Until a few weeks ago, Anthemwas still playable, but now the servers are down and the shooter is finally history – or is it? Some unyielding fans refuse to accept the end of Anthem and are working on a revival, but it won’t be easy.
It was clear early on that the loot shooter from BioWare was dead: The game was released on February 22, 2019, two years later, Anthem was declared dead. Yet players were boldly promised that this would be “the start of a 10-year journey”.
This journey has now ended after 7 years, with 5 years without new content. On January 12, 2026, in a final move by the publisher EA, the servers were shut down. However, some fans are already working on making the loot shooter playable again.
A lead developer of Anthem recently explained why the game really flopped:
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8 Jahre später erklärt ehemaliger Chef-Entwickler, warum Anthem wirklich floppte: Ein Team gefangen „in der Welt der Geheimnisse“
The engine still stands in the way of Anthem’s return
The return of Anthem? The people behind the revival of Anthem recently spoke about the project in an interview with Ars Technica. They are optimistic – but ask fans to temper their expectations. Because the revival is complicated.
At the center of the efforts is The Fort’s Forge, a Discord server. On this server, a handful of volunteers have gathered to make the shooter playable again. One of them is Ness199X, who already has experience with games running on the Frostbite engine, which Anthem uses.
The engine presents the biggest challenge so far. The game uses, like many other titles from EA, the Frostbite engine. However, it uses it differently than previous games, Ness explained to Ars Technica. This makes it much harder to understand how it works – and to make the game playable without EA’s servers.
So will Anthem return after all? Quite possible, but one shouldn’t expect it soon. Fans are using the last hours for a final excursion into the world of Anthem. Many shared their sorrow over the end, the farewell from the loot shooter resembled a digital funeral.
Our colleague Michał from the international “Find Your Next Game” team experienced the end of Anthem live in the game. He shares his impressions of the last hours in a video on the official YouTube channel of MeinMMO. You can find it through this article on MeinMMO: “I was present in the final hours of Anthem and it was truly oppressive”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Most new MMORPGs have recently come mostly from Asia. In contrast, very few innovations come from the West, at least regarding major projects. Ashes of Creation was, therefore, a beacon of hope – now its future seems uncertain.
What is happening with Ashes of Creation? On the night of January 31 to February 1, 2026, Steven Sharif, CEO of Intrepid Studios and Creative Director of Ashes of Creation, shared a concerning message on the official Discord server for the game.
The message from the chief indicates that he and other executives have left the studio. Subsequently, there was a “mass layoff,” he says.
Ashes of Creation only entered Early Access on Steam on December 11, 2025:
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Ashes of Creation stimmt im Trailer auf Early-Access-Start auf Steam ein
Studio Chief Resigns, Executives Follow
This is what the chief says: Sharif writes in his message to the community that he has lost control of the company. The board has since begun making decisions that he could not ethically agree to or implement. He does not specify what these decisions were at this point.
Ultimately, Sharif decided to resign “in protest” rather than support these actions. A large part of the leadership team left the studio afterward, prompting the board to carry out a mass layoff.
With this message, Steve Sharif announced his resignation.
Due to ongoing legal matters, Sharif cannot say much at this time. Therefore, it is unclear how many employees are to be affected by the mass layoff at the studio. An official statement has not been released by the time this article is published. However, such a statement could follow on Monday, February 2, 2026.
The developers are not to blame for this situation, Sharif writes in his message:
What I can say is that the developers and staff acted in good faith and deserved better than the uncertainty they are now facing.
Steven Sharif
Is Ashes of Creation Coming to an End?
What does this mean for the MMORPG? The future of the development studio remains uncertain, as does that of Ashes of Creation. Whether the game will actually be discontinued, as many fear, or whether it will be further developed with a smaller team – and without Sharif – remains to be seen.
On social media platforms like X and Reddit, both the founder’s message and the layoffs are being actively discussed. Some players have invested significant sums into the MMORPG since the start of the Kickstarter campaign.
Damn, I really put $1000 into this game since October 2020. Just for it to get canceled before it was ever released, writes Juliet (@ttvjuliet) on X
Looks like Ashes of Creation is imploding, says MMORPG expert and critic Bellular on X
X user Savvo Games (@SavvoGames) shares a screenshot in which there is said to be a final message from the developers to the players. It states: “We truly did our best. Out of our control. You guys are incredible and keep on keeping on.” (on X)
Many angry fans in the Ashes of Creation Subreddit talk about a scam, with sadness mixed with schadenfreude. Others are already looking for people to switch to another MMORPG with them. For instance, one user asks in a Reddit post: “Anybody want to hop with me to Archeage?”
After a severe defeat at level 58, Metashi, the last guild leader of Sauercrowd, has finally reached level 60 in WoW Hardcore. From the final experience points, the Twitch streamer made a big event and specifically saved his favorite quest from one of the early areas to achieve this ascent.
What quest is that?
For the last XP, Metashi chose the quest: “The Love of a Daughter” from Duskwood. The streamer explains that while the quest chain is short, it is one of his favorites in the entire game.
The story: Morgan Ladimore regrets not having protected his family. His – unbeknownst to him – surviving daughter forgives him. She brings a ring to his grave, which redeems his spirit (and also grants a fancy two-handed weapon as a reward).
This is how Metashi reached level 60: The streamer calculated exactly how many experience points he would get for the quest. The XP reward changes when you turn in quests for which you are already at a significantly higher level.
Metashi knows he will get 140 XP. Until just before the ascent, he continues to turn in quests in the Eastern Plaguelands, until only 2,077 XP are missing. He has a portal opened to Stormwind, rides to the Deadwind Pass, and takes out a few buzzards.
When only 84 experience points are left, he flies back to Stormwind and gathers dozens of onlookers around him. The group marches in “RP walk” to the grave in Duskwood, with all the low-level fans bravely protected by the other heroes (in the Twitch stream at hour 05:16:45).
Upon arriving at the grave, Metashi finally reads the entire story of Morgan Ladimore from the diary he has been carrying since early levels. With many thanks to his group, his girlfriend, and his viewers, Metashi turns in the quest and reaches level 60 – and breaks down emotionally in tears (in the stream at hour 05:34:19).
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WoW: Guild loses 30 characters on a hardcore server – And it wasn’t even a boss fight
Metashi reaches level 60 as the last guild leader, Molten Core raid in 2 weeks
Metashi could have been one of the first Sauercrowd leaders to reach level 60, but due to a wrong decision he died at level 58 along with 2 other players. The way back was surprisingly quick nonetheless.
MeinMMO author Johanna is quite interested in one or another cozy game on Steam. One of them has been on her wishlist for 3 years and she almost missed it. But now she has just played it through in one weekend.
What kind of game is it? It is the cozy game Tiny Bookshop. In this game, you have a small bookshop on wheels. You move to the small town of Bookston, where you can unlock various locations for your mobile passion.
Every day the sales location changes, you pack books into your shelves, and off you go to sell. The goal is, of course, to have a financially viable bookshop. You can also decorate your bookshop on wheels with small decorative items, plants, or even two animals.
You will be supported by the residents of Bookston. They assist you with advice and favors as you complete various quests for them, and in return, you are rewarded with more decorative items.
The art style of the game is simple, yet detailed. The pace is moderate. Typical cozy game indeed. You won’t be rushed, but relaxed.
Here you can get your own impression of the game:
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In Tiny Bookshop, you sell books to a small town
For the first time, I became aware of Tiny Bookshop in 2022. In a small trailer, the idea was shown to me on my For-You page. I was immediately fascinated by the game concept and followed the developers’ request to add the game to my wishlist.
In August 2025, it finally happened: The game was released. However, I had completely forgotten about it by that time. On a Friday, while browsing through my Steam wishlist, I discovered Tiny Bookshop, so to speak, “again”.
I bought it right away, as I didn’t want to forget it again, and jumped right in. Before I knew it, it was Sunday evening and I had no other memories of the weekend than having played the game.
Two hobbies in one activity
What makes Tiny Bookshop so special? Tiny Bookshop allows me not only to relax through simple gameplay in a cozy atmosphere but also to indulge in my two hobbies simultaneously. I love gaming and reading. Tiny Bookshop brings these together for me.
The game goes through the different seasons, during which various events take place. The decorations also adapt to the season.
Now and then, customers need a book recommendation. The special thing about this game is that your shelves contain real books that you can also buy in real life.
This made the gameplay feel personal for me. My knowledge of books, whether read or just informed about, gives me an advantage in customer advising. The customer wants to read a real horror classic? No problem, here is Frankenstein or The Shining.
Additionally, this has a lovely side effect: The books also always come with a synopsis, leading me to discover new books that I want to read.
Overall, Tiny Bookshop offers about 30 to 40 hours of cozy gaming fun, depending on how thorough you are, whether you want to complete all quests and collect all decorative items.
A player challenged herself to earn the rarest achievement in ARC Raiders. Two months and 300 hours later, she wonders: Was it even worth it?
Which achievement are we talking about? Streamer and YouTuber Evelyn “Eskay” Hollis set herself the goal of achieving an achievement in ARC Raiders that only 14 other players have ever achieved. We are talking about the “Cantina Legend” rank, for which only the top 100 players qualify.
The rank is achieved through the weekly trials, where players earn progress to secure a spot on the leaderboard. Players can only rank up twice a week, meaning for Eskay’s plan to become Cantina Legend, she had to rank up every week at every opportunity throughout the entire season. And this becomes increasingly difficult with each rank-up and stronger opponents.
After 2 months and 300 hours in the game, Eskay finally managed to earn this prestigious title for herself. However, the victorious mood was not present for the streamer; quite the opposite, as she reveals in her documenting video on YouTube: “To be honest, I find it really hard to present this experience positively.”
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Spieler in Arc Raiders schreit so laut um Hilfe, dass der Nachbar die Tür aufbricht
“Was it worth it? Not really.”
Why was it not a positive experience for the streamer? Eskay explains at the end of her video why this challenge she set for herself will not be a pleasant memory. Although she spent a lot of time in the game and achieved something that only 14 other players worldwide can claim.
Nevertheless, the streamer is sure:
The fact is that I temporarily ruined my life to play Arc Raiders Trials. I postponed so many commitments. I skipped meetings with friends who only visit once a year. I missed dinners. I skipped the gym. I put my career on hold. I almost missed a trip to Paris. And for what? For a skin?
What insight does Eskay take from the experience? The streamer emphasizes that she is proud of this achievement and that the people who have achieved the “Cantina Legend” rank have truly worked hard.
She wanted to prove to herself that she could deliver a strong performance regardless of the game and felt after several weeks that she had invested too much to give up. She also did not want to disappoint her two friends and teammates.
However, it seems Eskay has learned something for herself through her concluding words, something she wants to hold on to:
Don’t get me wrong, I am no stranger to grinding, but the older I get and the more experiences I gather, the more my priorities shift. I can’t just play 12 hours a day, even if it’s somehow my job.
There are so many things in real life that I want to do and haven’t done yet. There are so many memories and experiences that I have missed because I played video games.
With Eskay’s achievement, the streamer proved that she can indeed be proud of her performance in the shooter, even if it cost her a lot and ultimately was not worth it. Her community is understanding and still celebrates her for this extraordinarily rare achievement.
MeinMMO asked you which world of Warhammer you like the most: Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, Fantasy – or one of the “spin-offs”? The winner is quite clear, but what comes next surprised us quite a bit.
Warhammer consists of several large worlds, each with its own lore, characters, and independent storyline. Each of these settings has its own tabletop, books, and video games to fully immerse in the respective world.
We wanted to know from you in a survey which of these worlds you like the most – actually just as a barometer for us to gauge which areas we still need to expand.
However, you participated diligently: 3,966 votes came in, with multiple selections allowed – after all, one can like more than one thing. In first place, Warhammer 40,000 is far ahead with 1,710 votes (43 %).
Do you have a different opinion? The survey is still open. Just keep in mind that all data will be forwarded directly to the Inquisition. We are not responsible for surprise visits:
That is hardly surprising, considering how much lore this world includes and the fascination stemming from the grim darkness that is inherent to the setting. If you are still not convinced: 2026 is the optimal year to become a Warhammer fan.
The following ranks were… surprising, especially since Fantasy held the second place for a long time and was only overtaken in recent days. And that precisely by the greatest catastrophe that the Imperium of Man has ever seen.
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The trailer for the new edition of the Horus Heresy in Warhammer 40,000
The greatest betrayal of humanity is your second favorite topic
In second place with currently 708 votes (18 %) stands the “Horus Heresy”, or the Great Brother War. Originally part of Warhammer 40,000, it has now become almost its own setting because it takes place 10,000 years earlier. The community often refers to it as “Warhammer 30k.”
The Horus Heresy is the great betrayal of the Warmaster Horus Lupercal against the Emperor: He conspired with the dark gods to overthrow his father, which would have led to the downfall of the Imperium and possibly the galaxy.
The devastating aspect of this war was that not only Horus and his legion rebelled, but half of all primarchs along with their Space Marine legions became traitors, many of them in the name of a specific god, others in the name of undivided chaos.
Horus was even almost successful in this betrayal and weakened the Emperor so much that he has been bound to his Golden Throne ever since and is only kept alive by this. The reason why heretics often refer to him as the “Corpse Emperor”.
In the community, there are divided opinions about the system. While the lore is generally met with much interest, especially fans of the other systems wish for more focus on their favorites. They are also represented in your survey:
3rd place (671 votes, 17 %) taken by Warhammer Fantasy, the original Warhammer system,
If the Emperor could still rise, he would probably applaud with one hand for your choice of Warhammer 40,000, only to clench the other into a fist for reminding him of his greatest defeat.
The Streamer Guild Sauercrowd has been making waves in WoW Classic since December 27, 2025, and took over the German Twitch scene. Many participants have little to no experience with the MMORPG. 13 of them provided feedback after the first weeks.
Metashi12 is one of the organizers of Sauercrowd, the big WoW event on German Twitch. He asked 13 participants for honest feedback – from the WoW veteran to the MMORPG noob to the Twitch newcomer. We summarized the responses for you here, but you can also check out the video here.
Note: The interim report was recorded about 2 weeks after the event started. Levels and deaths may not be completely up to date. We have supplemented the updated information where necessary.
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Mowky: The streamer reports starting the event with low expectations. After all, WoW would usually “flop” on Twitch, and after 2 weeks, no one would want to play anymore. Instead, she was not only pleasantly surprised but is already dreaming of a season 2.
Broeki: The LoL streamer is so deep into the WoW grind that he records his contribution during his character’s flight time. He admits to having underestimated WoW Classic entirely: one just has to immerse oneself in it, and then it becomes a great game. However, the event is also upheld by social interaction and the overarching goal of the guild.
Mahluna: For the streamer, the first two weeks of the event felt almost like a whole year – mainly due to her playtime of about 10 hours a day. Mahluna is not only surprised by WoW but also by herself – level 45 without dying, and that as an MMO newbie is quite impressive. In the meantime, she did die once, but her hunter is already back at level 46 (as of January 31, 2026, 14:15).
Tolkin: For the LoL streamer, what stands out is how many new people he has met through the event. He experiences less of that with League. His interim report is short and sweet: “Great event, would love to do it again.”
Bladeshow: The LoL pro particularly praises the people working behind the scenes at the event, such as on the Discord server or the website. For him, the project is especially notable for bringing many new people to WoW who not only “grind hard” but also have fun with the game.
Naguura: The streamer is not new to WoW, but she is in the German community, as the Tyrolean typically streams in English. She feels well received and is happy to see the passion with which the “first-timers” are starting in WoW. It feels almost like it did back in 2005.
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WoW Classic: The Hardcore Servers Are Here!
Sieglinde: The experienced WoW player says: In the last 20 years of MMORPG, he has rarely had such a good time as through this event. He particularly likes discovering WoW with new players, as it allows him to experience it anew himself.
Cezzy: The streamer reports after 3 weeks in the event, where he has hardly seen the sun. Even as a night owl, he always finds players to team up with, thanks to the well-populated Discord. Cezzy has already died 6 times in the event but keeps starting fresh – after all, the event needs tanks.
JenNyan: The streamer started WoW 20 years too late but already understands after two weeks why players would have “neglected their lives” back then. Luckily, she didn’t play WoW as a teenager, says JenNyan. She especially praises the mutual support, such as after the tragic loss of her character at level 20.
HughWinters: For the streamer, WoW is almost secondary at this event. The vibe at the event, the camaraderie, the solidarity are simply indescribable. He has never experienced anything like this in 9 years on Twitch. The streamer believes Twitch Germany needs more projects like this.
Justin Tinderdate: The DJ knows WoW but is completely new to Twitch. He met guild leader HandOfBlood at a DJ set and decided to join the project. Even after Sauercrowd ends, he plans to continue streaming.
Felikah: The streamer, who mainly shows Minecraft, has been completely captivated by WoW. She didn’t even know she could be so into anything. In the past weeks, she has only played WoW, slept, and played WoW again. No wonder she has put over 200 hours into the game in less than a month. Felikah is also excited about the camaraderie in the guild and looks forward to raiding Molten Core with the group.
Despite the diverse backgrounds of the participants surveyed, almost all share how beautiful the camaraderie and solidarity at the event are. Many who had no prior experience with WoW are pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoy the game. These two points alone would likely be enough to explain the event’s success – but for some participants, it is particularly worthwhile: 10 major winners of Sauercrowd – for these Twitch streamers, the adventure in WoW Classic Hardcore has already paid off
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Nioh 3 is just around the corner for its release on Steam. The demo is already receiving positive feedback from players, but it also brings an issue.
What kind of game is it? It is the third installment in the Nioh series: Nioh 3. The release of the game is scheduled for February 6, 2026 on Steam, so fans don’t have to wait much longer.
Nioh 3 is a Soulslike game where you play as a samurai. The unique aspect: Nioh 3 is the first installment in the series that offers you an open world.
Additionally, players no longer have to commit to a single playstyle, but can switch between ninja and samurai styles even during combat. As a samurai, you approach fiercely and directly, while as a ninja, you rely on agility and skill.
You can get a first impression of the game with the trailer:
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In Nioh 3 könnt ihr ein weiteres Samurai-Action-RPG erleben
Tutorial is Already Causing Issues for Players in the Demo
How is the tutorial deadly? To sweeten the waiting time for players, a demo for the game was released on January 29. It is already receiving positive feedback from players. According to SteamDB, the demo had a peak of 39,227 simultaneous players.
In the subreddit r/Nioh, players share their excitement for the demo, but also the problems they encounter. One of them seems to be the tutorial itself.
Player GameGuidesGN_Mod shared a clip on Reddit showing how the tutorial message appears just as he is about to leap over a chasm. When he clicks it away, he falls into the abyss and cannot save himself.
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Other players also share their experiences with the tutorial messages. For instance, dotinous writes: “I was in a fight when I got one of those, they really are sometimes a meme.” Also, ghouIzz seems to have had similar situations: “The number of times that killed me just before a burst attack was really funny.”
Highguard has already been compared to the disastrous shooter Concord before its release. In fact, the launch on Steam and PS5 went anything but promising. A patch is supposed to change that, as it introduces a new mode to the game.
This is the current situation surrounding Highguard:
The Free2Play shooter was released on January 26, 2026, for Steam and PS5. Previously, the developers had been silent for weeks after the surprising announcement at the Game Awards 2025 .
However, at launch, Highguard was bombarded with negative reviews on Steam. In addition to legitimate criticism, the frustration of players dissatisfied with the gaming industry had been unleashed over the shooter, who had already labeled the game as “the next Concord”.
But instead of pulling the plug, the developers of Highguard are staying on track and rolled out a patch along with a new mode in the first week.
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Highguard zeigt im Trailer, was euch im neuen PvP-Raid-Shooter erwartet
Highguard brings new mode and performance fixes
This is new: With a patch, the developers addressed some of the criticisms of the shooter on January 29 – and surprisingly delivered a completely new game mode. There is now an experimental 5v5 mode, which is only playable for this weekend.
So those who only checked out Highguard at launch and were overwhelmed by the large maps might give the shooter another chance. However, the developers also warn: Adding 4 more players does not exactly help the other major criticism – the performance.
Additionally, the patch is said to deliver improvements in animation performance, projectiles, and other gameplay systems (Source: Steam).
1.0.4 Patch Notes in English (machine translated with Gemini)
Game Input Settings
Crouch: On all platforms, “Crouch” can now be set to Hold or Toggle.
Aim Down Sights (ADS): The ability to set aiming (ADS) to Hold or Toggle has been added (initially only for PC). Note:Switching the aim is done by pressing the sprint button (Shift on PC, left stick on controller), while in ADS mode. This may feel disorienting on the controller. PC players are advised to remap the aim switch key if they use “ADS Toggle.” A solution for console players (who cannot yet freely assign buttons) is being worked on, but this will take time.
Video Settings
Field of View (FoV): Console users can now adjust the field of view up to 110.
Performance: The low scaling settings for shadows and reflections have been optimized for even more performance (at the expense of image quality).
Shadows: The “Low” setting now also disables volumetric fog.
Viewing Distance: A new setting for the “Quality of Viewing Distance” has been added. This controls the detail levels (LODs) of skeletal meshes and helps optimize GPU and CPU usage.
Additional Options: Players can now toggle the following features on or off independently of other quality settings:
Anisotropic Materials
Chromatic Aberration
Bloom Note: Motion Blur and Depth of Field need further testing before they can be safely disabled. These options will follow shortly.
DLSS: Users can now select DLSS presets. More presets and better descriptions will follow in the next patch.
Global Illumination: Can now be completely set to “Off”.
Laptop Fix: An engine bug was fixed that erroneously capped laptop users at 60 FPS, regardless of frame rate settings.
Crashes and Bug Fixes
This patch fixes crashes that could occur in the following situations:
Stability: The main causes of crashes have been eliminated, which has reduced the crash rate overall by 90% and greatly improved stability.
Leaving a match on the PS5 under an unexpected input status.
Loading matches on devices with slower storage media (HDDs).
Various bugs related to online status and matchmaking have been fixed.
Friends: Will now be correctly displayed as online after accepting requests. The Xbox Presence status now updates correctly.
Players say: Great, but why not like this from the start?
This is how the changes are perceived: Actually surprisingly good. On the night of January 31, SteamDB recorded more players for the first time since release than at its peak the day before. Up to 15,147 players were simultaneously active in Highguard. Meanwhile, positive reviews now clearly outnumber the negative ones among the newly added reviews.
Also on social media platforms like X and Reddit, the first impressions are positive. For many players, the 5v5 mode feels like the “right” way to experience the game: The size of the maps suddenly makes sense, during the loot phase one now encounters other players and must engage in firefights.
All this makes the game more frantic but also more entertaining for many. Others realize that the developers did have some thought in mind with 3v3.
Yet even users who cannot get into Highguard express their respect for the developers. Because after such a disastrous release, continuing on, listening to the community, and suddenly pulling a new mode out of thin air shows real passion.
This has also convinced YouTuber Mightykeef. He wrote on X: “Okay, whoah, whoah, whoah. THIS is something other gaming companies should learn from. Highguard had a terrible start and immediately began implementing the things people want to see. I like that.”
Just the fact that the new mode is so good leads others to shake their heads. Gaming journalist Paul Tassi wrote: “Are you kidding, 5v5 is so much better. It doesn’t even feel balanced. Why didn’t you make this the main mode at launch?” (Source: X)
Whether Highguard will still manage a comeback remains to be seen. The current changes definitely raise hopes that the shooter can still find its player base and is at least not on the verge of being shut down. This should also please MeinMMO editor Benedict, who said: You are all playing Highguard wrong, but you can’t even do anything about it
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since the beginning of the shooter, many players have quickly fallen in love with collecting the rubber ducks in ARC Raiders. This preference seems to be escalating at the moment, especially for the more valuable specimens of the cute items that are significantly more valuable. And for this, these “collectors” are even willing to resort to cheekier methods.
What method is being referred to? Players have found a glitch in ARC Raiders to duplicate items and thus multiply valuable things from their inventory many times over.
The extent to which this can lead is evidenced by the player endgame2937 with a post on Reddit. With a proof image, he reports how he came across a downed Raider carrying a mountain of the mentioned rubber ducks. The player looted as many as he could carry, and with a total of 405 rubber ducks in his inventory, he made over 2.8 million coins.
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Endgame2937 remains confused after this find. Especially the sudden death of the duck “collector” he could not understand until he was made aware of the glitch by the community: “There is a known dupe exploit that works with rubber ducks, so he definitely used it to fill his inventory.”
Select a MMO video…
Duplication glitch is not as safe a method as users suspect
What else surprises the finder? The player explains in his post that he saw the duck collector suddenly go up in flames and fall to the ground, without saying a word, before dropping his colorful treasure. Endgame2937 explains in a later comment in the Reddit thread that he is not sure whether the player accidentally caused it himself or if it was an ARC.
He did not see the player using the glitch, just the extent that ultimately brought him a hefty haul.
Other players from the community have, however, an idea of what – or rather: who – might be responsible for the punishment by fire.
What does the community suspect? The most upvoted comment by call_me_fig includes the suspicion that a large part of the player base shares: “I wonder if they set Raiders on fire who [exploit the glitch], just like they used to do with wall-cheaters?” However, he later adds that it could also just be a visual bug.
Thiefsie, on the other hand, supports the assumption: “The developers often go after those who misbehave with fire. I wonder if there is fraud detection there…”
Whether this is ultimately the true reason has not yet been confirmed or denied by the developers. However, the community considers this approach a suitable and, above all, entertaining idea, just like KobraKittyKat: “That’s absolutely biblical, pretty cool on their part.”
Elden Ring and other FromSoftware titles have a large community of fans who battle through the dangerous worlds and monstrous creatures in the games. In particular, one group can find that the games offer more than just the typical “get good”. They contain many themes that can appeal to female fans.Even MeinMMO editor Caro can agree with this.
The titles from FromSoftware like Dark Souls or Bloodborne and Elden Ring are mainly known for their dark worlds and the tough yet rewarding combat that players must face in the games. The games are often accompanied by a dark, almost melancholic atmosphere, marked by decay and corruption, but also by the unexpected beauty that they harbor.
Due to the challenging gameplay that allows players to continually test their skills, much of the community has focused on becoming particularly skilled, understanding opponents, and overcoming the toughest battles purely through skill.
This may be intimidating for curious players (who have not yet dared to try FromSoftware due to the prevalent notion that this type of gameplay does not fall within the realm of the stereotypically “more feminine” games). It is common for female players to be devalued if they prefer more relaxing games, or to be labeled as “fake” if they do enjoy these “atypical” games. Terms like “women’s games” and “men’s games” are thrown around, which only serves to make new experiences less appealing to people.
FromSoftware games are neither one nor the other but rather magnificent RPG experiences that female players should definitely give a chance.
The atmosphere and themes from FromSoftware titles are omnipresent if you look closely. And these prove: FromSoftware games should definitely be discovered by more female players.
Who is writing here? MeinMMO editor Caro loves various genres of games, whether fantasy, cozy, RPG, or tabletop. She has spent many hours in FromSoftware games, primarily Elden Ring and currently also a lot of Nightreign. In games, she appreciates not only the fun and gameplay but also the subtext, storytelling, and has a preference for creative game design and the artistic aspects of game development. This love and knowledge was solidified during her studies in Game Art & Animation.
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FromSoftware is not only brutal but also has a lot of depth
In addition to the gameplay, which players quickly understand at the beginning, FromSoftware titles offer subtle yet omnipresent storytelling that transformed them from a monster-fighting simulator into the masterpieces they are known as today.
This storytelling surprisingly includes many themes that can be understood universally regardless of gender, but especially resonate with female players as they are often confronted with these themes simply due to their existence: oppressive power structures, the significance of femininity and gender, and the escape from a predetermined fate. All this serves not as a means to an end but is treated with importance and provides a basis that determines the entire worlds of the games.
This is evident not only through the world-building but also through the characters that inhabit these worlds.
Femininity in FromSoftware games is unvarnished and at the same time empowering
Bloodborne can be interpreted in many ways regarding the theme of (lacking) female autonomy, whether concerning their will or their own body. The game, as well as the femininity of many women, is not always beautiful, but brutal, dirty, angry, and tragic.
Maternity and the emotional and physical component play a significant role in Bloodborne. It deals with unwanted pregnancies featuring divine offspring, the loss of one’s child, and the horrors that arise from these intense feelings.
It is an unpleasant but honest engagement with the darker sides of femininity that prompts reflection.
Just the design of this boss from Bloodborne, the Pthumerian Queen, illustrates the themes of the game.
But there are also themes in Elden Ring that particularly occupy female players. Ranni the Witch is a central character in Elden Ring, whose story is not only crucial to the events of the game but also a sign of rebellion against a power structure that controlled her and her fate.
Ranni despised the idea of becoming part of the ruling Golden Order, as it was meant for her. And thus, she decided to take her fate into her own hands. To escape her role as the greater will, she was willing to tragically sacrifice herself but simultaneously drag another demigod to death, thus nullifying the will of the Golden Order.
Her still-living soul found a home in her famous blue doll body, with which she wanders through the Lands Between as a simple witch and made a magic tower her stronghold.
Ranni the Witch no longer submits to the greater will and initiates her own time at her end.
The female characters from FromSoftware titles are never sexualized, even though they encompass deeply physical themes. One example is Malenia, known as one of the most famous and challenging bosses in gaming.
Her body is completely naked in the second phase of her boss fight, except for the golden prosthetics. And yet, it is not a provocative image but rather a nearly painterly beauty that is particularly intimidating due to her combat skills. Elden Ring manages to make even a completely naked woman appear less sexualized than many dressed characters in other games.
Malenia in her second phase – an image that fans of Elden Ring still vividly remember.
Melancholy instead of hardness
Another argument is simple yet effective – the games are incredibly aesthetic. Yes, they are dark, but they contain many passages that invite players to stop and linger due to their environments, architecture, and vistas.
These moments encourage players to take the games slowly and truly absorb them, rather than just rushing from boss to boss. Moreover, in these moments of calm, it becomes clear how the brutality in FromSoftware games is expressed not only through violence and combat but also through decay and loss.
Cutscenes often start very quietly, slowly, and are almost poetic. And when some bosses are finally defeated – of course, it’s euphoric when you finally succeed after the 40th attempt – it is still almost a release.
The darkness and gloom in FromSoftware games are multi-faceted and fans of gothic and fantasy stories, quiet heroines, and the struggle against the rest of the world will resonate with this greatly.
If you are female gamers yourselves but have not yet dared to try FromSoftware titles like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Elden Ring, we would like to sincerely recommend giving these games a chance. They are considered absolute masterpieces and will surely surprise you. If you want to learn more about getting started in Elden Ring, we have summarized all our guides for you here on MeinMMO that will help you: Elden Ring: All guides, builds, and beginner tips in overview
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A group of combat experts from the D&D team “Min-Maxed” aims to find the truly best method of redirecting an arrow through their own expertise. They present the result in a video that proves that the rules of the TTRPG are not chosen arbitrarily.
How does the group plan to test the rule? Some members of the D&D group “Min-Maxed” want to find out which class of the role-playing game would really be capable of redirecting an arrow to avoid damage. For this, archer Blumineck, the two weapon experts from Sellsword Arts, martial artist Instructor Bensei, and D&D content creator Tater the Bard put their own skills to the test.
According to the rules from 2024, the ability “redirect attacks” is a pure class feature of the monk, which he receives at level 3. Whether this should solely be possible for monks is what the motivated group tests in a practical trial.
They attempt to stop an arrow fired at the martial artists with short and long swords, a rope dart (also known as Shéng Biāo), another bow, or with bare hands. Blumineck emphasizes that these are safe arrows shot with a light bow so that no one gets hurt… or at least not more than necessary.
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The trailer for Critical Role’s The Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime shows the first conflicts that the “heroes” have to struggle with
Stopping a fired arrow is hard – but not impossible
What was the result of their test? The test turned out to be more about constantly taking hits than a professional defense. Neither the short sword nor the long sword, the rope dart, nor the bow could effectively fend off an arrow. Although points were given for quick dodging, the experts did not want to count that as a defense.
No matter how professionally the content creators handled their weapons, no one could stop the projectile, let alone redirect it… except for one.
Ironically, the dungeon master of the group, Tater the Bard, who has no weapon expertise to show for, managed to catch an arrow with his hand. Although it is questionable whether he would have survived this in a fight, he only managed to catch the arrow on his third attempt and rather awkwardly: “I’m dead, but I’m holding an arrow!”
Blumineck was also able to fend off an arrow with his bow, but that was more due to the fact that it wouldn’t have hit its target anyway.
Here you can see the video evidence of the group on TikTok:
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So, is the rulebook correct? The test impressively shows that it is not so easy to fend off an arrow in real life. The creators probably thought that only monks should be able to redirect such an attack as described by the class feature.
With a reaction, they can not only redirect arrows but also other attacks that would deal slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage, thus reducing the damage.
However, the community of Dungeons & Dragons has a much simpler method to provide this advantage to other classes as well:
“One should create a large, round or square piece of wood or iron to hold in front of oneself to create a kind of wall,” explains henryted98 in the comments of the video on Instagram, and also dtsavage101 writes, but with slightly less sarcasm: “The correct answer is, and always has been, the good old shield.”
As preparation for their campaign, in which the members of Mix-Max want to play themselves regarding their expertise, the individual players tested further questions that remain open. The two sword fighting experts from Sellsword Arts first wanted to know if they would even be good enough in real life to pass as a level 1 fighter: Sword fighting experts on YouTube test if they could reach level 1 of a fighter in D&D
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Night City from Cyberpunk 2077 is not considered an optimal place to live if you want to lead a peaceful and, above all, safe life. V has already written off that kind of life anyway. But which places in the city are the most dangerous if you are just an ordinary resident?
The various places in Night City differ not only by their inhabitants and their layout. Depending on where you are in the so-called “City of Dreams”, regular life can look very different.
You can never really talk about safety in Cyberpunk 2077 anyway. Nevertheless, there are districts that are even more dangerous than others – and even the “most comfortable” place is no guarantee for a long, fulfilling life.
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Cyberpunk 2077: The Ultimate Edition trailer shows a ‘City of Dreams’
In this list, we will address all the places in Night City and present them in a ranking. This way, we work our way from the (if you can really call it that) “safest” place to the depths of the city where you really don’t want to end up.
Let’s start with the place in Night City where you can count yourself lucky to live:
Rank 6 – City Center
Lower districts: Corporate Center, Downtown
City Center in Night City is regarded by pretty much everyone who doesn’t challenge megacorporations and has enough money as the safest place in Night City. Here live the rich and powerful, who can feel safe thanks to all the nearby services.
Especially at Corpo Plaza, the streets look so shiny and chrome that it seems you could dine from the ground. Militech drones and the NCPD are heavily present here, which might simulate safety for the regular citizen, but is more of a thorn in the side for someone like V and other Edgerunners.
It can be said that this place may be the safest, but for a large part of the population, it is never accessible. It is a luxury that not everyone can or wants to avail themselves of. Therefore, they turn to other places in the city, which will follow in the next pages of this list.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the right power supply, one can achieve level 60 in WoW Classic Hardcore – eventually, the stars aligned for a Twitch streamer.
In World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore, the path to level 60 is arduous and particularly time-consuming. It takes over 100 hours, and a single mistake can cost all progress. However, hundreds of German-speaking streamers from the Sauercrowd Guild are attempting just that, delivering amusing events along the way.
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WoW Classic: The Hardcore Servers Are Here!
After several setbacks, Saltydayn has finally reached level 60. It turned out that the biggest problems were not (only) the enemies in the game, but also disconnects and a stable power supply.
What were Saltydayn’s problems? After minor initial difficulties, such as “slipping” from a large night elf tree on Teldrassil or the tragic (and too greedy) death in a fight against some trolls, Saltydayn gritted his teeth once more. However, it was external circumstances that continually thwarted his plans:
Disconnects caused several shock moments, necessitating the purchase of a new router.
Power outages followed, leading him to ultimately acquire an UPS device to ensure a constant power supply.
UPS stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply and is used to ensure seamless power supply in case of an outage. This technology is particularly employed where any interruption can have fatal consequences, such as in hospitals. An UPS device can bridge the time until the power supply is restored or an emergency generator kicks in.
Equipped with these “tools”, the goal for the streamer was finally within reach, and his character Insanedayn reached level 60.
Finally level 60, but not as planned
Saltydayn actually wanted to gather the last experience points for level 60 from an old acquaintance – the troll lady who had previously ruined his path to max level. So he traveled back to the Hinterlands to face his old nemesis once more and receive the final XP for level 60 from her.
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However, this time it didn’t happen either, because already on the way to the troll temple, a level-up occurred when Saltydayn uncovered a new area on the map. This grants a small amount of exploration XP in WoW, and that was already enough to reach level 60. Thus, the finale was a bit less spectacular than originally thought, but it provided some laughs in voice chat and, of course, the usual congratulations in guild chat.
We asked the streamer how he felt about the big moment, and one thing dominated: relief.
“I was mainly relieved that it finally worked out and a great mental burden was lifted from me. Hardcore settings are extremely frustrating when you lose due to things beyond your control, but I was clear from the beginning that I would see it through. I am all the more grateful for the support of my community and guild, who gave me enormous support.”
MeinMMO author Ody has spent more than 50 hours dueling with knights in a game on Steam(though, getting beaten up is a more accurate description). And that was just the demo! The actual game has only just been released.
When I downloaded the tech demo for Half Sword on Steam in June 2025, I had no idea what I was getting into: I didn’t know that it was being played extensively by streamers like Maximilian “HandOfBlood” Knabe, nor that it was landing at number 10 on Steam’s most wished-for games (according to steamdb.info, as of January 30, 2026, at 2:13 PM)
Before I knew it, I had already put over 10 hours into the demo – and that number has now grown to over 50. We’re still talking about a tech demo that is quite limited in content. However, that is about to change.
On January 30, 2026, just over two years after the demo’s release, Half Sword actually launched – albeit only in early access for now. Even this promises a lot of new content and improvements compared to the demo in the trailer.
You can watch the trailer for the early access launch of Half Sword here:
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Half Sword: The knight game comes to early access as a demo after over 2 years
Three game modes, now with even more variety
In Half Sword, you face your opponents in the arena, where it’s a bloody battle with historically accurate weapons and armor from 15th century Europe. Compared to the tech demo, there are now significantly more different scenarios for these fights.
In the demo, you drew cards before each round in two of the three game modes, the Gauntlet and the Free Mode. These determined the type of the next contest, such as a one-on-one fight, a 3vs3, or “every man for himself” with four fighters.
With the early access come new maps like “First Blood” (whoever bleeds first, loses) or “Traps”. The latter sends you into a room full of dangerous traps. New weapons, armor, and maps are also available.
The fighters (affectionately called “Willys” by the community) are no longer clones: They now have different faces, some of them even have hair! The early access release also adds significant visual improvements.
What captivated me about Half Sword is the actual gameplay: The physics-based fights, where you influence the exact hand movements of your character yourself, offer a high replay value. No fight plays exactly the same, and more often than not, how skillfully I use my weapon is more crucial than the weapon itself.
At the beginning, I flailed my hands wildly just to hit anything, but over time, I learned more and more – and it feels great every time to end fights with a quick slash of the longsword.
Vulpix awaits you in 2 forms during the Community Day in February 2026 in Pokémon GO. MeinMMO shows you how to make the most of the event.
The month of February kicks off with the next Community Day. This time, Vulpix, the Pokémon from Generation 1 that can evolve into Ninetales, is waiting for you. Not only the regular form of the Pokémon will be available at the event, but also the Alolan variant of the Pokémon.
We will show you how to best prepare for the event and make the most of it.
Start video
Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
Community Day in February 2026 with Vulpix – Start & Event Bonuses
What? Community Day with Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix When? Sunday, February 1, 2026 – From 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Exclusive Move: Charged Move Energy Ball for Ninetales and Charged Move Cold Snap for Alolan Ninetales when you evolve the Pokémon during the event or up to 4 hours afterwards Bonuses: – Increased shiny chance for Vulpix in regular and Alolan form – Triple catch experience points – Double catch candy – Double chance for XL candy when catching Pokémon from level 31 – Lures last 3 hours (not the daily adventure incense) – Lures last 1 hour and can attract (Alolan) Vulpix – Snapshot surprises with (Alolan) Vulpix – Field research with both Vulpix variants
Bonuses 9:00 PM: – Lures attract (Alolan) Vulpix with increased shiny chance, which may also have a special background – An additional special trade – 50% less stardust cost when trading
Additional Content of the Community Day: If you have a Community Ambassador event nearby and check in there during the Community Day, you will receive a free, limited-time research. This will give you encounters with both Vulpix forms that may have a special background, as well as premium items.
For $1.99 (approximately €2), you can also purchase a special research. Here you will receive 2 encounters with regular Vulpix with a special background, one Alolan Vulpix with a special background, a premium battle pass, one special XL candy, and additional encounters with both Vulpix forms.
Who is the Community Day with Vulpix for?
For Collectors: If you have not yet been able to catch Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix as shiny, you should take advantage of the event to fill these gaps in your Pokédex.
For Fighters: Both forms and their evolutions are not among the best attackers in Pokémon GO. They can be found in the middle of the Super and Ultra League but ideally should not be used as there are definitely better alternatives.
The Perfect Preparation for the Community Day in February 2026
Pokémon Box: Make space in your box so that you can catch as many Pokémon as possible during the event. If you need to get rid of Pokémon during the Community Day, a trick to quickly sort Pokémon can help you.
Items: You will need some items to catch as many Pokémon as possible. Take care of balls to actually catch Pokémon. Incense and lures will help you attract more Pokémon. And by using Nanab berries, you will receive more candies when you catch a Pokémon.
Which Mega Pokémon are worth it for the event? If you have a Mega Evolution active during the event, you can receive additional experience points and candies for each catch. Since the regular Vulpix is a Fire type, the following Mega Evolutions are suitable:
Mega Charizard X
Mega Charizard Y
Mega Houndoom
Mega Blaziken
Primal Groudon
If you want to enjoy the bonuses when catching Alolan Vulpix, you will need to rely on one of the following Ice-type Mega Evolutions:
Mega Articuno
Mega Glalie
The Community Day with Vulpix marks the start of the events in the month of February. At the end of the month, the big GO Tour 2026 will be waiting. To warm up, there’s the opportunity in the week before the event to catch a whopping 15 legendary Pokémon in 5 days in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
It’s time for our MeinMMO format “MMORPG News in 5 Minutes.” We summarize the most important news surrounding the best genre in the world. You can expectlots of WoW, Sauercrowd, the rescue of New World (?), and the return of an MMO classic.
The era of big video games at Amazon Games is coming to an end. After the fallout from New World and the likely halted developments on the “Lord of the Rings” MMORPG, the head of the company is now leaving as well.
We reported that the Rust developers would like to rescue the dying MMORPG New World. According to COO Alistair McFarlane, there are apparently now concrete talks with Amazon Games, source: X: “All discussions will now take place away from the public, that’s the standard and quite normal.”
On January 29, Update 3.19.0 for Throne and Liberty was released. The big highlight: the Tower of Greed, a new PvE challenge with randomly generated floors. You can find the official German patch notes at playthroneandliberty.com.
The developers of The Elder Scrolls Online have released a roadmap for February on the official website. You can expect Heart Week and a bonus event for PvP battlegrounds. Additionally, you can try out the new Battle Pass on the test server. More information on that is available at elderscrollsonline.com.
New template features are coming for Guild Wars 2, allowing you to switch costumes more easily, save clothing setups better, and give your hero the best style for any occasion. A preview can be found at guildwars2.com.
In the latest episode of Eye on Arkesia on YouTube, the next patch of Lost Ark, which will be released next week, was discussed. Included: the 4th anniversary and the Guardian Knight.
Final Fantasy XIV received its first patch of the year with 7.41. Look forward to the debut of the area Oizys for cosmic exploration, the Kreszentia phantom weapons, and more. You can find the German patch notes at finalfantasyxiv.com.
On January 29, improvements were made for the Olvia Academy and guild content in Black Desert. The German patch notes can be found at playblackdesert.com revealing all the details.
In the latest “State of Azeroth” video on YouTube, the developers also presented the roadmap for 2026:
Roadmap 2026 for WoW
What happened with the minor MMORPGs:
Even during the early access phase, a small but fine MMORPG could earn very good ratings on Steam for many months. Now the final release is on the agenda. Next week, the game is supposed to receive a brand new server shard for those who want to be part of a completely new community.
A often requested improvement for Lord of the Rings Online went live this week with Patch 46.1. Many players are already announcing that they will return to the MMORPG after a long break just because of this.
According to an interview from forbes.com, Guild Wars Reforged is said to have been an enormous success. The number of players is said to have increased by five times, and revenue from Guild Wars has even risen by 16,000 percent.
With Hope Burns Bright, the 4th chapter of Light and Rain from DC Universe Online has been released. Information about the new content can be found in the patch notes at dcuniverseonline.com.
Tibia has received a new update through which you will now learn new spells automatically and free of charge. You can find the patch notes at tibia.com.
In a new post on playpaxdei.com, the developers of the sandbox MMORPG have given an outlook on upcoming improvements for crafting progression. The goal: progress should feel better and more rewarding.
The MMORPG Blade & Soul 2 will never come to the West, as the developers have now announced not just the service, but also the entire end of the MMORPG.
The team from Ashes of Creation addressed the community on the official website to announce a shift in the next stream and to highlight current issues. Among the main issues currently are real money trading, bots, and cheating, as well as the PvP and corruption system, and the insufficient performance and stability.
The developers of Chrono Odyssey released a fourth, once again very extensive blog post on X, discussing already implemented or planned improvements for the MMORPG. The focus is on control, combat experience, and consumables.
The free-to-play MMORPG Eterspire has received a new update for its early access version. The combat system has been greatly refined, and there is a new Ironman mode. You can find the patch notes on Steam.
Fractured Conquest, formerly Fractured Online, is getting a new weapon type with the greatsword. A video on YouTube showcases the new feature.
The developers of Camelot Unchained have released a new video on YouTube to introduce the Silvermine area. But see for yourself:
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In Season 12 of Diablo 4, the bloodthirsty slaughter is literally at the center of attention. The more monsters you defeat in a short time, the more rewards you earn. To enhance this experience, Blizzard offers new items on top. You can test the fresh features as early as next week.
What rewards do I get in Season 12? With Season 12, Blizzard introduces a so-called killstreak system into the ARPG, which resembles the system from Diablo 3. Specifically, this means: If you slaughter a lot of monsters within a short time frame, a killstreak counter starts. While the timer runs, you collect points with each kill. If the timer completely runs out, the killstreak ends.
At the end of your killstreak, you gain experience points and seasonal reputation. The exact amount depends on how many enemies you have defeated during this time. Additionally, you receive bonuses based on which killstreak level you have reached. If you die, the killstreak is immediately over, and you receive no rewards.
The following killstreak levels exist based on the total points:
Killstreak
Slaughter
Devastation
Bloodbath
Massacre
To make the slaughter even more effective, new bloodstained items are coming into play, with which you can further enhance your killstreaks. Additionally, bloodstained seals increase the difficulty of endgame activities.
Currently, Season 11 is still ongoing in Diablo 4:
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Diablo 4 showcases its new features from Season 11 in the gameplay trailer
Bloodstained items amplify your killstreaks
These are the bloodstained items: Bloodstained items are a new item quality associated with the killstreak system. Their affixes scale with your current killstreak level, resulting in stronger effects the more monsters you slay. In principle, any item drop can be bloodstained. The items can be both enchanted and bloodstained.
Bloodstained affixes are divided into three categories: Frenzy, Feast, and Hunger.
Examples of bloodstained affixes (Source: Blizzard):
Frenzy:
Power increase based on the current killstreak level
Applied to armor
Example: Killstreak: 7 %[+] movement speed per current killstreak level
Feast:
Combat bonuses based on the total number of kills in your current killstreak
Applied to weapons
Example: Every 40 kills in your killstreak reset a random cooldown
These bonuses are constant and not tied to the killstreak level
Hunger:
Adapts rewards that scale based on killstreak level
Example: Defeated elite enemies drop runes more frequently
Applied to jewelry
Examples of bloodstained items.This is what a bloodstained seal might look like.
You defeat the Butcher – and he comes right back
These are bloodstained seals: Bloodstained seals increase the difficulty of Nightmare Dungeons, Hell Waves, and Hideout bosses by about one torment level. They are available starting from torment level 1 and guarantee you bloodstained items as rewards upon successful completion.
Each bloodstained seal carries the affix “Relentless Butcher.” This means: The Butcher relentlessly hunts you down. Even if you defeat him, he returns immediately. In some cases, you may even have to fight against two Butchers at once.
The Diablo community is currently discussing which Butcher is the most frightening. Which one is your favorite? Feel free to participate in our poll:
When can I test the content from Season 12? Blizzard has introduced the new content, including patch notes for Season 12 in a blog post. The PTR along with patch 2.6.0 is just around the corner. You can test the upcoming changes on the Public Test Realm (PTR) from February 3, 2026, starting from 7:00 PM CET, until February 10, 2026, at 7:00 PM CET, via Battle.net. There is no seasonal reputation for killstreaks on the PTR.
According to Reliquiar, there are currently still about 40 days left for Season 11. Therefore, Season 12 is expected to start on March 10, 2026. You’ll find out which content will come into play and which new uniques await you in our overview: Diablo 4 Season 12 – all about start, release date, and the PTR
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Dark Heresy, a new role-playing game set in Warhammer 40,000 is in the works, which you can already play in Alpha on Steam. MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus has looked at the currently available content. Most of the playtime was spent on perhaps the biggest challenge: thinking.
Since the announcement, I have been looking forward to Dark Heresy, and the more I hear about the game, the more excited I become. Together with the boss, I have already dove into the deepest nerd topics and absorb every piece of news about the upcoming role-playing game like dry cornstarch soaking up a drop of clean water.
Owlcat, the creators of Dark Heresy, have already delivered one of the best games ever with Rogue Trader, if you want to get into the world of Warhammer. Such dedication to detail and the Warhammer lore is rarely seen. With Dark Heresy, the developers wanted to do even better and address the last criticisms.
The Alpha of the new role-playing game has been running on Steam since December 2025, and I actually wanted to hold back because I know: once I start, I want to continue, and for that, I need the whole game!
Nevertheless, I have now sunk the first 12 hours into the Alpha and am glad about it. Now I not only think that Dark Heresy will be my next highlight, I know it.
Small spoiler warning: I will try to reveal as little as possible of the story I know so far. However, if you want to know nothing in advance, you should at least skip the next two sections. Here goes to the last section.
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Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy in the Announcement Trailer
Rogue Trader was really good, Dark Heresy is even better
To quickly catch you up: Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy are cRPGs, isometric and story-driven role-playing games with turn-based combat – similar to Baldur’s Gate 3. The games tell a story that you influence with your choices.
An important feature is the various companions with their own backgrounds and personalities. Rogue Trader set a good precedent here, especially with the first DLC Void Shadows, which made the entire ship of the Rogue Trader available. Anyone interested in the backgrounds of Warhammer 40,000 should definitely take a look.
Criticism at the time mainly concerned fights and levels or character development, which I actually found very positive. There are simply too many skills with complicated descriptions, while in the end, it turned out that a straightforward brawler build with a heavy bolter carried the whole game.
Dark Heresy takes a different approach here. Instead of a huge selection of different skills, there are archetype-fitting options when leveling up, so there is more “class identity”. I have experienced how that affects gameplay… painfully, I must add.
The character sheet still has a lot of details.The talents fit the archetype.At level 4, there were 3 active skills to choose from.
Thinking instead of shooting doesn’t seem to be my strength
The Alpha currently offers about 15 hours of content with several areas to explore. Different fights await here at the locations, one of which is relatively easy, while another almost wiped out my entire team.
Admittedly, had SOMEONE (the Psyker cough) not decided that a Daemonette would spice up the fight, it would have probably been easier…
The Kroot smell trouble. And swamp.The boss runs away with low morale! Looks good. For now.Crogg is in the end my last survivor. A real hero!
Dark Heresy, however, places more emphasis on tactical gameplay. Instead of simply barging in with a heavy bolter and mowing down enemies, I need to use cover and hit vital spots to prevent enemies from acting or moving.
At times, I had to tactically attack my own units with flamers or magic and accept the damage to take out multiple enemies that would have otherwise taken me down – while I was playing on the “easy” mode like most testers.
I never had such situations in Rogue Trader, but they fit perfectly with Dark Heresy. Because something I noticed after the first hours is: I have to think much more; fights are not that important. What matters is how well I can create a complete picture out of fragments.
The boss compares his detective system to a meme, and he is completely correct
The core of Dark Heresy is the investigation system. Instead of a Rogue Trader like in Rogue Trader or a super soldier like in Space Marine, in Dark Heresy, you play a member of the Inquisition with the goal of solving various cases in a macro-pole and preventing possible heresies.
Anatoly Shestov, the Executive Producer, explained to me in several conversations that one can best imagine this system like the meme with the guy who stands in front of a wall of clues and connects everything with red threads. And he is right:
Researching clues gives… more clues.Contradictions are discovered by the game itself.So if A, then B, but then cannot be C, and however, D…
In every conversation, there may be a hidden clue, items in the world – some of which are REALLY well hidden – and even just random pipes can create further “clues” that progress the case. Sometimes just a tiny detail is needed to completely dismantle a seemingly plausible hypothesis.
At times, I sat for almost an hour in front of this wall of notes, reading through the clues, gathering input from my companions, and contemplating who killed whom and what was stolen – and why. In the end, I never came to a conclusion and, somewhat contrite, searched for further clues.
Who stole the coconut – and who has to die for it?
Thanks to Dark Heresy, I understand why they do this. When I consider how incredibly much effort I put into searching for missing workers and thus realize that maybe an unholy cult is lurking in the Underhive…
At the latest, after I found clues about an involvement of the dangerously notorious Night Lords, it was clear to me that in the 41st millennium, it is simply the safer way to shoot first and ask questions later. Because while I search for the one guilty party, corruption continues to spread.
And if this happens to catch one (or a few dozen) innocent folks… well. According to the Inquisition, there is no such thing as innocence anyway, only varying degrees of guilt.
Dark Heresy is not quite what I expected – different, but even better than hoped, at least in the first 12 hours. There is still a while until the release, and important content like character creation is still missing; currently, you play a pre-made character. Nevertheless, this brief insight has made me even more eager for the role-playing game. The highlight would be if I could someday press the button: Exterminatus is the most terrible weapon in Warhammer 40,000 and even the mad Imperium uses it only very rarely
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Season 12 starts in March in Diablo 4 and brings fresh content and new mechanics to the ARPG. You can find out what new features await you here on MeinMMO.
In a blog post about the PTR for Season 12, the developers of Diablo 4 revealed first details about the contents of the new season. We summarize all the important information for you and will update the article regularly as new developments arise.
Season 12: Start, PTR and Patch Notes
When does Season 12 start? According to the remaining days in the Battle Pass or the Reliquary, Season 12 in Diablo 4 is expected to start on March 10, 2026. We will provide the exact start time and the size of the update as soon as Blizzard releases information.
When does Season 12 end? Season 12 is intentionally shorter according to Blizzard. It serves as a kind of transition season until the new DLC Lord of Hatred, which will be released on April 28, 2026. Overall, Season 12 will last about 7 weeks, which is just under two months.
Is there a PTR for Season 12? The PTR (Public Test Realm) for Season 12 runs from February 3, 2026, at 19:00 CET, until February 10, 2026, at 19:00 CET. There you can try out the new content on PC via Battle.net, including the new killstreak system and the blood-soaked items.
Are there patch notes for Season 12? In the official blog post from Blizzard about Season 12, you can find the patch notes for the PTR (Patch 2.6.0). As soon as the final patch notes for Season 12 are released, you will find them with us as well.
Season 12 is basically the bridge to Lord of Hatred, the second DLC for Diablo 4:
Start video
Diablo 4 shows content from the second DLC Lord of Hatred in the gameplay trailer
Season 12: Theme and New Features
What is the theme of Season 12? Blizzard has not yet announced a specific season theme. Content-wise, it literally revolves around bloodthirsty slaughter. You will receive new, blood-stained equipment that boosts your killstreaks. Additionally, new seals will be introduced that make endgame activities more difficult.
What’s included in Season 12:
Killstreaks: With Season 12, Blizzard introduces a killstreak system reminiscent of Diablo 3. If you defeat a lot of monsters in a short time, a killstreak counter starts. Within that timeframe, you collect points by slaying many monsters. When the timer runs out, the killstreak ends. At the end, you will receive experience points and seasonal fame. Killstreaks are divided into five tiers based on total score: Killstreak, Slaughter, Devastation, Bloodbath, and Massacre.
Blood-stained Items: Blood-stained items are a new item quality associated with the killstreak system. Their affixes scale with your current killstreak level and become stronger the longer you defeat monsters consecutively. Any item drop can be blood-stained. Items can be both imprinted and blood-stained. The affixes are categorized into three types: Frenzy, Feast, and Hunger.
Blood-stained Seals: Blood-stained seals increase the difficulty of Nightmare Dungeons, Hell Hordes, and Hideout bosses by approximately one torment level. They are available from torment level 1 and guarantee blood-stained items as rewards for completing an activity. Blood-stained seals carry the affix “Ruthless Butcher.” Meaning: The Butcher hunts you – and even if you defeat him, he returns immediately. In some cases, you will even fight against two Butchers at the same time.
New Uniques: With Season 12, five new uniques will be introduced. Three of them can be used by all classes. New Mythic Uniques are currently not planned.
Which class is the best class in Season 12? Which classes and builds will dominate the meta in Season 12 is still open. The PTR should provide some initial clues. At the latest after the start of the season, it will become clear which builds will lead the tier lists. You can find the strongest endgame builds from the current Season 11, including explanations and links to recreate them here: Diablo 4 Season 11: Tier List with the best builds for all classes
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
