MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz shares insights about his freelance work. At times, he wrote quirky and risqué quest texts for browser games to pay his bills.
When I decided in 2009 to try my luck as an editor for PC and video games, there was no safe haven of permanent employment awaiting my career ship. Instead, after my first paddling attempts during my internship, I sailed out into the rough sea of freelancing.
I was lucky, in multiple ways. As a reliable author willing to invest countless hours in preview articles, reviews, guides, and special issues for online role-playing games, it was not a problem to find clients and assignments.
At exactly that time, the newly founded WoW magazine MMOPRO was also taking off. For reference, we are talking about a time of declining circulation and discontinued magazines. For a freelance newcomer to break into an established magazine editorial team and regularly write more than just a few pages was almost impossible.
MMORPGs like WoW have accompanied MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz for two decades.
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WoW: Dark Heart – The Search for the Harbinger
Thanks to a personal recommendation, I was allowed to write my first review pages for the second issue of MMOPRO. A few months later, I already contributed more than 20 pages per issue. That was an astonishingly stable foundation for a light sailor like me, who was still among the newcomers in the industry.
And since several well-known MMORPGs were released in 2010 and beyond – such as Star Wars: The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2, or Final Fantasy XIV – the vast sea of freelancing did not feel as rough as I had feared. In the initial months, there was more work than I could handle. What a fortunate luxury.
The Tides Turn
However, it was not all sunshine and wind in my sails. After the first years of freelancing, my career ship was heading towards a storm front. MMOPRO could not get off the ground and had to be discontinued. Furthermore, fewer and fewer online role-playing games were released that could unleash a hype justifying special issues and large guide segments.
Although I was lucky again and got a position at the direct competition, PC Games MMORE, after the magazine was discontinued, there was already an established hierarchy of permanent employees who divided the majority of the pages among themselves. So, I had to look for alternative assignments to compensate for the loss of print pages.
Infidelity in a Different Way
In fact, I was able to significantly expand my range of services in the following years. I increasingly wrote about games of other genres, helped publishers translate English sister magazines, and occasionally took on PR tasks, such as writing so-called advertorials (advertisements in editorial form).
However, I found the collaboration with Playata the most exciting. The two founders, Mathias Fabian and Marcel Anacker, had developed the community tool Blasc and the WoW database for buffed at that time – thus making the first contact.
Initially, I was allowed to write quest texts for some levels of Hero Zero. This is a humorous browser game where you rise from a couch potato to a superhero-hunting hero.
The cheeky graphic style of Big Bang Empire may remind you of the classic Leisure Suit Larry.
The second game from the team is similarly colorful and funny, but is called Big Bang Empire and turns you into an aspiring erotic star. Designing risqué texts, conventions, and stages for this was a great fun. Here’s an example of the briefing for a time-based quest:
“EvilDick Productions has also set up camp in Beverly Humps. Infiltrate the studio of Trent’s biggest competitor and find out what pornos are currently being shot there.”
And the text after successfully completing the task: “Disguised as an extra, you enter the noble studio. Apparently, the competition relies on high-tech devices such as self-cleaning vagina replicas and guided vibrators. Trent must find out about this!”
It was a valuable experience to also be involved in the production of game content and not just critique games from a safe distance. However, I must also admit that this type of creative work was considerably more challenging for me than writing guides and reviews.
Therefore, I was very glad when I could exchange freelancing for a permanent position as an editor and a predictable monthly salary in 2015. Finally, a safe harbor for my career ship, which ultimately led me to MeinMMO and thus to you.
Over 10 years ago, the first part of the space strategy game Sins of a Solar Empire was released. This year, the sequel is set to be playable on Steam. A trailer shows what it looks like with new graphics.
When is the Steam release? There is no exact date for the release on Steam yet. The platform itself has announced the third quarter of 2024 as the release period. A trailer recently revealed that Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is expected to appear on Steam this summer. So, combined, you might be able to expect the game by late summer.
The trailer gives you a taste of the new graphics and gameplay of the sequel:
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Sins of a Solar Empire 2 releases on Steam after over 10 years
The game has actually been in Early Access on the Epic Store since the end of 2022. On Steam, it is only now being released in full.
What is Sins of a Solar Empire 2? Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is the sequel to a popular space strategy game. The original first part was already released in 2008. The game was released in three versions: Standard, Trinity, and Rebellion. The last version, Rebellion, was released in 2012.
On Steam itself, the game is described as a real-time 4X strategy game. While tactical massive battles with hundreds of spaceships remain the focus, diplomacy and empire management are said to have become more detailed and complex in the second part.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2 stands out from its predecessor not only graphically. Especially in terms of realism, the developers want to take things to the next level. A believable galaxy is to be simulated. Suns and moons will orbit their planets. The distances created by these rotations are said to actually have an impact on gameplay.
Your ships will continue to move on a 2D plane, rather than being able to move freely in three-dimensional space.
There is reportedly no single-player campaign. Instead, the game is expected to offer only sandbox gameplay in skirmish and multiplayer modes. However, the background story is based on the predecessor, and players will once again take control of the three factions: TEC, Advent, and Vasari.
A 66-year-old musician from Brazil has dedicated himself to the MOBA League of Legends and has since become a local celebrity. Under the name “VoCorvo,” he is active on Twitch. He instills fear and dread, not in his opponents in LoL, but in his fellow players.
This is the story of the man:
When he was 64, the man could no longer work as a guitar teacher and musician. The Corona pandemic made this impossible for him in 2021 (via maisesports).
To support his family and because he has always loved games, he turned to the world of gaming and became a streamer on the streaming service Twitch. He had already opened his channel there in 2018.
As of 2021, VoCorvo became a full-time streamer on Twitch, exclusively showcasing League of Legends. By now, he has an average of 160 viewers when he streams LoL.
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LoL The Curse of the Sad Mummy
Strong players on fake accounts took the fun out of LoL for the old man
This is what happened to the man in LoL: When you start playing LoL in your mid-60s, you will have a hard time. LoL requires skill with mouse and keyboard, along with concentration, knowledge, and overview; most importantly, however, is mental flexibility: One must always be ready to question their own game to improve.
That’s already hard enough.
But today it’s even harder to be successful in LoL than in the past. Because there are “smurfs”; this term is used when a skilled player, who has already achieved a high rank, intentionally plays with a low-ranked account to face easier opponents. Some players also smurf to play with their friends who have a lower rank or have just started with LoL.
The matchmaking in LoL is supposed to ensure that you only play with and against players of similar strength, so that you win about 50% of the time and lose 50% of the time:
Those who smurf and cheat will only face weak opponents, feel powerful, and achieve high win rates.
For the opponents of smurfs, this means the exact opposite: They face overwhelming opponents, feel bad, and lose constantly.
VoCorvo frequently discovered his limits against much stronger players, which was enough for him, and he sought revenge.
The 66-year-old states about himself that he knows he is not a good player and is essentially an “Iron player,” but he found ways to get back at them.
Trundle.
You reap what you sow
This is how he became a legend: The older gentleman was gifted a master account on which he played with his favorite champion, Trundle. However, VoCorvo was far too bad to hold his own at that level.
So he lost every match he participated in, again and again.
He quickly realized that this was a way to get back at the strong players who humiliated weak players like him: He became a “Reverse Smurf,” ruining the games of high-ranking players.
VoCorvo says:
After I was massacred by talented players and smurfs in the lower ranks, I thought of a saying from my time: You reap what you sow. My primary account is ranked Iron, but my secondary account is ranked Master.
This was the impact: VoCorvo became so well-known on the Brazilian server that players began to flee from games when they saw a Trundle on their team, which was the man’s favorite character.
As millenium reports, many Brazilian streamers are not even angry with him but can understand that he is doing to the higher-ranked players only what was done to him: He is ruining their games.
Originally, The Sims was not intended as a life simulation; instead, the characters were supposed to play a minor role in the game.
What was The Sims supposed to be? The development of The Sims began as early as 1993, seven years before the game’s release. After the success of SimCity, the creator of both games, Will Wright, originally wanted to create a completely different game. After showing the world how to build cities, the focus was to shift toward houses and their furnishings.
As an architecture simulation, Wright wanted players to initially build beautiful houses. After that, players were also supposed to furnish the houses.
The Sims themselves were originally intended to come after the houses were completed, view the house, and finally leave a rating based on how good or pretty the house was.
The Sims series faces competition from Korea; here you can see the trailer for InZOI:
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Gameplay trailer of ‘InZOI’ shows realistic graphics of the Sims competitor
How The Sims Came to Be Today
How did the shift away from architecture simulation happen? The inspiration for The Sims was reportedly a 1,171-page book on the theories of architecture. As dry as the book was, so too was the initial idea of the Sims predecessor. However, after investing years of development work into the project, they did not want to simply give up.
The developers noticed that the Sims themselves were actually not so uninteresting. The idea was changed: players would first build and furnish the house, and then invite the Sims to live instead of to rate.
The developers created a simulated system around the Sims that has remained at its core to this day. The need bars that each Sim has are still present. The construction of houses and furnishing of homes and apartments have also persisted to this day.
How was The Sims received back then? The developers were actually facing a big problem. The computer game market was dominated by over 90% men, much more than it is today. As soon as the game was associated with a “virtual dollhouse,” the men did not want to play it anymore.
To promote the game, the developers at Maxis refrained from using the term. Wright himself stopped using the word “until it had sold about a million copies – at that point, I felt somewhat comfortable talking about dollhouses in public.”
In 2000, The Sims then became the best-selling game of all time, with over 6 million copies of the main game sold and just as many expansions sold.
Nexon is reportedly not working on a new MMORPG for Game of Thrones after all. Apparently, the insider source was mistaken and mistakenly turned the already known project from Netmarble into a new online role-playing game by Nexon.
Update from May 4, 2024: Redanian Intelligence had an update in the meantime. Apparently, the source was wrong and mistakenly turned the already known MMORPG for Game of Thrones from Netmarble into a new project by Nexon.
What is known about the new MMORPG for Game of Thrones? According to a report by Redanian Intelligence, Nexon’s new online role-playing game takes place in the North of Westeros, where Winterfell and the Wall are located.
The story is said to take place between the events of the fourth and fifth seasons of the HBO series of the same name by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Roose Bolton is currently the Warden of the North, while Jon Snow and Sam Tarly guard the Wall as members of the Night’s Watch.
Apparently, the MMORPG will offer a story campaign where you must choose between a male and female main character – the rejected character will still be involved in the story.
Lastly, it seems clear that during the campaign, players will encounter familiar characters from Game of Thrones, but these will not be voiced by the original actors from the series.
Game of Thrones generated an incredible hype for years – here is the trailer for the first season:
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Trailer for the first season of the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’
What do I need to know about Nexon? The South Korean publisher released one of the first MMORPGs ever with Nexus: Kingdom of the Winds in 1996. Nexon is also considered a pioneer in the Free2Play sector, as all games from the company founded in 1994 are based on this payment model.
Some of Nexon’s greatest successes include (figures from the financial report for Q2 2022):
Dungeon & Fighter (more than 850 million registered players and over 20 billion US dollars in revenue since 2005)
Maple Story (more than 180 million registered players and over 3 billion US dollars in revenue since 2003)
KartRider (more than 380 million players on PC and over 1 billion US dollars in revenue since 2004)
Nexon also acted as a publisher for various MMORPGs (especially in the Korean region), such as Vindictus, ArcheAge, Final Fantasy XIV, Atlantica Online, or Riders of Icarus. Last year, they also made a statement with the online shooter The Finals.
Can a MMORPG for Game of Thrones from Nexon actually work? Due to the book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R. R. Martin, as well as the aforementioned HBO series, Game of Thrones certainly belongs to the most exciting universes for which an online role-playing game could be developed.
Nexon has the expertise, experience, and budget to implement such an MMORPG project, but we are skeptical whether we can actually receive the best possible GoT experience with the Free2Play model and the typical characteristics of Asian developers.
Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether the project will cross the finish line or how many years the development will ultimately take.
For example, Game of Thrones: Seven Kingdoms by Bigpoint was discontinued after many years of development. There is also a big question mark behind Project T from Netmarble, which is also supposed to be based on the HBO series, as it has shown no sign of life apart from a job posting for years.
Drinking potions – that’s so last decade. Real pros in World of Warcraft will soon throw their potions at allies – at least healers will likely do that.
Potions are quite a classic thing in MMORPGs. You use them when your health or mana points are running low or when you need a little boost to get through a particularly tough phase of a fight. This has always been the case in World of Warcraft.
However, with the new expansion “The War Within”, there is a new type of potion that employs a different concept: You throw them at your comrades.
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WoW: The War Within – All the major features of the new expansion
Where does the idea come from? Even though the system has been around in a few other RPGs, Baldur’s Gate 3 truly popularized it. Especially at higher difficulty levels, it is common not to just drink healing potions, but instead to place them on the ground and smash them or simply throw them at allies, so that more characters can benefit from the effect at the same time.
What types of potions are these? In The War Within, engineers can craft these special potions. These “potion bombs” are placed like other AoE effects and then hurled at the target area. Enemies in the target area take some damage, but the real benefit comes from the buffs. Up to 5 allies receive – depending on the potion bomb – a buff:
Additional primary stats (Intelligence, Strength, Agility) for 30 seconds.
Increased healing received for 12 seconds.
Increased movement speed for 20 seconds.
Even though engineers create these potions, they can be used by everyone else.
Who are the potions intended for? Since the potions affect a total of 5 allies, their effect is only 1/5 as strong as a personal potion. DPS characters will likely continue to reach for their personal potion to give themselves a boost exactly when they need it.
However, the potion is a real alternative for healers and other support characters (like enhancement shamans). If they don’t need a mana potion during combat, they can instead use their potion cooldown to help damage dealers a bit more and enhance their performance.
The potions will therefore primarily be used by supporters who want to do something good for their teammates. What do you think of this type of “potions”? A cool innovation in The War Within? Or is it niche or cumbersome?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Season 4 is set to change just about everything in Diablo 4, making it almost a completely new game. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was able to speak in advance with lead seasons designer Deric Nuñez and lead game producer Timothy Ismay. You can find the full interview here.
Here’s the latest information: In the latest developer update from May 2, the developers talked about the things that will change in Season 4. Most innovations have already been discussed in detail. You can find here the full patch notes for Season 4.
Furthermore, the developers implemented community feedback after the first PTR and adjusted many aspects. This means: If you played the PTR, you will find several changes in Season 4.
With Tim Ismay and Deric Nuñez, I was able to discuss what impact the changes will have on the game and what they mean for players directly. Additionally, there are some interesting insights into the development and a few hints about the future of the game.
What the developers learned from the PTR is explained in video:
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Diablo 4: Trailer shows the changes for Season 4 ‘Loot Reborn’
All upgrades will be integrated into the eternal and seasonal realm
MeinMMO: The Iron Wolves are apparently the seasonal theme of Season 4. What are the biggest differences or similarities to the Iron Wolves from Diablo 2 and Diablo 3?
Deric Nuñez: “Looking back at the introduction of Diablo 2 and the expansion [of the Iron Wolves] in Diablo 3, each iteration has tried to deepen the involvement of the Iron Wolves as the drama in Sanctuary unfolds.
With Season 4, we were able to continue this tradition by permanently integrating them into the Hell Tides. Through the activities of the Iron Wolves, players can fight alongside these notorious and honorable mercenaries.
Players on the Season 4 servers specifically have the “Call of the Wolf” activity, which drives this interaction with the Iron Wolves even further, where [players] can meet the commander and discover the reason for the intensifying Hell Tides as well as this “corruption” that threatens to consume the wolves from within.
Additionally, players are almost accepted into the Iron Wolves. While fighting the tides, you earn sweet loot for it. Seasonal players can battle through 18 tiers with really overpowered rewards designed to enhance leveling from 1 to 100 and beyond.
In the end … we love the Iron Wolves and are always looking for ways to increase their importance and presence in the conflicts of Sanctuary.”
Timothy Ismay: “And as players have already noted, the Iron Wolves haven’t had it easy recently. They have been struggling in Kehjistan, and Caldeum has been facing serious problems. [The Iron Wolves] are currently trying to re-form and push back the forces of hell that have just overrun the capital. We are starting with the question of what the Iron Wolves have really been up to since everything has literally gone to hell.”
MeinMMO: It sounds like the Iron Wolves will also be part of the Eternal Realm?
Deric Nuñez: “Yes, that’s one of the great things about the Season 4 upgrade. All upgrades that involve the Hell Tides will flow into the eternal and seasonal realm. How the Iron Wolves are now integrated into these tides is permanent. This is simply how Diablo 4 will deal with Hell Tides from now on.
The only part exclusive to the seasonal realm is the “Call of the Wolf” activity, the associated questline, and the renown path.”
MeinMMO: Is that already the season mechanic, or is there more to come?
Deric Nuñez: “With Season 4, there is a strong emphasis on the changes that we have made everywhere with itemization, tempering, masterworking and all that stuff. Everything leads back to loot.
This is the focus of Season 4: improving the experience of looting and leveling.
We have a consumable item as part of the seasonal mechanics, or as a seasonal item: the “Profane Mindcage.” It drops from the new Hellbourne, a new monster type in the Hell Tides.
When you kill a Hellbourne in the seasonal realm, it will drop a Mindcage. If you consume it, it increases – for 60 minutes, I believe – the level of the hell tide monsters by up to 10 as well as their drop rate of anomalous embers. […]
In Season 4, it’s all about tinkering with your gear, enhancing class fantasy. The Mindcage takes that a step further, encouraging people to test their builds and maximize their efficiency. […]”
Timothy Ismay: “Just to emphasize: This season is very different from our previous ones. Previously, it was about making a pronounced seasonal experience with storylines, a form of power increase, and a theme that is only for the season and then disappears.
Then we saw what people were talking about on social media, in forums, or in the game itself. And we noticed that it often involved itemization, frustrations, and ideas on how to improve, and we agreed with much of that.
So we have been working on this for a long time. A lot of effort for this season, unlike previous seasons, therefore went into this fundamental change in how items work, how they feel from level 1-50, and how they behave in the crafting process from level 50.
That’s what this season is about. And, as Deric already said, unlike other seasons, this will not disappear. Usually, we do something cool that then disappears. But this is not. This is now a fundamental change to the game.”
The Reeve is a great example of how we can play in a season
MeinMMO: That the wolves come from Kehjistan and more specifically from Kurast doesn’t sound like a coincidence. Is this a preview of the expansion Vessel of Hatred?
Deric Nuñez: “I mentioned this earlier. We are always looking for ways to meaningfully continue the story of Sanctuary. But how [Season 4] relates to the upcoming expansion or not, we can’t talk about that yet.”
MeinMMO: In Season 3, you experimented with the Reeve as a temporary companion. And that was something very different from what we know from Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. What have you learned from the companion system?
Timothy Ismay: “A lot. The construct, the Reeve, is a great example of how we can use it in a season to bring power to the player. We had a lot of fun with: finding ways to implement forms of power through this little companion that complement your build or fundamentally change your class by unlocking something your class normally can’t do. […]
That was a lot of fun, but your question was what we learned from it. First, we would look at communication with the companion so that players better understand what it is actually doing. Players often lost track of the companion and what it was doing [in Season 3].
Another big thing is […] that we want the companion to unlock things as quickly as the player progresses. There were some balance issues initially that we worked out throughout the season. We should ensure that things unlock faster so that you feel how they impact your build sooner.
In general, we liked how it felt to have a companion. That’s a mechanic we definitely want to revisit in the future. But we will take into account some of the things we have learned.”
MeinMMO: I mean, with the Iron Wolves, you now have an ideal basis for further companions.
Timothy Ismay: “That’s right, they would make excellent companions.”
The Reeve was the big feature of Season 3:
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Diablo 4: The gameplay trailer for Season 3
Builds should still feel super-powerful
MeinMMO: If you bring companions again, would they be as completely broken as the Reeve? I mean, he could one-shot most Uber bosses.
Timothy Ismay: “[laughs] I think there were a few crazy things that came up, yes. We currently don’t have a class designer here, but in Adam’s name, I would say: Hopefully we have the chance to create careful balancing.
Having a PTR for Season 4 was a huge advantage. We saw what builds became so powerful that they could cause problems – and we had the chance to adjust them a bit.
To be clear: Our goal is not to take away such builds that were crazily fun in a good way. They should still feel super-powerful. But we have encountered some issues regarding their performance. That is: The game couldn’t properly process the number of projectiles and all the other craziness going on.
We had to dial it back a bit to ensure that the game doesn’t just crash. Those are the kinds of adjustments we want to make. And I think we would do something similar with companions. We want companions to feel powerful if they return. We were very happy with the Reeve. But, admittedly, a PTR would help us get it right a bit more before the season starts.”
I noted that experts like Rob are calling for OP builds to be nerfed, and I think that would be bad. After all, I want to be able to one-shot bosses if I want to. Timothy agreed with me and said: That fun factor is what you want to have.
After level 100: “Man, now I have this extreme character. What do I do with it now?”
MeinMMO: Very shortly after the end of the PTR, I saw the community discussing that content after level 100 is lacking. The leveling grind was great, but afterward there isn’t much to do. What do you think about that?
Timothy Ismay: “That’s a very good point. Players rightly pointed out that leveling to 100 is fun, but then you quickly equip yourself and think: “Man, now I have this extreme character. What do I do with it now?”
With Season 4, we’re bringing a few things that I think will help here significantly. The first one is The Pit. Once you reach level 100, the work is not done.
Tempering can basically be used right away, but Masterworking is only available starting at World Tier 4. That is only for legacy items and you have to go to The Pit to get the crafting materials for it.
The idea here is that you equip yourself, get the good stuff, stack the right affixes through tempering, and then start upgrading to make the items even more powerful. And you have to go to The Pit to do that.
For some of these materials, you need to go deeper and deeper, and will get more of them […] You will find that even at level 100, you want to go deeper into The Pit to get more materials and just to see how far you can go.
The Pit has 200 levels. And it increases sharply in difficulty. On your first visit, you will likely get through the first few levels quite easily. But at a certain point, you will realize that it’s getting really hard to proceed. I think many people will want to see how far they can go.
We had a similar situation with the Nightmare Dungeons, where people wanted to push to level 100. But [The Pit] has a significantly higher difficulty. And at least for a while, you will want to do that to upgrade your gear. […]
Additionally, we have introduced a new endgame boss, Andariel, similar to Duriel. This is a new way to farm Uber Uniques. Moreover, there are the new “tormented” versions of the endgame bosses.
Duriel already has Uber-Duriel as a stronger form. Now there is also the “tormented” variant, which is at level 200. It is incredibly tough; I personally have never defeated it, but […] this is a new challenge to see if you really are the best of the best.
And additionally, we are still looking at what additional systems we could potentially introduce in future seasons and releases that would give players more to do at level 100. We are already discussing this internally.”
Currently, the ultimate test of players is the leaderboard:
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Diablo 4: The developers talk about the leaderboards and how to climb up there
If you want the really perfect items, you often have to go into The Pit
MeinMMO: Compared to the grind for the Uber bosses, how extensive will the grind for crafting materials for tempering and masterworking be?
Timothy Ismay: “It’s not that hard to get into The Pit. The access comes quite quickly, because you just have to go in often, and you will have to grind a lot to upgrade your items.
Just a reminder: Each item can be upgraded up to 12 times, and the material costs increase with that. Every 4 levels there is a “Super-Roll” on one of the affixes. And because it’s random, the loop will look roughly like this:
You look for legacy legendaries and uniques that have greater affixes. Only those two item types can have those affixes.
Then you try to get the affixes you need with tempering.
Then you start with masterworking to enhance an affix at levels 4, 8, and 12.
We know that people want to perfect their gear. That’s why you will have to do this often to get the perfect gear. […] You will quickly reach masterworking, but if you want the really perfect items, you have to go into The Pit often.”
Deric Nuñez: “The path to the endgame starts with preparation. Adjusting the character is a big part of both tempering and masterworking. Tempering then leads neatly into masterworking.
A part of the itemization rework of Season 4 is that we are trying to reduce complexity and make entry easier. Tempering is the preparation for the concept of fine-tuning gear.
The entry into tempering is quite straightforward: While you are simply doing content, interacting with the Hell Tides, playing Diablo, you will receive the recipes for tempering […] You will unlock them permanently. […] You’ll collect them and essentially complete your stamp collection. […] This makes the experience a bit more streamlined and emphasizes quality over quantity for the new loot experience.”
MeinMMO: To clarify, the difference between Uber Unique farming and tempering and masterworking is essentially that one provides a boost and the other is more of a steady improvement?
Timothy Ismay: “Yes, exactly, it’s more of a continuous process. And Duriel’s chance to drop an Uber Unique is still extremely low. So it’s a long grind. [Masterworking] is much more predictable.”
MeinMMO: By the way: Is it more likely that I will find a Shako or an item with a perfect greater affix?
Timothy Ismay: “I don’t think we have increased the drop chances for a Shako. I wouldn’t know if Uber bosses had a higher chance for greater affixes either.”
Greater affixes are directly recognizable by a star, both on the ground and in the inventory.
Hell Tides and Items – What does the future hold?
MeinMMO: Once again back to the Hell Tides, which received really good feedback after testing. How will you further develop the system, aside from the Iron Wolves?
Deric Nuñez: “We are very pleased with the community’s PTR feedback on the Hell Tides, and we are always looking for ways to respond to that and improve the content. In past seasons, you saw the Blood Harvests, which took the concept of a Hell Tide and did its own thing. In Season 3, we then had the Arcane Tremors.
Both led to the new identity of the Hell Tides now. When Season 4 comes, we will keep an eye on the reactions and see if there are any opportunities to do something with Hell Tides in the future. Right now, though, we are quite satisfied with where they are.”
MeinMMO: Recently, people have been asking repeatedly what purpose grey, white and blue, and sometimes even yellow items still serve, especially at World Tier 4. What plans do you have for those?
Timothy Ismay: “That’s something we might look at in the future. I agree with some of the observations, but at World Tier 4 you hardly see white or blue items. As you level up, you reach a point where the “smallest” item is rare. So you only see rare items, legendaries, and uniques.
However, it is true that I am only really concerned with legendaries and uniques in the endgame. Only those can have greater affixes; so why carry around rares? That’s true, but not initially.
Rares are still quite good; they can have good stats, and you can add legendary aspects to them. Eventually, you will outgrow them on your way to level 100, yes […] but until then, they are still a transition item.
You will progress quite quickly. In the future, we may take another look at what they bring. I must emphasize that they still provide crystals. Even at high levels, these are important for recipes. But I admit that this is something we will probably talk about more in the future.”
MeinMMO: Speaking of, there were also some theories about rune words. Can you tell me something about that?
Timothy Ismay: “We loved rune words back in Diablo 2. That was such a cool gameplay system. If players think they would be a good expansion for Diablo 4, we definitely want to hear that feedback.
We are always looking for new systems we can create, both for seasons and when it comes to what players should engage with in the game. If [rune words] are something like that, then you should definitely give us feedback. We read that.”
MeinMMO: Were rune words even promised before release?
Timothy Ismay: “There was a discussion about it a long, long time ago. I was there when we talked about it at Blizzcon. Ideas we had around itemization. At that time, we were a fundamentally different game.
Mythical items, for example, do not exist either. That was another thing. We have changed significantly since then.
It’s a possibility. Rune words exist in the world of Sanctuary, but right now we have built a different game.”
If you have played in the past, come back and check out your character again
MeinMMO: The community, especially experts, have long been calling for loot filters. Personally, I find them unnecessary since classes already have personalized loot. What do you think about that?
Timothy Ismay: “We are open to feedback and read the community’s impressions. […] But at the moment, I don’t think we can announce anything on this topic.”
BlizzCon 2023: Diablo 4 leaders talk to us about the development and future of the game
MeinMMO: One last question: Which class will you both play in Season 4 and why?
Deric Nuñez: “I will play a minion necromancer simply because a lot of updates have gone into the experience and the class with Season 4. And I’m a big fan of my minions. So something like that.”
Timothy Ismay: “My next class will be a druid. Probably something with lightning. Maybe also boulders. That’s pretty strong. But I will also be playing a minion build. Minions have just become much stronger with the patch and I want to try to build a minion build. You can already make your wolves into werewolves and then into lightning-werewolves. With the changes, I think that will be really cool.
In fact, I’m almost more looking forward to checking out my old characters again. Because so much of what is happening in Season 4 is fundamentally coming to the game […] I want to encourage players: If you played before and had a build that didn’t feel particularly strong, come back and check out the same character again in the eternal realm with the new item system.
There are new uniques and legendary affixes, but the bonuses you get just by leveling these affixes are so significant … Before, there were plenty of builds that might have been okay. They could now be much more powerful. For example, there were really good builds in the PTR with Flame Death or Frozen Orbs. Things that were okay before are now absolutely insane.
I’m looking forward to revisiting my old characters to see how viable the builds are now. One of them was even a Flame Death sorcerer; I want to try that again.”
MeinMMO: Thank you for the answers!
On May 14, Season 4 starts and brings along the changes. The general tenor at the moment is that the changes will all be good: Diablo 4 needs such a revamp. From there, they can build on and see what the future brings. You can find all current top ARPGs here in comparison: Diablo 4, Path of Exile, Last Epoch – Which action RPG should I play?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Recently, it became known that a PSN account will soon be required to play Helldivers 2. Now the CEO of the development studio has spoken out.
The development studio behind Helldivers 2, Arrowhead Game Studios, recently announced that in the future a PSN account will be required to play the game. This obligation will also apply to players who play the game exclusively on Steam.
After the community reacted accordingly and punished the game with thousands of negative reviews on Steam, the CEO of the studio has now spoken out. However, a deviation from the plan does not seem to be on the agenda.
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Helldivers 2 shows its latest Warbond ‘Polar Patriots’ in the icy trailer
Regaining trust
What does the CEO say? The CEO of the development studio, Johan Pilestedt, has spoken out in a post on X. Here he addresses the negative reviews and believes they are justified. He apologizes for this development and hopes that they can make it right again and regain trust.
He further states that he just wants to make great games. There is no hint of considering the removal of the PSN requirement in this post.
You can see the post on X here:
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What does the community say about it? In the community, the blame for the PSN requirement is placed on Sony. While Arrowhead Game Studios is responsible for the development of the game, Sony acts as the publisher for Helldivers 2.
Some of the voices from the community include:
Caught, how Sony changes its own words, writes a commentator in his post on Reddit
The best thing would be to convince Sony to reverse this decision. Good luck with that :/, is a comment on Reddit
I genuinely feel sorry for the developers at Arrowhead. The love and effort is visible everywhere and when you listen to them in interviews, it becomes clear how much they wanted to just make a damn good game, writes another player on Reddit
I just want Arrowhead to continue to be a shining example of “not crap” in the gaming scene. It is frustrating that Sony sees this idea as a problem for some reason, says another commentator on Reddit
Oh, I’m sure Arrowhead has no control over the situation. I pity them, is another comment on Reddit
Pauses the film Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace at the right moment to discover a cool Easter egg that alludes to a sci-fi classic.
Which classic is it? Even though many probably know Star Wars: Episode 1 almost by heart, there is always something new to discover. A closer look is worthwhile, because at minute 33 and 40 seconds you can spot a hidden love letter to one of the greatest masterpieces of the sci-fi genre – namely, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick from 1968.
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English trailer for Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
The EVA Pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey
What can be seen? In the background of this scene at Watto’s junkyard on the planet Tatooine, an EVA Pod can be seen, a small spherical spacecraft from Kubrick’s work. The EVA Pod is operated by astronauts and used for external tasks and as a means of transport in space.
Originally, all props and sets from 2001 were to be destroyed after filming, but somehow this capsule found its way into the sets of Star Wars.
EVA Pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey
George Lucas’s Appreciation
How did Watto get the EVA Pod? George Lucas and his team likely consciously decided to incorporate a homage to this classic. The EVA Pod was placed as an Easter egg in Watto’s junkyard. It is probably a replica.
Kubrick’s masterpiece expanded the boundaries of film and inspired numerous other artists and filmmakers. Without 2001, the genre would undoubtedly look different today. It set new standards for visual effects and philosophical storytelling in the sci-fi genre.
The homage to the EVA Pod in Star Wars: Episode 1 shows George Lucas and his team’s appreciation for Kubrick’s work. It is a subtle recognition of the significance of 2001: A Space Odyssey for the genre.
Manor Lords is a new building game on Steam, where you build and sustain your medieval settlement through hard times. The game enjoys many players, but what about a roadmap?
Why is there no roadmap? There is a good reason why Manor Lords does not have a roadmap during its “Early Access” phase. The strategy game on Steam is developed solely by one developer, Grzegorz “Greg” Styczen. The development is a one-man project, and accordingly, resources are lacking. Moreover, the most important point: promises.
As Grzegorz Styczen wrote in the Steam news (via steampowered.com) about his game, he does not want to make any more promises that do not interest the fans.
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Manor Lord Release Date Trailer
He had the following to say: “I do not plan to release a roadmap yet. I have made the mistake once or twice of promising a feature and working on it, only to find out that it was not as important to the testers as it was to me and that they actually wanted something different. So even if I have a plan, I want to adopt the philosophy of ‘listen, verify, implement.'”
Furthermore, Grzegorz Styczen wants to prioritize fixes for bugs, improvements, and optimizations in the first months of Early Access to polish Manor Lords. After the “cleanup” work, community feedback will be reviewed and analyzed to develop a new battle plan for upcoming content.
How long will the Early Access last? It has been announced on Steam that Manor Lords is expected to remain in Early Access for one year. Depending on the feedback from the community and how the development unfolds, this time could also be extended.
What do you think about the idea that Manor Lords will not have a roadmap for the time being? Do you think it is good that bugs are resolved first before new content is considered? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
A recent update from Square Enix brings changes to the payment processing for Final Fantasy XIV. Tens of thousands of players are being excluded from the game as a result.
What kind of update is this? Recently, there was an update at Square Enix that affects the payment processing. The new requirement is that the address in the Square Enix account must match the address in the payment information for a payment to be processed successfully.
On Reddit, there are now reports from the community that entire regions of players are being excluded from the game. The problem: Many players live in countries that cannot even be listed in their Square Enix accounts.
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Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail introduces a new mount in the trailer
We cannot enter our country!
As the post creator on Reddit reports, this affects the Southeast Asia region. Players residing in countries within this region cannot specify their location in their Square Enix account, as these countries do not appear in the account settings. He writes in his post on Reddit:
This is a problem for players in Southeast Asia who are not officially supported because they cannot even specify their country or region when creating a Square Enix account. [..] now I and many other players are excluded from ever being able to pay for our subscriptions or make any kind of online purchases.
The player reports that he also contacted Square Enix support regarding this issue. However, the support’s response was unfortunately not satisfactory and did not resolve the problem. He writes:
Customer support said it’s better to create a new account. This is not only stupid because we would lose years of progress on our characters but also because, even if we create a new account, it will still be useless as we cannot enter our country or region!
What does the community say about this? In the comments, other players have come forward expressing their confusion over Square Enix’s actions. It is also mentioned that it is not possible to update the address in the account, for instance after a move. Some of the comments are:
The update also affects people like me who have moved to another region since the account address and the payment address now have to match, but Square still does not allow changing the initial address, writes a player on Reddit
You cannot change your region and you cannot create accounts in a region where you are not located, notes another commenter on Reddit
It still honestly puzzles me that MMOs are still so heavily divided by regions while other service games are globally available by default, reads another comment on Reddit
Square Enix is really good at making it hard to give them money, writes another player on Reddit
Just recently, there was criticism of the benchmark software for Final Fantasy XIV. With this software, you can check if your hardware is powerful enough to enjoy the upcoming expansion of the game.
In the “Top 500” of Overwatch 2, a thorough cleanup has taken place. Numerous cheaters are gone – and this time for good.
When Blizzard says that they will soon take action against cheaters, hackers, and fraudsters, it only elicits a weary smile from many fans. This has been heard many times before, and often nothing happens for a long time. But this time it was different. Almost “overnight,” the developers launched a massive ban wave. The target: nasty cheaters on PlayStation and Xbox. The uproar is enormous and sweet as honey for honest players.
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Overwatch: Let’s embark on an adventure with Venture
How did the players cheat? On consoles, there is a method called “Ximming.” This involves using specific hardware to also use a keyboard and mouse on the console. While using a keyboard and mouse is generally not prohibited in many games, that changes when it comes to “Ximming.”
The nasty part is that the XIM device tricks the console into believing that a gamepad is still being used instead of a keyboard and mouse. This allows for options to be used that are actually not permitted – such as aim assist in Overwatch 2.
As a result, these cheaters have the superior precision and control of a mouse and keyboard (in shooters) while still benefiting from aim assist, which is only intended for gamepads.
This makes it incredibly easy to achieve a high rank in shooters.
Especially with characters like Ashe or Widowmaker, snipers with great “one-hit potential,” this can be easily exploited. This led to many cheaters being found in the Top 500 or even Top 50 of their respective region.
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How long does the ban last? If you look around on various social media, most “Ximmers” seem to be permanently banned – that is, their accounts have been permanently closed, and Overwatch 2 is no longer accessible with the respective account.
These are the consequences for fair players: An amusing side effect is that many players were “just like that” promoted into the Top 500 after the cheaters were banned, realizing that they suddenly belong to the best in their region. This is hardly surprising when a large portion of the previous Top 500 consisted of cheaters who now had to vacate the field.
The community has given a lot of praise for the action and the fact that decisive measures were finally taken. Such good vibes are rare in Overwatch 2, as there is almost always a controversial issue each season. Not long ago, there was a very embarrassing mistake in an official trailer.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MeinMMO demon Cortyn has swung the blades in Stellar Blade. Is the game more than just a pretty body? Yes, but …
“Stellar Blade? Isn’t that the game where the main character’s butt and breasts are the focus all the time?”
Yes. Somehow, it has become exactly that. At least, when you look at the coverage and the “scandals” being discussed in the community. This does not do the game justice.
I bought Stellar Blade a few days ago and so far, I am quite satisfied. I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into – but so far, it’s a spontaneous purchase that definitely belongs to my better decisions.
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Stellar Blade, the action-adventure on the PS5 launches demo
What is Stellar Blade anyway?
If I had to describe Stellar Blade to someone, I would probably say that it’s a mix of Nier: Automata and Dark Souls. It has the sexiness, the musical score, and the combo system of Nier, while on the other hand, it features really tough boss battles like in Dark Souls where you have to walk back from the respawn point more than once to ultimately win the fight.
That being said, I have to say that games like Dark Souls or Elden Ring have never kept me until the end (Yes, shame on me), but Stellar Blade seems to be different so far.
This is mainly because Stellar Blade skips the “You lose everything upon death and have to find it again” mechanic that the Souls games often have. There is no panicked “Oh, now I have to collect my corpse first, and until then I can’t die again”.
You die, respawn, and the enemies are back. But all collected possessions remain intact.
This significantly reduces frustration.
But that doesn’t mean Stellar Blade is easy. Much more, it sets the stage for getting thoroughly beaten in boss fights without wanting to throw the controller in the corner out of frustration after each death.
Some NPCs are just a pretty face – the rest of the body is missing.
A complex combat system with plenty of freedoms
At first glance, the combat system seems quite simple. By pressing the square and triangle buttons, you connect different attacks into combos and chop most enemies to bits before they can do anything. Single, small enemies often don’t even get a chance to truly defend themselves.
However, this can quickly change if you attract too many enemies at once. Because then you can quickly find yourself in a “stunlock” and see Eve’s health bar shrink unhealthily fast.
What works wonderfully with regular “trash mobs” quickly fails against bosses or stronger enemies. By the time you face the first boss “Abaddon,” you will learn that “button mashing” shouldn’t be the approach.
Those who try to continuously hit will be interrupted in their combo and find themselves in the grip of a devastating finisher that often takes 50% or more of their health bar.
Eve collects cans – and always holds them up like a “advertising icon” for the camera. It’s very silly, but also very funny.
With bosses, it comes down to precise timing and good reactions. Because only when you perfectly parry enough enemy attacks in quick succession can you throw the bosses off balance and land a finisher yourself.
You often have to make the right decision almost instantaneously. Do you dodge or parry? Do you use a backward dodge jump, or do you try to initiate a counterattack by jumping behind the enemy?
The right answer to that is not so easy. Because even if you prepare a counterattack after a perfect parry, that counter could be your own death sentence if you fail to block the boss’s second attack.
The talent trees of Stellar Blade are manageable but quite interesting.
There were multiple occasions where I happily hacked through the game world for one or two hours, immediately killing enemies with ambushes and felt like a death goddess with Eve, only to get totally “smashed” by a mid-boss, forcing me to go through the database of available skills again just to have any chance.
New abilities are unlocked through various talent trees, with points that you unlock through experience. Thus, in the first few hours, we learn double jumps, stealth attacks that kill instantly, or storm attacks with stuns. Depending on your playstyle, you can find a lot of variation here and also reset all talent points at any time for a small cost.
There’s also a quite simple crafting and equipment system. It’s functional and allows a bit of customization of the playstyle. For instance, you can enhance combos, gain more beta energy (basically the “magic” resource), or reduce damage taken. That’s nice, but nothing beyond standard.
A large game world with much to discover
If you liked the world of Nier: Automata, you will also be happy in Stellar Blade. A large part of Earth is destroyed or overgrown, and the big cities have become ruins through which enemies roam.
In the often urban areas, an ambush can lurk around every corner, and there’s much to discover. Sometimes you just barely spot an inconspicuous ledge that leads to a whole new area where hidden battles or a new outfit await.
It’s nice that the levels are fairly generous. Almost always, there are many optional paths where additional enemies and plenty of resources are hidden.
The world of Stellar Blade is post-apocalyptic but detailed in design.
Often, a scan of the environment helps you spot distant platforms or find a hidden ascent to a new floor of a building where some upgrades can be found.
I’m not the biggest fan of “Come back later to open the chest you found 3 hours ago,” but those who want all the rewards, like skins for Eve or weapon upgrades, will have to deal with it. This is mainly because sometimes you only get abilities later – like the double jump – but you try ahead of time to reach that tempting chest that is exactly 20 cm too high.
Eve is sexy, but it fits with the look of the world
But okay, let’s get to the (for some) most important point: Yes, Eve is quite hot. The fact that almost all of her outfits are skin-tight and shiny-reflective stages that well.
When it comes to provocatively portrayed heroines, I always like to refer to Bayonetta. For me, she is the prime example of a sexualized heroine who has completely embraced it – she moves and presents herself that way because she is provocative and seductive. That was woven into the story and her entire character. Here, it fit perfectly.
Stellar Blade does not have that. The skills and abilities are not sexualized or presented particularly erotically. Sure, some abilities can’t help but be a little so, but it’s not at the core. It feels much cooler and appropriate.
And – unlike Bayonetta – Eve’s moves and skills are not forced into a sexual appeal.
I remember when Bayonetta was advertised on her own game packaging as “a playable action porno of the highest order.” This absolutely does not apply to Stellar Blade.
The much-discussed characteristics of Eve are, while always present, and for some outfits, I did think “Oh my, Eve, a bit daring,” in the end, it’s not that important. Because in the game world, pretty much all human-like figures are quite attractive. Be it Eve, Adam, or any other characters enhanced by Mother Sphere.
Eve’s hair often gets in the way, so she should really get tangled in it.
What I don’t understand, however, are Eve’s hair. In the standard setting, Eve has a long ponytail, and unfortunately, it impressively shows that the technology for depicting long hair is not yet as refined as we would like. It often moves inappropriately and stiffly, distorting the rest of her pretty body a little. Especially with sudden movements, the hair tends to clip through the body, making it seem like Eve has an extremely long full beard.
A little bonus info, because I know you: I found it a bit quirky that in her Collector’s Edition outfit, Eve not only wears a tight mini skirt but also suddenly has significantly more bust size. But hey – I’m definitely not going to complain.
Oh, there go my 10 euros. Left the regular outfit, right the CE variant. Eve has gained.
All jokes aside. The different outfits are more than just skins, as they can partially change Eve’s body shape slightly. This inevitably leads to the fact that some outfits shake significantly more than others.
And yes, some of the outfits are indeed a bit questionable. For me, it does not contribute to the game’s atmosphere to have Eve hopping through the devastated world in a Playboy bunny costume or a mini skirt. But the nice thing is: I don’t have to. There are plenty of outfits whose appearance fits much better. There’s something for everyone. From a black full-body suit to “strapless swimwear” – I don’t have to like every skin.
However, since the outfits have absolutely no effect on performance in combat (unless you choose the “skin suit”), you can just choose what you want. If someone wants to complain, they’re on their own.
Minor errors spoil the overall impression – especially the sound
Nevertheless, Stellar Blade is not a masterpiece in my eyes and quite far from it.
Especially the sound in the game drives me insane. I have a surround system for the PS5, and it works flawlessly for games like Final Fantasy XVI or many others. But Stellar Blade drives me mad. Sometimes there’s a waterfall right in front of me, but the sound comes from behind and to the left. Sometimes Eve’s sword strikes resonate “behind” me. Something went horribly wrong with the sound design and urgently needs a patch or more refinement.
Many attacks also lack a bit of acoustic impact, so they simply don’t sound satisfying. But that may also be amplified by the problem described above.
The main voice actors do a good job – but some of the less important NPCs sometimes falter.
But it’s not just the surround sound that is a problem, but also the quality of the spoken lines. While the main characters like Eve and Adam are quite solid in the English voice-over, other characters stand out negatively. Sometimes lines feel so emotionless or overly dramatic that they simply don’t fit the scene. It feels a bit as if the voice actors didn’t know what kind of scene their lines were being used in during the recording, which sometimes pulls you out of the game.
The story of the game is also a bit predictable. The setting is cool but not entirely fresh. The characters are all a bit one-dimensional. It feels somewhat like Stellar Blade has a story simply because it needs one. That is enough to have a fun action-adventure, but if you expect brilliant “mindfuck moments” here, you might find yourself rolling your eyes in annoyance more often.
However, the story entertained me enough to keep me engaged – even if the combat system was the decisive factor here.
Lastly, the graphics are also quite variable. Sometimes there are suddenly muddy textures in a cutscene, and Stellar Blade simply does not reach the graphical opulence of Final Fantasy XVI. The game always looks good, but never outstanding.
Ultimately, though, these are minor issues. I enjoy the game and am surprisingly well adjusted to it. The learning curve in some scenarios is unexpectedly steep, but due to solid save points and the possibility to just farm one or two new skills if necessary, it always felt fair in the end. As a last resort, you could just switch to the lowest difficulty, but so far my gamer ego has been too big for that.
Anyone currently looking for a solid, beautiful action game is well advised to try Stellar Blade. However, those expecting constant sexiness beyond Eve’s pretty backside could be bitterly disappointed.
It is a shame that the more than solid game mainly revolves around discussions about the protagonist’s appearance.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the DLC of Elden Ring, you need to buckle up again. Because the difficulty will be challenging – but you can simplify it.
Although Elden Ring had a slightly milder difficulty compared to other Soulslike titles, the game was quite demanding. Whether it was battling the legendary Malenia or the Dragon Lord Placidusax, many of the fights tested the skills, patience, and nerves of players. It was even more liberating when the respective boss finally had to meet their end.
In a few weeks, the DLC “Shadow of the Erdtree” will be released, and even though much is still unknown, there are first hints about the difficulty.
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Elden Ring shows first trailer for the new DLC ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’
What is said about the difficulty? Basically, the difficulty of Shadow of the Erdtree is supposed to be oriented towards the “second half of Elden Ring”. That makes sense since you can only enter the DLC once you have progressed a bit in the story and defeated some of the important bosses.
However, there is also supposed to be a new progression system. This would ensure that you gain additional power and therefore the fights during the DLC become a little easier – at least if you use the new progression system. It is supposed to be optional, so you can also face the fights at full difficulty.
The progression system is therefore basically a “soft nerf” for the bosses – of course, if your hero becomes stronger, the enemies will consequently become a bit simpler.
This seems to indicate that everyone can adjust the difficulty of Shadow of the Erdtree a bit for themselves.
Where does the information come from? The information comes from the Game Director of From Software, Hidetaka Miyazaki. He spoke in an interview with the Chinese magazine Gōuhuǒ yíngdì about the difficulty of the game.
However, keep in mind that this information is based on translations from a Chinese interview. Small details can easily be lost in the process.
League of Legends professional player Perkz is taking a break, as he no longer enjoys the road to the big tournaments. His future in eSports is uncertain, but he does not seem to be completely disappearing from the scene.
Why is the professional quitting? The LoL professional Luka Perkz Perković has not been seen recently, as he has been moved from the main roster to the bench. The main reason for this were his weaknesses in the Winter Split 2023.
After his absence, the professional now announces in a post on X his break, and his return remains uncertain.
In his statement, he writes that his focus was only on reaching the MSI or the Worlds, but this path no longer brought him joy. Now he wants to take a break for a few months. Whether he will return after that or even quit, he does not know yet himself.
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LoL: „GODS“ ft. NewJeans (Official Music Video) | World Cup Anthem 2023
10 Years in the Game
Who is the LoL professional Perkz anyway? The mid-laner Perkz is probably one of the greatest LoL professionals in Europe. His professional career began back in 2014 with GSI Gaming.
Throughout his career, he has already won 10 individual awards, most recently in 2021 as ‘NA 1st All Pro Team’. He has also won many titles within his teams. Furthermore, he is one of four players who have won titles in both the EU and NA.
He achieved his greatest title during his time with G2 when the team won the MSI in 2019. In addition, he was the fourth player to achieve 1,500 kills in the LEC, following other eSports greats like Rekkles, Jankos, and Caps (via lol.fandom).
Can you still follow Perkz in the future? However, the professional does not seem to be completely disappearing. In another post on X, he states that he plans to stream League of Legends and Valorant on his Twitch channel.
He mentions that he particularly enjoys learning something completely new in Valorant. However, the professional does not reveal how often he will stream.
Why Perkz was no longer found in the main roster of his team in the last split, you can read here:
In Pokémon GO, a Pokémon can recently be found that can only appear on the beach. To avoid going to a beach, trainers are simply bringing the beach to them.
To avoid having to travel to such places for capturing the Pokémon, some trainers have come up with a special idea: They manipulate the mapping service OpenStreetMap to bring the beach to them.
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Pokémon GO: It’s time to #RediscoverGO!
Beach, Beach everywhere!
What’s the deal with OpenStreetMap? OpenStreetMap is a free, open-source tool that resembles Google Maps. A major difference is that the data and locations in the real world are compiled by the community and not by a company.
This means that anyone can help document and register places on OpenStreetMap.
What does this have to do with Pokémon GO? Pokémon GO relies on OpenStreetMap to create its in-game world. If a location on OpenStreetMap is a beach, it will be classified as a beach biome in Pokémon GO as well.
Some Pokémon GO trainers are now taking advantage of this fact by marking beaches on OpenStreetMap where there are none. They hope to catch Schligda without much effort.
This distortion of OpenStreetMap data is especially annoying and frustrating for the volunteers and supporters of the service, who invest their free time in creating the map data.
As reported on Kotaku.com, this sad phenomenon could already be observed at the launch of Pokémon GO. Schools and landmarks were added to the map, even though there were none. Here, the reason was also to gain advantages in the game.
What do you think about this? How do you feel about an open mapping service being manipulated to gain advantages in a game? Feel free to share your opinion with us in the comments.
If you want to know what is happening this month in Pokémon GO, take a look at our overview of the events in May 2024 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new Fallout series is also well received by fans of the games, such as Fallout 76. This is partly because the props from the series look remarkably similar to the items from the game. MeinMMO explains why this is the case.
How does the collaboration between the series and the games work? The Fallout series was created in close collaboration with the developers of the Fallout game series: Bethesda. However, many are amazed at how closely some things in the series resemble the items from the game.
Lucy’s 10mm pistol looks exactly like in the game, even Stimpaks, RadAway, or just simple glass carafes, chairs, and terminals look as if they came from Fallout 4 and Co.
Todd Howard, the executive producer at Bethesda, has now commented on the matter and explained why some items are so similar.
Here you can watch the trailer for the Fallout series on Amazon:
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The official trailer for the Fallout series on Amazon in German
The items are simply printed
Why are the items so similar? The collaboration between Bethesda and the creators of the series was recently commented on by Todd Howard. According to him, production designer Howard Cummings was responsible for the accurate implementation.
In order for everything to be perfect, Bethesda sent the original files of the items to the filmmakers, who then built real props using 3D printers.
The props and the items are so similar because they are essentially the same things. They were not closely replicated; rather, they are based on the things from the game. Fans of the games had already noticed the accurate representation; now we know why they are so alike.
For small changes, such as the dimensions of a hallway, the production designer reportedly apologized repeatedly.
Is Bethesda satisfied with the collaboration? Yes, they are apparently satisfied with the collaboration. Much of the series is apparently not CGI but a real prop, and even the lights in the vaults would, according to Todd Howard, work. He assumed that the filmmakers would rely more on CGI and create more scenes with computers.
However, the filmmakers really built a 2-floor vault. It even has a level of detail that Todd Howard likes. He believes the series has “incredible attention to detail.”
In Pokémon GO, alongside Rivals Week, there are two more events happening this weekend. We have compiled the details for you.
What events are these? This weekend, Pokémon GO is packed with excitement. You can look forward to three events. Along with Rivals Week, which starts this weekend, the GO Battle Weekend awaits you, as well as Crypto-Suicune.
We have put together what you can find in the events and when they take place.
[toc]
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Pokémon GO: It’s time to #RediscoverGO!
Rivals Week – All Content and Bonuses
When does the event start? Rivals Week starts on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 10:00 AM and runs until May 9, 2024, at 8:00 PM. The highlight of this event will likely be the regional Pokémon, which will also appear with an increased Shiny chance.
What Pokémon are there in the wild? There are some Pokémon that you will find continuously in the wild during the event. Additionally, certain regional Pokémon will be available to find during specific time periods.
Continuously in the wild:
Alolan Sandshrew*
Machop*
Poliwag*
Machoke*
Skorupi*
Starly*
Slurpuff* (rare)
Galarian Weezing* (rare)
In the wild from May 4 at 10:00 AM to May 6 at 10:00 AM:
Seviper**
Numel**
In the wild from May 6 at 10:00 AM to May 8 at 10:00 AM:
Jiutesto**
Karadonis**
In the wild from May 8 at 10:00 AM to May 9 at 8:00 PM:
Furnifraß**
Fermicula**
All Pokémon marked with an * can also appear in their Shiny form. All Pokémon marked with ** have an additionally increased chance of appearing in their Shiny form.
What Pokémon are there in raids? In the event, you will also find adjusted Pokémon in raids. These are the following Pokémon:
1*-Raids:
Machop*
Teddiursa*
Quiekel*
Miniras
3*-Raids from May 4 at 10:00 AM to May 6 at 10:00 AM:
Seviper**
Numel**
3*-Raids from May 6 at 10:00 AM to May 8 at 10:00 AM:
Jiutesto**
Karadonis**
3*-Raids from May 8 at 10:00 AM to May 9 at 8:00 PM:
Furnifraß**
Fermicula**
Pokémon marked with an * can also be encountered as Shiny. Pokémon with ** have an additionally increased chance of appearing as Shiny.
What bonuses are there in the event? Throughout the event duration, the following bonuses will be active in the game:
10 times experience points when you spin the photo discs of gyms
Double catch candy
Increased Shiny chance for Seviper, Numel, Jiutesto, Karadonis, Furnifraß, and Fermicula
What Pokémon are there in field research? You can receive the following Pokémon in addition for completing field research:
Alolan Sandshrew*
Machop*
Poliwag*
Slurpuff*
Skorupi*
Starly*
Galarian Weezing*
Pokémon marked with an * can also appear as Shiny.
What is in the limited research? There is also a limited research in this event. Once you complete the tasks, you can look forward to experience points, special candies, instant TMs, and Pokémon from the event.
GO Battle Weekend – Dates and Bonuses
When does the event start? The GO Battle Weekend starts on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 12:00 AM and ends on May 5, 2024, at 11:59 PM. This event focuses on the GO Battle League.
What bonuses are there in the event? In this event, there are the following three active bonuses:
4 times Stardust as a reward for wins in the battle league (except at the end of each set of battles)
20 battle sets can be contested daily (instead of five)
Free limited research focused on battling, where you can receive sandals in the style of Hala
What other content is there in the event? There is a paid limited research that you can purchase for 0.99 euros. This includes Stardust, a star piece, three special candies, and three XL special candies.
Additionally, there are PokéStop showcases in which you can participate with the event Pokémon.
When will I find Crypto-Suicune in raids? Crypto-Suicune will appear in May as a raid boss. You can find this Pokémon on weekends in Crypto Raids – including this weekend. From May 4 to May 5, Crypto-Suicune will be available.
Although Crypto-Suicune is not among the best attackers in Pokémon GO, the Pokémon could still be of interest to some trainers.
Can Crypto-Suicune appear as Shiny? Yes, with a bit of luck, you may encounter Crypto-Suicune as a Shiny Pokémon.
What do you think of the events? Is there one that you are particularly looking forward to? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments. If you want to know what’s coming up next, take a look at our overview of events in May 2024 in Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Players wonder why a 6-year-old shooter relies on 3 different copy protection versions. Because in the eyes of many players, one would suffice.
Which game is it about? Far Cry 5 is a first-person shooter that was released on March 27, 2018. The story takes place in a fictional location in the USA. You shoot and fight your way through an open world and resist a radical cult that wants to prevent communication with the outside world.
Yet, although the game is now 6 years old, many players ask on reddit: Why does the game need not just one copy protection, but 3 different versions?
Far Cry 5 uses 3 DRM methods and all are controversial
Which copy protection is in use? In total, Far Cry 5 relies on 3 different types of copy protection or DRM. The reference to the various programs can be found in the Steam description on the right side. Ubisoft refers here to the security measures used. These are the following 3:
EasyAntiCheat
Denuvo
VMProtect
While EasyAntiCheat is primarily used against cheaters, it is also employed by some manufacturers as a copy protection measure to prevent multiple copies of the game from being used. Denuvo and VMProtect are intended to protect the software against copying measures. However, these measures have long been under heavy criticism from players.
The unanimous, slightly sarcastic response from some players: Ubisoft does this only to annoy its players. Ubisoft had not exactly made itself popular with players in recent weeks, after deleting a game from users’ libraries.
Copy protection and anti-cheat is always a huge topic in the community
Manufacturers rely on copy protection and anti-cheat mechanisms to prevent games from being “cracked”, copied, and thus distributed for free. They aim to avoid revenue losses, prevent releases, and protect their work. From this perspective, this is also understandable.
Why is there criticism? Players are generally not thrilled about it, or rather: players do not like copy protection mechanisms in games at all. For them, the protection measures are merely tools to make things a bit harder for players. They have long criticized manufacturers for using software like Denuvo and others, as the impacts in their eyes are only negative:
For instance, GameStar reported that Denuvo slows down the PC through numerous system queries and transfers huge amounts of data back and forth.
In the case of Far Cry 5 mentioned here, not just one software is used, but three variants are in play. All three programs are criticized by players for weakening performance and regularly causing issues.
Are there also positive things? Some manufacturers remove specific protection mechanics from their game after some months or years. Because after 5 or 6 years, the game is financially done for the publisher anyway and piracy no longer matters for revenue. In one case, the developer accidentally removed Denuvo from their game.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
It’s time for our MeinMMO format “MMORPG news in two minutes” again. We summarize the most important news around the best genre in the world. Look forward to a success story from Germany and cool sign-up rewards from Tamriel. However, there were also dramas and a prominent resignation from the team of World of Warcraft.
On May 8, the WoW Patch “Dark Heart” will be released, featuring the prologue to The War Within, the traditional armors of the Draenei and trolls, as well as the event Remix: Mists of Pandaria (starting only on May 16). The corresponding in-game trailer brings a popular mage into trouble. Here are the official German patch notes from Blizzard.
In early May, the pre-patch for WoW Cataclysm Classic was released. The update heralds the shattering of Azeroth and the changed landscape of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. You can expect various system changes, new race and class combinations, as well as the new races of Worgen and Goblins. You can also learn the archaeology profession and improve equipment through reforging (via Blizzard).
It is also clear that Final Fantasy XIV will receive a new European data center named Shadow with the servers Innocence, Pixie, and Titania (via Square Enix). This prepares the developers for the player surge that will surely come with the Dawntrail expansion.
Among the daily login rewards, The Elder Scrolls Online will offer in May 2024, among other things, an oasis as a home and a pig as a companion. Additionally, you can preview the new chapter Gold Road and update 42 on the PTR.
Whoever wants to completely upgrade the Warbands bank in the WoW expansion The War Within needs to invest a whopping 3,126,000 gold pieces.
The developers of Star Wars: The Old Republic have revealed which content will land on the live servers of the MMORPG with update 7.5. Highlights include the new story chapter revolving around Padawan Sa’har Kateen, the restoration of a farm, and the breeding of a basilisk companion. Additionally, SWTOR will celebrate Star Wars Day on May 4 – you can secure a BX-24 droid.
The Twitch streamer Niru was supposed to be the first player in the world to reach level 300 in MapleStory. However, during the hour of triumph he gave the studio behind the MMORPG a piece of his mind. No one thanked him for that. Instead, there were negative impacts on his viewer numbers, his family environment, and his content plans for MapleStory.
Despite Kickstarter success and Early Access launch on Steam, the MMORPG Genfanad – Generic Fantasy Adventure never really got off the ground. The servers went offline on April 30, 2024.
Final Fantasy XI celebrates its 22nd anniversary this month, with celebrations starting on May 14 (via Square Enix).
In Eve Online, the Capsuleer Day celebrations are ongoing. Exploration and combat areas have appeared all over New Eden, and you can earn valuable data and technologies (via CCP Games).
In Dungeons & Dragons Online, the 50th anniversary of D&D has been celebrated for some time. Currently, you can secure one of the expansions of the MMORPG for free in the game. More information can be found on the official website.
Motivating MMORPG fans with a giveaway for pre-registration has been worth it for the operators of Tarisland so far. Over a million players had registered by the end of the month. On Friday, they were able to surpass the mark of 1.5 million registered.
While we had rated the alpha of Pax Dei quite critically last week, the well-known streamer Asmongold celebrates the game from Mainframe. For him, this clearly has the best building system of an MMO sandbox. As proof of this thesis, he proudly showed off a huge castle that his guild built around a mountain in just a few days.
Thus, we have summarized the most important things that have happened recently in the world of MMORPGs. What did you enjoy this week? What annoyed you? Let us know in the comments at MeinMMO.
