The Twitch streamer HoneyPuu originally wanted to become a police officer. However, due to an illness, she was unable to realize this dream and instead turned to live streaming.
Who is HoneyPuu?
Isabell “HoneyPuu” Schneider, also known as Isa, has made a name for herself in the world of live streaming.
She is especially known for her “Just Chatting” sessions and various gaming formats.
Here you can learn more about HoneyPuu:
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Whether on Madeira or at the mixing console – These are 5 of the biggest German Twitch streamers
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The Dream of a Police Career
Why did her dream fail? In a recently released TikTok video, HoneyPuu stated that she originally wanted to be a police officer. She was fascinated by the idea of working as a patrol officer and being part of patrols. “That’s what I wanted. Where the real action happens,” she said.
According to her, she could not realize this dream because due to her illness, she would only have been allowed to work in administration or in an office. HoneyPuu suffers from scoliosis, a condition that causes a lateral curvature of the spine.
She explains that this limitation excluded her from certain police duties, including carrying a weapon or working in the field.
Therefore, she says that this career wish was unfortunately just a brief phase because she was sorted out so quickly.
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In a TikTok video, she talked about her personal experiences with scoliosis and how the deformity affects her life.
A particular experience she shared was the delivery of a 30 kg package that she had to carry to the first floor. Since she is limited due to her scoliosis, she asked the delivery man for help. However, he refused, which led HoneyPuu to educate her fans about her illness and the challenges in everyday life.
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To give her viewers a better understanding of scoliosis, she showed a picture of a curved spine that is similar to her own. She explained that the lateral curvature of the spine and the pelvic tilt are clearly visible.
Additionally, she explained that her scoliosis developed at the age of 13 and was not congenital.
Despite her scoliosis, HoneyPuu always maintains her sense of humor. In a stream, she showed her viewers how she stands when she does not actively try to stand up straight. While doing so, she joked: “This is the Leaning Tower of Pisa – no, of Isa, sorry”.
Her relaxed and humorous way of dealing with her illness is one of the reasons why she is so popular with her fans.
On April 23, 2024, the new alpha testing phase of Pax Dei has started, and MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz and author Cedric Holmeier are on board. In this preview report, they will tell you what they experienced in the first hours with the sandbox MMORPG from Mainframe Industries.
What do I need to know about Pax Dei? The MMORPG is developed by the Finnish studio Mainframe Industries, which includes veterans who have previously worked for CCP, Blizzard, Ubisoft, and Remedy. Early access on PC is scheduled to start this year. The developers are adopting a model with a purchase price and subscription, similar to WoW and Final Fantasy XIV.
The player experience of Pax Dei focuses on housing, crafting, PvP in contested provinces, dungeon exploration, and a player-driven economy. The game world is presented with the graphical power of Unreal Engine 5.
However, what is not present: NPCs providing you with quests, a clearly defined leveling phase, a story campaign, or any instanced content. You can expect a so-called sandbox experience where freedom is paramount, and you have to set your own goals.
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The Sufferings of Young Karsten
Colleague Benedict Grothaus had already highlighted in an interview with senior UX designer Jasmin Dahncke in April 2023 that the developers of Pax Dei consider the indie hit Valheim as a role model and therefore also implement systems in their MMORPG that are more commonly found in the survival genre.
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What is Pax Dei, the new sandbox MMO with the unique zoom feature?
Nevertheless, I was surprised that Pax Dei in the first hours of the alpha feels like a typical survival game like Conan Exiles, Rust, or Enshrouded, except that other players are constantly jumping into my view in the starting area and I stumble over the construction sites of other survivors every few meters.
The first minutes consist of finding a good spot for my plot and collecting a few stones and branches along the way. With that, I can then build the first axe, which allows me to fell smaller trees for even more wood. With the pickaxe, I break down specific ore formations. The inventory fills up.
Each newly crafted item and every newly discovered resource provides me with additional recipes. However, at some point, I will need an anvil, charcoal furnaces, and specialized workbenches for construction and further processing, for which I will need to gather completely different materials. And suddenly I was deep into the genre-typical routine of gathering and crafting.
The game world of Pax Dei is huge – here you only see a part of the map.
Survival yes, but it lacks the struggle for survival
Anyone who has played a survival game before is likely familiar with the grind. However, in Pax Dei, this surprisingly feels relaxing from the first minute. I rarely had to fight for survival in the expansive starting area – for instance, when I was surprised by two boars and a pack of wolves in poorly equipped.
Most of the deaths in the alpha will likely be due to the high cliffs. I passed by the corpses of characters who had obviously fallen while climbing and jumping. I do not need to worry about typical survival parameters like hunger, thirst, or exhaustion.
While you can prepare food in Pax Dei, there’s no hunger or thirst mechanics.
There is food that can be collected or prepared, but it regenerates health points and activates buffs for maximum health and stamina.
Adventure in Pax Dei will likely become significantly more dangerous only when you consciously venture out of the safe zones into PvP territories or dungeons. So, Pax Dei is not a hardcore survival game.
This is what Cedric says about Pax Dei I have been playing MMORPGs since I can remember, spending over 2,000 hours in Swords of Legends Online. Group activities like dungeons and raids define the genre for me.
Actually, I was very much looking forward to the alpha test of Pax Dei. An MMORPG where I can build my own castle or town with my guild sounded like a childhood dream come true.
Unfortunately, the game is still not an MMORPG. It felt more like a Rust set in the Middle Ages for me. Collecting materials and crafting items dominated my first hours of play, and overall, I found myself spending more time in menus than in the game world.
When Pax Dei is finally released, I will probably take another look at it. But everything I have seen so far has not convinced me.
How much MMORPG is there in Pax Dei?
Although I chose an area with a low population from the many starting zones of the vast world at the beginning of the alpha, it was not easy to find a good place to stake my plot.
In attractive locations with flat ground, nearby water sources, and useful resources like berries, clay, and flax fibers, players were already working on their campfires, workbenches, or houses. The start of the early access phase and the final launch could still be exciting.
However, this is a known problem in testing survival games, as our survival expert Benedict Grothaus explained to me. In alpha and stress tests, many players are often on few servers – much more than there would be in the finished game later. Consequently, it becomes quite crowded. It’s more pleasant when there are private hosts like in Valheim or rented servers.
At night, the plots of other players are particularly easy to see.
Pax Dei relies on these individual plots gradually forming entire villages and cities over time – with players who serve as blacksmiths, weavers, traders, gatherers, and adventurers. In the alpha, of course, none of this was noticeable.
However, the developers have laid the social foundation. There is a chat system, you can form clans, connect plots, and as a fixed group, disrupt the game world.
Light Role-Playing
What comes in Pax Dei is less than expected: the role-playing aspect. Although you can equip your hero with clothing and various weapons (and take on roles like tank, healer, and damage dealer by choosing the equipment), there is no typical experience point system with level ups and talent trees.
Instead, you level up crafting and combat skills by using them. For example, my character has reached level 4 as a carpenter and level 6 as a lumberjack because I felled dozens of trees and spent hours processing wood.
The view is great. In such a place, it is easy to hang out.
Leveling is necessary to have a better chance of successfully crafting the products of each activity – and so I can try my hand at more advanced recipes. Crafting items in Pax Dei can sometimes fail, causing you to lose the resources invested.
How Alpha is the Alpha?
The MMORPG looks great with high graphics settings. Specifically, the draw distance is excellent, and the water is wonderfully blue. The next season of 7 vs. Wild could take place here. But please without the server issues and numerous bugs.
After building the first chest, I couldn’t use any more crafted boxes or baskets as storage for a while. Interacting with the oven was also temporarily impossible. Many placeable items have difficulties with slight inclines, and fights against wild boars, wolves, and deer still lack hit feedback.
The severe graphical errors on the second test day fortunately were resolved with a driver update.
Thus, the alpha is not a marketing test phase, but a real alpha that will provide the developers with significant homework.
Karsten’s Preliminary Conclusion on Pax Dei
I like the beautiful game world of the sandbox adventure and the initial flow from gathering and building. It just irritates me that Pax Dei feels like a survival game but completely lacks the feeling of struggle for survival and constant danger in the first hours, which I had, for example, in the first hours with Conan Exiles.
At the same time, Pax Dei does not feel like an MMORPG during the test so far. My most social experience was when neighbors used my workbenches without asking, as they apparently didn’t want to do the work themselves.
However, I do see potential. If the community indeed comes together to build entire cities from the ground up, with a functioning economy and supply chains, it would be cool to be a part of that.
But even then, Pax Dei will likely not be the big revelation for every MMORPG or role-playing fan. This seems, based on my current impression, to be a niche title for sandbox lovers that wants to compete with World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV with its payment model (with purchase price and subscription).
I found it bold before the alpha. Now I consider it almost hopeless, also due to the strong competition in the survival genre, which offers a largely comparable player experience.
Perhaps I am wrong and Mainframe Industries will use the time until the release to significantly differentiate itself from other games with additional features and thus attract a large number of subscribers to the servers. I will keep an eye on Pax Dei for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Paladin is one of the strongest classes in Baldur’s Gate 3. This time we show you a Paladin build with the subclass: Oath of Vengeance. This way, you can get the best out of Minthara or your own Paladin.
Who is Minthara? Minthara is a companion in Baldur’s Gate 3 that you must first unlock. The Drow is a Paladin and follows the Oath of Vengeance. If you are not playing as a Paladin yourself, then Minthara is your only option. Alternatively, you can reset your character with Withers and choose a new class. The same option is available for your companions.
What defines the Paladin? The Paladin is the epitome of the classic hero class, endowed with holy powers to combat evil and protect the weak. He draws from divine energy to deal enormous damage or to act as a tank.
Additionally, he can support his allies with spells. You can play as a tank, supporter, or a DD (Damage Dealer).
As one of the iconic classes, the Paladin is known for his moral conviction to follow a code of honor. As a Paladin, you have sworn an oath to a god and theoretically, you do not want to break it. If you do, you become an Oathbreaker.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Reset Character and Choose New Class
Best Paladin Build – Subclass: Oath of Vengeance
What defines the subclass? Paladins of the Oath of Vengeance are driven by a strong urge for revenge against evil and injustice. They use their divine powers to punish those who threaten innocent lives or cause suffering.
With this showcased build, you will play a Paladin who enters combat wielding a two-handed sword. The build focuses on dealing significant damage with the Paladin. Nonetheless, you are also tanky, as you can wear heavy armor and have a high AC (Armor Class). Therefore, you choose the fighting style Great Weapon Fighting.
Which attributes do I choose? As a Paladin (Oath of Vengeance), Strength is your primary attribute. And a high Charisma allows you to be more persuasive in dialogues, making it easier to assert your intentions, which makes you an outstanding main character.
What else is Charisma good for: Charisma also influences the buying and selling value of goods from merchants. In Honor mode, this can save your butt, as the prices are significantly higher. Additionally, a high Charisma means that enemies must roll higher against your spells (saving throw), thus increasing your chances of success.
This is how you can distribute your attribute points:
At Level 4: Ability Score Improvement, +2 to Strength
At Level 8: Great Weapon Master
At Level 12: Ability Score Improvement, +2 to Strength
Best Paladin Build – Most Important Spells and Abilities
Smite is your most important ability
What does Smite do? As a Paladin, Divine Smite is your most important source of damage. With Smite, you empower your next attack against an enemy with a spell slot. This adds additional radiant damage (2d8) to your attack. Another 1d8 per spell level (upcast). Therefore, per Smite, you can cause between 40 and 90 damage.
From level 11 onwards, your attacks deal an additional 1d8 radiant damage, as you unlock the passive Improved Smite. This applies whether you use Smite or make a normal attack. The 1d8 is always added. If you use Smite against undead and fiends, an additional 1d8 radiant damage is dealt.
Oath of Vengeance – Spells
Which spells are useful? As a Paladin, you can swap out your prepared spells at any time. This allows you to choose the best spells for your needs and test which ones suit your group best.
You will unlock the following Oath spells:
Inquisitor’s Might (Level 1): Your weapon attacks or those of an ally deal additional radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier and can stun enemies for one turn.
Oath of Enmity (Level 3): You have advantage on attack rolls against an enemy for (10 turns).
Condemn Opponent (Level 3): Frightens an enemy, making them disadvantaged on ability checks and attack rolls. Additionally, they cannot move. If they succeed on the saving throw, they are instead slowed. Undead and fiends are at disadvantage on this saving throw.
Hold Person (Level 5): With the subclass Oath of Vengeance, you gain access to the spell Hold Person at Level 5. This works particularly well in combination with Smite. For if Hold Person succeeds on your target (humanoid), you automatically deal critical damage. This only counts for melee attacks. Thus, you can deal double damage with Smite. The spell is a concentration spell and can last up to 10 turns.
Step of Mist (Level 5): The spell makes you incredibly mobile by allowing you to teleport to a free, visible location (18 m) – usable even in combat. You can use this as a bonus action.
Haste (Level 9): This spell is very powerful, as the target receives a +2 bonus to Armor Class (AC). Furthermore, it gains advantage on Dexterity saving throws, double movement speed, and an additional action per turn. This lasts for 10 turns (concentration spell). If the effect ends, you become lethargic, meaning you cannot move or take any action for one turn.
What do Auras do? As a Paladin, you receive auras that can strengthen yourself and your team members. They do not consume a spell slot and can simply be activated. The auras provide permanent benefits for the team and all auras can be active simultaneously.
Aura of Protection: This aura grants you and nearby allies a bonus of +X (dependent on Charisma) to your saving throws.
Aura of Courage: When you have this aura active, you and nearby allies cannot be frightened.
These were the most important points. If this Paladin build does not meet your expectations, you can easily adjust this build. This is just one way to shape your Paladin.
In the game Mecha Break, everything revolves around mechs that fight against each other in battles with up to 60 players. The game is set to be released soon on Steam.
What kind of game is this? The game Mecha Break is a multiplayer shooter where you control a mech, a large battle robot on two legs, on a battlefield.
Together with other players, the mechs are supposed to complement each other and form a team to win the battles. There are various different mechs to choose from, differing in weaponry, armor, and mobility.
The mechs are divided into various classes that should give the player a rough idea of what the class is for. Among others, there are healers, snipers, defenders, attackers, and brawlers. Mecha Break resembles Overwatch in terms of the team aspect of the shooter.
But alongside the normal team mode in 3 vs. 3 and 6 vs. 6, there will soon also be a mode featuring 60 mechs that is reminiscent of Escape from Tarkov.
Here you can watch the trailer for Mecha Break.
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Mecha Break shows in the trailer how it wants to combine cool mechs with teamwork like in Overwatch
New mode brings mechs in an extraction shooter
What is this new mode? In an interview with PCGamer, the CEO of Amazing Seasun, Kris Kwok, revealed more about another game mode.
The new 60-player mode is supposed to be a battle royale where the zone gets smaller all the time. However, players should also have the option to leave the arena early through exits. Kwok presented this option as an opportunity for players to engage with the mode with less pressure and competition.
The new mode is supposed to include not just pure PvP but also NPCs and offer boss fights. What the mode will actually look like will probably only be revealed at the weekend, as that is when the closed beta of the game takes place.
However, registration for the beta is no longer possible. The release date of the game is also not known precisely. On Steam, there is only the note: “Upcoming announcement”.
The new survival game REKA is inspired by the Slavic folklore of Baba Yaga and will soon start its beta on Steam.
What kind of game is it? In REKA, you play the apprentice of Baba Yaga, a witch who lives in a walking house on chicken legs. One of your first tasks in the game is to build your own house.
In this survival game, it’s about survival, exploring, brewing potions, taming animals, and helping people – or not. You are meant to truly immerse yourself in the role of a witch. The game also places importance on decoration, and even now, magnificent witch houses are said to be possible.
The game takes inspiration from the folklore surrounding the traveling witch Baba Yaga and turns it into a survival game set in a procedurally generated world filled with many dark forests and gloomy places to discover.
Here you can watch the trailer for REKA:
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Reka: The trailer for the new survival game where you have a moving house
You can become REKA next week
How does the beta work? The beta test for REKA starts next week on Tuesday, April 30, and runs for about a week until May 8. The beta test is closed and must not be shared with others.
Anyone who wants to venture into the dark forests can sign up for the beta. Be aware: Not everyone who signs up will be selected.
To have a chance at all, go to the game’s page on Steam and press the green button that says “Request Access”.
What state is the game in? The game is not finished yet, and the beta still has some issues. The developers announced during the test announcement that there will still be some bugs and that saving does not work well yet.
To save, players must have built the house and entered the second game area. Only the house, the inventory, and the character itself will be saved.
To avoid having to shut down without saving, the developers recommend that you set aside at least 3 hours for the playtest.
Lost Ark has revealed a new roadmap with the content for the next 3 months after a long time. However, players are angry and feel rushed.
What kind of roadmap is this? Lost Ark presented a roadmap for the months of May, June, and July. The roadmap is packed with new content, such as raids and new difficulty levels for existing challenges. There are also other things like better housing options for fortresses and a summer festival.
One thing that stands out is the exclusive skins that will only be available in the Western version of Lost Ark. The way they were announced is somewhat curious: “We did some research and found that a considerable number of our players really like anime.”
In short: Lost Ark will bring skins inspired by classic anime from the 80s and 90s, and according to the description, they could be from the anime Sailor Moon. On Reddit, the announcement was met with a sarcastic: “Whoa, no way, really?”
But what concerns players the most are the many PvE contents.
Lost Ark could soon be available on your mobile:
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Lost Ark Mobile – Teaser from G-Star 2023
Players feel rushed by the roadmap
Why do players feel rushed? In many games, players are excited about new content – not so in Lost Ark. Since the Korean version is still ahead of the Western version of the MMORPG, the developers deliver many contents at once. Just on April 20, 2024, the raid Thaemine Boss was released, which has players busy so far.
Already in May, things are supposed to continue, even though many players aren’t finished with the contents of the last update yet. New challenges will follow, the epilogue surrounding Thaemine, and the next story, which will lead to new raids in June, is already waiting.
For the players, it is too fast. To defeat the difficult bosses and to improve their equipment and characters, they actually need more time, but they hardly have it since new content is already waiting for them.
What do players say about the roadmap? Players find the roadmap really silly. This is not even about the new contents themselves, but rather the fact that there are so many of them that players are expecting in the coming months.
On Steam, a user named steammohannedlostark writes: “Who says that we long for a roadmap or new contents? Thaemine has just been released. Give us time to breathe instead of rushing our contents just to catch up.”
Steam user omnichronos goes even further: “Good job killing this game. One of the most charming MMORPGs I’ve ever played. At least at the start.”
To progress in the story, the current boss, Thaemine, must be defeated. Arhitria writes on Reddit: “Funny how they said that Thaemine HM [Hard-Mode] would be very difficult, that it would be an honor to have completed it and that not everyone would be able to do it, and they made it a REQUIREMENT for a STORY quest xD I mean, bravo!”
The SF MMORPG Elite Dangerous (PC, Mac, Xbox One, PS4) was released in December 2014. Five years later, in June 2019, a real money currency, ARX, was introduced: The developers promised that it could only be used to purchase cosmetic items. But that is now changing, and players are not happy about it.
What was the main promise?
On July 6, 2019, Elite Dangerous introduced the new virtual currency ARX.
The currency can be purchased for real money and painstakingly earned in-game.
At that time, Elite Dangerous explicitly promised: ARX can only be used to buy cosmetic items and will not be used to introduce Pay2Win purchases or incentivize them (via frontiers).
Pay2Win describes when any kind of advantage can be purchased for real money in a game. The practice is generally frowned upon. The pain threshold for what is considered Pay2Win varies from player to player. For some, even additional inventory slots are Pay2Win, while others draw the line at experience point boosters – for others, it has to be a real money shop where superior items are available for cash.
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Elite Dangerous – Arrival
New ship available in early access for €12 or 40 weeks of grinding
What is changing now? In May, players will be able to purchase early access to variants of the ship Python MK II for approximately €12.
As the site arstechnica explains, players can theoretically also earn the currency in-game, but the possibility of earning ARX is strictly limited: A player would have to grind for 40 weeks and save all ARX to acquire the one ship for which they can also spend about €12.
Elite Dangerous apparently wants to make more money with fewer players
Why are they doing this now? For many years, Elite Dangerous was considered a pioneer in the genre of SF MMORPGs or space simulators, especially because it made its way to consoles and heavily invested in virtual reality: For some, Elite Dangerous was a taste of the grand sci-fi epic Star Citizen, which was technically much more ambitious but also much further away.
It is clear that Elite Dangerous has reached a point in its lifecycle in 2024 where it wants to charge the dwindling number of players more heavily.
This is a normal but unpopular part of the lifecycle of an MMO: The fantasy MMORPG Rift was considered extremely fair to players for years. However, as player numbers dwindled, monetization became increasingly harsh:
The player numbers in Elite Dangerous have fallen from about 8,000 to 10,000, which were present at the beginning of 2021, to around 2,500 to 3,000 now.
The last major update was some time ago. Odyssey was released in June 2020.
Moreover, the developer Frontier is apparently not having a good run currently and recently had to admit to a flop with Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm of Ruin.
Fans criticize the action primarily regarding the state of Elite Dangerous
What are the reactions? The reactions on reddit are mostly negative. It is criticized, among other things, that the developers have hardly developed the game in recent years.
Now, after years, ships are finally coming again, and then they break the no-Pay2Win promise.
One user on reddit says: This is just not a stunt you pull when you haven’t released a ship in 5 years.
Another says: After years in which you’ve done practically nothing, you announce new ships […] With a single article about literal Pay2Win ships, you’ve lost all trust. Are you happy?
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can control a troop of 90 characters – all without cheats or mods. One player demonstrates how it’s done.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you have many options for how you want to play the game. While some challenge themselves with a “solo challenge” and try to complete the game alone without companions, others take the exact opposite approach. Gathering as many creatures as possible to overwhelm enemies with a massive army seems to be a worthwhile strategy for some.
The current record: Nearly 90 minions on the screen at the same time, ready to tear apart anyone who looks at the hero troop the wrong way.
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PS5 – Trailer prepares for console release
What kind of record is this? In the Baldur’s Gate 3 subreddit, player Real-Business6593 shared some impressive screenshots. They show his hero troop on the way to Gortash. However, his heroes are accompanied by “a few” summoned creatures – precisely 86 of them, neatly lined up on the screen, ready to wreak havoc and destruction.
The record was set without mods. With appropriate modifications to the game, it would likely be possible to have an even larger army, but this troop seems to be the “conventional” maximum that can be achieved in one playthrough.
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How is this possible? Real-Business6593 used nearly all available summoning spells and items to achieve this number of minions. To make this happen, he transformed the original class of his characters into druids and chose the “spore druid,” who can summon several creatures.
Overall, the massive army consists of 86 minions composed as follows (via pcgamer):
2 mummies
2 devas
1 cambion
4 myrmidons
13 undead
8 mephits
3 ghost weapons
4 flame spheres
2 quasits
1 us
1 connor zombie
5 ghouls
2 dryads
2 wood woads
5 spiders
1 shadow
1 space hamster (Boo)
1 scratch
28 spore zombies
Additionally, there are 4 heroes themselves, bringing the total army size to 90.
Maintaining this troop size permanently is not possible, by the way. Some companions, like the small spiders, come from unique items that can only be used once per playthrough.
Is such a large army useful? Whether such a large army is really useful is something everyone has to decide for themselves. With so many creatures, there is not only the risk that the game may lag and even crash, but there’s another critical factor: time.
Fights could take a very long time. Since many of the summoned creatures are relatively weak, they will be of little use in the later battles. Nevertheless, most minions have to be given commands manually, resulting in nearly 100 participants in a normal fight. By the time the player’s hero gets a second turn, a good thirty minutes could easily pass…
Nevertheless, it is impressive to see how large one’s army can be in Baldur’s Gate 3 when one really puts their mind to it. Whether that is practical – and what kind of face Gortash makes when the army marches into his room – we’ll let you ponder for a bit.
On the PS5 a new action-adventure game with hack ‘n’ slash gameplay has been announced, and in this game, you are as deadly as you are cute.
What game is this about? Gori: Cuddly Carnage is a new game from the indie developer Angry Demon Studio, who are also responsible for the two horror hidden gems Apsulov and Unforgiving.
With Gori: Cuddly Carnage, the developers are now venturing into a completely different genre and delivering an action-adventure game with hack ‘n’ slash gameplay. The game stands out particularly with its quirky concept and colorful graphics.
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In Gori: Cuddly Carnage you are as deadly as you are cute
When is it coming out? Gori: Cuddly Carnage is set to be released on August 27, 2024, for PS4 and PS5. You can already pre-order the game for €19.99 in the PS Store. PS Plus users can save 10% on the purchase of the game until August 29, 2024, paying only €17.99.
The game is also scheduled to be released on Steam and Xbox at the same time.
What can you expect? As the trailer clearly shows, you can expect quite quirky action in Gori: Cuddly Carnage. You take on the role of Gori, a humanoid cat, who, together with F.R.A.N.K, an intelligent hoverboard, and his AI companion, aims to defeat an evil army.
As you can see in the trailer, this army consists of “cute” and quite bloody unicorns, which are nasty mutations of perfect pets that have turned into your worst nightmares and are now bent on the destruction of humanity.
Your hoverboard is not just your means of transportation, but also serves as your weapon. You can see quite well in the trailer how you slaughter your enemies with the built-in blades. At the same time, you will master powerful firearms to be prepared for all attacks and foes.
In Gori: Cuddly Carnage, you should definitely prepare for some pretty bloody action. As the trailer shows, you and your opponents are somewhat cute, but when it comes to fighting, there’s a lot of blood splattering and body parts flying around.
What does the community say? In the comments under the trailer (via YouTube), players are already celebrating the quirky concept. One user directly asks who the crazy genius behind this cute yet awesome game is because that person definitely deserves a raise.
“I didn’t know this existed, and now I’m glad it does,” writes another user in their comment. Overall, many are saying the game looks great, and they can’t wait to play it.
In fact, many comments jokingly state that the sequel to Stray looks incredibly good. The comparison to the popular title likely comes from the fact that you are once again playing as an orange cat trying to save the world. “This is what happens when you find the catnip stash in Stray,” writes one user.
Diablo 4 is currently experiencing an influx of new players through Game Pass, some of whom have never played Diablo before. For some, a particular enemy is the biggest surprise – and the biggest curse. The Butcher is considered the deadliest foe in Blizzard’s game, and rightly so.
You have a chance each time for the demon to be waiting in a room, greeting you with the words “Ah, fresh meat!”.
In the community, the surprise effect of the Butcher has been well received since release, and fans are celebrating: It’s like in a horror movie. Only new players are currently caught off guard by the Butcher.
This is what new players are experiencing: Threads keep appearing on Reddit complaining about a powerful enemy that makes life difficult for players. A horned devil would suddenly appear and slam an axe in their face.
A player desperately asks for help (via Reddit). He fought for 15 minutes, couldn’t kill the Butcher, and then died. The community finds this amusing, stating that it was exactly their experience with the Butcher – but that was almost 30 years ago.
Because the boss originates from the dark Diablo 1, released in 1996. Accordingly, many veterans have fond memories of the enemy who tore them apart back then, just like new players today.
The Butcher can even appear in basements. You should visit them more often, as it can really pay off:
Start video
Diablo 4: That’s why you should check every cellar
Who is the Butcher now and how do I defeat him?
Actually, there is no “the Butcher”; Butchers are a type of demon that are made up of body parts from other demons. Accordingly, they do not see all living (and dead) beings as creatures, but as individual pieces.
Players first encounter the Butcher in Diablo 1. There, the demon was a boss, in a room full of corpses and blood, with locked doors in a dark dungeon. When players open the door, the Butcher charges at them with the iconic phrase: “Ah, fresh meat!” The Butcher later appeared in:
Diablo 3 as a boss and pet, as well as his weapon as an item
Diablo 2 (only mentioned, there is the axe “Butcher’s Pupil”)
The Butcher is not intended to be defeated at low levels. He is too strong for that: his melee attacks are stronger than most in the game, he is faster than you, and with his hook, he can simply pull you back.
Don’t let him attack you; especially at low levels, you will die. You can only deal with the Butcher with the right build. You can find the best builds in our tier list.
Share your healing potions; you’ll need them throughout the fight. No panic!
The Butcher gets a shield again and again. If you can’t break it, it’s best to flee.
In any case, fleeing at low levels is the best option if you don’t have much experience – especially in hardcore mode. The Butcher retreats as soon as you escape or die. After that, the dungeon is free. If you happen to go down… don’t worry about it. The Butcher is one of the toughest bosses in the entire Diablo franchise.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Kicking players just before the end of a mission is a sensitive topic in the community of Helldivers 2. However, there are situations where many players can understand it.
Why did the player kick his random? The player “pkthunder136” mentioned in a post on Reddit that he recently kicked a random (a random teammate) at the end of a bug mission, although he is someone who very rarely kicks another player.
pkthunder explains that the random killed the other three Helldivers with a 380 MM HE orbital bombardment while they were struggling for survival at the extraction point. This was particularly frustrating because the squad only had one reinforcement (respawn) available and the last minute until the extraction ship’s landing was running out.
Shortly thereafter, pkthunder addressed the alleged troll in the voice chat, but received no answer. Instead, this player nearly hit him with a supply capsule if he hadn’t just dodged in time.
While the other two players were already demanding in the voice chat that pkthunder should kick him out of the mission, he gave the Helldiver another chance and said: “Respond to me with an emote or I will kick you.” When there was still no response, the player was kicked from the match.
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Helldivers 2: Be careful, because this is how you make yourself really unpopular on Over-Earth
Community says the kick was justified
What does pkthunder say about the kick? In the further course of his post, pkthunder explains that he feels terrible because he kicked him 30 seconds before the landing of the extraction ship. But he simply wasn’t sure if the person would continue trolling afterward. He just wanted to secure the samples.
What do other players say about the kick? Many users write in their comments on Reddit that pkthunder acted correctly and understand why he kicked him out of the mission.
MonkiFlip228: “You did the right thing. There is a 99% chance he would have killed you during the extraction.”
A_Union_Of_Kobolds: “Kicking someone for griefing is completely justified. You’re not dissolving your DnD group; you’re removing a troublesome stranger from your environment.”
14Knightingale27: “No reason to feel bad about it. Sometimes kicking is the only way for these people to learn. It’s a cooperative game!”
StrollinShroom: “You did the right thing. If they have played long enough to unlock the 380, they know they can’t just throw that thing into an allied position.”
And of course, there are also humorous responses in typical Helldiver fashion:
orry_Vermicelli_455: “Sounds like that’s a bug collaborator, and you did the right thing for freedom.”
Some players also noted that pkthunder should have asked in the text chat whether all of this was intentional. Overall, however, a large part of the community was sure that the kicked player was a troll and a griefer.
How did the unintentional trolling happen? Some time after the post was published, pkthunder edited the post and added an additional paragraph clearly marked.
In the paragraph, pkthunder explains that a player contacted him via Reddit after the post and said that he might have been the alleged troll. He misplaced the 380 MM HE orbital bombardment, and then the supply capsule bounced off and landed right at pkthunder.
As pkthunder reports, the player said he was on the phone with his significant other and turned down the game sound, which is why he couldn’t hear the statements in the voice chat properly and couldn’t focus fully.
In the end, the player apologized and clarified that he did not blame pkthunder for the kick; he would have done the same.
In Pokémon GO, the raid bosses rotate. And a fan-favorite returns to the raids that you should catch.
Top attackers now in raids: In Pokémon GO, there are new raid bosses again, and the fighting-steel Pokémon Lucario has slipped into the current rotation. You can encounter it in stage 3 raids now.
Lucario has always been considered a popular monster among Pokémon fans, but besides its popularity, it also has really good stats. Among fighting-type Pokémon, it is one of the best attackers in Pokémon GO and is therefore a good option when you battle in gyms or raids.
The special thing: You can actually get Lucario very rarely in Pokémon GO. The best option is usually to hatch eggs from which the baby form Riolu can emerge. But you need luck for this monster to hatch from the eggs. Additionally, you also need candies to evolve it.
Now you can simply challenge it directly in stage 3 raids. So you don’t have to rely on luck if you want to catch it. It is a good candidate for the daily free raid pass, as Lucario can also be defeated solo.
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Pokémon GO: It’s time to #RediscoverGO!
Lucario in stage 3 raids – Shiny, counters for the raid
Can Lucario be Shiny? Yes, there is a chance for a Shiny Lucario in raids. However, you need a lot of luck for this.
This is what Shiny Lucario looks like
How do I defeat Lucario? Lucario is of the fighting and steel types. Therefore, it has a particular weakness against fighting, ground, and fire attacks.
Particularly strong counters against Lucario are, for example, Groudon and its shadow and especially primal form. Otherwise, use the following:
Strong fire attackers like Mega Charizard, Skelabra, Flampivian
What else is there in raids? In the difficult raids, you now encounter monsters like Registeel and Mega Steelix. Registeel, in particular, is a great monster if you like to battle in the PvP league. This is worth it as well.
In addition, you now encounter monsters like Magneton, Alolan Marowak, Bronzel, or even Tanhel in the stage 1 raids. Tanhel is also a strong attacker if you evolve it into Metagross.
Before anime series flow to us in the West, they first air in the production country. Once a series is successful in Japan, it is also released worldwide. However, according to the head of the animation studio Pierrot, which is responsible for anime hits like Naruto and Bleach, the audience in the West is a major problem for the anime industry.
What is the West to blame for? As studio head Michiyuki Honma explains in an interview with Natalie magazine, it is difficult to produce an anime series that is popular abroad or planned as a long-term series. He claims that anime becomes increasingly boring due to its release in the West, that is, outside Japan.
Thus, animation studios must restrict themselves on certain points when creating anime series intended for release in the West:
Characters must not smoke to be shown abroad. A prominent example of this is the 4Kids censorship of Sanji, who sucks on a lollipop instead of smoking (via One Piece Pedia).
The violence in action-packed anime must be toned down. The studio was even affected by such censorship with its own anime. In Germany, Naruto was shown in a heavily edited version, where content was completely taken out of context.
According to Honma, “sexy expressions” should be avoided. There have already been instances where entire series and movies have been omitted in countries because scenes with nudity were not removed. A prominent example is the second Demon Slayer movie. The film was banned from theaters in Saudi Arabia due to a bath scene featuring Mitsuri Kanroji, also known as the Love Hashira (via X).
A similar phenomenon can be observed in video games. For example: In the West, IGN France criticized Stellar Blade for the protagonist “being sexualized by someone who had never seen a real woman.” The discussion found its way to South Korea: The Korean version of Maxim magazine asked how a body could be unrealistic if it was based on a real woman.
For Honma, too much is being cut back on violence. See for yourself the level of violence in the following trailer:
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Boruto: Naruto and Sasuke fight Momoshiki
Anime producers are caught between two paths
Honma does not believe that people in the West want to watch anime containing many such expressions. However, the problem is that anime series that are a hit in Japan also come to the West. And that is ultimately the target.
He adds that production studios should be careful not to choose the wrong approach with their anime. By this, he likely means that the series should not be restricted just to make them more popular in the rest of the world.
According to him, studios need to become more selfish so that anime do not become “boring.” Presumably, the golden mean is the perfect solution for anime to become a global hit.
Where is the Pierrot studio known from? Naruto and Bleach are not the only animes from the studio. The company has been producing anime series since 1979. Their first work may not look like anime at first glance, but in fact, “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils Holgersson with the Wild Geese” is a production from the Japanese studio Pierrot.
Yu Yu Hakusho, for which a Netflix live-action movie is currently available, also originates from Studio Pierrot. In addition, series such as Kickers, Tokyo Ghoul, Black Clover, and Great Teacher Onizuka have been created in this studio. Honma himself has been the company’s president since 2012, so he brings several years of experience.
By now, Naruto has handed the baton to his son Boruto. The anime for this is also animated by Pierrot. It seems that Boruto’s sister Himawari will soon play an equally important role:
Samsung is rolling out a major update to Android 14 with One UI 6.1 for its devices. MeinMMO lists which devices will receive the update starting May 2024 and which might follow later.
What is One UI 6.1? One UI 6.1 is Samsung’s second major update built on Android 14. Visually, there aren’t many changes, but there are some new features and improvements. The big story centers around Galaxy AI, Samsung’s suite of AI-enhanced features available throughout the software.
When will the update be rolled out? Starting March 28, 2024, the update will be distributed for Samsung devices. Older models (manufactured before 2023) are expected to receive the update after a few months, but more information is not yet available.
One UI 6.1: All devices receiving the Android update
All devices released in 2023 will definitely receive the update to One UI 6.1. We have listed the corresponding models here.
These Samsung models will receive One UI 6.1:
Galaxy S24
Galaxy S24+
Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S23
Galaxy S23+
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Galaxy S23 FE
Galaxy Z Fold 5
Galaxy Z Flip 5
Galaxy Tab S9
Galaxy Tab S9+
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Which devices might also receive One UI 6.1? Most likely, almost all models that already received Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6 will also get the update to One UI 6.1. However, we believe it is unlikely that older devices will receive the full range of AI features. This will likely be reserved for devices from 2023.
For the following older devices, Samsung has already confirmed that they will also receive an update to One UI 6.1:
Samsung promises between 4 and 7 updates for many models
What reasons support or oppose updates? The Korean manufacturer now promises a fixed number of updates for many models that they will definitely receive:
Models from the Galaxy S series after the S20 series will receive four years of operating system updates.
The latest Galaxy S24 models will even receive 7 operating system updates.
Models from the Galaxy Z series that were released after the Fold 2/Flip 2 are entitled to four upgrades, according to Samsung.
For the Galaxy Tab S8 series models and all S-series tablets released after the Galaxy Tab S8, the manufacturer offers four years of Android updates.
If you buy a phone, you will quickly find many alleged tips to improve performance or battery life. But many of these “tips” are not true. MeinMMO explains what is behind it: 6 myths and tips about phones that you shouldn’t believe
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Swedish media company Embracer, which includes numerous game studios and publishers, will split into three different entities after a historic cost-cutting program. In an interview, CEO Lars Wingefors explains who is responsible for the extensive layoffs, studio closures, and project terminations.
What has happened with Embracer now? After a nearly finalized billion-dollar deal fell through almost a year ago, the decision-makers at the Swedish media company had to initiate a strict cost-cutting strategy.
The balance sheet of the extensive measures according to Embracer’s financial report from February 2024:
By the end of 2023, around 1,400 positions will be cut (about eight percent of the total workforce).
About 30 unannounced projects have been put on hold.
Several studios announced their closure, including Volition (Saints Row).
Gearbox Entertainment (Borderlands) is being sold to Take-Two for 460 million US dollars.
Saber Interactive (SnowRunner) is leaving the company, which is expected to raise about 200 million US dollars by the end of 2024.
Based on these cost-cutting measures, Embracer will now split into three independent, publicly traded entities:
Asmodee Group (board games, collectible cards, tabletop)
Coffe Stain & Friends (PC, mobile, and console games with small to medium (Double-A) budgets) – this entity will include THQ Nordic, Black Forest Games, HandyGames, and the remnants of Piranha Bytes among others
Middle-Earth Enterprises & Friends (here lie the key brands for blockbuster productions: Lord of the Rings, Tomb Raider, Metro, Dead Island, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance) – this entity will include Plaion, Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Fishlabs among others
The franchise of Lord of the Rings is right in the middle of the Embracer storm:
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Epic Trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
Smaller and therefore more attractive for investors
Why is Embracer doing this? It continues to be about reducing operating costs and increasing profitability. By splitting into three units, it is possible to transfer a mountain of 900 million dollars in debt of the two gaming units to the very profitable Asmodee group.
With the split into three independent public companies, the name Embracer is also removed from the equation, which has suffered some image damage over the past months. CEO Lars Wingefors wants to establish a new holding company instead to remain the owner and majority shareholder of the three companies.
Furthermore, industry insiders speculate that this measure might entice investors from Saudi Arabia to invest more money into one or more of the three units. Even now, Saudi Arabia is considered the second-largest shareholder of Embracer. Furthermore, it is said that these investors are behind the collapsed billion-dollar deal.
What does CEO Lars Wingefors say about the whole situation? The co-founder of Embracer was ready for a lengthy interview with James Batchelor from Gamesindustry.biz, and below we summarize his key statements:
In 2019 and 2020, capital costs were very low. Investors were willing to invest large sums in mergers and acquisitions. Covid triggered a real boom in the industry. The geopolitical situation was much more stable than today.
By the end of 2022, the situation then deteriorated drastically. After the pandemic, a hangover mood followed the boom. This was exacerbated by the war of aggression initiated by Russia against Ukraine. Capital costs noticeably increased. Investors sat on their money instead of continuing to invest. According to Wingefors, all these external factors have caused Embracer’s growth plan not to materialize.
In this phase, Embracer had to take on debt for the first time in its corporate history (apparently primarily for the acquisition of Asmodee). By the end of 2023, the debt was at 1.5 billion US dollars. Many measures in recent months are aimed at reducing this debt burden.
Wingefors postulates that the AAA market is so volatile that as a game developer or publisher, one should never have debt. The risk is simply too great that it cannot be repaid. In board games, it looks different, since this business area is much more stable. Therefore, it makes sense to transfer the debt from the two game units to Asmodee.
The CEO explains that the new leaders of the three units should build their own brands and strategies over the coming months. However, there should also be collaborations and licensing agreements between the three companies – but on conditions that are typically agreed upon as competitors.
What does all this mean for players? Embracer holds the rights to about 900 franchises, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, Lord of the Rings, Gothic, Metro, Alone in the Dark, Outcast, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Dead Island.
For great games to be developed for these brands in the future, the right budgets and teams are needed, which can only exist long-term if Embracer gets back on its feet. Moreover, Embracer’s future is important for the gaming location in Germany.
About 1,300 employees are working here in Germany for studios and departments of the Swedish media company. Among the German developers are Black Forest Games, Fishlabs, Grimlore, KAIKO, and the remnants of Piranha Bytes.
MeinMMO editor Dariusz played the current playtest of Hades 2 and was convinced by the hype game on Steam thanks to a new skill already in the second run.
Hades 2 is one of the most desired games on Steam, and the predecessor from 2020 is still considered a fantastic game. On Steam, the mythological roguelike has a strong 98% positive reviews from over 230,000 ratings.
Currently, a test for Hades 2 is ongoing, for which anyone can register on Steam. With a bit of luck, you have the chance to be selected for the test and check out the first area of the highly anticipated game before the early access release.
I also registered for the test and spent a few hours in Hades 2. Already in my second run, I realized that the roguelike could meet my quite high expectations and that we might be in for a very successful continuation.
Attention, Spoilers: In the following article, I will discuss some new features of Hades 2. If you want to discover new skills and similar features for yourself and experience the game without knowing new content in advance, you should not continue reading.
New skills that enhance the “cool” experience
In Hades 2, there are already new skills in the playtest that were not present in the predecessor. For example, during our runs, we encounter the goddess Demeter, who is introduced to us as the “goddess of the seasons.”
From Demeter, we receive, among other things, a skill called “Icy Strike,” which increases attack damage and creates a frost effect. Enemies affected by frost can no longer move. They are – as the name suggests – frozen.
However, even though I love skills that allow me to freeze enemies, there was another new skill that I liked even better – because it fit perfectly with my imperfect playstyle.
Screenshot from Hades 2 with battle against simple enemiesScreenshot from Hades 2 with battle against simple enemies and frost effectScreenshot from Hades 2 showing some skills you can receive from Demeter
A skill that perfectly matches my lack of skill
During my second run, I received a skill that refills my life to 100% upon entering a new room, as long as I have at least 80% of my total health bar remaining.
My problem in games like Hades is often that I am occasionally inattentive. Sometimes I also get greedy and want to take down the enemy with my current attack spam before he can attack again – and just then he attacks. And sometimes I simply dodge poorly and jump right into the next attack.
I never take much damage, but I keep taking small hits. One could say I am just not very good. Nevertheless, I still enjoy Hades (1) – I just wish I could enter a boss fight with full health more often.
This was made possible by the new skill of Hades 2. It perfectly masked my imperfection and allowed me to reach the first boss fight in my second run despite my lack of skill. And achievements are known to be worth their weight in gold for keeping players engaged.
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Hades 2 – Game Awards Trailer
Doesn’t this make the game too easy with such skills?
Now the talented players among you are surely wondering if Hades 2 doesn’t become too easy and casual-friendly with such skills. My assessment: No, not necessarily.
I ruthlessly lost the boss fight and could only take away just under a third of the health bar. It is still necessary to first understand the attack patterns of the bosses before there’s a chance of victory. You still need to dodge skillfully.
Moreover, the skill has no impact on the boss fight itself and may be inactive after the fight – should you win but have less than 80% health. Good players who approach the boss with full health without this skill will probably prefer to choose a skill that enhances their attack and sprint.
The skill only helped me to take a look at the attacks of the first boss for the first time with less playtime. And after that, I didn’t have the luck to get this skill again and had to make it to the boss fight on my own – and with less health.
Hades 2 seems to me like a worthy successor to the popular first part in the first playtest. It brings fun new skills, a really beautiful graphic style, and also other gameplay innovations that I consciously want to let you discover for yourselves – I don’t want to spoil too much.
In the few hours I played, I also didn’t encounter any bugs, crashes, or performance issues. Hades 2 has run really well so far. However, I certainly haven’t played enough to provide a truly informed assessment.
In any case, I am very excited about the release of Hades 2 and believe that fans of the first part will also enjoy the second part.
As of today, April 24, 2024, a new game called Rotwood is launching on Steam, which resembles Hades in its gameplay and even offers coop. MeinMMO editor Lydia has already played it and summarized her experiences for you:
There are hardly any new players in World of Warcraft. There are many reasons for this, but primarily the rather poor entry experience.
If you listen to the community of World of Warcraft, Blizzard is on the right track with “Dragonflight”. Many of the overhauls of old systems and the introduction of new “evergreen” content are well received by the players. The latest information about subscription numbers also clearly shows that WoW is good at keeping its players engaged.
But there is one group that hardly exists in WoW: new players.
That is where a lot of work lies for the developers.
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WoW: The War Within – All the major features of the new expansion
The Problems for Newcomers: Lore, Logic, RPG Feel
World of Warcraft has a whole range of issues when it comes to the experience of new heroes. On the one hand, there is the lore from nearly 20 years of World of Warcraft – with different timelines, plenty of villains, and political changes. Here, they tried to remedy the situation with the “Chromie time”, allowing players to choose a timeline and play through that adventure in one go. However, this only works to a limited extent and does not help in presenting the 20 years of story in any digestible way.
Anyone who wants to understand the story has to spend many hours flipping through the wiki (or reading our lore summary for WoW).
The Exile’s Reach is a solid player experience – but teaches nothing about the character you created.
The second problem is the “Exile’s Reach”. This was introduced with Shadowlands to create a new, cohesive starting area for newcomers. The area has a few advantages:
Various entertaining quests
A cohesive story
Modern quest design
Many characters that you get to know
The problem is: the island doesn’t tell you who you are. If you play a Night Elf, you learn nothing about the Kaldorei culture or their place in the world. If you choose a Blood Elf, you learn nothing about the Sunwell, the addiction to magic, or the problems with the Scourge.
World of Warcraft throws all new players into a uniform tutorial that is the same for everyone – even though you can create so many different characters. No one is told what an undead is in World of Warcraft. A problem that Holly Longdale also admits in an interview with Windows Central:
There are some challenges. How do we tell 20 years of story? In a way that players get a really healthy introduction. I think this idea of player fantasy with the race you choose… I loved logging in and still do now, as a Night Elf, running through Teldrassil and doing all those things. Without that, it feels to me like I’m not as connected to the world and don’t have a place. I think we will explore that more. There’s work ahead of us. And that is one of our goals for the future.
Worse still is that the normal story progression is missing. After the Exile’s Reach, it seamlessly transitions into “Battle for Azeroth”. Suddenly, you are already the great hero that all NPCs somehow know and who has saved the world multiple times.
BfA is confusing for newcomers. So many characters, and suddenly you’re a “hero”.
This makes sense for players who have been playing for 15 or 20 years – for newcomers, it just feels wrong.
Blizzard is openly addressing the fact that there is a big problem here. Holly Longdale said:
We have looked at data that shows us how well we serve different player groups. We looked at the new players who came to WoW. And then they left again. We know we have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of attracting new players, but we didn’t focus on that, we were focused on retaining [existing players].
Or in other words: Newcomers may occasionally check out World of Warcraft, but they feel unloved by the intro experience and soon after are overwhelmed by the world and the game.
Because World of Warcraft is also an extremely complex game with its countless systems, even if veterans often overlook that. Anyone who has ever tried to understand the mechanics and subtleties of a “Mythic+” dungeon as a fresh player and found a group without knowledge will know what is meant.
WoW needs fresh players, now that the existing ones are mostly satisfied. This is likely to be the next major project, which hopefully will not only be tackled after the end of the Worldsoul saga.
How would you approach this problem?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the cult film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” Johnny Depp drives an iconic red car through the outskirts of the famous metropolis. However, the car was not just any car; it belonged to the eccentric writer of the novel it was based on.
Which film is it about? Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is considered a cult film today. It was released in 1998 and was an adaptation of the novel of the same name. The author behind the book was Hunter S. Thompson, a legendary figure who became known for his extraordinary reports during the hippie era.
He also wrote novels, including the autobiographical book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It tells the story of sports journalist Raoul Duke, who travels to Las Vegas with his lawyer to report on a race.
The problem is: The two men have a suitcase full of drugs with them. And they are not only carrying it around but also consuming it in large quantities.
The story was filmed by Terry Gilliam, who has created some cult films like Brazil, 12 Monkeys, or Time Bandits. With Johnny Depp in the lead role, it seemed that all elements for a cult movie experience were in place. His appearances in other films sometimes cost a lot of money.
The story, the director, and the main actor were thus set. Only the right car was missing, which you can see in this excerpt:
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The crazy ride in the car from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”
Driving through the desert in a convertible
What was wrong with the car? Johnny Depp and his co-star Benicio del Toro spend a significant portion of the film in a stylish red convertible. They speed over the straight highway in the desert surrounding Las Vegas.
However, the film production first had to find such a car. Surprisingly, the writer of the source material, Hunter S. Thompson, offered his own car. After all, the story of the film was based on his own experiences. So why not drive the real car?
The red Chevrolet was nicknamed “Red Shark” and significantly contributed to the now-iconic images from the film. After filming, Johnny Depp personally drove the car back to its owner’s house. The actor and the writer were good friends, after all.
Does the author himself appear in the film? His own experiences, his own car – all that was left was an actual appearance of the writer. This is also present in the film.
In a party scene, Johnny Depp, as Duke, stumbles across the dance floor when he notices a gentleman who is dressed almost identically. This man is Hunter S. Thompson himself. Because Depp’s character is highly intoxicated at this moment, he thinks of him as a hallucination. You can see the scene on YouTube here.
In general, clear parallels can be seen between Depp’s costume and the appearance of the real Hunter S. Thompson.
Sonic 3 will hit theaters this year. Idris Elba will once again reprise his role as Knuckles. Keanu Reeves will also be joining this time. This makes Elba especially happy.
Which Sonic movie is it about? The new Sonic movie will be released in German cinemas on December 25, 2024, just in time for Christmas. The first part came out in 2020, the second in 2022.
The voices of Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, and Idris Elba as Knuckles will be back. A new addition in the third film is Shadow.
This character only appeared in a brief sequence after the credits in the last film. It was already a teaser that Shadow will have a bigger role in Sonic 3. And so it will be.
Shadow will be voiced by none other than Keanu Reeves. Fans of the actor will be very pleased — one of them is even part of the Sonic cast: Idris Elba.
Here you can see the trailer for part 2 of the animated film series:
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A lightning-fast hedgehog in the trailer for “Sonic 2”
Idris Elba reacted enthusiastically to the announcement
How did Idris Elba react to Keanu Reeves? In a brief interview with IGN, Idris Elba talked about the upcoming Sonic movie and how much he is looking forward to the casting of Keanu Reeves.
I am a big fan of him. I heard he is a fan of mine, and we are destined to do something together. So, here we go.
Idris Elba via IGN
The actor seems to be genuinely looking forward to the collaboration. Keanu Reeves thinks similarly according to Elba in this regard. However, it wouldn’t be the first joint project. Both Hollywood stars have already been part of another very popular franchise.
Which brand is being referred to? In the game Cyberpunk 2077 from the Polish developer CD Projekt RED, both Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves are involved.
Keanu Reeves plays the quirky Johnny Silverhand, who accompanies the player throughout most of the story. Idris Elba, on the other hand, only joined with the extensive expansion “Phantom Liberty”. In it, he portrays Solomon Reed, a secret agent.
In the game, both lend their characters not only their voice but also their face and body. This is, of course, different in Sonic 3 due to the source material. Knuckles and Shadow are animated characters from the computer.
It shouldn’t be long until a first trailer is released. After all, the film’s release is already planned for December.
In our tier list for Season 3 in Diablo 4, we show you which classes and builds are the strongest in endgame. There is also a brief description of what the builds can do and what makes them good.
What are the best classes in Season 3? By now, all classes have at least one build in the S-Tier when it comes to endgame content. Currently, Sorceresses are leading in the leaderboards.
Update from April 22: Blizzard is currently working on preparing the upcoming Season 4. It starts on May 14. The currently best builds in Season 3 probably won’t change before then.
Who creates the tier list? We obtain our data from maxroll.gg, where the list is compiled with tests and mathematics. The data is handled by the experts Rob, Wudijo, Northwar, Facefoot, Raxxanterax, and Chewignom.
The tier list covers all endgame activities in Diablo 4. For PvP, speed grinds, and the fastest way to level up to 100, the builds are not always the best suited.
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Here you see a current tier list for the endgame in Diablo 4. Source: maxroll.gg
What does “S” to “D” mean? In the tier list, the builds are categorized by letters. In this case, “S” stands for the best build, while “D” marks the worst.
The best Barbarian builds in the endgame of Season 3
With Hammer of the Ancients (short: HotA), you deal damage both to groups in small areas and to single targets. You focus everything on this one skill, which you enhance with buffs and shouts until it deals damage in the billions.
The Double Swing Barbarian has replaced the Running Arsenal build in the top tier. This build focuses on the eponymous skill and is excellent for all content, even better than many other builds. You attack with particularly high speed, albeit mostly in small areas, but you take down any opponent that comes in your path. The only downside: The defense is a bit lower than that of comparable builds, but still strong.
Instead of focusing on weapons, the Upheaval Barbarian relies purely on strength. You attack the ground beneath you and make opponents taste the churned stones. An ideal build for AoE damage.
