In One Piece, the Devil Fruits grant different powers. But there are some that resemble each other in the most distant sense. A fan now wants to know who can generate the highest temperatures.
Attention: Here are spoilers about Ace, Sabo, Oven, and Sakazuki.
Which candidates are in the running? On Reddit, a fan shares four characters he wants to know who the hottest is. Although two of the characters walk around shirtless, he does not want to know who looks the hottest.
Instead, he wants to know who can produce the highest temperature with their power. The options are:
Puma D. Ace: He has eaten from the Fire Fruit and can produce flames from his body.
Sabo: He is Ace’s successor and masters a special dragon power technique.
Charlotte Oven: He has eaten from the Heat Fruit and can generate heat with his body (and transfer it to other objects).
Sakazuki: He has eaten from the Magma Fruit. Because of it, he can create magma.
All characters have eaten from a fruit that allows them to generate either fire, magma, or general heat. This raises the question of how the individuals would perform in a duel where things are heated up.
Unfortunately, one of the individuals is no longer alive in the current arc of the anime:
Start video
One Piece: New trailer shows first images from the Egghead Island arc
Only one can become the temperature master in One Piece
What do fans think? Most fans believe that Oven has the upper hand when it comes to temperatures. After all, he has eaten THE Heat Fruit and can even determine how hot he gets.
The other three individuals are limited in the temperatures they can reach:
Red-yellow flames are said to have a temperature of around 1,200-1,400 degrees Celsius (via SWR)
The temperature of magma can vary between 650 and 1,600 °C (via ZME Science)
The temperature ranges could be the reason why Akainu was able to pierce Ace, even though he has eaten from the Fire Fruit. Perhaps he could reach a higher temperature range that Ace cannot.
However, both characters are at a disadvantage against Oven, according to fans. In the anime and manga, he manages to boil the ocean within seconds. One user writes that an incredible amount of heat would be needed to bring such a large area to a boil.
What do you think: Who would win the Battle Royale of heat? Let us know in the comments!
Valorant has 24 agents, but not all of them are worth it for beginners. We have looked at all the agents and selected 7 that you can’t go wrong with at the beginning. We also show you their pros and cons and explain their playstyles and skills.
What do we value in this ranking? Our ranking focuses mainly on ease of use and effectiveness in combat without requiring extensive prior knowledge.
Many of the agents on our list can fend for themselves even without team support and effectively secure victories. Also, good aim is not a crucial factor for our selection.
We have consulted the community, compared agents, and refined the final result with our years of expertise in various shooters. We have included one agent for each role (Sentinel, Controller, Initiator, Duelist) in the list. This way, you have the option to choose according to your playstyle.
With our directory, you will quickly reach the individual agents and explanations of why they are worth it:
[toc]
Start video
Riot Games shows the console version of Valorant
7. Fade
Fade
Role
Initiator
Ability 1 – Grab
Places a node within your range that can hold enemies if they are hit by the explosion. Held enemies receive debuffs and decay.
Ability 2 – Nightmare
Throw a nightmare into an area. It reveals enemies in its line of sight and creates fear trails to them. Can be destroyed by enemies.
Ability 3 – Nightshade
The nightshade hunts the first enemy it sees and restricts their vision. Can also focus on fear trails.
Ultimate – Nightfall
Enemies are hit by a wave of nightmares. Affected enemies are marked by fear trails and suffer from debuffs and decay.
Skills of Fade
Why is Fade so good for beginners? Fade can manipulate enemies with her abilities and control the battlefield. The nightmare gives your team control to scout different areas without getting caught in crossfire.
The nightshade weakens your enemies and blinds them. If you also use a fear trail, you do not need to aim the nightshade but can send it on its way to an enemy.
In critical situations, you should rely on Grab because with the skill you can temporarily bind enemies and make them vulnerable to team fire. The ultimate is worth using during a push, for example when you want to defuse the Spike. Fade is good for beginners, but she also needs teammates to support her.
6. Sage
Sage
Role
Sentinel
Ability 1 – Healing Sphere
Heals allies or yourself with a healing orb. The heal effect takes place over time.
Ability 2 – Slow Sphere
Leaves a puddle with an orb that can slow players.
Ability 3 – Barrier Sphere
Creates a barrier with an orb that can block players and catch bullets.
Ultimate – Resurrection
Channels your power for a short time to revive allies.
Why is Sage so good for beginners? Sage is a simple supporter for the team. She can heal allies and herself and manipulate players by leaving slowing “puddles” behind. Together with her barrier, she can control areas of the map and prevent or delay a push from the enemy team. If you are a beginner and your aim is not good yet, you can also revive players with Sage who can prevent your imminent defeat.
5. Killjoy
Killjoy
Role
Sentinel
Ability 1 – Turret
Deploys a turret that can fire at enemies in a 100-degree cone.
Ability 2 – Alarmbot
The Alarmbot chases enemies and then explodes near them. Enemies hit by the explosion become “vulnerable”.
Ability 3 – Nano Swarm
Throws a grenade that cloaks itself. When activated, it releases a swarm of nanorobots that deal damage to nearby enemies.
Ultimate –Lockdown
Creates a large area where no player can activate abilities or fire weapons after a long charging phase.
Why is Killjoy so good for beginners? Killjoy is the best choice for all beginners who prefer to play passively. With her turrets, she can effectively gain and hold ground alone for an extended time.
Nanoswarm and her ultimate also help her maintain control when enemies push aggressively or attempt to defuse the Spike. Even if you have no idea how Valorant works at first, it is enough to set up your turrets to support your teammates.
4. Reyna
Reyna
Role
Duelist
Ability 1 – Dismay
Throws an orb in a direction that restricts the vision of enemies who look at it.
Ability 2 – Devour
If Reyna kills enemies or they die within 3 seconds after taking damage from Reyna, they drop a Soul Orb. Reyna can consume this orb to heal herself quickly. When Empress is active, the ability is automatically activated and does not consume a Soul Orb.
Ability 3 – Dismiss
Consumes a Soul Orb to become invulnerable for a short time. When Empress is active, you even become invisible.
Ultimate –Empress
Reyna enters a combat frenzy, gaining increased fire rate, equipment, and reload speed.
Why is Reyna so good for beginners? Reyna does not rely on her teammates and can prove herself well in combat solo. Through her skills, she can heal herself after every successful gunfight or retreat quickly in an invulnerable form. If you can place your shots well and prefer to hunt enemies solo, Reyna is the top choice for that.
3. Brimstone
Brimstone
Role
Tactician
Ability 1 – Stim Pack
Throws a stim pack on the ground. Upon impact, the stim pack creates a field that gives players combat stim and a speed boost.
Ability 2 – Sky Smoke
Calls up a map on which you can place three smoke bombs. These smoke bombs block players’ vision.
Ability 3 – Incendiary
Equips an incendiary grenade launcher. Fires a grenade that leaves a carpet of fire after a short time.
Ultimate – Airstrike
Calls up a map on which you can place a laser airstrike that deals high damage.
Why is Brimstone so good for beginners? Brimstone is an easy tactician that allows you to comfortably control the map. Your smoke grenades help block areas of the map from your enemies’ sight. This makes it harder for them to scout areas to know where you or your teammates are.
Additionally, the incendiary and airstrike help you block off other areas or drive enemies out of their cover to ambush them. But do not use Brimstone like Rambo – his skills are more tactical in nature and not geared towards kills.
2. Raze
Raze
Role
Duelist
Ability 1 – Boom Bot
Activates a boom bot that moves in a straight line on the ground and bounces off walls. It can attach to enemies and then explode to deal massive damage.
Ability 2 – Blast Pack
Throws a blast pack that sticks to surfaces. Enemies hit by the explosion take damage and are knocked back.
Ability 3 – Paint Shells
Throws a grenade that explodes and releases cluster bombs that also explode.
Ultimate –Showstopper
Takes out a rocket launcher and shoots a rocket at your enemies.
Why is Raze so good for beginners? Raze is explosive and can keep her enemies at bay. With her boom bot, she can find out if there are enemies nearby.
If any are present, depending on the number of enemies, the blast pack or paint shells can be used to deal heavy damage. Together with her rocket launcher, she can also create explosions at ranges. Like Reyna, Raze is not dependent on her team and can manage well solo.
1. Gekko
Gekko
Role
Initiator
Ability 1 – Wingman
Dispatches Wingman to shake up the nearest enemy in your vicinity with an explosion. Can also plant and defuse spikes. When Wingman times out, you can pick him up as a glob.
Ability 2 – Dizzy
Dizzy can be dispatched like a flying grenade to blind enemies with plasma shots. When Dizzy times out, you can pick him up as a glob.
Ability 3 – Mosh Pit
Throws Mosh in an area to distribute it. The contaminated area deals damage over time. When Mosh times out, you can pick him up as a glob.
Ultimate – Thrash
Connect with Thrash to guide it through enemy territory. Jump on enemies to incapacitate them.
Why is Gekko so good for beginners? Gekko is an allrounder and can control the battlefield with his creatures. Whether you send Wingman to plant the Spike or want to push an area with Dizzy – everything is possible with Gekko.
Mosh Pit also helps you hold an area and drive enemies away from one. With Thrash, you can also incapacitate multiple enemies or scout an area from a safe distance.
If your creatures go down, you don’t have to worry. You can easily pick them back up in their goo.
With each new day, humanity learns a little more about the universe. Perhaps it will one day be possible (and necessary) to relocate a portion of humanity to Mars. NASA is currently gaining new insights through an experiment about what life on the red planet might look like.
What kind of experiment is this? NASA has created a 3D-printed habitat in which the test subjects were isolated from the outside world. The goal of the CHAPEA mission (Crew Health and Performance Exploration) was to gather information on the potential impacts of long-term missions on Mars.
A cost-effective, semi-liquid concrete mix called Lavacrete was used for the 157 square meter space.
Four volunteers signed up for the experiment, who had to comply with the following conditions:
The experiment started in July 2023 and lasted for 378 days.
The subjects had to grow their own food.
They also had to work on simulated challenges, such as maintaining their own equipment.
They lived with certain delays in communication to simulate conditions on Mars.
In a NASA podcast, the volunteers revealed that they not only spent time together while working. The crew also started joint activities in the evenings.
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Test subjects passed the time with PS4 games
What did they do in their free time? Once all tasks were completed, the volunteers watched movies or played video games. The crew had access to a PS4 and mainly played many world-building games. This genre includes games like Minecraft.
Kelly Haston, one of the test subjects, also revealed that they played many standard games. She mentions Formula 1 as an example. There were other activities as well: in addition to the PS4, participant Anca Selariu watched a lot of TV, read, and painted (via The Guardian).
What’s next? Two more missions are planned. Two additional missions are set to launch at the same base in 2025 and 2027.
After the missions, NASA plans to use 3D printing to create future space research settlements. This is intended to reduce the amount of construction materials that would need to be transported to Mars over several flights.
A player has won a match in League of Legends by breaking the rules of the Riot Games code of conduct: He played the game in pacifist mode.
Which rule did the player break? On the website of League of Legends, there is a code of conduct that states it is a competitive game where everyone must play to win.
A player consciously violated this rule by playing the game in pacifist mode and dealing 0 damage to the opponents. Nevertheless, he and his teammates won the ranked match.
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0 Damage throughout the Game
What kind of match was it? The user Rumaru reports in a post on Reddit about his ranked match, where another player decided to play as a pacifist. Specifically, this means that the player dealt 0 damage in the game.
The surprising thing about this story: The team still won the game in a Platinum lobby.
Tryndamere dealt 0 damage throughout the entire game.
How did the player go about it? One might assume that the Tryndamere player therefore contributed nothing to the game. However, this seems unlikely considering the team won the match.
Also, user Rumaru describes in his account that the player was not inactive. He only dealt damage to the towers the entire time. A picture on Reddit shows that the player dealt over 14,000 damage to the towers. In comparison, other players dealt only about 2,000-4,500 damage to towers in this match.
How is this possible? In his account, the player expresses admiration for his teammate. He describes that the Tryndamere player tanked his own tower and only dealt damage to the opposing tower when no enemy was in sight. He further describes that the player ran away as soon as he saw another player.
Not only does the user express admiration for this action, but so do other players.
How does the community react to the match? The community on Reddit is also impressed by the player. Many are surprised that the player managed not to deal even accidental damage to any of the opponents.
Some users write:
Salm9n writes on Reddit: The most impressive thing is that he never accidentally hits an enemy with E during the entire game.
IonDust notes on Reddit: 0 damage Tryndamere, the myth, the legend.
Fellowship is a new game on Steam and describes itself as a Multiplayer Online Dungeon Adventure, throwing you and your group into dungeons as you know them from MMORPGs.
Those who play MMORPGs know that the leveling phase is often one of the more boring aspects of the games. It often serves as a mix between a tutorial and filler content meant to prepare players for the endgame.
Those who want to persuade their friends to try MMORPGs often fail because no one wants to level up for a long time until they reach the point where the game is really enjoyable – in the dungeons. And this is exactly where Fellowship comes in.
Who is writing here? Cedric Holmeier is a freelance writer at MeinMMO and has spent thousands of hours in MMORPGs. Together with the developers, he was allowed to playtest Fellowship.
Here you can see the trailer for Fellowship:
Start video
Fellowship shows in the trailer that you don’t need an MMORPG for dungeons
Dungeons, but no MMORPG
What kind of game is this? Fellowship is officially not an MMORPG, but it has taken the dungeons from the genre and created a standalone game from them. Finally, I can show my friends what I love doing in MMORPGs, without losing them in the leveling phase.
The game is set to be released as a full-priced title in 2025 without Free2Play and without a subscription. A closed alpha will take place starting August 15, which you can already sign up for on the developers’ website.
As a group of four players, you can conquer dungeons with your friends or other people you can find through the group finder or matchmaking. You are not limited to the typical MMORPG classes.
Fellowship features characters similar to League of Legends, instead of classes like in MMORPGs, each with their own unique abilities. You also have the freedom to choose how your group is composed for tackling the dungeon. In the test with the developers, there were 2 DDs, tanks, and healers available, but more will be available at the game’s release.
In Fellowship, you only go into dungeons as a group of 4.
Dungeons for Veterans and Beginners
How do the dungeons work? The heart of Fellowship is the dungeons. The developers distinguish between two different modes:
The Quickplay mode provides you with a boss and some trash mobs along the way. To complete the dungeon, you must eliminate a certain number of enemies and defeat the boss. The dungeons in Quickplay mode are supposed to last around 10–15 minutes and are not too challenging.
For experienced players, there are the Ranked Dungeons. The Ranked Dungeons feature several bosses and usually take about 30–40 minutes per dungeon. What is particularly interesting about this mode is that players can choose the difficulty level themselves. They can also toggle MMORPG elements such as aggro meters and the ability to interrupt skills on and off. If players want even more of a challenge, they can, for example, ignite their dungeon with a meteor storm. This is how the developers aim to ensure that both veterans and beginners have their needs met.
At the end of all dungeons, there is loot and experience points to improve your character. The developers have mentioned that there will later also be various sets that can be combined with each other to create very powerful characters.
Despite the fact that Fellowship avoids making us kill 20 wolves or retrieving the chain from the old mill for a farmer, players can still unlock levels and abilities in Fellowship. There is also a proper skill tree. This is designed to be easy to understand and hard to master, allowing players various playstyles.
During the playtesting with the developers, I was also interested in the replayability of Fellowship. The developers stated that the difficulty of the dungeons can be infinitely increased, and even at the highest level, teams should still be able to compete for best times. With different modifiers, players should also be able to customize the game.
The dungeons never dictate a path you must take. It is left to the players how they want to conquer the dungeon. The developers deliberately want nothing prescribed to the players and are curious about what will come out of it. Even during the event, the developers allowed me to choose which paths I wanted to take.
Fellowship may not have invented the dungeons, but it has rethought them. For example, respawn points are guarded by larger groups of mobs or elite monsters. You also never have to defeat all enemies in the dungeon, but you can’t rush directly to the boss either.
Fellowship is therefore well-suited for anyone who wants to do some raids with friends in the evening but simply doesn’t have the time to level for hours, as well as for those who want to precisely set how difficult they want their dungeons to be.
Heads are rolling in the influencer scene, both in the USA and Germany: But hardly anyone expected that the major YouTuber Charles White would be caught up in it. After a controversial debate, the man from Florida is stepping back from the internet for now. The 29-year-old has 15.7 million subscribers on YouTube and is usually the one who judges others morally.
Who is Charles White?
Charles White is known as Cr1TiKaL or MoistCr1TiKa. He is the leading opinion blogger in the USA in the gaming sector. In February 2024, he announced that he would refrain from the popular “reaction videos” and focus on creating more “real” content.
He is usually the one who calls out misbehavior among influencers: For instance, he criticized the behavior of Sssniperwolf or the cookie monster affair of Pokimane. His takes on YouTubers regularly reach around 2 million views. When something really big happens, like the recent debate around Ava Kris Tyson, views can go up to 10 million.
But now the once-popular YouTuber has talked himself into a corner – due to a misunderstanding.
Twitch streamers like Trymacs make a lot of money with “reaction streams” – Charles White has taken this to an extreme at times, but has now broken away from it:
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Vom Pizza-Lieferant zu einem der größten deutschen Twitch-Streamer – Leben und Karriere von Trymacs in 2 Minuten
YouTuber penguuinz0 takes an indefinite break from the internet
This is the announcement: As it has now been revealed indirectly, a podcast in which Charles White participates has announced (via dexerto) that
Charles White is leaving “The Official Podcast” and “Red Thread”
he is taking a “no time limit break” from the internet
However, he is still welcome in the show, and it will continue.
It remains unclear whether he is only stepping back from the podcast or if he will also post less other content.
Misunderstanding in transgender debate sparks shitstorm
Why is he going now?? The situation is complicated. Charles White had a discussion with influencer Sneako, with whom he had clashed before. It was about whether underage transgender individuals should be allowed to undergo gender transitions at a young age or if that should remain forbidden.
Originally, Charles White held the position that if children and parents agree, children can start hormone therapy, but the actual surgery should only be performed when the person is of legal age.
However, there was a misunderstanding, according to him, which made it seem as if he believed the surgery should also be performed on minors.
How did the misunderstanding occur? Sneako used the crude formulation “they are cutting off her dick”.
Charles White says he understood that as an exaggerated description of the entire process of gender transition. However, Sneako and the general public specifically meant the operation with “they are cutting off her dick”:
I assumed Sneako was exaggerating about a nine-year-old getting her dick cut off because I did not think anyone would believe that the transition works like that.
I thought he was talking about the general point of a child’s transition, which is a years-long process, and you can’t get that damn operation before you’re 18. I didn’t think that was a literal statement he made.
In any case, the reaction to this debate was so negative that Charles White has now apparently decided to step back from the internet for the time being.
However, a clear announcement from him personally is still missing.
He is the other side of the coin compared to Charles White: Keemstar.
The dark side of power seizes upon the issue
How did the discussion become so negative? While Charles White is still seen as a moderate voice when it comes to calling out influencers for misconduct, there are others in the US scene who take a more extreme approach than he does.
How is this being commented on? Charles White’s retreat is being mocked, with some saying that someone who sits on a “moral high horse” stumbles at the slightest counterwind, and doing so against a guy like Sneako is seen as ironic.
One comment states that the “Golden Boy” of YouTube would run off at the slightest resistance. Others see the decision in light of the emotional reactions online as being correct and understandable.
YouTuber says: I’m not stepping away from the internet
Update 1.8.2024: As the YouTuber has now explained, there is no truth to the reports that he is stepping back from the internet. Even though everyone believed that.
He is only scaling back because he had been online all the time, and therefore decided to step back from some projects. However, he is not retiring.
The wording in the podcast’s post was: “He is taking an indefinite break to reduce his time spent on the internet” – apparently the “indefinite break” was only related to his collaboration with the podcast, not his overall online presence.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The streamer “byTobi” has an average of about 230 viewers on Twitch. His twin brother “LetsHugo” has thousands. Now it is said that his family resemblance has cost him his Instagram account.
What kind of a streamer is he? byTobi is a German-speaking streamer from Luxembourg who mainly shows content related to the games Minecraft and Fortnite, or is active in “Just Chatting” on Twitch. He has been active on YouTube since at least 2016.
Although byTobi has been streaming on Twitch since July 2019, he has really become active only since February 2023 – this is also the time when his twin brother LetsHugo made a big debut on the streaming platform. This twin brother is now said to be the reason why byTobi lost his Instagram account.
LetsHugo is a phenomenon on German Twitch:
Start video
He dropped out of school because streaming was more important to him – The success of LetsHugo
All a misunderstanding?
What’s the deal with the ban? As byTobi announced on July 31, 2024, on X, his Instagram account was suspended with the note that it is not allowed to impersonate another known person. The streamer interprets this as: Apparently, they believe he is impersonating LetsHugo.
There is a larger conflict between the two brothers. Although they initially did not publicize their relationship, viewers quickly noticed the strong resemblance. LetsHugo and byTobi not only look similar and sound alike. Both also started streaming around the same time, initially did not show their faces, and create similar content.
When LetsHugo experienced a huge hype in spring 2023, it became a burden for his brother: fans accused byTobi of imitating the successful streamer, called him “Hugo2.0” or speculated whether they might secretly be the same person.
This culminated in an emotional moment during byTobi’s stream (via TikTok), followed by a statement from LetsHugo explaining that he did not mention his brother in order to separate his family from his career. One should just let his brother “do his thing” (via TikTok).
The most viewed clip on byTobi’s channel is a statement from the streamer that he is not LetsHugo and please address him by his name rather than that of his brother:
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The apparently tense relationship between the brothers became a topic of discussion again in early July. LetsHugo soon announced a break, which officially had nothing to do with the situation.
With this backstory, it must be particularly frustrating for byTobi to be labeled as a fake of his brother by Instagram.
Is there another explanation? There is. A user in the comments noted that many influencers are currently receiving such suspensions (via X), including the current rising star Zarbex.
So it may be that the streamer was not banned due to confusion with LetsHugo but because Instagram assumes he is not the real byTobi. Either way, he should be able to recover his account through an identity verification. Meanwhile, LetsHugo is also currently struggling with hate.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The CEO of EA has once again spoken about the next Battlefield and made it clear that the shooter is a high priority.
On July 30, 2024, EA provided some insights into the current financial year 2025 and the financial results for the first quarter. The company emphasized that particularly the live-service offerings have exceeded expectations.
In this context, EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson has also shared some words. After initially discussing the successes of EA Sports and the various sports games in EA’s portfolio, he made some statements regarding the future of Battlefield.
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“This is not just one of our top priorities”
What does Wilson say about the next Battlefield? Andrew Wilson explains that the upcoming Battlefield is a high priority at EA. Furthermore, it is one of the most ambitious projects in EA’s history.
Wilson further elaborates that EA has combined the best team with the resources and technology needed to “deliver an epic Battlefield experience.”
This is not only one of our top priorities but also one of the most ambitious projects in our history. We have brought together the very best team with the resources and technology needed to deliver an epic Battlefield experience.
What else does Wilson say about Battlefield? Wilson seems very satisfied with the work of the development team regarding Battlefield 2024. At the end of Season 7, the last season of the shooter, he praises the team’s ability to listen to the community:
At the conclusion of season 7 of Battlefield 2042, one thing is clear: Each season of the game has shown that our team possesses the unique ability to listen, learn, and draw inspiration from the community to deepen the connection with the franchise.
Battlefield 2042 experienced a fiasco upon release in 2021 and was criticized by many franchise fans. At one point, the shooter only had 21 percent positive reviews on Steam. Now, the latest installment in the series has climbed to 46 percent positive ratings on Steam.
In Destiny 2, there were layoffs as early as November 2023 due to the poor performance of Destiny 2: Lightfall. At that time, the question arose as to whether the bosses had considered giving up part of their salaries to prevent the layoffs. This was denied. Now even more employees have been let go and the CEO is being criticized for his expenses.
That was the demand:
In November 2023, Destiny had to lay off about 100 employees. As IGN reports, this was critically discussed internally at the company. There were apparently “question and answer” sessions after the layoffs, seemingly to relieve some pressure.
During the Q&A session, the head of a department reportedly asked whether the leadership had considered giving up part of their salaries to avoid layoffs.
From Bungie came the answer: “We are not that kind of company”; as reported.
The weak Lightfall was blamed for the layoffs, while the 2024 expansion “The Final Shape” was received much better. Still, even more employees had to be laid off:
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Bungie CEO spent $2.4 million on cars and motorcycles
This is the aftermath: On July 31, further layoffs were announced, this time on a much larger scale. These layoffs were announced by Bungie CEO Pete Parsons. They tried everything to avoid the layoffs, but they were necessary.
Now the topic is being raised again that Bungie CEO Pete Parsons, seen as the face of the crisis, is obviously living very comfortably while many of his employees have been laid off.
Pete Parsons has been the boss of Destiny since 2016. He took over from Harold Ryan, who was apparently ousted because Destiny 2 could not be released in 2016 as originally planned, and instead, the content had to be completely overhauled.
Parsons’ account was found on the website “Bring A Trailer“. There, an account named “bngpparsons” bought a total of 25 “classic” cars and motorcycles and spent a total of $2,141,550, which is nearly 2 million euros.
Among other things, he treated himself to a 1971 Porsche 911S Coupe for $201,000, just 3 weeks after the layoff wave in 2023. The auction was apparently highly competitive – 23 bids drove the price up.
In a comment, Parsons wrote:
“That was fun. I spent more than I wanted. But I love the green!”
In a second comment, he mentions that these cars are his personal passion. He would also like to give tours to disadvantaged children.
With the purchase, he probably didn’t make a bargain. According to the site PWK.de , the 1971 Porsche 911 Coupe lost about 5.12% of its market value last year. Today, the car would still average about 121,000 €.
How is this perceived? Parsons seems to have had a good time with the sale of the company to Sony. For his employees, however, this now appears as pure mockery. From their perspective, they financed this decadent hobby with their work.
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An angry user from X says: “People are supporting the CEO’s hobbies so he can buy himself a new rare car every 60 days before being kicked out.”
CEO made a strategic mistake, launched too many new games too early
What was Parsons’ mistake? Parsons had already stated in an interview in 2020 that they have been developing “new games” at Bungie since 2017. The goal was to become a leading global entertainment company by 2025.
However, with the current projects, they went overboard, got sidetracked, incurred losses, and had to now halt all projects except for Destiny and Marathon.
A very special ending awaits in Baldur’s Gate 3, if you have remained loyal to a villain until the end.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can shape the course of the story and thus the ending in many ways. Depending on your choices, you will encounter Raphael and can make a pact with him. He will then give you an important artifact but demands the crown of Karsus in return when you have dealt with the “problem” of Baldur’s Gate 3.
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What scene is it about? The scene takes place after the final battle if you made the pact with Raphael and have not broken it beforehand.
Raphael steps forward and thanks you for retrieving the crown of Karsus. With it, he is now able to advance the war in hell and rule over Avernus. After that, he also plans to conquer the other hells.
The other leaders of hell have even contacted Raphael, asking for peace or offering him tributes. Because the crown of Karsus is apparently so powerful that hardly anyone can stop Raphael now.
Once Raphael has united all the hells under him, he will look for further worlds to conquer – including yours.
You can watch the scene here:
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What makes the scene so special? The scene with Raphael after the end of the game is nearly unique in this form. Unlike in the rest of the game, Raphael does not look at your character – but at you. He virtually looks directly “into the camera” and thus at the person behind the screen. It’s as if he wants to say: Actually, I made a deal with you, the person behind the screen.
By doing so, he almost breaks the “fourth wall” and steps out of the game.
Why do so few see the ending? To see this special end sequence with Raphael, you have to make a whole series of decisions in the game. For one, you have to make a contract with Raphael – that alone may not please most. Then, you also have to completely forgo the “House of Hope” – which is basically an “endgame dungeon” where you find a lot of story, powerful weapons, and hell contracts to break the pact again.
Only if your pact with Raphael is still intact at the end of the game can you enjoy this scene. Special endings are, in general, a hallmark of Baldur’s Gate 3, as the next patch brings many more new endings.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Those who log in diligently to Elder Scrolls Online in August 2024 can secure some particularly cool in-game goodies. Additionally, more anniversary rewards are on the horizon.
What login rewards tempt players to Tamriel? As in every month, you will receive useful or cool items for logging in daily to Elder Scrolls Online in August 2024. Here are the highlights from the coming weeks:
Log in 2 times in August: Emberflame Jaguar (companion)
Log in 7 times in August: Rose of Tamriel (face paint)
Log in 10 to 13 times in August: three Glowing Ink each (for the scriptology; a total of twelve Glowing Ink)
Log in 14 times in August: Rose of Tamriel (body paint)
Log in 31 times in August: 5,000 gold coins
The highlights of The Elder Scrolls Online in the trailer from the Summer Game Fest:
Start video
Cheerful trailer for the Summer Game Fest shows you what makes Elder Scrolls Online at its core
How to obtain additional anniversary companions
The developers of Elder Scrolls Online are, of course, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the MMORPG throughout the entire year. As part of the celebrations, you can earn two additional companions in August.
The Emberflame Dwarvgur will be available for free in the Crown Store from August 5, 2024 (from 4 PM) until September 3, 2024 (until 4 PM) if you have unlocked the achievement “Portal Walker of Darkforest” or “Portal Walker of the Deadlands”.
The achievements are unlocked when you traverse ten portals to the realm of oblivion in Darkforest or the Deadlands and destroy the precursor cataclysms there.
Anyone who has also mastered the achievement “Destroyer of Oblivion” will be rewarded with the companion Firebelly Gremlin.
For this achievement, you must defeat all leaders of the portals to the realm of oblivion.
The pursuit of achievements is supported by a weekly endeavor that rewards you for completing ten portals to the realm of oblivion. In addition, there are other daily endeavors associated with the portals that offer more seals than usual.
In Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: MW3 there has long been a collaboration with Godzilla x Kong. The franchise has long lent CoD theB.E.A.S.T. gloves, which are among the most expensive items in the game.
What kind of item is this? The item in question is the B.E.A.S.T. gloves, which are part of the collaboration between Call of Duty and Godzilla x Kong.
The gloves are available as a reward for purchasing 4 Kong x Godzilla bundles in the shop. Each bundle costs about 2,400 Call of Duty points, which is roughly 20 €.
However, the gloves were rather unremarkable for a long time apart from their price. They had neither a special animation nor did it feel to players like they were smashing opponents around with King Kong’s fist. So the item didn’t really do what one would expect from it. A new update has changed that.
Here you can see the current collaboration between Call of Duty and Fallout:
Start video
Call of Duty and Fallout are releasing a skin bundle together, here’s what it looks like
New update gives the gloves real power
What does the new update bring? The new update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Warzone has finally given the gloves real power. When players hit their opponents with them now, they fly many meters through the air, just as if King Kong himself were striking.
So players who have the gloves can be happy that the opponents now fly properly across the map, as was probably intended from the beginning.
In a video on X.com, DETONATED shows what the new animation looks like now:
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Previously, players had complained at the introduction of the gloves that they wouldn’t even knock enemies over. Accordingly, the comments for the update are now quite positive.
What do players say about the update? Many players didn’t even expect an update for the gloves anymore. The gloves were introduced in April 2024, and nothing happened until the update at the end of July.
@KiyyDumb writes about it on X.com: “Why did they change it months later? I would have bought it on the first day if it had done that.”
@SquashyButton29 still finds the price on X.com unjustified: “I mean, it’s good that there’s now a fun extra effect, but it’s still crazy that you have to spend 80 dollars to unlock it.”
@BLACGOKU says on X.com: “It’s definitely worth it to me now 😂.”
August is really heating up in Helldivers 2. The reason for this is not only the temperatures outside but also the new flamethrowers that will be introduced through the war bond “Flame of Freedom”.
What are these flamethrowers? In Helldivers, a new war bond will be released in August again. The war bond called “Flame of Freedom” provides the brave soldiers of Over-Earth with new equipment that will allow them to really heat things up against their opponents.
Along with this are two new flamethrowers. The FLAM-66 Torcher breathes flames as a primary weapon and really heats up the enemies. The secondary weapon P-72 Crisper is perfect for turning enemies to ashes with a quick grab from the pocket.
The FLAM-40 flamethrower is still available to the Helldivers as a strategem and does not need to be unlocked by purchasing a war bond.
The Helldivers community is also looking forward to this fiery spectacle.
Here you can see the trailer for the new war bond:
Start video
Helldivers 2 shows in the new war bond ‘Flame of Freedom’ fiery democracy
“THREE flamethrowers at once? Hell yeah”
How does the community react to the flamethrowers? The community is very excited about the flamethrowers. Many GIFs from various series and movies are shared by the Helldivers to express their anticipation for the new war bond.
Being able to carry three flamethrowers is well received in the community on Reddit.
Porcupinedeath writes: “Ayo, can I have THREE flamethrowers at once? Hell yeah, buddy”
Majjin_ replies: “Remember that switching to your third flamethrower always goes faster than reloading your first two flamethrowers.”
Porcupinedeath replies again: “And throwing firebombs is faster than reloading my 3 flamethrowers.”
Feedmestocks has been waiting for a long time: “I’ve been praying for a fire Punisher for so long. I really can’t wait”
This-Fuel-843 writes: “I can’t wait to play as a salamander and cleanse them in holy fire!”
The community is noticeably happy about the new war bond. Even though equipping 3 flamethrowers probably won’t be the best build in the game, the Helldivers are definitely feeling a lot of anticipation already. If you want to know what else besides the two new flamethrowers is included in the new war bond of Helldivers 2, then we have the right article for you: Helldivers 2 finally brings the armor the community has been wishing for with the new war bond ‘Flame of Freedom’
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMORPG Ashes of Creation, the new class Bard was recently presented. It serves the group with buffs and good entertainment.
Why is the Bard being introduced now? Ashes of Creation hosts a livestream about once a month, where the developers explain the progress of game development as well as systems and mechanics.
This time, the developers spent almost two hours discussing the Bard. The new archetype functions as a support class for the group and also provides good entertainment on the side.
The Mage has also been introduced; here is what the class looks like:
Start video
Ashes of Creation presents the mage archetype in 30 minutes
Class Clown or Useful Helper?
What can the Bard do? The Bard in Ashes of Creation serves as a supporter for his group. He is not a classic healer or tank, but a type of buffer who enhances his group and weakens opponents.
For this, he has various abilities at his disposal. In the presentation livestream (via YouTube), the developers first showcased the 5 different auras.
One or two of these will always be active for the Bard. They give the group passive effects such as a buff on healing received, mana regeneration, or increased movement speed; additionally, one aura can increase the damage opponents receive.
For good entertainment and valuable buffs, the Bard provides his dances. In the current version, he has four different dances available. The dances are active abilities where the Bard dances and supports the group.
One dance provides a shield and heals the group for every second the dance is active. Another dance can add damage to opponents. The dances are always very expressive, providing some laughs even for the developers.
The Bard can do more than just buff.
What other abilities does the Bard have? The Bard also has regular healing and damage abilities as well as many abilities that give negative effects to his opponents, stun them, or disarm them.
Additionally, the Bard can swap hit points with one of his teammates. With his abilities, the Bard collects masks. He can use these masks to trigger a combo ability that activates different skills depending on the combination of collected masks.
What role does the Bard take on? The Bard can function as a healer in smaller groups, but he is more intended as a supporter for larger groups. In the developer’s example, the group consisted of a tank, 3 damage dealers, a healer, and a Bard as the group’s supporter.
In battle, the Bard always adapts to what the group needs. If everything is running smoothly, there will be more damage; if time needs to be bridged, there will be a movement speed buff; and if an opponent deals a lot of damage, healing will be provided.
Especially concerning mana, the Bard is very useful for the group. In the developers’ livestream, players could quickly regain mana with the Bard’s buff to use their abilities. During combat, the blue bar otherwise went down quite quickly.
AI is one of the tech adventures of our time, yet the Apple founder spoke of the opportunities – but also the great risks – 40 years ago.
Did Steve Jobs talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) 40 years ago? Yes, Steve Jobs discussed his thoughts on the development of computers towards independent interaction with humans at the International Design Conference in Aspen, Colorado (USA).
How do we know about the speech? The widow of Steve Jobs regularly publishes documents, videos, or similar items on the stevejobsarchive website that had not been publicly available until then.
Start video
The “Deep Dive” is supposed to immerse us into MMORPGs deeper than ever before – What is it actually?
A 40-Year-Old Speech About Today
What did Steve Jobs say about AIs? He mentioned back then that humans would interact with computers for several hours every day. And what he hopes for from computers is clearly described with a reference to the immortalization of a great philosopher and polymath like the Greek Aristotle.
If we look to the next 50 and 100 years, if we can really create these machines that can capture a mind, a set of principles, or a way of seeing the world, we might [forever] have the next Aristotle.
The potential, if computers could learn to think and advise like humans, is immense according to Steve – however, he also foresaw the potential weakness of these systems:
Maybe, if one of these machines accompanies him for his whole life, one day we might ask it: “What would Aristotle have said?” Maybe we won’t get the right answer, but that is really exciting for me, and that’s one of the reasons why I do what I do.
And in the offices of Apple, AI probably wasn’t just an amusing intellectual distraction during a break, as can be inferred from this quote:
A lot of work is being done in the field of artificial intelligence to understand what self-awareness is and to understand whether a computer can ever be self-aware. […] Many people are dedicating themselves to […] trying to understand the architecture of the brain and how we can better mimic machines. And indeed I believe that by the end of our lives we will know the answer to this question. And that is what motivates many of us.
Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, in California due to cancer. He thus did not experience the huge boom of AI himself. But some of his colleagues and researchers from that time could make his prediction from over 40 years ago come true in the future.
Some examples of what AI is recently capable of, and the market power it wields in the hands of companies like Nvidia, can be read in the following articles from us:
The 1122nd chapter of the manga about One Piece will be released in just a few days. Thanks to leaks from Japan, we already know what will happen in the next section of the story. Accordingly, we will see Joy Boy for the first time, albeit with a small limitation.
Warning, here follows a spoiler minefield. Avoid it if you want to read chapter 1122 yourself without knowing how Joy Boy is depicted.
Joy Boy lived about 900 years ago in a “technologically advanced” kingdom.
He was the very first pirate to sail the world’s oceans.
His body could stretch like rubber. His fighting style resembled that of the sun god Nika.
Luffy is the incarnation of Joy Boy. After he awakened his Gear-5 powers, the giant elephant Zunesha called him by this name.
Furthermore, Joy Boy contributed at least a part of the One Piece. When Pirate King Gol D. Roger found the legendary treasure, he wished that he had lived at the same time as Joy Boy.
Unfortunately, we do not know if Joy Boy sailed the seas with a cool ship:
Start video
One Piece: These are the 5 coolest ships sailing the oceans
Conclusions about Joy Boy’s appearance refute fan theory
What does Joy Boy look like? In the upcoming chapter, a flashback will be shown between the giant robot Emet and Joy Boy. While the metal creature is fully visible, Joy Boy is only represented vaguely.
It can be seen that he wears a hat and a coat. The hat has a slightly wider brim than Luffy’s straw hat. The coat also seems to have seen better days, as it is worn out at the bottom.
X-user Perera44 shows us what Joy Boy looks like:
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Which fan theory is being refuted? When Imu first showed a gigantic straw hat, many fans were convinced that Joy Boy must be a giant (via Reddit). Among giants, the sun god Nika is considered a folk hero.
That’s why many fans thought that the gigantic straw hat must have belonged to a large person who possessed similar powers to Nika and Joy Boy.
But: Compared to the robot, it can be seen that Joy Boy is not a giant. He is roughly the size of Luffy and his friends. This suggests that Joy Boy could have been a human.
Alternatively, it is possible that another fan theory is correct and Joy Boy was a Buccaneer. Oda may have left some leeway in the size comparison because Buccaneers are only slightly larger than humans.
The theory of the Buccaneers is reinforced by the fact that Jewelry Bonney was able to transform into Nika. Bonney is partly a Buccaneer due to her father’s genes, and she has listened to stories about the sun god Nika since she was a child.
The Five Elders have also repeatedly expressed disdain for the Buccaneers, which many attributed to the fact that a “Nika” must always be born among them.
Whether Joy Boy was ultimately a Buccaneer or a human remains to be seen. If Oda adheres to the current size comparison with Emet, it does not seem that the gigantic straw hat that Imu keeps belongs to him.
In the medieval MMO Chivalry 2, players fight against others in first-person view like in a shooter. With longswords, hammers, and battle axes, they slash at their opponents. The inspiration came from large battles from Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings. The game was released in 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox – now, they look back with satisfaction at 3 years and 11 updates and say, “We are done.”
This is the idea behind Chivalry 2:
Development started in 2017 – the idea was to recreate medieval battles with all their blood and chaos. Players should be able to grab anything that was on the ground to fight each other. We called it the “Battlefield of knight games”
The game was well-received at release and peaked at nearly 17,000 players on Steam, where it was released a year after in June 2022. For a paid title, that’s quite decent.
Start video
Chivalry 2 is the Battlefield among the knight games – Shows in the trailer for the update new map and weapons
Stable player numbers on Steam – resurgence after the May update
How was the development? The development has run correctly for 3 years now. New maps, modes, and all sorts of things have been released. The game has received 11 updates.
Chivalry 2 found a player base on Steam and player numbers have been solid since August 2022, averaging between 1,400 and 2,600 concurrent players.
After the last update in May, the MMO is doing significantly better now than for much of 2023. Currently, the game has 2,400 players on Steam again – and certainly a few more on consoles and other platforms. Still, it’s coming to an end now.
Chivalry 2 ends development – nothing more is coming
This is what the developer says: The creator of the game, Tom Bannen, announces:
There will be no more updates – the game is “Feature Complete” with the 11th update Regice.
The game will be moved to maintenance mode and critical issues will be addressed, but they will focus on new projects.
They know that many players will be disappointed by the news, but will now focus on new projects, also in the Chivalry universe. The next Chivalry will “blow players away.”
No cash shop – no further development
This is what it’s about: We often report on MeinMMO about MMOs that are shut down because they have no players left. Here, a game rides off into the sunset, which has performed well.
The result is ultimately the same, except that you can still play Chivalry now.
The reason is likely that Chivalry 2 has too few opportunities to earn money in ongoing operations and relies on players buying it anew. They have also already gone through the free giveaway via PS Plus. Other MMOs finance themselves through a cash shop.
Herschel “DrDisrespect” Beahm was previously the star of Twitch. His permanent ban was a major mystery for 4 years. The real reason for the ban only came to light a few months before the planned release of his shooter Deadrop.
What kind of shooter is this? Deadrop is the first game from the developer studio Midnight Society, co-founded by the streamer Herschel “DrDisrespect” Beahm. The marketing of the shooter relied heavily on the influencer, who previously worked on CoD and was known on Twitch and YouTube for his strong opinions on shooters and his loud rants.
When the studio was founded in 2021, it was said that they wanted to compete with the big players, challenging CoD Warzone and Apex Legends.
In June, however, the studio distanced itself from its star after allegations that he had apparently received the news live on air – many declared the shooter dead after that.
Now, Robert Bowling and Quinn DelHoyo, co-founders of Midnight Society, spoke in an interview about the decision and its consequences for the shooter.
The ban of DrDisrespect occupied fans for four years.
Start video
DrDisrespect was a celebrity on Twitch – His ban remains a big mystery to this day
Deadrop is set to be released as planned in 2024
How did the studio react? The accusation that DrDisrespect was banned from Twitch due to chats with a minor reached the developers a few months before the planned release of Deadrop. “There was shock and disappointment,” Bowling recalls in the interview.
However, these feelings quickly changed to “How can I ensure that all the incredible work on Deadrop is not lost?”, Bowling continues. Midnight Society employs 55 developers. To finance the shooter, they had raised 24 million US dollars.
According to Bowling, the release will not be affected by the scandal surrounding DrDisrespect. Deadrop is scheduled to launch as a free-to-play title in the fourth quarter of 2024. The shooter will probably be a kind of EFT-like, but with a vertical playing field instead of the usual horizontal environment – and NFTs.
DrDisrespect is said to have helped the studio
What do people say about DrDisrespect? As the founders explain, the content creator was brought on board to leverage his massive reach of 4.5 million YouTube subscribers. “His job as an influencer was to direct attention and the community to us,” Bowling says. At the launch, he was also supposed to play the game in front of his fans.
However, this seems unlikely to happen in the planned form. The decision to part ways was made by the founders in a joint meeting. “We knew it was the right decision after we discussed everything as a group of four.”
Despite this experience, Bowling seems to have a rather positive view of collaborating with influencers: “Having a little initial marketing that we otherwise wouldn’t have had definitely helped,” explains the Creative Director.
However, he insists that it was the good reputation of the developers in the gaming industry that attracted investments to the shooter, not the influence of DrDisrespect.
At release, it will be revealed if Deadrop can stand on its own feet or if shooter fans will be proven right in their fear that the game is doomed to fail without DrDisrespect and his promotional efforts. Alternatively, there are still the 25 best shooters of 2024, which will impress with PvP or PvE gameplay.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Many fans believe that Two and a Half Men became a worse show after Charlie Sheen was fired. Especially the finale has received poor ratings. Chuck Lorre, the creator of Two and a Half Men, wanted to bring Charlie Sheen back for the finale, but he was not particularly enthusiastic about the idea for the finale.
What happens in the finale of Two and a Half Men? In the final scene of season 12, which you can see on YouTube, Berta, Alan, and Walden are lying on the balcony. The three see a helicopter carrying a piano, but they don’t care about it.
After a cut, we see a Charlie double ringing the doorbell. Suddenly, the piano falls on this Charlie. The camera zooms out to Chuck Lorre’s director’s chair, who says Won, only to be killed by a piano shortly after.
Originally, however, Lorre planned to bring the real Charlie Sheen back to mock him. Sheen had a different idea, which is why he was not brought back.
Start video
Two and a Half Men – Trailer for Season 11 with Jon Cryer and Ashton Kutcher
Silly End or Family Reunion
What did Lorre want to do with Sheen in the finale? In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lorre spoke about the series finale and that he contacted Sheen for an appearance. His plan was not much different from the official ending.
Our idea was that he would go to the front door in the last scene, ring the bell, then turn around, look directly into the camera, and deliver a crazy tirade about the dangers of drug abuse. He would then explain that these dangers only apply to average people.
Additionally, Sheen was to say that he was a ninja from Mars and immortal. After the monologue, the piano was supposed to fall, just like in the actual ending. His monologue is a reference to an interview he gave after he was fired. Here you can read more about it: Charlie Sheen would have returned to “Two and a Half Men” – under an absurd condition
What did Charlie Sheen want as an ending? Lorre recounts in the interview that Sheen wanted a heartwarming scene as a finale that would lead into a new show called The Harpers. Sheen wanted him and Jon Cryer to continue the series with that.
The two did not agree, and the ending was ultimately filmed as Lorre had planned, just without Sheen. We found it funny. He didn’t.
How did fans feel about the ending? Looking at the comments under the YouTube video, fans do not find the ending nearly as funny as Lorre.
@Doctor4007: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should not bring your personal feelings into your work life. Because it ends with a terrible ending and angers a lot of people
@Parasopher: The show ended when Charlie left
@Psyberelogist: That was more than sad and extremely disrespectful to the show’s fans.
NCSoft has introduced a new rune system for the Korean version of Throne and Liberty that revives the old Pay2Win discussions. MeinMMO summarizes the key points of this feature for you.
The new dungeon challenge “Dimensional Challenge” (comparable to Mythic Plus dungeons from WoW, which also offer increasing difficulty) rewards with jewels that can be socketed into gear to enhance attack, defense, or support values.
There are exactly these three types of runes: red attack runes, blue defense runes, and yellow support runes.
Runes that offer the same value can be fused into stronger versions of the runes.
Synergy effects can be activated based on the type of runes used.
By gradually upgrading runes, even less experienced players should have the chance to farm high-level runes by completing the first eleven levels of the “Dimensional Challenge” (which are said to be relatively accessible).
Runes should also be earnable in other ways, such as through world events.
Runes can be destroyed, yielding rune fragments (a level 1 rune gives about one to three fragments). With 100 fragments, one can craft a rune hammer.
A rune hammer is needed to unlock sockets on gear (for weapons, two rune hammers per socket are required). The factor of chance decides which type of rune can be placed in each socket.
By investing additional rune hammers, one can re-roll the type of socket, with costs depending on the number of reset attempts (so you’ll need more rune hammers to reset).
The Guitarist562 shows in a video on YouTube how the system works in practice.
The release date trailer prepares you for the launch of Throne and Liberty:
Start video
Throne and Liberty: New trailer reveals release date, introduces the fantasy world of Solisium
Worried glance to Korea
How does the community react to this system? On Reddit, the community is already extensively discussing the new system. Two areas of the feature are viewed particularly critically:
The potential Pay2Win/Pay2Progress factor: Rune hammers can be purchased through the in-game shop. Those who invest real money are expected to reach their goals much faster.
The randomness factor: Those who want to use the best possible rune combinations and synergies on their gear must obtain numerous rune hammers and even more runes. Those who have bad luck can become frustrated quickly.
Some players of the Korean version have reportedly spent hundreds of dollars on rune hammers in streams, with widely varying results for character progression. Those who don’t spend money on the shop and have bad luck with unlocking sockets will alternatively spend a lot of time in the new “Dimensional Challenge” dungeons.
Group challenges are the core of Throne and Liberty.
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz evaluate the new feature? If the rune system is implemented in exactly this form in the Western version of Throne and Liberty, criticism from my perspective is absolutely justified. Once the factor of chance affects character strength and also involves real-money investments, developers cross a line.
However, I would like to emphasize that Amazon Games has already adjusted various critical mechanics and systems from the Korean version of the MMORPG for the Western port. In the open beta, the payment model of Throne and Liberty was relatively fair. Therefore, I expect that there will be corresponding adjustments to the rune system for the West as well.
What do I need to know about Throne and Liberty? On September 17, 2024, the new MMORPG from NCSoft, Throne and Liberty, will be released. The launch in the West will be handled – as already indicated – by Amazon Games, who have gained experience with New World and Lost Ark.
