”
What troubles players about large maps? The large maps in Path of Exile 2 have several issues according to the community. On Reddit, these criticisms can be found:
On the large maps, there are far too few checkpoints, which means you have to run the long distances sometimes twice.
The maps have too few interesting points and rare monsters, making them seem boring.
There are too many levers to pull, which takes time and makes the maps seem even larger.
If this system is applied to the additional acts in the same way, then players might really take a long time to reach the endgame.
To tackle the bot problem in WoW Classic, some players are using creative ideas – once again highlighting what is going wrong.
World of Warcraft launched the new Classic realms a few weeks ago. These so-called “Anniversary Realms” are very popular within the community. Fans also like to call them “Fresh” realms because everyone starts anew. However, like in all other realms of World of Warcraft, there is a scourge that bothers many: bots.
Fortunately, the community has creative ideas to disrupt bots in their “work”.
Start video
WoW Launches Fresh Classic Realms – The Big Birthday Gift
What happened? In the WoW Classic subreddit, player somebody0964 shared a screenshot showing a whole bunch of bots gathered in one spot:
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The reason for this: There is actually a vendor at that spot, which the bots are supposed to target. Without this vendor, the bots apparently don’t know what to do and just remain motionless in one spot.
Why does this work? Many bots in World of Warcraft follow fixed movement patterns. They travel along exact routes, kill all enemies in the vicinity, and return to cities at regular intervals to empty their inventory, buy food, or – in the case of hunters – replenish their supply of arrows. However, if even one of these steps fails, the bots get stuck and can no longer perform their designated task.
This is how the community reacts: In the WoW Classic subreddit, players celebrate the actions of the player while simultaneously complaining about Blizzard. It simply cannot be that the realms are again so infested with bots that are obvious to all players. There must be systems in place that automatically punish these characters – and not just after several weeks, after they have already caused damage to the economy of the individual realms.
