The new role-playing game from developer Obsidian Entertainment is just around the corner and is highly anticipated by fans. However, a long-time employee seems surprisingly calm about it.
Which game is it about? Avowed is a new role-playing game from Obsidian Entertainment. The studio is very well acquainted with the genre. In the past, it developed popular and acclaimed titles such as Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and The Outer Worlds.
An Obsidian developer knows that the game is eagerly awaited by many fans of the studio. It would be reasonable to assume that the pressure on the team is high. However, the said developer appears surprisingly relaxed.
Which developer is it about? His name is Dennis Presnell, and the list of games he has been involved in reads like a best-of of role-playing games from the past 27 years.
These include titles such as Fallout 1 & 2, Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, or Planescape Torment – some of the best RPGs of all time, created at Black Isle Studios. In 2003, Presnell joined Obsidian Entertainment, where he worked on well-known games like Pillars of Eternity or The Outer Worlds. He was also involved in Fallout: New Vegas.
The developer usually works as an Environmental Artist, meaning he is responsible for the design of landscapes, cities, or dungeons.
Due to his many years of experience, Presnell knows how difficult it is to develop a game. Every time it is a huge excitement. The developer describes it like this:
I have always felt a certain anxiety months before the release of a game; it was nerve-wracking. But I’ve never been this confident at this stage of the project.
By “the project,” he means the new game Avowed, which is set to be released on February 18, 2025, and won’t keep players waiting much longer. While Presnell usually feels nervous during this time, he feels good this time:
I am just incredibly happy with how well everything is coming together. The team is currently finalizing everything, fixing bugs, and working on performance. I will really be proud of this game when it’s accessible to the public. I can hardly wait.
Whether Avowed will resonate with RPG fans at release, and whether expectations will be met, remains to be seen. The developer is indeed optimistic. There has also been criticism ahead of time, as Obsidian Entertainment is participating in the Early Access business model: A developer wants you to pay 90 euros on Steam to play 5 days earlier
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Obsidian has produced some legendary role-playing games like Fallout, which Chris Avellone, game designer and co-founder of the studio, was involved in. But now he is calling for a lawsuit against his former studio.
What kind of developer is this? Chris Avellone founded the development studio Obsidian in 2003 with some colleagues, where he was responsible for Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II and Fallout, among other titles. His last project at Obsidian was the role-playing game Pillars of Eternity before he left the studio in 2015. In 2018, Obsidian was acquired by Microsoft and is now part of the Xbox Game Studios.
Now, Avellone has called in a post for his former studio to be sued for possible discrimination in their hiring practices.
Avowed is set to be the next big role-playing game.
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Avowed – The Combat System in the Trailer
Developer indirectly accuses his former studio of discrimination
What is the lawsuit about? On November 27, 2024, the developer addressed a post on X to anyone who had applied for an artistic position at Obsidian in recent years and had been rejected. They should hire a lawyer. Avellone believes:
The hiring procedures at Obsidian may have been illegal
Since Obsidian is a Microsoft studio, those affected could have a chance of receiving a lot of money: According to Avellone, the plaintiffs might not have to “apply for a job again.”
The developer even promises that lawyers know how much the case is worth and might offer their services at particularly good conditions.
Chris Avellone advises to sue his old studio (via X)
In his post, Avellone refers to “current news.” This likely refers to the discussion around a post from 2020 in which Matt Hansen, the art director of the upcoming Obsidian role-playing game Avowed, offered portfolio evaluations and job consultations to black artists. He wanted to help them replace him one day because there are too many “grizzled white guys” in the industry (via archive.today).
The accusation now is that Hansen preferentially hired people based on their ethnicity and unlawfully discriminated against white individuals. We have asked Obsidian for a statement on this matter and will add it as soon as we receive it.
The Obsidian co-founder explains in another post that an art director is indeed involved in the hiring processes of a studio (via X).
Opinion leaders like former developer Mark Kern, who now goes by “Grummz” on X to criticize the supposedly “woke gaming industry” of the West, have apparently targeted Avowed as the next target.
Kern had advocated for boycotting games regardless of their quality if they include pronouns. He shared a screenshot of an Avowed preview, showing that the player character has the trait “he/him” (via X).
In the wake of the discussion, Matt Hansen, the art director of Avowed, stated that his goal was to annoy Elon Musk with his game. He cannot believe that it actually worked.
Users then found the post from 2020. Hansen has since cleaned out his X account.
However, Avellone emphasizes in his post that his call to sue Obsidian has nothing to do with his personal political views. He believes that the industry should not tolerate any form of discrimination in hiring processes, regardless of the reason.
The gaming industry faced layoffs and studio closures in 2024, leading to uncertainty among those working or wanting to work in this field. Allegations of injustices in hiring processes could therefore weigh particularly heavily. However, layoffs remain a major topic, as demonstrated by the recent wave of layoffs at Activision Blizzard: Update on the layoffs at Activision Blizzard until the end of 2024: 3 locations are affected
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Game of Thrones is infamous for regularly breaking the hearts of its viewers. In the ranking, we remember the 10 saddest deaths in the fantasy series.
How many characters have died? In hardly any other series do characters die as frequently as in Game of Thrones. In all 8 seasons of the fantasy series, there are only four episodes in which no one dies (via winteriscoming.net). The number of deaths is correspondingly high:
In total, 6887 characters have visibly died in the series (via washingtonpost.com).
Which of these deaths one finds saddest is, of course, very subjective. In this list, we still want to attempt to find the 10 deaths that likely had the most emotional impact.
Spoiler alert: Massive spoilers for all seasons of Game of Thrones follow.
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Game of Thrones: Kingsroad shows exciting battles in the trailer
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Place 10: Oberyn Martell
First appearance: Season 4 Episode 1
Time of death: Season 4 Episode 8
Oberyn’s death may not have been the most emotional, but it was one of the most brutal. In the “trial by combat,” he fights for Tyrion against Gregor Clegane. Initially, it seems he will win. But he hesitates too long. Gregor Clegane seizes his chance and crushes Oberyn’s skull with his bare hands.
Unfortunately, Oberyn was not seen much in the series, otherwise his death would have been even sadder. Nevertheless, he was many people’s favorite from the first moment, partly due to his charismatic actor Pedro Pascal.
Place 9: Khal Drogo
First appearance: Season 1 Episode 1
Time of death: Season 1 Episode 10
In the first season of Game of Thrones, we had to say goodbye to Khal Drogo. Just when he was expecting a child with Daenerys, he finds himself in life-threatening danger due to an infected cut. To save the “moon of his life,” Daenerys asks the witch Mirri Maz Dur for help. She indeed saves Drogo’s life, but now he lies in a kind of coma.
In an emotional scene, Daenerys realizes that she has lost her husband for good. To free him from his suffering, she subsequently suffocates him with a pillow.
Place 8: Ygritte
First appearance: Season 2 Episode 6
Time of death: Season 4 Episode 10
Ygritte and Jon share a tragic story. Although they love each other, they stand on opposing sides. When the wildlings attack the Night’s Watch’s Black Fortress, they meet one last time. With bow and arrow, she aims at Jon but cannot bring herself to shoot him. Suddenly, it is she who is pierced from behind by an arrow. In a touching scene, Ygritte dies shortly thereafter in Jon’s arms.
Even though the relationship between the two was a constant up and down, it is considered by many to be one of the best romances in Game of Thrones. This makes Ygritte’s death particularly sad.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Thanks to the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2954, Star Citizen was able to generate several million US dollars once again and thus break a historic milestone.
By comparison: Blockbusters like The Last of Us Part 2, Horizon Forbidden West, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Red Dead Redemption 2, or even Cyberpunk 2077 are said to have cost between 170 and 220 million US dollars (excluding marketing).
The new capital ship Polaris is ringing the cash registers for Star Citizen:
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Star Citizen: The new capital ship Polaris in trailer
Events for the Wallet
Where do the new revenues come from? Revenue of 30 million US dollars in just six weeks… Publishers have implemented morally questionable monetization strategies for much less money in their games.
The responsible parties for Star Citizen, however, do not need to release a game, but only celebrate one of the various community events (and introduce new spaceships for sale during these events, offer a free trial opportunity, promote deals, and advertise upcoming features).
There was also a new concept version of a Paladin gunship (for 260 to 300 US dollars) or the releases of flyable ships like Terrapin Medic (200 to 220 US dollars) and F7C-R Hornet Tracker MK2 (165 to 185 US dollars), which have brought in a lot of money.
In this way, on just day 9 of the event (via Reddit), 3.880 million US dollars were reported. Overall, the ticker currently stands at just over 17.030 million US dollars, slightly above what it was after day 9 of the previous year.
Such events are the reason why the 5,448,000 supporters have, on average, spent more than 139 US dollars on Star Citizen. The starter package currently costs nearly 45 US dollars. By now, some major supporters must have invested many (ten) thousands of US dollars into the ambitious SciFi MMO.
Horror movies are not for everyone. Especially when one shocking moment follows another, some viewers prefer to switch off. Our list presents 9 movies that are indeed creepy in places but are also suitable for more anxious people.
The horror movie is a very popular genre. Perhaps that’s because we humans can watch others in extreme situations while comfortably lying on the couch. This creates excitement without putting ourselves in danger.
At the same time, many representatives of the genre are not for the faint of heart. Whether it gets very bloody and brutal, or whether a jump scare (a surprising scare moment accompanied by a loud noise) happens every few minutes – many people steer clear of horror movies.
In this list, we show you 9 movies that are really good and also suitable for the scaredy-cats among you. They largely forgo conventional jump scares and are not excessively brutal either. The order is chosen randomly.
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Jaws
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Trailer for the animal horror movie ‘Jaws’ by Steven Spielberg
Let’s start with a film that some might claim is not even a horror movie. The film by Steven Spielberg is classified as an animal horror movie and tells the story of a beach in the USA where the titular shark roams.
The film is very effective in suggesting its monster for a long time without showing it fully. Thus, tension builds up slowly but surely. Whenever someone goes into the water, viewers expect a shark attack. Upon its release, the film caused a real panic and made people afraid to swim in the sea.
Fun Fact: The shark itself is only seen for about 4 minutes in the entire film. For a long time, the camera shows only details, and the whole shark is only revealed after about 80 minutes of runtime. The film led to many not-so-good imitations.
Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror (1922)
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The vampire classic par excellence: “Nosferatu” in the trailer
The oldest film on this list is a prime example of German horror cinema from the silent film era. The story of Nosferatu closely resembles that of Dracula; however, they did not have the rights to Bram Stoker’s book, which is why the title and names were changed.
Although the film is over 100 years old, it has lost none of its eerie impact. The images are like something out of a horror novel, and Nosferatu’s gaze is unsettling. The film was remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog, and another remake by Robert Eggers will be released this year .
Fun Fact: Because the producers lost the copyright dispute with the Stoker heirs, all copies of Nosferatu were to be destroyed. However, a few edited versions were saved and later restored.
The Silence of the Lambs
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The Silence of the Lambs – Trailer for the Thriller Classic with Anthony Hopkins
In the film adaptation of the novel of the same name, a young FBI agent, Clarice Starling, must collaborate with the feared serial killer Hannibal Lecter to catch another serial killer. The film is consistently thrilling, and especially the encounters between Clarice and Lecter are nerve-wracking.
Lecter is highly intelligent and tries to manipulate the still inexperienced agent. However, the film avoids major shocking moments until the creepy finale. Instead, it captivates the audience with fantastic performances and a dense atmosphere.
Fun Fact: Similar to the shark in Jaws, Hannibal Lecter is also seen on screen for much less time than many often assume. He appears for only about 16 minutes, yet it feels like he is present the entire time. Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for his performance.
Continue on page 2.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Season 1 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 starts and brings new maps and additional content. We have compiled the most important information for you.
When does Season 1 start? Season 1 of CoD: BO6 started on November 14, 2024. Originally, the season was supposed to kick off at 6 PM, but it actually began a few hours earlier.
Update, December 2: The article has been updated and supplemented with new information.
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Thursday, 11/14/2024
7:00 PM
As the servers remained stable until the end, we are concluding the live ticker. We wish you a pleasant evening and lots of fun gaming!
5:25 PM
Season 1 has been online for a few hours now, and many players’ after-work time is approaching. But so far, the servers are still running smoothly.
4:30 PM
Hopefully, you prepared for the season’s launch in advance and leveled some weapons that could be good in Warzone. If you are unsure which weapons to consider for the Battle Royale, you can read our assessment here:
Some players are reporting on social media that their unused XP tokens from Modern Warfare 3 are now available in Black Ops 6. We checked this in the game and can confirm it. We also have numerous XP tokens available now:
Season 1 surprisingly started a few hours before the originally scheduled time and is already live!
Currently, we have no issues with the servers and we can play without any problems.
2:30 PM
Can we expect server problems this evening? We estimate that there will be no issues with the servers, just like at the release of Black Ops 6.
2:15 PM
Meanwhile, the complete patch notes for Season 1 are also online – including various buffs and nerfs. The XM4, one of the most popular weapons, has even been improved.
You can read the patch notes for Season 1 in German here:
Welcome to our live ticker for the start of Season 1 and Warzone in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6! We will keep you updated today on possible server issues, bugs, or exciting new information.
Preload has already started
When does the preload start? In the night leading up to November 14, 2024, the preload for Season 1 in BO6 was unlocked for all platforms. So you can now download the new content to be ready to start playing tonight at 6 PM.
This is what the Battle Pass looks like in Season 1
The Battle Pass offers you 17 pages of rewards that you can unlock. You can watch the trailer for the Battle Pass on callofduty.com.
What content is available in the Battle Pass? You can earn over 100 rewards, including new weapons, weapon blueprints, and new skins for gear and operators. To earn these, you have three options:
earn 20 free rewards (cosmetic content and base weapons)
purchase the premium Battle Pass (1,100 CoD points)
purchase BlackCell
This Battle Pass will also feature Battle Pass tokens. You can use them to unlock rewards and later pages.
Season 1 Zombies: Directed Mode and new map
During Season 1, there will be the Directed Mode for Zombies. This mode allows you to focus entirely on the story at the launch of Season 1. You can reach up to round 15, and all steps of the Easter egg are marked so that you do not miss any steps.
Additionally, the story of the protagonists from the map “Terminus” continues. A new map is set to be released, named “Citadelle des Morts” (Mid-Season). This will take you to Europe to an abandoned castle. What awaits you there is still unknown.
This is what the map “Citadelle des Morts” looks like.
New items for the Zombie mode
To make the fight against the undead even more varied, Treyarch has devised new items for you to test during Season 1. The following is known:
One additional Perk-a-Cola
One additional Field Upgrade
A new ammunition mod
18 new Augments
3 new GobbleGums
The Hand Cannon that you can build
New Wonder Weapons
New enemy type
More details will be available in upcoming blog posts.
A well-known mode returns
In addition to maps, there will be two new modes for multiplayer. These include:
Ransack
You must secure gold from crates and then bring your loot to your teammates’ stash. But be careful, as your opponents can storm your stash and steal from you. This requires coordinated team play.
Prop Hunt
Prop Hunt is a classic from CoD. There are seekers and those who must hide. The players who are hiding turn into various objects to conceal themselves on the map – such as a wooden crate. The seeking players win if they find all the hiding players, and the hidden players win if the timer runs out first.
The Ranked mode is coming, but is still a while away
The Ranked mode for multiplayer will be playable starting November 21 in Season 1. The skins and new rules are already known, which you should be aware of before the start. The skins available for the Ranked mode are, as always, kept simple – except for the Champion skin.
These are the skins.
Now let’s get to some rules and new features:
Access to Ranked Mode: To gain access to Ranked mode, you need at least 50 wins in matchmade multiplayer. This is how Treyarch wants to ensure that no newcomers end up in your squads.
How to rank up: You rank up by earning SR through winning ranked matches. SR is awarded after each win in the ranked game, with the amount earned based on the player’s proximity to their expected rank, their game performance, and the margin of victory. SR is deducted after losses.
Veto for maps and modes: Before the start of your round, there will be three map and mode combinations that you can exclude with a veto. If both teams have chosen the same item, one of the two remaining options will be decided randomly.
You will soon be able to forfeit: Treyarch will soon give you the option to forfeit a match. You can then vote as a team to end a match early if you are completely overwhelmed or have one less teammate. The loss will then be counted as a normal loss and will not incur any SR penalties or suspensions.
Forgiveness of losses: The first loss of the day will be forgiven. This bonus cannot be stacked.
More about the rules can be found in the official blog post on callofduty.com.
7 new weapons for Black Ops 6
There will be no shortage of weapons, as there will be a total of 7 weapons during the season that you can unlock in the season and through events. In addition, 2 new attachments are expected for variety:
Weapons
KRIG C – Assault Rifle
SIRIN 9MM – Special
MAELSTROM – Shotgun
SAUG – SMG
AMR MOD 4 – Sniper
Power Drill – Melee
Cleaver – Melee
Attachments
Buffer Weight Stock
Dragon’s Breath
Here you can see the weapons.
New perks, killstreaks, and wildcard in Season 1
Treyarch has also planned some things for your loadouts that you should know about. These include two new perks, a new killstreak, and a wildcard:
Perks
Shadow – Release at launch
Perk Slot: 2
Type: Strategist
Shrapnel Radar – Release mid-season
Perk Slot: 3
Type: Recon
Kills streak
Hand Cannon – From CoD: Cold War and Release at launch
New map for Warzone: Warzone is also looking forward to new content as the mode is integrated into Black Ops 6 with the start of Season 1. The Battle Royale will receive a new map: Area 99, a Resurgence map.
With the integration of Warzone into Black Ops 6, you will also be able to use the new Omnimovement as well as weapons from Black Ops 6 in the Battle Royale.
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Area 99: Launch Trailer for Call of Duty: Warzone
Black Ops 6 enjoys six new maps in Season 1
At the launch of Season 1, Treyarch will offer three new maps. The following are known, and this is what they look like:
Hideout (6 vs 6)
Extraction (6 vs 6)
Heirloom (6 vs 6 or 2 vs 2)
HideoutHeirloomExtraction
Three more maps are expected to be released in mid-season, but when that will be is still unknown. Among the maps is one that players from Black Ops 4 should be familiar with:
Hancienda (6 vs 6)
Racket (2 vs 2 or 6 vs 6)
Holiday Nuketown (6 vs 6)
HanciendaRacketHoliday Nuketown
Warzone will have the following modes:
Battle Royale (120 players)
Resurgence (Solos, Duos, Trios, Quads)
Plunder (120 players)
Ranked Play (Mid-season)
Season 1 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 promises exciting content that will bring new gaming fun starting mid-November. We asked you in a survey how much fun you are having with the latest installment of the Black Ops series: How is Black Ops 6 received by you? You voted and made a clear judgment
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the 19th issue of the magazine about One Piece, the appearance of 2 Devil Fruits from the Dressrosa arc was revealed. However, fans didn’t even know that one of them existed.
Which Devil Fruits were revealed? The magazine features both Sugar’s Hobby Fruit, a member of the Don Quixote family, and Leo’s Sewing Fruit, one of the dwarves in Dressrosa.
Above: Sugar’s Hobby Fruit, Below: Leo’s Sewing Fruit, via X
Sugar’s Devil Fruit looks like a wind-up toy. The stem of the fruit serves as the winding element, while the rest of the fruit has the standard design with two larger spirals on the side. You can already tell just by its appearance what powers the fruit grants.
In Leo’s Devil Fruit, you can also see what abilities the user will gain. The stem of the fruit is connected to the fruit by a sewing needle. The individual parts of the Devil Fruit are held together by seams.
A new special about One Piece brings fans to tears:
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First Impressions of the Anime Special One Piece FAN LETTER in the Trailer
A Devil Fruit is brand new for fans
What can they do? With the Hobby Fruit, Sugar can turn any person into a toy by touch. As a result, others lose their memories of them. In contrast, Leo can sew everything together, even people to the ground.
What do fans think about it? In the comments under a tweet from pewpiece, many fans write that they can’t understand how someone could willingly eat the Sewing Fruit. With its needle as a stem and the seams, it doesn’t look very appetizing.
Many users were also unaware that Leo had eaten a Devil Fruit. The dwarf was always armed with a knitting needle, and many probably thought he was just good at sewing. Many didn’t even realize while watching the anime or reading the manga that a Devil Fruit was behind it.
Spider-Man is probably the most famous Marvel hero who has been regularly seen on screen since the 2000s. Overall, the friendly neighborhood spider has appeared in 10 movies. Which one is the best is shown by MeinMMO in the ranking.
Spider-Man was first introduced in the 60s in comics and he has evolved into one of the most popular comic characters of all time. First came animated series, then in 2002 the big screen.
Since then, 10 movies (and countless series) have been released, almost all of which are pretty good. Each actor offered a different portrayal of the iconic character.
The following ranking is based on the opinion of MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes. If you have a different list, feel free to let us know in the comments.
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10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Trailer for the Sequel with Andrew Garfield
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 tries to continue the personal approach from the first part, but the film lacks the breath for that. It is overloaded with too many villains and Andrew Garfield works less as Spider-Man than the other actors.
There is a dramatic moment that was also big in the comics, but there too little time is given for the character and the tragedy to unfold. However, the best part of the film is definitely the renewed chemistry between Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker.
9. Spider-Man 3
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Spider-Man 3 – Trailer for the Finale of the First Trilogy
Ah, Spider-Man 3. The child in me loves this film, which wanted to be very “cool” and “edgy” fitting to the time. The story around Venom actually fits perfectly to a third part, but the execution is a big problem.
With Sandman and the Goblin’s son, there is simply no real focus, which especially affects the symbiote story. Nevertheless, the film is entertaining and Tobey Maguire is still a fantastic Spider-Man. Many absurd clips have also immortalized the film on the internet through memes.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
When Monster Hunter Wilds is released on February 28, 2025, the race for some monster hunters’ personal Game of the Year might already be over. Those who want to prepare optimally for Capcom’s adventure can do so particularly cheaply on Steam.
Why should one prepare? The games in the Monster Hunter series have long been considered not very accessible and complex. It was just part of the deal to have tough battles against huge monsters, grinding, and hard work. The rather lackluster technology also played a role, as many of the titles were released on relatively weak platforms.
This is still partly true today, but the decision-makers at Capcom managed to open the franchise to a significantly larger audience in January 2018. Monster Hunter: World was the first installment of the series for the then most powerful consoles (followed by the PC version in August 2018).
In other words: Those who enjoyed World should carve out some time for Wilds in the coming year. And if you haven’t played the predecessor yet, you can now catch up on it cheaply on Steam – where it stands at “Very Positive” after 284,102 reviews, with 88 percent positive ratings.
World of Warcraft has drawn on well-known ideas. The most famous symbol comes from a stealth game.
In large MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, there are plenty of symbols that have clear meanings for fans. A purple lettering stands for an epic item, a shield symbol for a character in tank specialization, and a green ground effect for healing, where you ideally shouldn’t stand too close to not annoy the healer.
However, some of these symbols were not “invented” by World of Warcraft or even have their origins in entirely different games. One of them is the quest marker that NPCs are equipped with.
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WoW celebrates 20 years of the highlights of Azeroth
What symbol is being referred to? We are talking about the well-known “exclamation points” that mark in World of Warcraft that you can accept a quest from various NPCs and objects. The symbol has been in use since the vanilla version of the game and has – apart from a small graphical enhancement – still been used in exactly the same way as back then.
Where does the symbol actually come from? One of the former lead animators at Blizzard, Kevin Beardslee, explained where he actually knew the symbol from – namely from Metal Gear Solid. He said about it to GamesRadar magazine:
I believe I was playing Metal Gear Solid at the time, and when that “Brrrrrnk!” exclamation point alarm appeared over someone’s head, then I knew A) I was scared and B) I knew that guy hated me. I thought: What if we put that over the heads of our quest givers? Then you instantly know that you should talk to that guy […].
If you are not familiar with Metal Gear Solid anymore: In the early installments of the game series, the exclamation point was a symbol that you had been discovered – typically it meant that panic would break out in the next moment and Snake would be found out. The meaning was thus completely different than later in World of Warcraft. Nonetheless, it apparently was enough to attract people’s attention.
In the meantime, the exclamation point symbol is more than just a fixed part of World of Warcraft. When entering a new area, WoW fans almost automatically scan their surroundings for the yellow symbol that promises a quest. It would surely take a long time to get used to a new symbol. Other things have remained the same in World of Warcraft over 20 years – for example, the price for a service that you have certainly also been using since the launch of World of Warcraft.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Gangster stories are popular templates for movies, series, and of course games. The Yakuza genre is also very popular. The great Yakuza 0 is currently on sale on Steam, and MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes can only recommend it, at least if you have time for karaoke or blind dating alongside hardcore gangster stuff.
What kind of game is Yakuza 0? Yakuza 0 is a rather unusual mix of beat ’em up and action RPG. In the Japanese city of Kamurocho, you are navigating the 80s with Kiryu and Majima and must engage in a criminal Yakuza story in the main narrative.
The great highlight for me in the Yakuza games is the wonderful mix of a serious main story and silly side activities. That’s why I love Yakuza 0, which I’ve spent way too much time on – especially with karaoke and dancing.
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Yakuza 0 – Trailer for the prequel of the Japanese gangster series by SEGA
Great open world with countless side activities
Let’s start with the open world: The two districts you can explore are wonderfully compact, full of life, and packed to the brim with side quests and mini-games. This ensures that there are no empty spots. As a big fan of Japanese games and movies, I love the 80s aesthetic full of neon lights and loud street gangsters.
You can fight them to earn money. With money, you can not only buy items but also skills and new abilities in the skill tree. The 3 different fighting styles can be expanded, and that pays off, as it deepens the combat.
Especially cool are the various interactions during fights. You can throw bicycles or toss enemies onto other enemies. This is well staged and creates a nice flow. The set pieces in the main story are also action-packed. Fans of good and tougher fight choreography will be pleased.
Enough with the hard story, bring on the silly side activities
The real star of Yakuza 0 is the wonderfully silly side activities in the form of quests and mini-games. This is not only the perfect contrast to the very serious story but also a good way to earn money and strengthen Kiryu and Majima. It can get so silly that you might think you’re playing a different game. Let me list my favorite stories and activities:
Singing karaoke
Telephone blind dates that obviously went horribly wrong
Kiryu starts a real estate company and hires a chicken named Nugget that he won in bowling
Majima being harassed by a guy in underwear who dances and is called Mr. Libido
Filming a zombie music video with a parody of Steven Spielberg and Michael Jackson
Kiryu sneaking around to get a dirty magazine for a kid
Kiryu teaching a dominatrix to insult her clients
And these are not even close to all the absurd things you can experience outside the story. You can spend a lot of time, especially with Kiryu’s real estate business and Majima’s hostess club. These are larger side quest chains that allow you to earn a good amount of money.
I have spent over 100 hours on the main story and a lot of side activities. Those who immerse themselves in many mini-games like Mahjong or Poker might even spend more time in the game.
And even if you just want to experience a dark gangster story, Yakuza 0 is worth it. The main story is exciting, has memorable characters, and great action sequences.
Yakuza 0 is the perfect entry point for newcomers as it is designed as a prequel. Currently, the game is available for just under 11 € on Steam. The offer is valid until December 4. If you want to get more parts of the series, you can do so as the entire franchise is currently on sale. A much more relaxing recommendation can be found here: A game on Steam with 91% positive ratings is currently the price of a pack of noodles
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
League of Legends regularly has patches where certain champions are quite strong. That is the nature of a MOBA. However, sometimes champions become much too strong, stronger than intended. This happened in 2019 with a new champion who was just unfair.
Who is it about? On December 11, 2019, with patch 9.24, the new champion Aphelios was released, and he had already sparked a lot of conversation prior to that. His overall package is something special; he even has a different interface and scales stats instead of abilities.
In the game, he has 5 weapons that he can switch between, each offering different secondary effects to his Q ability and his Ultimate. It is also important with Aphelios to combine the different weapons, which creates various possibilities.
This means he was banned by both teams in every match. He achieves over 200% because remakes count as bans but not towards the played matches. In other words, statistically, Aphelios was banned in every match in Korea at that time. Interestingly, Akali and Qiyana also had a fairly high ban rate.
Start video
Former German LoL Pro is Now One of the Most Successful Twitch Streamers – This is NoWay
Complex for the Game and the Players
What makes him so strong? His complicated abilities are not only difficult for players but also for balancing. The interaction possibilities led to strong synergies. When the item Death’s Dance was changed in patch 10.6, it unintentionally created a strong synergy with Aphelios. He could heal himself fully in a few seconds, allowing him to fight groups on his own.
You cannot nerf a whole ability with Aphelios; you have to change individual weapons and combinations for healthy nerfs. If you nerf him universally, he becomes too weak and less played.
His Ultimate was also a major issue. He could achieve multiple kills with ease because it caused too much AOE damage in combination with the flamethrower weapon.
The other reason is his complexity. Sure, to play him properly, you have to understand him, but this also applies to the opponents. One must comprehend his various weapons for good counterplay. In a chaotic team fight, it is hard to keep track. This was also a problem for esports commentators at the time.
You can see how strong he really was back then in a YouTube video by Vandiril:
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His many nerfs in the early patches also indicate that not everything was perfect with the stats. Regularly, values were adjusted to weaken him (via League of Legends Wiki).
In the first hotfix, directly at his release, synergies with on-hit effects were nerfed because they apparently worked too well.
Aphelios was the great example of a meme with which he had nothing to do
Due to Aphelios’s excellent performance, he essentially became the face of a meme within the LoL community. It refers to 200 years of game design experience. The meme originally stemmed from a discussion about Wukong nerfs.
There, RiotLutzburg responded to a player on X.com: Being good at playing a specific character in a video game is valuable, but I think I’ll take the more than 200 years of experience in professional game design (via YouTube)
This became a meme in the community, especially with Aphelios. When he performed way too strong, people liked to refer to 200 years of game design experience.
What is the current situation of Aphelios? Looking at his statistics in the current patch, 14.23 on U.GG, you can see how little influence he still has today. He has a pick rate of 3.5% and a moderate win rate of 48.58% across all ranks. In higher ELOs, this is hardly better. In Challenger, he has a pick rate of 3.9% and a disastrous win rate of 43.84%.
The 2nd season of the successful series Arcane has just been released on Netflix. The story of the sisters Powder and Vi may be concluded, but thanks to new background details from the production, you might view some scenes from a different perspective.
Attention Spoiler: The article discusses events from episode 7 of the second season of Arcane.
Which scene is it about? In Arcane, many characters showcase their abilities known from League of Legends. Some of them can only be discovered if you pay close attention. In episode 7 of the second season, the somewhat eccentric Professor Heimerdinger reveals a completely unexpected talent and surprises with a musical performance.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Alex Seaver, composer of the Netflix hit, reveals that there is more to the scene than meets the eye (via Vida Extra).
At least part of Arcane’s budget must have gone into localization.
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How much Arcane cost
“Only Arcane would do something this crazy.”
What is special about the scene? As Seaver reveals, Heimerdinger’s performance has been translated into all 25 languages in which Arcane is available. The composer himself worked with the voice actors of the different versions.
Seaver speaks about the surprising musical number: “The Heimerdinger song in episode 7. That’s one of those things where you think, only Arcane would do something this crazy, but actually do it really well. And we had Mick Wingert, the fabulous voice actor of Heimerdinger, he sang it so beautifully.”
However, they wanted to create a special moment that viewers around the world could experience. Therefore, in other countries, you do not hear Mick Wingert, but the respective voice actor who sings in the local language.
While it may seem like a small, if not trivial, detail at first glance, it involves an enormous amount of production effort.
It was a lot of work, but that was one of the cooler moments of the season, I think. It’s crazy. We have great partners who helped us with the localization in general. The voice actors for all countries are very important to Riot. This is not something done casually. It’s more about their concern for who the cast is in China, who the cast is in Germany, and who the cast is everywhere.
In Germany, by the way, it is Santiago Ziesmer, whom you might have heard in his role as SpongeBob SquarePants or as the regular voice of Steve Buscemi. You can find the other German voice actors of Arcane with our colleagues at Filmstarts.
While it is not unusual for large productions like Arcane to be translated into many languages, musical units are often kept in their original language and simply subtitled. That the song has been translated into so many languages demonstrates a special love for detail.
Especially in the German-speaking area, we are very spoiled regarding localizations. However, many people fundamentally reject the German voiceover and prefer the original, especially in anime. The reasons for this could be explained by MeinMMO demon Cortyn: Why German localizations are so bad in anime
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Campaigns on Kickstarter have become a common option for developer studios, including Obsidian Entertainment. Director Joshua Sawyer reports in an interview about the hurdles he had to overcome with his idea and his fears that his game could fail even before it was developed.Today, his game has 87% positive ratings on Steam.
Which game is it about? We’re talking about Pillars of Eternity. The CRPG was released on March 26, 2015, for the PC. It was later released for PS4 and Xbox in August 2017, and for the Nintendo Switch in August 2019.
It was previously funded through a campaign on Kickstarter, which reached its funding goal after just 27 hours. After its release, the game received a lot of praise and numerous positive reviews, making it one of the most popular representatives of its genre today with around 87% positive ratings on Steam.
However, the game’s success was not initially guaranteed, as director Joshua Sawyer reported in an interview with Edge Magazine (Issue #404), there were several concerns about the Kickstarter campaign.
Here’s the trailer for Pillars of Eternity:
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Pillars of Eternity: The Trailer for the RPG
“I thought the chance of us being funded in a month was 50/50.”
What was the problem with his idea? At that time, the financial situation of Obsidian Entertainment was not particularly stable, leading to the consideration of funding new projects through crowdfunding. The idea was to create a game that would combine the best elements from games like Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, and Baldur’s Gate. But old-school RPGs with isometric camera angles were not in demand back then.
And even though other studios were very successful with their campaigns at that time, Sawyer faced opposition from the studio owner with his idea. It would be too big of a risk. However, Sawyer insisted on his plan, and other members of his team supported him in that.
The studio had already established itself in the RPG genre with titles like Neverwinter Nights 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, and the concept of the planned game was well received by the team. So ultimately, the risk was taken, and the campaign launched on September 14, 2012.
Still, Sawyer feared the game might not succeed: “I thought the chance of us getting funded within a month was 50/50, and the fact that funding was completed in 27 hours blew us away.”
How did the campaign go? With over 73,000 supporters, nearly 4 million USD was raised during the campaign period until October 16, 2012 (via kickstarter.com). This was almost four times the budget that had originally been set as a funding goal.
Joshua Sawyer had already been involved in many well-known titles and is also a big fan of the RPG genre. However, during a playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3, he realized that one feature was too overused by players and thus affected the gaming experience: He has created great role-playing games and says today: A feature that many of you love was a mistake.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For a few weeks now, the Gigadynamax feature has been available in Pokémon GO. MyMMO author Paul Kutzner views the feature and a recent update regarding it critically.
Upon the announcement of Gigadynamax, it was stated that this would be the toughest challenge in Pokémon GO. And with this announcement, Niantic proved to be right.
Initially, even groups of 40 people had problems, but Niantic has since adjusted the feature slightly. Personally, it still does not appeal to me. And in my opinion, the recent announcement of a new item for the feature is also the wrong direction.
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Dynamax in Pokémon Go – How to participate in the gigantic battles
Feature excludes a large portion of players
Why don’t I like the feature? It’s completely legitimate for Niantic to introduce a feature that requires meeting certain prerequisites. After all, sacrifices must be made if one wants to be the very best.
After all, a decent team with strong Pokémon is also required for successful participation in raids and the battle league, as well as for defeating the Rockets. And for the 5*-raids, you also need additional trainers.
The fact that Gigadynamax battles can only be completed on-site is, in itself, a legitimate decision for me. This is already known from the Crypto Raids.
However, I find the combination of these criteria critical. As a result, a large portion of players is excluded from this feature. Players in more rural regions will find it extremely difficult to gather enough trainers for a Gigadynamax raid, and even players in big cities may have issues with this.
I also find the recent announcement of the Dyna Mushrooms for Dynamax and Gigadynamax critical in this context. This item will probably double the damage of your Dyna and Gigadynamax monsters for 30 minutes. It seems like this item will be offered in the shop for 400 PokéCoins or 3 mushrooms for 1,000 PokéCoins.
Instead of adjusting the requirements for Gigadynamax battles so that more trainers can enjoy the feature, the signal here is that you can still participate in the battles even if you live in rural regions or simply find fewer trainers for this—if you spend your PokéCoins for it.
If the currently known prices prove to be correct, it is also quite a high effort to obtain the mushrooms without spending real money. After all, you would have to earn the maximum number of coins in gyms for 8 days just to get a single mushroom.
Coins that I personally prefer to invest in remote raid passes and occasionally in increasing capacities.
A second opinion: MyMMO author Max Handwerk has also tried out the Gigadynamax feature. Here is his opinion:
During the GO Nature Zone, Gigadynamax Riffex was around, and I really wanted to catch it. However, it quickly became clear: No chance. We usually play Pokémon GO in pairs, and that would definitely not be enough to defeat the monster.
For legendary raids, we like to enter the raid lobby on a whim, because often one or two more trainers show up during events, which is enough to complete the raid. But you shouldn’t even try that with Gigadynamax – about 20 trainers don’t just appear by chance.
In the end, however, we succeeded with Gigadynamax Riffex: Through Campfire, the notification came that a large group of trainers would try it somewhat nearby. So we went out again in the evening, in the dark and in the cold, to participate. And indeed: about 22 trainers were organized here, to whom we could join.
The Gigadynamax Riffex was defeated and caught. We were happy that it worked out, and it was also a cool experience to play with so many people at the same time. At the same time, this rushing around to somehow achieve it, especially in the dark winter cold, has nothing to do with relaxed gaming. However, if you’re not traveling with a group of ten to twenty people anyway, there’s no other way. From my perspective, this is also too difficult—although I actually find the Gigadynamax battles as a feature very cool.
Most of you view the feature critically as well
Recently, we wanted to know your thoughts on the Gigadynamax battles and whether you will participate in the battles. A total of 980 votes have been submitted by you, and the results (as of November 28, 2024, 2:30 PM) are as follows:
“No, the requirements are too high for me” (44%, 434 votes)
“Yes, but it will be hard to find enough trainers” (29%, 285 votes)
“No, I’m not interested in Dynamax at all” (20%, 197 votes)
“Yes, I will participate” (7%, 64 votes)
While 20% of you are not interested in the feature at all, only 7% said they would participate. Almost one in three, 73%, will not participate in the battles due to the high requirements or see the difficulty in finding the high number of trainers needed.
It remains to be seen whether Niantic will intervene regarding the Gigadynamax feature or if it will remain a feature that only a few trainers in the game can enjoy. And who knows: maybe my opinion will change just as it has regarding the Dynamax feature itself.
Of course, there are also many contents waiting for you outside of the Gigadynamax battles in Pokémon GO. One of them is the Fusion Raid Day, happening in December, which brings you 2 of the strongest attackers in the game back: All info on the Fusion Raid Day with Necrozma.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Dauntless was once supposed to offer a free alternative to Monster Hunter but fell behind with the release of Monster Hunter World. On December 5, 2024, the multiplayer attempts a restart, bringing not only a major update but also making its debut on Steam.
What kind of game is this? Dauntless is a free-to-play game where you take on the role of a “Slayer” to hunt monsters. Similar to Monster Hunter, you collect monster parts to craft equipment and weapons. You can venture out either alone or in co-op with other Slayers.
Dauntless offers various modes:
Hunting Grounds: Open worlds where multiple monsters can be hunted at the selected difficulty level
Escalations: Consecutive challenges in a rogue-like environment
Trials: Arena battles against single opponents with varying challenges
Feuds: Over 600 levels with increasing difficulty for multiple Slayers
You can play the game on PS4 / PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Until now, the title was only available on Epic Games, but with the update, it will finally be available on Steam starting December 5, 2024. However, an Epic Games account will still be required to play via Steam.
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Launch trailer showcases the reboot of Dauntless: Awakening
A new beginning with Dauntless: Awakening
What makes the update different? Under the name Dauntless: Awakening, the release on Steam comes with a huge update that revamps the game completely. In addition to a fresh graphical overhaul, the progression system, main and side quests, and difficulty level have also been revised.
Additionally, seasonal hunter passes and a type of loot boxes are to be introduced, which will contain cosmetic items. The developers promise “as much transparency and integrity as possible” regarding the loot boxes (via playdauntless.com).
Moreover, the monsters have been equipped with new behaviors, and the worlds have been enhanced with more exploration incentives. The interface, combat experience, and some other aspects will also receive a revamp. You can find the complete overview of all content and changes here.
Whether the new beginning brings the desired success remains to be seen. Dauntless certainly offers a good foundation, as it incorporates the core elements of Monster Hunter games in a free and fresh variant.
Fortnite held its concert with Juice WRLD on November 30, 2024, and subsequently shut down the servers for Chapter 6. You can find out what leaks there are for the new chapter here.
Sunday, 12/01/2024
11:19 AM
We also jumped into a round and managed to secure an epic victory right away. The servers seem to be stable and the queues short.
Therefore, we would like to sign off and end the ticker here. If the servers run into problems again, we will reactivate the ticker.
We wish you a lovely rest of your Sunday. If you need more info about Chapter 6, you can find everything important here in the respective overviews:
In line with Fortnite: OG, the old Batman items have also made their way back into the data. It’s just a matter of time before they can be played again:
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There will be a new 5 vs 5 mode in which players, according to leakers, will face each other in first-person. The first-person view and new weapon views have now been found in the data:
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So, we have now completed the update download and still cannot log in. According to Epic Status, the server is expected to be down until 12:00 PM German time (via status.epicgames.com).
08:19 AM
The winning screen for Fortnite: OG is also known. It looks very simple and rustic, just like the OG times:
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The parkour has also been expanded and now offers you four new maneuvers that you can use in your escape or hunt:
Diving Roll
Roll Landing
Wall Kick
Wall Running
07:57 AM
All items from Season: OG can be found listed here. The new Raven skin could either represent the secret skin or a shop skin, as it was not included in the list.
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Did you know that now all weapons are hitscan? This means that when you shoot with your weapons, you no longer have to consider the drop of your bullet. Your bullets will go exactly where you aimed since Chapter 6.
07:39 AM
Are you looking for the latest patch notes from Chapter 6? Then we have just the right list for you:
There will be different spirits that you can use in battle. They are peaceful but will provide you with bonuses and can heal you, offer an escape option, or provide loot:
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In addition to new skins, there are also new items in the fight against demons: the Oni masks. Currently, two specimens are known to provide you with bonuses.
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Fortnite OG has also revealed its battle pass, which unfortunately does not bring back any old skins. Instead, Epic Games has resurrected old skins, such as the Skull Trooper or Raven.
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The leakers have been diligently sifting through the data and have spotted all the new skins from the battle pass and OG pass. You can find them all in Shiina’s video:
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Now, all fans are eagerly waiting for the downtime to finally get started in Chapter 6, but it has not yet been activated. We will show you when the servers will be shut down.
When does the downtime start? Officially, the downtime begins at 08:00 AM German time on December 1, 2024. We will be there with a ticker at that time to provide you with the most important information.
When can I play Fortnite again? That depends on the duration of the downtime. This is a larger patch as a new season is heralded. It may be that the server downtime lasts up to an hour. If complications arise, this may extend.
When will patch notes be released? As with every start of a new chapter, there will be a large and comprehensive list of patch notes with Chapter 6 so that players know what has changed. We will list the patch notes as soon as they are known.
What’s in Update 33.00? With version 33.00, Fortnite begins Chapter 6. In this, fans will be taken to a Japanese era, where they must hunt and defeat demons.
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Fortnite: Chapter 6 – Season 1 showcases its new skins and Godzilla in the gameplay trailer
Fortnite: Patch 33.00 – What skins will there be?
What do we know about the skins? As usual, Epic Games demonstrates its new skins from the upcoming battle passes in the latest trailers they release. Therefore, you can expect the following skins:
A new ninja variant of “Hope” (skin from Battle Pass Chapter 5 Season 1)
A modern samurai warrior with a red jacket
A cursed warrior with arms enveloped in black smoke and a white mask
Anyone looking for role-playing input similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or currently waiting for the next Dungeons and Dragons session and searching for alternatives might find what they’re looking for in the Steam Autumn Sale. Because a popular game with very good ratings and classic DnD gameplay is currently available for little money.
What kind of game is it? It is about Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire from the developer studio Obsidian Entertainment. The game was released in 2018 and serves as the sequel to Pillars of Eternity. As the captain of a ship, you explore the Deadfire region, which consists of various islands, and confront a treacherous god.
With around 87% positive votes, this title ranks among the most popular games that utilize classic Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and offers an alternative for all fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Divinity: Original Sin II who are looking for new content.
Currently, you can get the role-playing game on Steam for €9.99 in the standard version. If you want the full experience right away, there is the so-called Obsidian version with all additional content for just about €5 more.
Here you can see the latest project from Obsidian Entertainment in the trailer:
Start video
Avowed – The Combat System in the Trailer
“An almost perfect old-school role-playing game”
What does Pillars of Eternity II offer? In addition to a deep story, the role-playing game not only features turn-based combat but can also be played entirely in turn-based mode. You can choose from 7 different companions and assign them various and even multiple classes. The characters also build relationships with each other, which makes the whole experience even more vibrant.
MeinMMO editor Alexander has invested around 150 hours into the game and was thrilled by the picturesque landscapes and the overall presentation that practically “screams old-school RPG” and allowed him to bask in nostalgia. Players who have celebrated Neverwinter Nights 2 or Baldur’s Gate II will understand what is meant. He also appreciated the freedom of choice and the options provided in the story.
While the graphics may have seen better days (games like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Divinity: Original Sin II set the standard), the overall package is coherent.
What opinions are there in the reviews about it? Many players share the opinion that Pillars of Eternity II is a great old-school role-playing game. Some helpful Steam reviews include:
User 1Danjl_BOT7 describes the game as “an almost perfect old-school role-playing game” but criticizes, for example, the supposedly inappropriate music
User andynnos appreciates the world-building and particularly highlights the companions, who he believes have very strong characters but criticizes the pace of the narrative and the balance of the battles
User mattymattman13 emphasizes the high replay value and believes that Pillars of Eternity II does everything better than its predecessor
Developer Obsidian Entertainment is also the studio behind the new role-playing game Avowed, which is set to be released on February 18, 2025. MeinMMO editor Max has already had a look at it, and you can read how he liked it here: The role-playing game Avowed could finally fill the gap left by Skyrim
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Many different peoples continuously fight for dominance in the Warhammer 40,000 galaxy. One has ruled over everything for millions of years and is now nearly insignificant: the Eldar. MeinMMO explains who these strange space elves are and how it came to be that they are nearly extinct today.
Eldar are technically the oldest race still alive today. The only known races that existed before them are the Slann, or simply “the Old Ones”, and the Necrontyr – who later became the feared Necrons.
The Eldar, or previously in their own language: Aeldari, are humanoid beings that roughly resemble humans, but with noticeably softer and finer features. They look about as we imagine elves today. Just like humans, Eldar are strongly psychic beings in Warhammer.
Despite their similarities, Eldar are built quite differently. Their bodies make them faster, their movements more graceful, and at the same time more resilient. The downside is that they take significantly longer for reproduction.
With their enormous technological advancement and their psionic power, the Eldar eventually dominated the entire galaxy. However, their reign lasted so long that they fell victim to their own decadence.
Yrliet is an Eldari that you can meet in the role-playing game Rogue Trader:
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Warhammer 40.000: Rogue Trader – Der Trailer zu den Companions im Rollenspiel
An empire that encompasses the entire galaxy
After the Slann were wiped out in the great “War in Heaven” and the Necrons fell into their 60 million year long slumber, the Eldar expanded throughout the galaxy.
Even before this long time, the Aeldari were a highly developed species capable of displacing “lower races” without major problems. Various sources speak of an empire that may have encompassed either several tens of thousands or even ten million systems.
Other species, such as the Orks and their predecessor species, were simply driven to the edge of the galaxy and ignored. Humans are referred to in the language of the Eldar as “Chem-Pan-Sey” (or in English: “Mon-keigh” – you can guess what that means).
A parallel dimension and its own paradise
To navigate such a vast empire, the Eldar use the “Webway”, or simply: “web network.” This network is a labyrinth where the Eldar can move at faster-than-light speeds without ever having to enter the Warp.
Over the millions of years, the Eldar expanded their empire and ultimately automated tedious tasks like farming and other heavy work. Thus, dozens of paradise worlds emerged, where the people could live in complete decadence.
This, however, led to an excess that eventually burst the boundaries of the imaginable and resulted in the fall of the entire empire.
Eldar of the Wraithguard as Warhammer figures
Decadence and Fall of the Aeldari
What happened to the realm of the Aeldari is essentially what we know from Roman decadence: the Eldar indulged only in their desires, and increasingly so. However, this was not limited to harmless things like gluttony and sex, but also involved torture and sadism.
Shortly before the collapse, the streets of the Aeldari cities were no longer safe, as a murderer could be lurking anywhere, waiting for a victim to make suffer. The worlds descended into anarchy, and gangs fought for dominance.
Only a few “sensible” Eldar fled to begin a new life on Exodite worlds. However, the decadence of the people in their core worlds likely resulted in the greatest catastrophe in the history of Warhammer 40,000.
The excess of the Eldar creates a new Chaos God
As Eldar possess strong psychic powers, their connection to the Warp, the realm of Chaos, is immensely strong. Until the event that is now known as the “Fall of the Aeldari”, this was not a problem.
However, due to the great accumulation of obsession and decadence in one place, a new Chaos God emerged from the accumulated psionic power: Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Decadence.
The birth of Slaanesh was so brutal that his psionic scream is said to have killed several billion Eldar. Their souls were torn from their bodies and have since been tortured by Slaanesh.
It is said that if a human’s soul is a spark in the Warp, that of an Eldar is like a beacon upon which all demons immediately converge. To prevent this from happening, the Eldar protect their souls with soulstones, which capture their essence at the moment of death.
Eldar, Warp, and the Gods: Before the fall, Eldar souls in the Warp were more or less safe. The Aeldari had their own pantheon of gods that for the most part protected them. However, Slaanesh slaughtered all the gods except for two:
Kaela Mensh Khaine, the God of War, whose body was shattered into thousands of shards, which now appear as avatars
Kournos, the God of the Hunt and together with Isha “Father” of the Eldar
Lileath, the Maiden, Goddess of Dreams and Luck
Morai-Heg, an old woman and the Mistress of Magic
Vaul, the God of Smithing
Ynnead, the God of Death
The Laughing God, or Cegorach, the God of Intrigues and Lies, who alone escaped Slaanesh’s god-murder
The end of a people is the rise of a new one
Through the birth of Slaanesh, a part of realspace was torn apart and merged with the Warp. This area is now known as the “Eye of Terror” and is home to Chaos cultists and daemon princes.
This event has also led to the disappearance of dangerous warp storms from the galaxy. As a result, the Emperor of Mankind was finally able to conduct his Great Crusade.
The few surviving Eldar have mostly retreated to world ships, which are now largely lost and linger somewhere. Due to their small and steadily dwindling numbers, Eldar keep out of most conflicts.
They only fight when their council of rune prophets and seers decides after very long deliberation that an intervention is worthwhile. Many Eldar, however, still live on Exodite worlds and lead a relatively primitive life involving agriculture and livestock.
To prevent being overwhelmed by emotions again and possibly attracting Chaos, Eldar today follow “paths”, or vocations, to which they dedicate themselves entirely.
The last Eldar still following the “old ways”, meaning decadence and excess, are the Dark Eldar or Drukhari. This part of the Aeldari has survived in the great city of Comorragh within the Webway and clings to torture, sadism, and brutality.
A relatively new and small splinter group of the Eldar are the Ynnari, who believe that they can resurrect the God of the Dead Ynneach, just like their people inadvertently did with Slaanesh. By the way, you can get an exciting insight into the culture of the Eldar and the Drukhari in the role-playing game Rogue Trader, which has become really good with the first DLC: The Warhammer 40k role-playing game on Steam gives me, as a fan, exactly what I miss in Space Marine 2
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MeinMMO wanted to know from you which weapon from Monster Hunter Wilds you prefer to hunt with. The race for the winner’s podium was exciting and we now have the resolution for you.
What kind of survey was that? In our survey, we wanted to know from you which of the 14 weapons in Monster Hunter is your favorite. A total of 1,955 votes were cast for your favorite.
It is noticeable: Apparently, you like anime heroes, as the top ranks fit really well.
Here you see the latest trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds:
Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds in the atmospheric 5th trailer
Your favorite weapon from Monster Hunter in the community ranking
First of all, it seems you like all weapons to some extent, as each of them received at least 40 votes, which is more than 1% of the total votes. Likewise, the number of votes for the lower places continuously decreases, so there are no clear losers.
Now, however, to your ranking of positions 10 – 4:
Place 10: Hunting Horn (4% with 76 votes)
Place 9: Gun Lance (5% with 90 votes)
Place 8: Insect Glaive (7% with 141 votes)
Place 7: Morphing Axe (8% with 147 votes)
Place 6: Bow (9% with 171 votes)
Place 5: Great Sword (9% with 182 votes)
Place 4: Dual Blades (10% with 189 votes)
Shield and sword narrowly missed the ranking. With just 11 more votes, that would have become your place 10.
Following that are the heavy bowgun and the lance, closely followed by the light bowgun at the back. One might almost think that you prefer to hit in melee rather than attack your opponent from afar.
Now, however, we come to your top 3, which we want to present to you in more detail.
Place 3: Energy Blade
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Monster Hunter Wilds: New trailer introduces the energy blade
Result: 10% with 197 votes
A weapon – two modes. With the Energy Blade, you get two play styles combined, a defensive one where you can gather energy and defend yourself and an aggressive one where you can deal high damage.
In defensive mode, you play with a combination of sword and shield, which you can transform into a large axe when your vials are charged with enough energy. If you’re looking for cool moves and variation in combat, the Energy Blade won’t disappoint.
Place 2: Hammer
Start video
Monster Hunter Wilds: The Hammer’s Capabilities
Result: 10% with 200 votes
If you want to hit hard, the best choice is the Hammer: Big, heavy, with a lot of “bang”. With chargeable attacks, you can knock your opponents off balance or stun them.
The Hammer is also great for breaking certain monster parts. A brutal weapon for anyone who likes to feel powerful.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Capcom shows the Longsword in action
Result: 18% with 347 votes
The Long Sword – perfect for all samurai cosplayers and lovers of fast slashes. If you want to slash monsters quickly and flamboyantly, the Long Sword is the right choice – anime-style action included.
However, those who set out with the Long Sword should pay close attention to their allies. In Monster Hunter World, it could quickly happen that you hit group members and interrupted their efforts due to the expansive combos of the sword.
Thank you for your participation! What do you think of the results? Would you have expected a different ranking? Feel free to share your opinion in our comments. If you want to know whether your favorite monster is returning in Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28, 2025, take a look at our monster list: Monster Hunter Wilds: All monsters in the currently known list
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
