Helldivers 2 has announced its fourth Battle Pass with the Warbond “Polar Patriots”. There will be new weapons, armor, and biting cold to see.
When does the new Warbond start? On May 9, 2024, around 11 to 12 AM, a new premium Warbond “Polar Patriots” will come to Helldivers 2. After various leaks circulated online, the Warbond has now been officially announced.
All upcoming content can be found in the frigid trailer:
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Helldivers 2 shows its latest Warbond ‘Polar Patriots’ in the icy trailer
This is what’s included: The new Warbond will again contain three new primary weapons, secondary weapons, and armor.
New Primary Weapons
AR-61-Tenderizer – A large-caliber assault rifle with great penetration power
SMG-72-Pummeler – A submachine gun with a slow rate of fire that is equipped with explosive rounds
PLAS-101-Purifier – An energy weapon that unleashes explosive shockwaves on your opponents
New Secondary Weapons/Utility Boosters
G-13-Flare – A grenade that explodes on impact and burns everything
P-113-Verdict – A powerful handgun that can be drawn quickly
Motivation Shocks – You will no longer be slowed down by enemies (EMS fire excluded)
New Armor
CW-36-Winter Warrior
Kodiak-CW 22
Arctic Ranger CW-4
In addition, there will also be new capes and emotes that you can equip your warrior in the locker.
Unlike traditional Battle Passes, the new Warbond does not replace the previous ones. You can complete already unlocked Warbonds at your own pace or only obtain them when you feel like a little extra democracy.
What about you? Are you excited about the new weapons and armor of the upcoming season, or do they leave you completely cold? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments.
A Catholic priest in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is said to have spent more than $40,000 (over €37,000) of church funds on microtransactions in mobile games over a period of three years, including Candy Crush.
What’s going on? On April 25, 2024, Reverend Lawrence Kozak was arrested under a warrant for theft and related offenses, according to an affidavit. According to the indictment from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, Reverend Lawrence Kozak spent over $40,000 of church funds over three years (via The Philadelphia Inquirer).
After posting bail of $250,000, he was released. His attorney is currently reviewing the charges and plans to contact the prosecution.
Church funds spent on Candy Crush and Mario Kart Tour
How did the church notice? The allegations stem from a discovery made by an accountant from St. Thomas More Church in Pottstown, who reviewed the church’s finances in 2022 and came across astronomical amounts of Apple transactions.
The purchases reportedly began in 2019 – shortly after Kozak joined the congregation. The Apple ID used to purchase content in games like Candy Crush and Mario Kart Tour is said to belong to Kozak (via Kotaku).
Also for gifts to his goddaughter
Investigators found that an Amazon account linked to the priest also used the church’s credit card to purchase gifts for Kozak’s goddaughter. The gifts included a note signed by Uncle Larry.
Further financial records showed that Kozak had used his personal bank account to pay off $10,000 of the credit card balance.
What does Kozak say about it? When questioned by investigators in 2022, Kozak stated that he was seeking counseling due to his gaming addiction and spending money on online games. He said that the money was not spent on gambling, but to gain an advantage in the games he played.
He denied intentionally using the credit cards for these purchases, stating that the cards were already linked to his phone. He said he had paid for church-authorized streaming services and Microsoft Office software with them. Kozak also mentioned that it was possible he had accidentally used the cards – as he is not a details person.
Attention: If you feel you are affected by a gaming addiction, you can contact the following organizations:
German contacts for gaming addiction
Consultation for video game and internet addiction Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain Landsberger Allee 49 10249 Berlin Tel.: 030 130 238 011 E-Mail: [email protected]
Lost in Space Wartenburgstraße 8 10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg Tel.: 030 666 339 59 E-Mail: [email protected]
Consultation for gambling addiction Untere Zahlbacher Straße 8 55131 Mainz Tel.: 06131 176 064 E-Mail: [email protected]
What were the other consequences? In November 2022, the priest was removed from his position at St. Thomas More Church after an internal investigation uncovered his gaming addiction and misuse of church funds.
The executive director of St. Thomas More told investigators she believed Kozak knew that the credit card was being used for the games. She reported that she had previously questioned the priest about unexplained expenses on the credit card statements and had warned him about the risks of mixing business and personal expenses (via The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Subsequent investigations later revealed that Kozak had sent a check for $8,000 to his successor at St. Thomas More after his removal as head of the church.
In a letter, Kozak apologized to the new priest, stating that he regretted making this mistake. He said he had started to repay the money he owed to the church.
The title image is a symbolic image – it comes from Pexels.
The authors behind the Fallout series are careful when it comes to the story. Already 10 years before the release of the MMO Fallout 76, you could find the story about the Vault in Fallout 3.
What story was there to find? The story of Fallout 76 begins in Vault 76, which opens on “Reclamation Day”. The day when people are supposed to take back the Earth. The day takes place 25 years after the bombs fell and is the start of Fallout 76. However, the idea for the Vault was established much earlier.
Already 10 years prior, you could read in Fallout 3 what to expect in Fallout 76.
Fallout 76 received a new update only in March; here you can see the trailer for it:
Start video
Fallout 76: The German trailer for the update ‘America’s Playground’
Terminal in the Citadel reveals information about the Vaults
How do you access the information? In Fallout 3, there is a terminal that reveals all sorts of information about the Vaults.
The game, which was released in 2008, has a terminal located in the Citadel. There, you can find information about various Vaults in Washington D.C. and the surrounding area. Vault 76 is not only casually mentioned; the terminal even describes the history of the bunker.
The X user @KERR0N made this discovery and shared the entry in the terminal on X:
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What does the entry say? The entry states that Vault 76 is one of the 17 “Control Vaults”. The Vault is supposed to function just like the advertising from Vault-Tec and meet the expectations of its inhabitants.
It is supposed to open after 20 years, pushing the inhabitants back into the open world to see how they fare compared to other Vaults.
This is also how Fallout 76 begins, which takes place years before the events of the other Fallout games.
Does the entry match Fallout 76? Almost! The entry in Fallout 8 almost completely matches, only one detail is different. In Fallout 76, the Vault opens after 25 years, not after 20 years.
Why this is the case and whether there is an explanation for the 5-year delay is not described.
Microsoft regularly cleans up Windows and replaces old features. This time, the US company is likely focusing on the Control Panel, which is set to disappear soon. And soon means in the fall of 2024.
As reported by our colleagues at br.IGN, one of Microsoft’s main plans is to retire the Windows Control Panel. In recent years, many gamers probably configured settings through this tool or the tab under Windows. And since 1994, the “Control Panel” has been an essential part of Microsoft’s operating system.
However, since Windows 11, Microsoft has been integrating many features into other areas or completely restructuring settings. And with that, Microsoft is saying goodbye to the popular feature.
The Control Panel will eventually disappear from Windows 11 as the functions migrate
When is the update coming? The next update for Windows 11 is version 24H2 and is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2024. This is known as a “feature update:” These updates add new features and functions to Windows and are typically released once a year. Otherwise, there are only security updates and bug fixes.
The next update is expected to move font management, power (for laptops), and storage into the settings tab. This will remove the functions from the Control Panel.
In the long term, the Control Panel is likely to completely disappear from Windows 11 sooner or later. Because the US company is actively restructuring its operating system. To the dismay of those who have become accustomed to certain menus and settings.
This is not entirely surprising, as according to our French colleagues at Jeuxvideo, the Control Panel was intended to be “temporary” anyway. And that for a good 30 years.
More about Windows 11 and an upgrade: Windows 11 has been available for three years now. But is it even worth switching to the new operating system? MeinMMO presents a short list of what you should consider before starting:
Diablo 4 will be a completely new game with the upcoming Season 4. Accordingly, the season is named “Fresh Loot,” or: “Loot Reborn.” Blizzard has finally released the details of the update and explained how exactly it will all work. Only one thing still leaves players puzzled.
This is what Blizzard is showing now: In a new blog post on the official site, Blizzard has detailed the new features. The most important aspects are two new features: Tempering and Masterworking.
The two systems are the new crafting. Items will have fewer affixes in Season 4 and should be easier to compare. Through Tempering and Masterworking, you can add new affixes, customize the item, and improve it. You can basically create your own God Roll. Additionally, you can craft your own Uber Uniques with “Gorgeous Sparks.”
Furthermore, Blizzard is showing new content for the endgame. This was a major point of criticism after the PTR: Leveling is great, but after level 100 the game becomes boring. Blizzard is presenting some new content here:
Every summonable Uber Boss will have a “tormented” version at level 200, which drops even more loot.
Hell floods will receive new enemies, the Hellbourne, as well as generally more and tougher monsters.
The Pit is a new endgame dungeon with 200 levels that become increasingly difficult – here you are meant to test your skills.
You will spend a lot of time in the Pit because you will find the materials for crafting and summoning the Tormented Echoes here. All of the mentioned content will be available for both the seasonal and eternal realms.
Season 4 fundamentally changes all significant content in the game. Most players and experts are already excited, but after the announcement, some still lack information: What does the season actually bring as a unique mechanic?
A special mechanic seems to be missing in Season 4 – something like the Senechal from the current Season 3:
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Diablo 4: The gameplay trailer for Season 3
“Isn’t something missing?”
On Reddit, there are currently several discussions about what Season 4 changes or does not change. The general sentiment is that Season 4 looks excellent. Diablo 4 will be the great game that was expected at release.
However, Blizzard does not mention the special mechanic of the season in the blog post. In previous seasons, there were for example special vampire powers, new socket stones, or a companion.
The term for these things is “Seasonal Power,” meaning power you can only gain temporarily. Such a thing is almost completely absent in Season 4. In an interview, the developers explained to us what the theme and the special seasonal mechanic will be, but that most changes affect Diablo 4 as a whole.
Although some players complain that Season 4 will be slimmer than previous seasons, most fans see it differently. It is argued that Blizzard should not introduce a seasonal mechanic so that there is a basis for how challenging the content will be with the new loot changes. One player writes:
I welcome that Blizzard has gone all-in with the changes they are bringing, instead of putting development resources into another seasonal quest line and mechanics. Some may disagree, but I found the Season 3 mechanic and quest line quite dull, and I am fine with it not being there this time considering the changes.
However, Season 4 does not come completely without seasonal content. For example, there will be exclusive loot rewards for an activity related to the Iron Wolves, a new faction found in the Hell floods. Additionally, there is a new elixir exclusive to the seasonal realms called the Defiled Thought Cage, which will make the floods even more challenging but also more rewarding.
Today, on May 2, there will be a Campfire Chat with more information. You can find here on MeinMMO the complete interview with the developers about the changes. There we talk with the developers about Season 4, the new content, and a little about the future.
Right now, you can get two really strong monsters for the league in Pokémon GO. Hurry up before they are gone.
What’s happening in Pokémon GO? A new month has begun, and with May comes a lot of events for Pokémon GO.
The first highlight of the month started right on May 1st: Since then, you can obtain the strong attacker Diancie through a special research.
But that’s not all: Two more Pokémon are currently available that may look inconspicuous but can perform very strongly in the league: Rocara and Kapu-Kime.
But they won’t be around forever.
Start video
Pokémon GO: This is what the new season ‘World full of Wonders’ looks like in the trailer
Rocara in Pokémon GO: How to get it, how strong it is
Rocara is top in PvP
How do I get Rocara? You can get a Rocara from the special research with Diancie; you can also obtain more from the 10 km eggs. However, you’ll need a lot of luck here.
Currently, it’s more reliable to look for the field research “Catch 10 Pokémon.” There, you currently get a Rocara encounter as a reward.
But: You need to hurry here. It will only be available until Friday, May 3rd, at 11:59 PM.
How strong is Rocara? In raids, Rocara is negligible, but in the PvP battle league, it is a real monster. In the rankings of PvPoke, it ranks fourth in the Super League. Thus, it is one of the best Pokémon you can play there.
It’s best to use the moveset of Rock Throw, Stone Edge, and Moonblast. Keep in mind: You need a lot of candies to bring Rocara to a strong Super League level, but you must not exceed 1,500 CP.
Kapu-Kime in Pokémon GO: How to get it, how strong it is
Kapu-Kime in Pokémon GO
How to get Kapu-Kime: Kapu-Kime has appeared with the new May raids. You can challenge it from May 2nd to May 16th in the 5-star raids, so you have a bit more time.
You also have the chance to get it as a Shiny with a bit of luck. If you want to battle it: Here are the best counters against Kapu-Kime.
How strong is Kapu-Kime? What’s particularly exciting is that Kapu-Kime now also has the move Nature’s Wrath when you catch it in raids. With this, you can further improve your moveset in the battle league.
In the Super League, Kapu-Kime does not play a major role, but it is much more significant in the Hyper League. There, it ranks 3rd in the PvPoke rankings, only surpassed by Registeel and Shadow Feraligatr. It’s best to use the combination of Water Gun, Surf, and Nature’s Wrath there.
The Twitch streamer recently transformed into Bob Ross during one of his streams. He followed one of his tutorials and was surprised by the result himself.
Which streamer is it about? This is about the German Twitch streamer Papaplatte. In one of his recent streams, he transformed into Bob Ross to paint a picture. He followed a Bob Ross tutorial and was surprised by his own result:
I think you can hang this in your apartment, and I find that amazing. So no joke, I never thought it would turn out somewhat fresh.
For his stream, Papaplatte not only put on a suitable outfit but also bought the original “Bob Ross” painting kit. Altogether, he spent over 6 hours on his artwork in the Twitch stream.
Start video
Twitch streamer RevedTV loses control under hypnosis
1,000 viewers on average
Who is Bob Ross and what makes him so popular? Bob Ross was an American painter and television host who passed away from cancer in 1995. Even after his death, he remains very popular, especially for his 403 episodes of his series The Joy of Painting.
The painter was known for his calm demeanor, almost ASMR-like painting tutorials, and his description of mistakes as happy little accidents.
The official YouTube channel of Bob Ross has over 5.8 million subscribers, and the Twitch channel has over 2.1 million subscribers. His Twitch channel still has over 1,000 average viewers today (via Sullygnome).
Reactions from the community: On YouTube, Papaplatte later uploads a compilation of his stream. The video also receives very positive responses from viewers.
Some users write:
pPhoenix787 writes: I didn’t think the picture would turn out so well, it’s really amazing.
WhiteYetiii notes: The painting turned out 100 times better than I expected. The format is really great, definitely want more of this!
miuyiu6848 comments: The lost son of Bob Ross. We found him
Papaplatte seems to constantly come up with new ideas for his stream. This is also reflected in the Stream Awards of 2023. You can read about the awards he won here:
World of Warcraft is very complicated. But it shouldn’t always be that way. Even those who don’t want to think should be able to have fun in The War Within.
With the upcoming expansion “The War Within,” World of Warcraft aims to build on the foundation that has already been laid with Dragonflight. This means there will be more content that appeals to a wide variety of players.
Start video
WoW: The War Within trailer introduces Delves
Where was this said? In an interview with Windows Central, Holly Longdale (Executive Producer) talked about the content that should also be interesting for solo players. A quote from this conversation:
We are on this journey to offer something to all types of players. We know from our research and surveys that there is a whole segment that says, “I don’t want to think too much; I just want to feel like I’ve made progress in 15-20 minutes.”
What does this mean? This is certainly not meant as an insult but simply as a different play style. Not everyone has the time to spend several hours in a raid or to read long strategies and guides on the toughest “Mythic+” dungeons. Nevertheless, we want to offer these players content so that they can also have a good time in World of Warcraft.
One of the examples of this type of content is “Delves”. These small “mini-dungeons” can be found throughout the game world of The War Within and embark on a small adventure alongside an NPC companion. However, those who want can also venture out with a group. Each delve lasts about 5-15 minutes and has varying tasks and different difficulty levels.
Thus, the Delves also contribute to the weekly reward chest, which for the first time also offers something for solo players in the PvE area. Although the maximum possible reward is several levels below the toughest dungeons or raids, it is still possible to reach the level of heroic raiders over multiple weeks.
What else is there? There have also been other examples of easily accessible, simple entries in the recent past. Even if the mode didn’t appeal to everyone, “Plunderstorm” was developed along the same lines. Here, too, one could “just jump in” and didn’t need to plan extensively. There was no need to create and skill a character extensively, nor to inform oneself greatly. The mode was self-explanatory, and a match lasted only 10-15 minutes.
Anyone who still has Horizon: Zero Dawn on their list and wants to play it on PS Plus needs to hurry: The hit is apparently leaving the service.
What kind of game is it? It is about “Horizon: Zero Dawn” in the Complete Edition. So it also includes the expansion “Frozen Wilds.”
The Complete Edition has so far been included in the PS Plus subscription tiers “Extra” and Premium. But that seems to be coming to an end now.
Looking through the PS Plus catalog, there is an announcement for Horizon that it will leave the service on May 21 at 11:00 AM. This gives players less than a month if they still want to complete the game.
The date indicates that Horizon is likely bidding farewell.
The reason why this step is taken unexpectedly is unclear. Some players, for example on reddit, suspect that this could hint at the announcement of a possible PS5 remaster that has been speculated about. After all, Horizon is a modern classic in PlayStation history for the PS4, but it is already 7 years old and does not have a real PS5 version. However, this is once again just speculation.
Should news about a remaster arise, we will keep you updated here.
Nevertheless, there are still about 19 days left to complete Horizon with PS Plus Extra or Premium, but anyone who has subscribed to either of them should consider using this time – especially if they haven’t played Horizon yet. It is one of the best post-apocalyptic games you should play.
The game impresses with an imaginative open world where you must confront a threat from rampaging machines that make survival a real challenge for humanity.
You take on the role of Aloy, who rises to become a hero and uncovers the dark secrets that have shaped her world as the story unfolds. The gameplay and graphics are still impressive even seven years after release – and the story is one of the best experiences you can have on PlayStation.
A vault in Fallout might overshadow the others. Because the incident was so horrific that hardly anyone survived…
The vaults of Fallout are the focal point of the story. But behind the seemingly peaceful bunkers for the salvation of humanity lies almost always a dark secret. Particularly grim is the story behind the infamous “Vault 11.” We’ll tell you what happened there.
Spoiler warning: If you haven’t watched the Fallout series or played the games yet, you will get some light spoilers.
Start video
The official trailer for the Fallout series on Amazon in German
What are the vaults? To protect humanity from the inevitable nuclear war and ensure that enough people exist after the Great War to repopulate the world, Vault-Tec created the “vaults.” These are massive underground bunker complexes that can essentially function autonomously for several centuries.
Individuals who were particularly wealthy or important could buy a spot for themselves or their family in a vault — at horrendous prices.
What Vault-Tec and their business partners concealed, however, was that the vaults also serve a completely different purpose. Almost every one of the 120 different vaults is also an experiment. Sometimes these are social experiments, like the notorious Vault 69, and sometimes they are scientific experiments, often with morally questionable methods, such as deliberately contaminating the residents.
There are also vaults where no experiments were conducted. These are management vaults — only these were really designed for the protection and monitoring of the other vaults.
What is Vault 11? The vault with the number 11 might be familiar to some veterans, as it appears in the game Fallout New Vegas. What may look like a standard vault at first glance, however, hides quite a large and dark secret.
After the residents of the vault moved in, they received a message from the main computer:
Each year, one vault resident must be brought to a specific chamber and sacrificed; only then can the vault operate for another year.
If the residents do not decide on the sacrifice, then the supply of the vault would be shut down.
Within Vault 11, this led to a custom where every year the chosen overseer was sacrificed after their term expired. Thus, the overseer had significant decision-making power for a year but was sacrificed at the end of the year for the well-being of the vault.
Lucy was almost lucky with her vault.
What happened in Vault 11? The exact events in Vault 11 are quite grim. Different factions formed that tried to control the political affairs of the vault. Meanwhile, the election of the overseer was abused as a means of power. A vault resident was forced into sexual acts by threatening to choose her husband as the overseer otherwise.
This very woman, Katherine Stone, also became a leader. She murdered her enemies and changed the vault’s system so that the main computer should randomly select a person as overseer each year.
The political groups within the vault saw their power endangered and tried to prevent this decision — armed conflicts ensued.
How did the Vault 11 experiment end? At the end of the fights, only 5 residents survived. Tired from the battles and the shock, they confronted the computer and said that they would no longer sacrifice another person.
Instead of shutting down life support, however, the computer said:
Congratulations, you are a shining example for humanity and have passed the test. The door of the vault will now be opened.
Or in other words: The experiment of the vault was to resist the directive of sacrificing a human every year.
Shaken by the realization, 4 of the 5 survivors killed themselves. The last stepped into the freedom of the wasteland — and what happened to him, only the wasteland knows…
What other vaults are there? If you explore a bit in the Fallout universe, you’ll find many other morally reprehensible vaults. In addition to the vaults from the series, namely numbers 31, 32, and 33, there is also Vault 106. Here, residents were permanently put on drugs, leading to bizarre behavior.
What do you think of the stories surrounding the vaults? Too absurd? Or just right for such a universe?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As a child, many probably had quite different hobbies than today. A boy from Cornwall, UK, regularly goes treasure hunting for lost LEGO with his family and has now struck it lucky.
What is lost LEGO anyway? The Tokio Express was a container ship that, in 1997, was hit by a wave on its way from Rotterdam to New York and lost 62 containers. One of these containers was filled with LEGO, which has been washing ashore on the coasts of Cornwall ever since the incident.
The LEGO shipment contained about 5 million figures and building blocks. However, the particles were not evenly distributed, among them were, for example, 418,000 water wings, 26,600 life jackets, and 4,200 octopuses.
One of the people on the hunt for the lost LEGO treasures is 13-year-old Liutauras Cemolonskas, who regularly combs the local beach with his family and has meanwhile found his greatest treasure.
LEGO is now also available in Fortnite; you can see the cinematic trailer here:
Start video
Epic Games shows LEGO Fortnite in the cinematic trailer
The boy finds a figure that hasn’t been found in 18 years
What did the boy find? While combing the beach at Marazion in Cornwall, the 13-year-old found the “holy grail” among the lost LEGOs. The octopus is the rarest figure that was lost 27 years ago. With only 4,200 pieces on board, the last one was found 18 years ago.
The boy is delighted with his find, as he told the PA news agency (via standard.co.uk). The search for the octopus has been going on for over 2 years already.
Here you can see a picture of the rare octopus:
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In the meantime, the boy has already found 789 LEGO building blocks, his father revealed. Many fossils have also come into the family’s possession through the family hobby.
The father said about his son’s hobby: “As a child, I was interested in archaeology, and later Liutauras also did [beach combing], so we always worked together as a family.”
What will the boy do now that the treasure has been found? Now that he has the rare octopus in his possession, he already has his eye on the next treasure. For his collection, he still needs a dragon, of which there were only 33,941 pieces on board.
Among them are 33,400 black dragons and only 514 green dragons. So obtaining a green dragon will likely keep the boy occupied for quite a while.
Interestingly, after the find of young Liutauras, another LEGO octopus has washed ashore, this time in Porthleven, which is about a 16-minute drive from Marazion. Lost LEGO expert Tracey Williams suspects this could be related to the high spring tide that could wash up the toys.
You are interested in raids but only want to defeat the bosses? Then you are in luck with Destiny 2. A new mode allows you to do just that and removes annoying puzzles and jumping sections.
The mode initially sounds like something made only for experts, but especially newcomers should be able to benefit from Pantheon. We will show you why.
Start video
Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Gameplay trailer for the new talents
Now is the time for newcomers to tackle raids
How does Pantheon work? For Pantheon, you assemble a team of 6 players and then fly to the respective bosses of the weekly rotation. You defeat the bosses, receive loot, and then switch to the next boss with a banner. In the first week, you can face 4 bosses, but the number is expected to increase to up to 8 bosses as weeks pass.
Why is Pantheon worth it? As previously mentioned, the mode does not include annoying puzzles and intermediate sections that are part of many raids. Only the boss mechanics need to be explained, but these are usually very easy when the group is divided correctly and can explain things.
One of the bosses from Pantheon: Atraks-1
As long as the newcomers have strong weapons and exotics, even the toughest enemy can be defeated in the damage phase. So if you start a round of “Pantheon”, you only need to defeat bosses and switch to the next target. This saves you time and also gathers items for your collection.
Once you have defeated the last boss of the rotation, you can interact with Shaxx’s “Arcite” Redjack and acquire materials for the forge and raid exotics from him. You do not need to run through the different raids or beg for endboss checkpoints, but can calmly complete your collection with Pantheon.
Do I need the DLCs for Pantheon? No, you do not. The event “Into the Light” as well as “Pantheon” and other contents of the event are all free and do not require any DLCs that you need to purchase beforehand. This way, you can acquire all items and exotics from the raids without spending a cent.
Have you tried Pantheon and if so, how did you find the mode? Did you like the loot? Let us know in the comments!
In One Piece, one of the greatest mysteries surrounding the world in which Luffy and his crew live has just been revealed. However, due to an oversight by the mangaka, we already knew a year ago that this revelation might occur.
Warning, spoiler: We will discuss the events from chapter 1113 of the One Piece manga.
What kind of oversight occurred with the mangaka? Eiichiro Oda had to change a drawing for the final version of chapter 1085 of the manga. In an early version, King Cobra quotes his ancestor, who knew one of the greatest secrets of the world.
Before the final version of the chapter was created, King Cobra said: “Raise the flag of the dawn in a sinking world.”
In the current version, it says: “Raise the flag that announces the dawn of the world.”
The sentence changed because Oda pushed a speech bubble in front of another. As a result, the part of the sentence related to the sinking world was covered. X-user pewpiece shows in a tweet how the speech bubble has shifted:
In the English version, the part is completely missing. The “sinking world” was probably too much for Oda at the end, which is why he changed the sentence in the final version. He had hinted at what readers of the manga are only now finding out.
However, the spoiler was only available in the Japanese version. Therefore, especially readers in Japan were warned about what happens in the current chapter.
The events on Egghead Island are currently escalating:
Start video
One Piece: New trailer shows first images from the Egghead Island arc
The World of One Piece is Sinking
Why is the world sinking? Dr. Vegapunk shares a mysterious message with all the inhabitants of the seas in the current chapter. He reveals that the world will sink into the ocean. More information about this will probably come in the next chapter.
The sea level has been rising in One Piece for years. The people in Water 7 already knew two years ago that the Aqua Laguna, a massive tsunami wave, is becoming more dangerous and larger each year. That’s why the mayor was working on a solution to make the city float.
The reason for this may also be connected to Imu. She is a mysterious person whose identity has not yet been revealed. However, she has the power to erase entire islands. When this occurs, huge holes form in the sea, causing the sea level to rise.
How exactly the events are connected and what solution exists for this remains open. Chapter 1104 will not be released until May 12, 2024, and it is unclear whether Dr. Vegapunk will address all possible questions arising from the problem.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you try to prevent the “Zeromorphosis” throughout the game, that is, from becoming a Mind Flayer. Only one character truly wants this, as it means their freedom: Karlach. A few lines of text, which probably hardly anyone ever sees, reveal this.
Spoiler Warning: This discusses a possible ending of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the story of Karlach.
However, Karlach has a problem: Instead of a heart, she has a devilish machine installed that threatens to explode. This condition condemns her to death – with a few exceptions.
In Act 3, you finally have the opportunity to actively choose to become a Mind Flayer. You then lose your character and your class, learn new abilities, and truly become someone else.
For most, this is an unpopular outcome, but someone must accept this fate: Either you, the NPC Orpheus , or someone from your group. And this is where Karlach comes into play.
Because of her condition, Karlach is not only destined for this ending, it actually makes her happy, as a player recently discovered on Reddit. If you play as Karlach and transform, she has an internal monologue:
I’m still the same, right? I’m still me…? Yes… and no. But somehow I think that was intentional. Maybe not the tentacles, but… something else. And my machine. It… is… silent. Still there, but no longer threatening to explode. No pain. No gears. A calm I haven’t felt in a decade – or ever.
This means I will live.
I will live.
I will…
I get to stay alive. I get to stay.
Fuck yes.
Stories like this are one of the reasons why Baldur’s Gate 3 is so incredibly well received:
Start video
Middle finger to the AAA industry: Baldur’s Gate 3 was no coincidence
“Once she becomes a Mind Flayer, the lights go out”
The user giga-plum explains on Reddit, however, that Mind Flayers retain the memories of their hosts after transformation. The person they once were, however, is still dead.
Outwardly, this makes no difference, but it means: The soul is gone, and that matters in Faerûn, where souls and gods are real. Karlach is then gone, and in her place is a Mind Flayer who thinks they’re Karlach.
This leads to an extensive discussion about souls and the afterlife. However, there are still a few details that suggest a genuinely “good” ending for Karlach.
Lazarus, or Withers, says that he can still feel traces of the old Karlach in the Mind Flayer. More precisely, he believes that Mind Flayers actually do not have a soul. This particular creature, that is the Karlach-Flayer, does.
Other users argue that Mind Flayers do have souls, but they come from a different plane of existence. Therefore, the god of death could not recognize their souls as such. That Lazarus still feels something here makes Karlach something special.
One of the fastest supercomputers in the world is currently being auctioned. At its launch, the computer was ranked 21st; today it is ranked 160th.
The U.S. General Services Administration has decided to auction the Cheyenne supercomputer, which was commissioned in 2016. In its statement, the government agency mentions that there have been ongoing repair and maintenance issues. This does not initially bode well for the purchase of such a computer giant.
The current highest bid is around $100,000 (via gsaauctions.gov), and the auction runs until May 6, 2024. Therefore, the price could still rise.
The computer is currently located at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Supercomputer consumes large amounts of power
What kind of system is this?
The supercomputer contains 8,064 Intel E5-2697v4 CPUs.
313,344 GB DDR4-2400 ECC RAM.
The supercomputer consumes about 1,727 megawatts of power per day while running.
The Intel E5-2697v4 belongs to the Xeon series, thus part of Intel’s high-end and server processors. Since 2022, the mentioned processor no longer receives security and maintenance updates.
Is it worth it? For the average user, such a high investment is not worth it anyway. If you still consider the investment of currently $100,000, you should be aware that the federal agency is selling the system because it is no longer considered cost-effective due to high costs and downtime “associated with addressing current cooling issues.”
Moreover, the hardware installed is now considered outdated and no longer current. From today’s perspective, for example, colleagues from TomsHardware explain that the Cayenne computer is considered sluggish by standards of 2024. Many older supercomputers that have been around for a few years face this problem.
As a bonus, you might be pleased with the electricity bill. Consuming 1,727 megawatts of power per day costs several thousand euros per day, depending on electricity prices and providers. Moreover, electricity prices are expected to rise significantly in Germany in 2024. Whether you really want to invest in such a “power sucker” is something you should also consider.
Supercomputers in Germany: The supercomputer JUPITER (Joint Undertaking Pioneer for Innovative and Transformative Exascale Research) was commissioned by the European supercomputer consortium EuroHPC JU in October 2023. The new supercomputer is currently being built in Jülich. You can read more about it on MeinMMO:
The developers of Star Wars: The Old Republic have revealed which content will be hitting the live servers of the MMORPG with Update 7.5. Highlights include fresh challenges for players who prefer to explore the universe alone, as well as the task of getting a farm back in shape.
What has Broadsword announced for SWTOR? Although there is no release date for Update 7.5 yet, we now know what new features are planned for the spring.
You can look forward to a new story chapter featuring Padawan Sa’har Kateen and a risky mission where you need to find Darth Nul’s Holocron. The mission takes you back to Hutta, where you stumble into a rebellion of the local workers.
With 7.5, the developers are introducing the Spring Festival of Abundance on Dantooine. There, you will help restore the old farmland by completing daily and weekly tasks. You’ll protect livestock, bake cakes, and work as a farmer.
Players who have completed all of Lane Vizla’s missions will be able to start the Basilisk Prototype Project. You will train your own Basilisk companion B3-S1 (affectionately called Bessie) to unleash its full combat potential. Your companion is set to be used in the new single-player ventures.
With 7.5, a new PvP season will start that will have a pirate theme.
Here you can take a first look at Bessie:
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On May 4, 2024, it will once again be: “May the 4th be with you!” Of course, the developers of SWTOR will celebrate the holiday for all Star Wars fans this year as well. All players who log in between May 1 and 16 will receive the droid BX-24, inspired by “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”.
The SWTOR trailers ooze Star Wars atmosphere from every pore:
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Star Wars: The Old Republic – “Deceived” Cinematic Trailer
In addition, you can look forward to:
a double experience XP event
50 percent off collection unlocking
up to 75 percent off items inspired by the Mandalorian series
up to 90 percent off various items from the cartel market
The “May the fourth be with you!” is derived from the iconic phrase “May the force be with you!” from the Star Wars movies and has been celebrated annually on May 4 since 2011.
What else is planned for May? In addition to the fan party, there are two in-game events coming up in SWTOR. The ultimate galactic swoop rally started on April 30, where you can earn swoop rally vehicles and advertising droids as mini pets. The race runs until May 6, 2024.
From May 14 to 21, you can participate in the Rakghoul resurgence on Tatooine. As a volunteer emergency responder, you will fight the Rakghoul plague and earn reputation with the DHORN faction, the armor set of the ruthless hunter, and much more.
Take-Two Interactive, the renowned publisher behind game series such as Grand Theft Auto, will lay off five percent of its total workforce. Additionally, projects worth 140 million US dollars are to be canceled. Will this cost-cutting measure also affect GTA 6?
Update from May 2, 2024: According to a report by industry insider Jason Schreier (Bloomberg), Take-Two Interactive is shutting down the two studios Roll7 (OlliOlli World, Rollerdrome) and Intercept Games (Kerbal Space Program).
What is happening at Take-Two specifically? On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the management of the US-based publisher announced massive cost-cutting measures. They want to “streamline the pipeline” and save costs.
Specifically, this means:
About 600 of the approximately 11,000 employees will receive a layoff notice.
Diverse projects will be canceled to save an estimated 140 million US dollars.
Through the layoffs, it will also be possible to reduce office space, which further reduces costs.
The first trailer for GTA 6 makes you crave much more:
Start video
Rockstar Games shows GTA 6 for the first time in the trailer
Why is this step surprising? In March 2023, there were already layoffs at Take-Two Interactive. A specific number of affected positions was not mentioned at the time (via PC Gamer).
Moreover, Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two, stated just last month that while further cost-saving measures were planned in the coming weeks, there would be no plans for layoffs (via IGN).
And then, Take-Two had recently announced plans to acquire Gearbox Entertainment for 460 million US dollars by the end of June. The acquisition is expected to be financed through the sale of new Take-Two shares (via Press Release).
The publisher did not disclose which projects will be cancelled in detail, but we can assume that GTA 6 will not be affected by the cost-cutting measures – after all, this is the most important release of the coming years.
Take-Two expects a massive increase in revenue once the open-world blockbuster is released – the launch is planned for 2025. This will also be necessary, as development and marketing costs are estimated by various sources to be between one and two billion US dollars.
In the last quarter, Take-Two achieved a net revenue of 1.2 billion US dollars. That is a 20 percent increase compared to the previous year. For the financial results for 2023, CEO Strauss Zelnick received a total compensation of 40 million US dollars. Part of the bonuses were tied to players investing as much money as possible in microtransactions.
A new cinematic in World of Warcraft heralds the expansion “The War Within”. It revolves around Khadgar and Alleria …
Soon, the latest patch of World of Warcraft will launch. Update 10.2.7 “Dark Heart” moves the story forward, slowly leading away from the Dragon Isles towards the next expansion. Strange things are happening all over the world that will soon trigger many problems …
Spoiler Alert: The video is an “in-game cutscene” that will also be shown during the questline of patch 10.2.7. If you don’t want to be spoiled, you should not continue reading.
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WoW: Dark Heart – The Search for the Harbinger
What is seen in the cinematic? The mages of Dalaran, including Jaina and Khadgar, are puzzled by the visions that appear all over the world and haunt various individuals. Part of these visions has already been deciphered as they speak of the “Dark Heart” and the Harbinger.
After Jaina says goodbye, Khadgar welcomes his old friend Alleria. He wants Alleria to search for the Harbinger and locate her to learn more about the visions. However, Khadgar does not show much sensitivity and chooses words that question his relationship with Alleria and their friendship a bit – after all, Alleria has partly merged with the Void.
Nevertheless, Alleria takes on the task and says goodbye again, leaving a somewhat saddened Khadgar behind.
When does the patch launch? Patch 10.2.7 Dark Heart will launch on May 8, 2024, which is already next week. The core of the patch is the new game mode “WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria,” which starts with a slight delay. Meanwhile, in the main game, you can experience new quests that slowly lead to the next expansion “The War Within”.
Are you excited about the new patch? Or is too much happening for you in WoW right now?
The Twitch streamer Niru had the chance to become the first to reach level 300 in the MMORPG MapleStory. The company Nexon and his own family wanted to celebrate him and had prepared gifts. But he decided to be a hero, to forgo his triumph, and to voice his criticisms to the developers of the online role-playing game. Now Niru is struggling with the consequences.
What kind of heroic deed did he do?
Niru made incredible efforts to become the first to reach level 300 in the online role-playing game MapleStory: This requires extreme grinding over many thousands of hours.
However, when he was just about to reach level 300 on April 25, with 21,000 people watching him on Twitch and even the MMORPG promoting him, he stopped playing.
Instead, he declared in an angry speech, what is going wrong in MapleStory, criticized problems in the cash shop, and pointed out flaws in the overall direction of the game.
Start video
MapleStory introduces Arteria, the Moving Fortress
No one thanks him for doing the right thing
How is he doing now? He is not really enjoying his situation, as he currently feels mainly the negative effects of his decision:
MapleStory sent him a gift box before the stream, intended for him to open it during the stream – but he won’t do that because he did not reach level 300.
His family had told him before his success how proud they were of him, prepared gifts, and showered him with love – but all of that is gone. He feels like he has disappointed everyone.
His extensive content plans on how he would continue in MapleStory have also vanished – he can no longer play the game that had been the focus of his life for so long.
Moreover, he now has significantly fewer viewers with other games than he did with MapleStory in the past week. Viewership has dropped from a peak of 21,458 (April 25) to 160 (May 1).
On top of that: No one really thanks him for having “done what he believed was right,” instead people accuse him of having done it just for personal fame – no matter how much he insists that it was solely about the long-term health of the game.
Additionally, he can’t just play new games now. Because he has always brushed off all his old friends, who have asked him for years to play with them, claiming he needed to grind in MapleStory. Now they also won’t play the new games with him.
All understandable, but still annoying, as he says.
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From his perspective, he says he still stands by his decision because it was the right thing to do and it would have been wrong to meet the expectations placed on him and simply level to 300. Because then nothing would have changed at all.
But one must clearly see that he and his stream would be much better off if he had just leveled to 300. Currently, things are going “really badly” for him.
Somehow it doesn’t seem very attractive to do the right thing if it ends up like this.
The games for PS Plus Essential in May 2024 for PS5 and PS4 have been officially announced. We briefly introduce the games and show when they are available.
Which games are available in May 2024? In May 2024, you can secure new games again with the “PS Plus” subscription:
EA Sports FC 24
Ghostrunner 2
Tunic
Destiny 2: Lightfall
When are the games available? The “PS Plus” games are always available from the first Tuesday of the month:
What kind of game is this? EA Sports FC 24 is the latest installment in a popular football simulation series. Since 1993, this game series has captivated several generations of football fans worldwide. Until 2023, it was released under the name FIFA; it is a game series that most people know in some way and likely everyone has played at some point.
The game impresses mainly with realistic players, clubs, and leagues, ensuring football fans definitely get their money’s worth. FC 24 offers the familiar modes Ultimate Team, career mode, VOLTA, and much more.
Ghostrunner 2
Start video
Ghostrunner 2 Launch Trailer on the Playstation
What kind of game is this? Ghostrunner 2 is the sequel to Ghostrunner, an action parkour slasher that many see as a hidden gem.
As a player, you take on the role of the “cyberninja” Jack and dive into action-packed katana battles. The gameplay features fast attacks and skilled wall runs. In this respect, it is very similar to its predecessor. However, in the second part, gameplay is expanded by a motorcycle as an agile vehicle. More about the game and gameplay is available from our colleagues at GameStar. It’s worth mentioning that due to the difficulty level, a certain level of frustration tolerance should be present.
What kind of game is this? Tunic initially resembles The Legend of Zelda. However, you play as a little fox. In many ways, the game is indeed similar to the well-known role-playing game.
In Tunic, your little fox warrior also doesn’t provide many words or answers as to why you embark on a mission to single-handedly save a mystical world. The story of Tunic is therefore left somewhat to your own interpretation. However, the gameplay offers much exploration, combat, and puzzles in a very interesting and entertaining manner.
Destiny 2: Lightfall
Start video
Destiny 2 Lightfall: The new trailer “Neomuna”
What kind of game is this? Lightfall is an expansion for the first-person shooter Destiny 2. For this free PS Plus item, you will need to already own the main game.
In the expansion, you will find a new campaign set in a Neptunian city. To confront its siege and face the impending end, you must find the power of the Guardians. With Lightfall, all classes should be able to utilize the new element of Darkness to create the perfect build.
