A new role-playing game (Steam, PS5) sends you into a fantasy world haunted by a deadly painter. For the English voice acting, the developers have secured the performers behind Gollum and Daredevil, among others.
What kind of game is this? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 aims to be a classic JRPG at its core, but expands the genre with real-time elements. The game features a fantasy setting inspired by the French Belle Époque (“beautiful era”), which began in the 1870s and ended in 1914.
The world is haunted by a deadly painter. Once a year, she awakens and paints a number on her monolith, causing everyone of that age to turn to dust on the spot. The next number is 33, and it is your task to ensure that it was the last number.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 not only catches attention with its slick graphics but also with a high-profile cast. The developers revealed this in a new trailer:
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New Fantasy RPG Secures Gollum Actor, Coming to Steam and PS5
The voices of Gollum and Daredevil come together
Who is involved? Andy Serkis has become famous for his portrayal of Gollum in the films The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, he embodies Renoir, a man driven by ruthless determination.
Charlie Cox, the actor of Marvel superhero Daredevil from the Netflix series of the same name, is also involved. He voices Gustave – a resourceful engineer who joins the fight against the painter.
The following voices have also been confirmed:
Jennifer English (Shadowheart from Baldur’s Gate 3)
Kirsty Rider (Emanuela in the Netflix series Sandman)
Shala Nyx (Farida Nazeri in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty)
When will the game be released? It is expected to be ready in spring 2025; the developers have not been more specific so far. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be released for PC on Steam and in the Epic Games Store, as well as for the consoles PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Those who own the Xbox Game Pass will actually have the opportunity to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at release without additional costs. The game will be included in the subscription, which is likely not the case for the upcoming GTA 6: Will GTA 6 come to Game Pass upon release? Boss gives clear answer
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pokémon can be not only loyal companions but also delicious delicacies. MeinMMO presents the 5 tastiest Pokémon that definitely belong on the plate.
The Pokémon anime has shown multiple times that the cuddly pocket monsters are eaten. In the 16th anime episode, Ash and Brock introduce a tasty Magikarp sashimi along with many other dishes featuring the water Pokémon. In episode 47, James even tries to create a delicious meal from Togepi.
Accordingly, we wondered which Pokémon are the tastiest of all. Since we unfortunately couldn’t put these beings to a taste test, we mainly go by appearance and the respective Pokédex entry. When looking around in the Pokémon world, one encounters a variety of delicacies. We’ll reveal which creatures we would particularly enjoy eating.
In doing so, we subjected the different Pokémon to a ranking and ordered them according to their delicate properties. For the picky gourmets among you, we also provided some alternatives that go in a similar direction.
Rank 5: Kikugi
Kikugi would make a delicious side dish.
Kikugi is a small Pokémon inspired by a cherry. Similar to real cherries, this Pokémon has two fruits, of which according to the Pokédex, the “little ball” is supposed to be particularly tasty and full of nutrients. Hopefully, there is no annoying pit in Kikugi like in real cherries.
Since fruit is important for nutrition, but there are far more delicious dishes, we placed Kikugi in 5th place in the ranking. If you’re not a fan of cherries: There are plenty of fruit and vegetable alternatives in the Pokémon world just waiting to be eaten.
Tropius may not be eaten directly, but it provides tasty bananas. Less lucky is Frubberl, as this Pokémon is basically made of a fruit and has a fruity sweet scent that we’d love to take a bite of. We can also imagine Halupenjo, Pumpdjinn, Olini, and Tarnpignon in delicious dishes.
Rank 4: Porenta
Just a bit of frying and the Porenta roast is ready.
Porenta from the first generation is a straightforward dish. The Porenta itself can be wonderfully served as soup or roast and even comes with the matching leek. This saves the tedious search for side dishes.
According to the Pokédex, the Porenta population is declining due to its habitat being threatened by increasing environmental destruction. However, we believe that a few culinary gourmets have teamed up and gone on the hunt for Porenta. Because the Pokémon just looks too good to eat.
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The new Pokémon: Legends A-Z brings you back to the Kalos region
A good alternative would be its evolution Lauchzelot. Here the leek stalk is even bigger. According to the Pokédex, Lauchzelot withdraws from battles when the leek stalk withers. But then it would simply be a waste of food, which is why the hunt for a good Lauchzelot roast should still take place in its prime years.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer Staiy often criticizes his influencer colleagues. However, he has lost hope regarding one in particular: the speedster MontanaBlack.
Who is it about? The Twitch streamer Staiy, who frequently comments on current topics and also on his influencer colleagues without holding back. In a recent stream, he spoke about the comments of American MMO streamer Asmongold on the Gaza war.
During the discussion, Staiy eventually brought up MontanaBlack after a viewer had asked why so many big streamers are “right-wing populist rednecks,” mentioning that Germany has a similar problem with “Monte”.
The Twitch streamer explained that he wouldn’t categorize MontanaBlack in the same group, but he has given up on him. For him, the “drop is sucked,” Staiy said.
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Twitch: MontanaBlack is criticized for his driving behavior
MontanaBlack deliberately provoked Staiy
What does Staiy say about MontanaBlack? Staiy believes MontanaBlack has already said “so many stupid things” and will not stop doing so. He himself has always tried to be the “voice of reason,” but now he is “completely out” of the loop regarding MontanaBlack. He no longer engages with him.
Staiy does not want to go into too much detail, but he mentions a current situation that seemed to weigh heavily on him. The streamer refers to a previous video where he stated that it is not cool to drive at 297 kilometers per hour in the left lane.
He refers to a YouTube video from August, in which he discussed an Instagram story by MontanaBlack. The Twitch streamer photographed himself driving at nearly 300 km/h on the highway with only one hand on the steering wheel.
In his video, he was quite harsh, says Staiy; he said: “That’s unacceptable, you could kill yourself and others; it’s dangerously deadly. Please, please don’t put yourself in danger and don’t endanger others.”
As Staiy reports, he received a private message from MontanaBlack the same day. MontanaBlack sent him a screenshot showing that he was once again driving just as fast in the left lane. “Just to give me the middle finger,” summarizes the Twitch streamer.
This really upset him, says Staiy, and he did not respond. You can find a clip of the stream on YouTube, starting around 14:17.
Pokémon GO kicks off a new research day on Saturday, October 19. Makabaja is the star of the day. How do you tackle it?
When does the research day take place? On October 19, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. You have three hours to search for Makabaja.
What kind of Pokémon is this? Makabaja is a Ghost-type Pokémon. It comes from the fifth generation of games and can evolve into Echnatoll.
There is also a Galar form of Makabaja. It is a Ground and Ghost-type. You can evolve it as well, and it will then turn into Oghnatoll.
How the research day will unfold is shown here.
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Dynamax in Pokémon Go – How to participate in the gigantic battles
Research Day with Makabaja in Pokémon GO – All Information
Can Makabaja be shiny? Yes, the shiny form is available in Pokémon GO – from both variants. On research day, you also have an increased chance of obtaining the shiny variant of both monsters when you complete the research tasks.
This is what shiny Majabaja looks like, in all forms:
Makabaja, Echnatoll, Galar-Makabaja and Oghnatoll
Your focus should be: The shiny hunt is the most exciting aspect of this research day, because Makabaja and its evolutions are relatively weak in battles. They are not among the strongest attackers in Pokémon GO.
Therefore, you should try to find as many specimens as possible to have a good chance of encountering a shiny.
To do this, you need to walk, as Makabaja hides behind various field research tasks on research day. To complete as many as possible, you need to pick them up at different PokéStops and finish them as quickly as possible.
What else will appear on research day? Some additional monsters will appear in the wild. You can also encounter them as shiny, but the chance is not increased. These are:
Tragosso*
Zigzachs*
Galar-Zigzachs*
Zwirrlicht*
Schilterus*
Additionally, you can purchase a limited-time research task in the shop, which offers more encounters with Makabaja, but only during the event. It costs $2 (comparable to the euro). However, even without the research task, you can catch plenty of Makabaja simply by being out and collecting field research tasks.
Overall, the big theme in Pokémon GO right now is Dynamax – specifically, Gigadynamax. The gigantic monsters in Pokémon GO receive another upgrade, and the powerful Giga forms are coming into play. However, getting them will be anything but easy. What do you think of Gigadynamax? Participate in the survey.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Destiny 2 has introduced what are called “Solo Ops.” These 10-minute missions come with optional objectives like treasure goblins.
What kind of missions are these? Bungie has introduced what are known as “Solo Ops” for Destiny 2. These are missions that can be completed within 10 minutes – despite the name, they can be played not only solo but also with friends.
To keep the missions feeling “fresh” longer, Bungie revealed that they aim to make them less predictable. For instance, the Solo Ops may start with 2 different enemy factions that bring different objectives.
In addition, the missions will sometimes come with optional objectives. As optional objectives, Bungie mentions “treasure goblins” and “passages to secret rooms that open where they are usually closed.”
Furthermore, a system will monitor how well you’re progressing and spawn variable enemies based on that – even in places where you wouldn’t normally expect enemy spawns. Normally, spawn rates and locations in Destiny 2 are rather scripted.
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Destiny 2: The launch trailer for the new episode ‘Returners’
What are treasure goblins? You might know treasure goblins from Blizzard’s hack-and-slash Diablo. They are small goblins who stuff all sorts of treasures into a sack that they carry on their shoulders. You can hunt, beat up, and steal their treasures – but they will try to escape your greedy hands.
In Diablo 4, it can be quite rewarding to send such a treasure goblin to the afterlife. When you defeat one of the goblins, they drop rare and legendary items as well as gem fragments, among other things. Blizzard has even made it a mission for you to hunt treasure goblins in the action RPG.
What is the purpose behind the missions? Bungie has realized that a large portion of the activities requires a lot of time from its players or even needs to be played in teams.
With the Solo Ops, the developers intend to offer an activity that you can simply “jump into” for a short time – if you want, even alone. Still, Bungie emphasizes that the Solo Ops can also be played with up to 3 players.
The responsible parties at Amazon Games have finally commented on the guilds that illicitly switched from their Early Access servers to worlds of the official launch in Throne and Liberty to exploit their time advantage.
What is Amazon Games’ response? The developers will reverse all characters that have made the unauthorized transfer from an Early Access server to a launch server of Throne and Liberty (via X). In the official statement on amazongames.com, it states:
“On October 8, 2024, players from certain Early Access servers were able to switch to the Full Launch servers for a brief period. This was unintentional, and we have made changes to prevent this from happening in the future. Additionally, all Early Access players who switched to a Full Launch server will be reverted back to their original servers with their characters.”
The affected players logging into the MMORPG will automatically end up in the “Server Switch” area. Until they are transferred back to their Early Access worlds, they will have limited access to Throne and Liberty.
Here is the launch trailer for Throne and Liberty:
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Throne and Liberty: Claim the Throne – Launch Trailer of the MMORPG
Launch players should stay among themselves
Why the excitement? Prior to the launch of Throne and Liberty, Amazon Games promised that the later live launch servers would initially remain strictly separated from the Early Access worlds. The auction houses were to be independent, and server transfers from Early Access to launch servers were not allowed.
How is the community reacting to the announcement?
DenverSuxRmodSux writes on Reddit: “A whole hardcore guild switched to my server and took everything down. This is such good news that we can actually fight for bosses again.”
wattur is also excited (via Reddit): “Well, the top kill score guy on my server is starting to get worried… hehehe.”
NuggetHighwind celebrates on Reddit: “First the announcement of the bot ban waves, then the patch notes with a bunch of really good additions/changes, and now EA players are being sent back where they belong. T&L is just scoring victory after victory.”
Moriquiendi is one of the affected players and complains on X: “So we are not allowed to play with our friends because we paid an extra $100? My friends couldn’t switch to the EA server because it was FULL. The only thing I could do was switch to their server, and now you’re sending me back? Why am I being punished for buying an EA package?”
The new game Squad Busters has just been released. Want to know which characters are worth it at the start? Here you will find a tier list for the beginning.
What kind of game is this? In Squad Busters, you use a team of different characters to collect more gems than your opponents before the match time ends. You can collect new members for your squad from chests found on the map. Once you have the same character three times, it merges into a larger version.
As you progress in the game, more and more characters will become available for you to choose from. In this tier list, we summarize the characters from the first hours and look at which ones are best suited for the beginning.
Here you can see the trailer for the game:
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Squad Busters presents itself in the colorful launch trailer
Squad Busters: Tier List for the First Hours – From S to D
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What kind of list is this? This list represents a personal selection of the author. In this list, the characters of Squad Busters are classified into different tiers.
How was this list created? The list refers to characters that can be unlocked up to the “lava world”. So keep in mind: Not all characters are available yet, let alone fully developed.
A match under the condition of “Double Trouble,” where double the number of characters comes from chests, plays completely differently than a match with the modifier “Turbo Excess,” where turbos are scattered everywhere.
Keep in mind: Certain characters have synergies with each other and that the circumstances of the game mode can also influence how well they perform.
How strong characters are perceived can vary greatly depending on the mode and personal preference. Therefore, this list is meant to give a first overview for beginners when they are just starting the game. Share your experiences in the comments and let us know how you assess the characters for yourself.
What do the tiers mean? The characters are categorized into 5 tiers: S, A, B, C, and D. S is the best, D is the weakest.
In the S-Tier, there are characters that can give you a significant advantage in winning matches. They are almost always worth it.
The A-Tier shows the stronger attackers and most useful characters that help you win matches.
The B-Tier shows characters with strengths, but either held back by a weakness or are less useful than the A-Tier characters.
In the C-Tier, you will find characters with more weaknesses than strengths, which are only situationally useful.
In the D-Tier are characters that are currently the least useful compared to the others.
Update, 18.10.: We have added numerous characters to the tier list. Adjustments have also been made to some of the characters.
S-Tier
Barbarian King: The Barbarian King holds up well and especially provides your melee fighters in the squad with increased speed during attacks. If you build a squad out of melee fighters, with characters like the Barbarian or El Primo, the Barbarian King should be a must.
Merchant: The Merchant is the character you want if you prefer to stay out of fights. He can give you gems for the coins you’ve collected. With him, you have the opportunity to gather good gems along the edge of the map. Characters like Greg or Mavis become extremely helpful with him.
Bowman Queen: Offers a strong offensive at range but can also withstand some attacks herself. Always a good choice for offense.
A-Tier
Swine Rider: The Swine Rider provides you with turbo when you are moving in tall grass. This is extremely useful, as it eliminates not only the slowing effect of the grass but also makes all your actions faster – running, as well as attacks or actions like felling trees with Greg. In the “Green World”, this is a huge advantage. However, he can endure little and dies very quickly.
Shelly: Attacks rather broadly, but can also deal a lot of damage with her shotgun. Especially useful when you can include many Shelleys in your squad, as you can then attack a large area.
Jessie: If you take many Jessies, preferably fused, into your squad, you can occupy entire sections of the map with her turrets. Especially from her super form, with the extra turret spells, Jessie can become really stressful for your opponents.
Mavis: She plays a similar role as Greg. She collects carrots and converts them into coins, making her valuable if you want to get coins without much fighting. Works very well with the Merchant as well. However, she quickly falls behind in combat.
Bountress: With Bountress, you need to hunt monsters, as defeating large monsters will earn you gems with her. Especially when higher levels of Bountress are unlocked, this becomes a significant number – and that can make a big difference in the end table.
Combat Healer: Increases the health points of your entire squad. This way, you can endure much more. She herself does not deal much damage.
Tank: Can endure a lot and inflict a lot of damage when the fusion is deployed. You do have to capture a tank from the middle of the map first, but once you have that, you have a powerful weapon at your disposal.
B-Tier
Bea: Bea relies on bees that can really annoy your opponent. They fly in a circle around your squad and inflict good damage on anything that gets too close. But: You need to gather bee nests with her first for her to be effective. This can lead to problems, especially at the beginning of a match.
Heavyweight: Not very fast but attacks with great speed and range if you stay still.
Optimus Prime: The leader of the Autobots is especially useful when you need to survive badly, as Optimus can take a lot of hits. But that’s also his greatest strength.
Magician: Grants you a spell and mainly gives you the ability to hold two spells. This can be a useful ability depending on your strategy.
Iceman: The Iceman cools your opponents with powerful ice volleys and also deals them a super frost spell. This can greatly slow down your enemies. However, he is not top in terms of damage or health.
Barbarian: The classic melee fighter who deals solid damage and can take solid hits. A decent base, especially if you have the Barbarian King as support. But overall, rather unremarkable.
Witch: The witch conjures up skeletons that annoy your enemies. She can give you an advantage by creating a lot of distraction material for your enemies, making it harder for them to concentrate on your squad.
Greg: Especially at the start, extremely useful, as he fells trees and brings you coins. This way, you can quickly open chests and enlarge your squad without engaging in combat with other players. He can also deal damage if necessary.
Colt: Reliably deals a lot of damage at range and can thus put pressure on opponents. However, he has problems when too many melee fighters hit him.
El Primo: Also a melee fighter with a dangerous jump attack, who can take a lot of damage as well. Similar to the Barbarian, but especially good if you get a fused version on the field early or have the appropriate support character with you. Overall, however, a figure that is easy to read and has little effect on the surroundings.
Mortis: Revives defeated monsters to add them to your squad. A good chance to expand your squad and add some cannon fodder that keeps your opponents off your important figures.
C-Tier
Goblin: A rather difficult character as he primarily ensures you get coins. Useful mainly at the start of the match to quickly open more chests. It is possible that he will become more important later in the game – but at the beginning, he’s not that easy to use. However, he pairs well with the Merchant.
Royal King: Doesn’t hold up much himself, but can spawn useful minions at chests. A good addition, for example, to Jessie, but rather a character that helps situationally.
Nita: Can put pressure on your opponents with a bear and simultaneously expand your squad. A solid reinforcement that does not necessarily decide victory or defeat.
Dr. T: Releases gigantic robots on your opponents when you gather enough coins. This gives your opponents something to do, but it’s not a top ability.
Tunnel Digger: Attacks from below and can heal while digging. However, he is not a particularly strong attacker.
Max: Can provide your squad with more speed, thus primarily taking on a support role. Sometimes useful, but other characters are stronger.
Bo: A good attacker, but mainly against AI monsters. Especially useful in matches like the “Goblin Bag Rush” or “Whack-a-Mole” where you can defeat AI opponents for numerous gems. Or when you are farming monsters on the edge rather than attacking real opponents. In combat against other players, Bo is unfortunately rather weak.
Chicken: Grants extra turbos, but you usually get those, at least at the beginning, in other ways as well. It does little damage itself and is therefore overall less useful.
Medic: Doesn’t deal damage, but is very useful to keep your squad alive – especially when you stay still. The stamina of your squad can be a decisive factor in the final when it gets tight. Particularly strong support for melee fighters.
Pam: Creates healing zones. Also a good addition to Jessie or the Royal King, but alone not very helpful.
D-Tier
Dynamike: Throws explosives to wipe out enemy groups but is defeated too quickly himself. So far, a rather weak character.
Penny: Discovers a treasure on the map that can bring you coins and more. But you have to get there first, and often the reward is not worth the effort. More of a character you can choose when the squad is already full of stronger figures.
Further updates for the tier list: This tier list is an article that will evolve over the coming days and weeks, should more characters be added or the assessment change. So keep checking back here to stay updated. If you have your own assessment of the Squad Busters characters: Share it with us in the comments. And more tips for getting started in Squad Busters can be found here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Riot Games has allegedly banned a player for a harmless expression in Valorant, but then the story took a different direction and the developers revealed the true reason.
What does the player claim as the reason for the ban? A Valorant player shared a screenshot on X.com stating that he was banned by Riot Games for the chat message “ggwp”.
The expression “ggwp” is typed into the chat at the end of a match in competitive games to convey a form of congratulations or even a compliment for the performance. It is a statement of sportsmanship and is used regardless of victory or defeat.
However, it also happens that toxic players use the expression ironically or want to show a lack of confidence in their teammates, for example when the match is far from over.
Start video
Valorant is playable as an open beta for Xbox and PS5
Riot Games, the developer studio behind the tactical shooter, responded to the player’s post and publicly clarified that the ban had a different reason. The developers explain that the claim he was banned for “ggwp” is merely a shortcoming of the system.
Riot responds: That wasn’t the reason, the ban remains
What is the true reason? Riot Games states in the response on X.com that the player was banned for spoken statements in the game’s voice chat.
The automated system that informs players about the reason for the ban currently cannot provide transcripts of spoken statements as evidence. However, a support employee from the studio has since provided the player with a transcript of the statements that led to the ban.
Riot Games made clear in the response that they will not revoke the ban.
In competitive games like Valorant, Counter-Strike, and League of Legends, many players regularly encounter toxic statements in the voice and text chat. However, there are also friendly players.
In Elder Scrolls Online there are numerous item sets that all want to be well balanced. The developers now explain how they approach this mammoth task.
Elder Scrolls Online, one of the best MMORPGs of 2024, boasts an impressive number of different item sets. Currently, there are over 650. This requires a lot of dedication and attention to detail from the developers in balancing.
The sets must be changed and adjusted during development, but also after their release, so that the overall balance does not falter. The developers explain how this works in a blog post on the official website.
Start video
Cheerful trailer for the Summer Game Fest shows you what makes Elder Scrolls Online at its core
The Key is Mathematics
How do the developers proceed? Nadav Pechthold, who works at ESO as a Combat Designer, talks in the blog about the complex work involved. An important factor for each set is the set bonus efficiency, referred to as SBE. This means the average power of a set per equipment slot. It should not deviate too much from that of others.
To calculate all this, the developers use mathematical formulas and summarize it as follows:
Through a series of mathematical formulas, we establish the SBE using positive numbers to increase and negative numbers to decrease the value. Granting attributes as well as increasing damage or duration are examples of how to increase the SBE, while complex trigger requirements, cooldowns, and “curses” reduce the SBE. In short, we compare the good stuff that a set gives you to how difficult it is to use, and divide that by the number of pieces you need until it’s complete.
It is always important to test all sets in the ongoing game. Theory is nice and good, but practice shows whether the balance is really right. That is why every set is tested in PvE and PvP with different playstyles.
On August 20, 2024, Dustborn will release on Steam, PS4/PS5, and Xbox. The €30 game comes from a small studio in Norway and has been supported by financial grants from the European Union and Norway. The action-adventure has become the target of some influencers, who see the embodiment of all evil and wokeness in the single-player game.
Why is Dustborn so hated? Some content creators have identified Dustborn as the root of all evil they oppose. Dustborn is seen as a symbol of excessive political correctness and as an example of a game that bombards players with an exaggerated political message.
In clips, the game is deliberately ridiculed: The large streamer Asmongold has created 3 videos about Dustborn, each receiving between 730,000 and 1.1 million views. In the clips, he shows absurd-looking combat scenes where attacks like “Canceling” and “Triggering” appear (via YouTube).
Dustborn – Trailer for the Musical Adventure in Comic Style
The man behind the game is a Norwegian who has been making games for 30 years
This is what the developer behind Dustborn says: In an interview with the Norwegian site gamer.no, the head of Red Thread Games talks about the enormous hatred directed towards him and the studio. Ragnar Tørnquist has been working in the gaming industry for 30 years and is one of the leading figures in gaming in Norway.
He says he was completely taken by surprise by the hatred coming from the USA against his game. They had not expected it and did not know how to respond.
In an initial post on social media, they merely asked people to behave and were swept away by a wave of hatred. Since then, they have remained silent on the topic, but that hasn’t helped either.
How does the hatred manifest? The CEO says:
It is easy to ignore what is said in forums or on X. Emails feel a bit more personal, but receiving text messages where someone wishes you death is unsettling.
The most absurd thing he has been accused of was a YouTube video claiming that the CEO wanted to drown babies (via YouTube).
This is completely made up. He obviously does not want to kill babies. But there is no way to take action against such a video, and it is simply a very damaging lie.
He has to ignore it and hope that people are intelligent enough to understand that it is not true.
Dustborn was funded with financial support from Norway and the EU
These are the numbers on Dustborn: The CEO says there are rumors that the game was funded by the “American government”. That is also a lie.
16 people worked on the game, and they received about 1.2 million euros from the Norwegian government and 150,000 euros from EU funding sources. However, the company’s goal is ultimately to become independent from such funding. But at the moment, state support is crucial for the Norwegian gaming industry.
Dustborn is not a financial flop for the company. Although it has not met internal goals, everything is within reason. Many more people play Dustborn than the numbers circulating on the internet suggest.
“One starts to question decisions”
What are the effects of the hatred? The CEO says: The current hatred hinders the creativity of the team. The financial situation is already difficult:
One begins to question decisions regarding character design, narrative, word choice, PR, and even game mechanics. This comes from a greater nervousness about what reactions one might receive. But we will not stop being ourselves.
He himself sees Dustborn as an “exaggerated game that speaks for itself.” It is colorful, inspired by comics, and offers a sarcastic view of the world. Dustborn does not take itself too seriously:
I hope people can see the game and understand that it is an alternative world, which also applies to the story. The game may be a dystopian reflection of the world, but the story is not designed for realism. It is written with humor and exaggeration, and it is very tongue-in-cheek.
Apparently, this wink has completely escaped some influencers.
Arcane Season 2 is just around the corner and League of Legends itself will offer plenty of content for series fans. Among them is a new skin for the popular LoL champion Jinx. This one is hidden behind a gacha system once again, and the community warns about it.
Editor’s Note: To better contextualize the Reddit thread, we have added additional information on 18.10.2024.
What kind of skin is this? Jinx has now become the unofficial face of League of Legends. Since Arcane, many non-players also know the popular champion. In the course of the second season, League of Legends will receive some new content, including a skin for Jinx, which also marks the beginning of a new type of skin: the Exalted skins.
In the case of Jinx, it is the Arcane Fractured Jinx. The skin has several forms with different voice lines. The forms can be changed in-match. The catch with the skin is the price, as you can’t simply buy it.
As shown by Spideraxe on x.com, this skin is only available in a new gacha system. For one pull, you are supposed to pay 400 RP, which is about 3.50 €. The minimum amount you can buy is 575 RP, which is 5 €.
The chance of pulling the Jinx skin is 0.5%. If you pull 80 times, you are guaranteed to get the skin, effectively increasing the drop rate to 1.5 %. In RP, that amounts to 32,000. With the best bundles, that comes to around 240 €. This is not the first time Riot has tried a new gacha system. Nevertheless, the community is dissatisfied and is even warning about it.
Start video
Arcane – The Official Trailer for Season 2 of the LoL Series
The community finds the new system to be gambling
What is the problem? In a reddit thread, a user warns about the new Exalted skins. His concern is not just about the expensive price, but about the gambling mechanics. According to him, the new skin system is like a slot machine. You pay and have a 1.5% chance to hit the jackpot.
He sees a problem in that the 240 € is not visible. You see the chance to pull something. This makes you more inclined to spend money than if you had to pay the high price directly.
At the end of the post, he warns to be careful if you are susceptible to such mechanics. The community agrees on this:
Stadi1105: I really hope the EU bans all these gacha mechanics from games
Ragaga: Terrible, terrible news. The mythic variants were the first step and from there it will only go downhill. I look forward to not spending a single euro more on this game
Velruis: Even as a gacha player, this is too stupid
The thread itself currently has over 2100 upvotes. Most of the nearly 400 comments also agree with the criticism of the new system.
Positive voices for the new system are hard to find. Even users like Azusoul, who generally have nothing against gacha systems, find it unfortunate that there is a high probability of getting only emotes and icons instead of always skin shards for other champions.
For a while now, German Twitch streamers have been appearing not only on the internet. Some well-known faces have made it to traditional television. Some even had their own shows. For 3 new episodes of a popular game show, ProSieben has invited a well-known guest: Papaplatte.
Which show is it about? Since 2012, ProSieben has been airing the show The Duel around the World at irregular intervals. In this show, popular entertainers Joko Winterscheidt and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf compete against each other.
As the name suggests, the two have to complete certain challenges in different countries. Whoever accomplishes a challenge earns points. Since 2018, the two teams have consisted of prominent guests. For the upcoming episodes, a Twitch streamer is also involved.
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This is how challenges for Papaplatte became a livelihood
Several new celebrities – including a well-known Twitch streamer
Who is participating? As ProSieben has now announced, The Duel around the World is coming back in 2024 for 3 episodes, and some celebrities are joining again. One of the most exciting candidates is the Twitch streamer Papaplatte.
Papaplatte is certainly not the only celebrity who will play in a team with Joko or Klaas. The following individuals have also been announced by ProSieben:
When can you watch The Duel around the World? Starting from October 19, the new three episodes will air on regular television on ProSieben or on the platform Joyn at 8:15 PM. When Papaplatte will be shown in the program is still unclear. Papaplatte is one of the biggest streamers in the world. However, he didn’t make it to the top spot, as a League of Legends event got in the way: The 27-year-old is currently almost the largest streamer worldwide on Twitch, but he can’t surpass one
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Despite offered sums of money, a family refuses to make space. Today they live like the Gauls from Asterix & Obelix; but are celebrated by their neighbors.
Where does the family live? As realestate.com.au and dailymail.co.uk report, there is a quasi-Gallic village in the west of Sydney, Australia, just like in Asterix and Obelix. Surrounded by a new development and besieged by investors, a single family holds out on a property they have owned for decades.
The above Reddit post summarizes the changes around the prominent property in fast motion. In the meantime, what was once farmland has become a densely populated development, except for the one exception right in the middle.
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In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
No move despite million-offers
What are they being offered for what? The exact sum currently offered cannot be determined with certainty. But currently, the family is probably being offered around 30 to 35 million euros for the approximately 20,000 square meter property. Depending on the division, 40 to 50 individual small houses could be sold by the investors behind the area called “The Ponds”; with millions of euros in profit. But as it looks, the gap in the residential area will remain.
Although prices have been climbing for years, and residents report being bombarded with stacks of notes at the door of the five-bedroom villa, they remain stubborn.
What do the neighbors think? According to statements from residents of the area quoted in the articles linked above, the family’s behavior is met with approval. Especially the direct neighbors, who have their houses on the sides of the mostly open area, hope for the family’s perseverance. They find the view of greenery much more pleasant than the closeness that otherwise characterizes life in the neighborhood.
In Diablo 4 there is currently food for discussion regarding the trading of items. A player attempted to trade his gold for an item, but before he knew it, the item he wanted had vanished before his eyes. Now he warns other players about the same fate.
How did the scam work? The user Sp3rMi recounts his experience regarding the scam on Reddit. He met a Chinese player for trading and wanted to trade a 4GA Kepeleke staff for 15 billion gold. The deal was made and the players went their separate ways.
However, 10 seconds later, the staff vanished without a trace from the Reddit user’s inventory. The item was gone, as was the 15 billion gold. Now the player warns other fans on Reddit about this scam and labels it as “trade hacking”. Even though it looked like a dubious practice, there is an interesting system from Blizzard behind it, which is supposed to protect the market of the current season.
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Diablo 4: Der Gameplay-Trailer zur 6. Season, der Saison des aufsteigenden Hasses
The system also exists in Diablo 2
What kind of system is this? The procedure referred to as “trade hacking” is actually a system to protect the market in Diablo. Even in Diablo 2, there were players who liked to duplicate powerful items to sell them for much gold more frequently. Blizzard saw this as a problem and therefore came up with a solution.
The solution to the problem, as explained by user Albinator_ on Reddit, was to assign an ID to every unique item. When attempting to duplicate this item, the system recognized it as a duplicate and caused the item to disappear in trades or when dropped. This way, the scammer theoretically cannot make a profit from it.
In Sp3rMi’s case, this went poorly, as the system could not intervene quickly to protect the victim. Now he is left with a loss and accordingly has no hope of seeing the item or his gold again.
How can I see through such a scam? To prevent the same from happening to you, players on Reddit advise dropping the item to be traded for some time to see if it vanishes into thin air.
The Cow Level is the secret project of the fans in Diablo 4. A level full of cows with weapons waiting to face you, but to find this you have to follow cryptic clues. With Vessel of Hatred, there are now new hints, but they are tied to the DLC and require a lot of brainpower from you.
What has been discovered now?New hints regarding the Cow Level. With Vessel of Hatred, Blizzard has implemented further mechanics and items into the world of Sanctuary that players must interact with to get closer to the Cow Level.
The Cow Level has not yet been found, instead players had to participate again in a scavenger hunt, solve puzzles, and find items to gain access to a secret room – in that room there were cows. According to YouTuber Slaydra, the steps were so complicated that no ordinary player could follow them.
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Diablo 4: Der Gameplay-Trailer zur 6. Season, der Saison des aufsteigenden Hasses
“Whoever figured this out must have 5000 IQ.”
Why are the steps so complicated? Because the steps and their hints seem disjointed. To get one step closer to the Cow Level this time, players must first find three scrolls at three different locations in Nahantu. The DLC is mandatory; without it you cannot visit the locations. You can find the exact steps on wowhead.com.
Then you go southwest from the Kurast Docks to a decaying temple with three statues. You must now thank these statues. After your thanks, a jewel will be dropped. Further relics follow that you must collect.
Next, you continue to fight the “Elite Blood Lightning”. However, you cannot just defeat him. You must reset your skills to 1 and send your companion home. Then, you must defeat the opponent with your weak starting attack to get the next artifact.
The next step requires you to visit 12 different bird statues that you must find in a specific order. After the search, you will receive a bell.
Finally, you must find three of the “Cordycepic Zombies” north of Ichorfall, bring them together, and kill them together to spawn black mushrooms. In these, you must now place your three relics to curse them. You then bring them to the Oka’bo Temple and place them there. After that, you will receive a key that allows you to open the basement of Forlorn Burrow. There awaits a reward for you – and cows.
What happens next? No one knows yet. Even these steps were complex and not easy for everyone to follow. Perhaps Blizzard has hidden additional hints in Nahantu that must still be found by the community. Until then, players must content themselves with their reward from the Cow Basement. Have you started the quest yet, or is it all too complex for you? Let us know in the comments. More about Diablo 4 can be found here: Players criticize the only new mechanic in Diablo 4 Season 6, Blizzard reacts and brings improvements
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The 2nd season of Arcane is just around the corner, and there will be events and content related to it in League of Legends. Riot has also provided a first look at the new champion, and you already know them if you have watched Arcane.
Fans of LoL and Arcane don’t have to wait much longer. On November 9th, the 2nd season will start, and there will also be content and events in many of Riot’s games. Players of League of Legends can look forward to it, as there will also be a new champion.
However, he is not truly new, as the champion is already known from the first season of Arcane. Ambessa Medarda will not only appear in League of Legends. She will receive the full program.
It can also be expected that Ambessa will appear in Arcane Season 2:
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Arcane Season 2 Trailer – Nothing to Lose
Ambessa Appears Almost Everywhere
Who is Ambessa Medarda? Ambessa is a great warlord from Noxus. She is introduced in the first season of Arcane as the mother of Mel Medarda, a politician from Piltover, who becomes closer to Jayce throughout the season.
It has been known for some time that Ambessa will appear as a new champion in LoL. Riot has now presented a first look at the champion on x.com. Ambessa is a muscular woman who, according to the in-game model, fights with two knuckle dusters with blades. It seems she can also throw the knuckle dusters at a distance. You can see the clip from Riot here:
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But not only will Ambessa have an appearance in League of Legends. She will also be available as a unit in Wild Rift, Legends of Runterra, and Teamfight Tactics.
Is another champion going to be highlighted? Jinx will also have a big focus for Riot. For the upcoming fighting game 2XKO, she will receive a new look. With Arcane Fractured Jinx, a new skin tier will be introduced, which is only available through a gacha system.
Powder, also known as little Jinx, will be a unit in the next set of TFT.
What other new content is coming? There will be new paid content. Vi will receive an Arcane Season 2 skin, with details still unclear regarding its price. Additionally, a Nexus Finisher, a new cosmetic that plays when you take down the Nexus, will be released.
An Aram update will be released that brings the look of the map closer to Arcane. According to the video, those weren’t even all the contents. It can be expected that more will be announced for all the Riot games in the coming weeks. Are you looking forward to it, or do you not play the games at all? Let us know in the comments. However, Riot is not just making positive announcements: The developer of League of Legends wants to become faster – hence is laying off many developers
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The company Jagex developed RuneScape in 2001, which is among the most successful MMORPGs of the past decades. Now the team is looking for alpha testers for a new project that is also supposed to belong to the RuneScape universe.
What kind of project is this? According to a post by Jagex officials on X and a survey on jagex.questionpro.eu, the team is currently looking for participants for an upcoming alpha test of a new survival game that is supposed to take place in the RuneScape universe. The following is also known:
The game uses the current Unreal Engine 5.
The alpha will take place on PC (Steam) and Discord access will be required.
For the first time, it was confirmed in June 2022 that Jagex is working on a survival game (via mmorpg.com).
However, no further details can be gleaned from the current post and survey. The developers want to know, for example, whether potential participants are familiar with RuneScape or Old School RuneScape, what genres they enjoy, and what kind of PC system they want to use to participate in the test.
The trailer for the Steam release of Old School RuneScape:
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Old School RuneScape – Trailer for the Steam Release
The RuneScape universe is set to continue growing
RuneScape is old, why should it be a top MMORPG? Even though RuneScape may be 23 years old, it still remains one of the most popular and successful online role-playing games on the market. During the acquisition of developer Jagex in January 2024 it was stated:
More than 300 million accounts have been created for RuneScape
The MMORPG has generated over one billion US dollars in revenue
Furthermore, RuneScape, much like World of Warcraft, has been accompanied by a strong classic variant for several years: Old School RuneScape. In the news recap from MeinMMO on September 7, 2024 you could read that this nostalgia version once again enjoyed strong player numbers: 160,352 players were online at the same time in this MMORPG classic.
It is therefore not surprising that the studio behind the successful MMORPG, Jagex, would like to continue expanding the RuneScape universe. Four years ago, there were already reports that they wanted to develop a next-gen MMORPG as well as an action RPG for the IP – it is unclear what became of those two projects: A new MMORPG is being created and comes from experts – Here’s why you should be excited.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With a new expansion, the strategy game Crusader Kings 3 on Steam (Rating: 91% positive reviews) has received a new feature: 100 historical characters are now in the game. Among them is William Wallace, the main character from Braveheart. Crusader Kings 3 is well-suited to replaying some well-known series and films from the Middle Ages, including the TV series Vikings and the Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven.
This is the new feature in Crusader Kings 3: The feature came with the DLC “Road to Power” and is called “Echoes of History”.
In total, 100 historical characters have been added to the game, mostly individuals who are well-known but were not lords in their time, but rather artists, adventurers, or theologians.
If one of the characters appears at the right time in the game and in a province that the player directly or indirectly controls, the player has the opportunity to either switch to the character and start as a landless adventurer with them or to take the character into their court. They can also completely ignore the character, but what kind of madman would do that?
Additionally, there is also the option to play “crafted” campaigns with a few characters, such as the Spanish folk hero El Cid.
“Historical land princes” have always been part of Crusader Kings: For years, you could steer the fate of Sweden in the 9th century as Björn Ironshield or attempt to unite England as Alfred the Great.
Crusader Kings 3 is considered one of the best strategy games on Steam and has received a strong new expansion with “Road to Power” that many enjoy:
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Crusader Kings 3: Trailer
William Wallace as a Great Warrior in Crusader Kings 3
How is William Wallace portrayed? The character made famous by Mel Gibson as “Braveheart” appears in Crusader Kings 3 between 1290 and 1296 in the province of “Lennox”.
William Wallace is a 5-star warrior, an extremely strong training, and he is 20 years old. Wallace has traits such as brave, stubborn, and vengeful. Furthermore, he is strong and has the skill “Gallant” – making him an outstanding military leader at just 20 years old, provided the other randomly generated values are somewhat favorable.
However, there are no historical events related to the character. Only a brief historical outline appears about him.
Warriors and Priests Join Crusader Kings 3
Are there any other stronger characters that appear? Yes, there are numerous exciting figures with strong base values, but none have the important “genetic factors” that players might use, to shape the Kwisatz Haderach.
The characters start with “Inspirations”, so they can be set directly to create an artifact, provided you have the necessary funds.
Especially religious figures like Hildegard of Bingen or Thomas Aquinas have great starting values and are suitable for special roles in your court like physician, empire priest, or poet. The poet Dante Alighieri is also in the game.
Furthermore, Paradox traditionally places great importance on giving exotic regions in the game their own characters.
This is how we know “William Wallace” as portrayed by Mel Gibson.
A character in the game, “John the Orphantotrophes” apparently served as inspiration for the master schemer Varys in “Game of Thrones” for author George R.R. Martin. He is also a great puppet master in Crusader Kings 3, always hatching some schemes..
Additionally, there are warrior figures like the warrior-poet Egil Skallargrimsson, who appears in Vestisland from Iceland between 930 and 936 and whom you can certainly use as a knight.
A list of all new historical figures and their parameters can be found here (via ck3paradoxwiki)
He appeared in my game, with 35 combat power an outstandingly strong warrior. But he died in his mid-30s from some absurd virus he caught. Not a very glorious end for a true Viking:
Vikings and Kingdom of Heaven are Conceivable Scenarios
Which historical films can be replayed? The first expansion of Crusader Kings 3 brought several main characters from the TV series Vikings into the game, the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, who has already died at the beginning of Crusader Kings 3, and characters like Harald Finehair, who desperately wants to become king of Norway.
In Crusader Kings 3, characters like Björn Ironshield or Ivar the Boneless are playable, which also represent strong starting characters. With “Road to Power”, now Rollo and Ubbe have also come as playable characters to Crusader Kings 3.
With the new update, Paradox also gifted players of Crusader Kings 3 a new starting date with characters that we know from the film “Kingdom of Heaven”.
This is what’s behind it: The feature is great and fits perfectly into the world of Crusader Kings 3. Apparently, care has been taken with the balance, as the characters are strong and also “relatively” young, but do not have the exaggerated genetic advantages that players are after, such as “Genius”, an advantage that gives a tremendous boost to all values.
It is thus more of a “flavor” feature that brings variety. In the future, this could be further expanded and more campaigns could be conceivable that focus more on the historical development of the characters – currently, they are merely characters that are inspired by the historical figures in terms of traits.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
So those who do not want to pay 79.99 € for the latest installment of Call of Duty can potentially save money with a Game Pass subscription. However, Microsoft has now canceled a low-cost offer for Game Pass just a few days before the launch of BO6.
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CoD: Everything you need to know about Black Ops 6 – in under 2 minutes
Microsoft Cancels Cheap Offer
What was this offer? If you did not have an active Game Pass subscription, you could still sign up for a 14-day trial that cost only 1 €. Microsoft, however, removed this offer just before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
You now have to pay at least 11.99 € on PC and at least 17.99 € on Xbox if you want to test the new Call of Duty.
Is the subscription worth it? A Game Pass subscription can definitely be worth it regarding Black Ops 6. You have the opportunity to test the game and get an impression of the multiplayer and zombie mode.
Additionally, with the one-month subscription, you already have enough time to complete the campaign – in case you’re only interested in single-player. The 14-day trial would probably suffice for that, and Microsoft likely knew it.
Furthermore, new CoD installments have lost many players within 2-3 months in recent years. If you only want to play for 2 months anyway, a Game Pass subscription would be cheaper than buying the game. Here you can get an overview of the prices of the different editions: Black Ops 6: Release – All Information on Price, Pre-orders, and New Features
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Can’t see your guild in Throne and Liberty? After update 1.3.0, the servers are back online, but there’s no sign of the guilds.
Update from October 17, 2024 – 14:29: Amazon Games just announced on the official Discord channel that the bug with the missing guilds has been fixed:
“This issue has been resolved, and the guild is now available on the Europe Central servers again. Thank you for your patience.”
Where have the guilds in Throne and Liberty gone? After the servers came back online following the release of update 1.3.0, all guilds disappeared. The guild menu now displays nothing, and you can no longer interact with the guild vendor.
This is likely a bug that Amazon Games is working to fix as quickly as possible. There is already a collection post on the official Discord where you can report the issue.
How important are guilds in Throne and Liberty?
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Throne and Liberty: Deshalb ist eine große und aktive Gilde so wichtig
When will the issue with the missing guilds be fixed?
The guilds have disappeared, but Amazon Games is aware of the issue and is already working on a solution. This is the official statement from the publisher:
We are aware of reports regarding unavailable guilds. This is currently under investigation, and we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.
Currently, there is chaos in the public chat of Throne and Liberty. Many are surprised and wondering where the guilds are. Some have found their guild members back on their friends list, which has not been functioning properly since the game was released.
To assist in resolving the issue with the missing guilds, you can report in the collection post on the official Discord.com of Throne and Liberty. For that, you need to provide the following information:
