Anyone who was previously reluctant about Plunderstorm in World of Warcraft should dive in now. Blizzard has doubled the rewards.
While many WoW fans are already eagerly eyeing Cataclysm Classic or WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria, many are still busy in the experimental mode “Plunderstorm”. For another two weeks, the mode is active and lures with a plethora of pirate rewards – from mounts to transmog sets and cute companions.
Now Blizzard has activated a buff to make the controversial mode even more attractive.
Start video
WoW: Plunderstorm – this is how the battle royale mode works
What is the problem with Plunderstorm? Although Plunderstorm is an experimental game mode of World of Warcraft, it polarizes strongly. While some celebrate the mode and can’t get enough of the battle royale action in Arathi Highlands, others find the mode unbearable and “slog through” to earn rewards.
If you’re not having fun in Plunderstorm, that could mean 20–30 hours of gameplay where you’re not enjoying yourself, yet forcing yourself to earn the rewards. This not only dampens your own mood but also that of your teammates.
What has Blizzard changed? With today’s maintenance (April 17, 2024), Plunderstorm has been revised once again. From now on, the buff “Loot Wave” is active, which doubles your earned reputation (or glory). If you end a match with 2,500 loot, that gives you a hefty 5,000 glory points, which means a whole 2 glory levels.
The bonus will remain active until the end of the event on May 1st. So this is the perfect time to jump in and collect missing rewards.
More rewarding and easier than now, the event probably won’t get.
Reactions are subdued: The reactions to this announcement are largely negative, which is also due to the fact that the mode is already under criticism from loud voices. In summary, the changes are criticized for:
That previous playtime is “devalued” if one has already earned everything.
Even a doubling is still not enough to make it enjoyable.
The reputation increase would be an admission of failure of the mode.
However, there are also voices that are happy about the change and will take another look. The necessary grind has been halved with this change.
Will you check back into the Plunderstorm mode during the Loot Wave? Or have you already earned everything?
A 3.5-year-old shooter suddenly has thousands of players on Steam, but how did these high player numbers come about?We will show you what’s behind it.
Which game is it about? Ultrakill is a retro shooter or “boomer shooter” on Steam that launched in Early Access in September 2020 and was developed by solo developer Arsi “Hakita” Patala. As part of the “Festival of First-Person Shooters” on Steam, the game managed to massively increase its player numbers.
In March, Ultrakill had an average of only 2,125 players on Steam, and the shooter reached a peak of just 3,892 concurrent users. On the night of April 16, player numbers then surged to as high as 19,550 players (via SteamCharts).
What is the game about? In Ultrakill, you play as brutal machines powered by blood. However, as humans are dying out on the surface of the Earth, you are running out of blood too. To keep fueling yourself with the red energy, you descend into Hell and hunt demons there – to harvest their blood.
Since Ultrakill is a so-called retro shooter, you shouldn’t expect beautiful graphics and modern effects. The game is openly inspired by titles like Quake and Doom. Additionally, Devil May Cry was a model.
Ultrakill is ultra brutal and ultra fast
What distinguishes Ultrakill? The retro graphics are a special feature of the shooter, but Ultrakill primarily stands out due to its extremely fast and brutal gameplay.
Every time you take down an enemy, you unleash a massive fountain of blood that fills your tank. That’s why you have different weapons and movement abilities at your disposal, allowing you to get as close as possible to your opponents.
It’s not just part of the lore that the machines you control need blood to fill their tanks. You actively have to collect the blood of your slain enemies to regenerate your health bar.
Here you can see the launch trailer of Ultrakill:
Start video
Ultrakill presents itself in the Early Access trailer
Why is Ultrakill suddenly so popular? On the one hand, the Festival of First-Person Shooters is currently running on Steam, during which Ultrakill is reduced by 25% and is priced at only 18.37 euros until April 22. Normally, Ultrakill costs 24.50 euros. There are also various bundles featuring the shooter on offer, for example with Trepang² and Turbo Overkill.
On the other hand, a new update for the bloody shooter was released on April 15, shortly before the player boom, adding new weapons and completing the players’ arsenal.
The previous and still unsurpassed peak of Ultrakill’s player numbers dates back to December 2023. That month saw a major update for the shooter.
How is Ultrakill received by players? Extremely well. The shooter has a strong 98% positive rating from a total of 95,435 reviews on Steam (as of April 16, 2024) – however, many reviews may not provide helpful information if you are looking for precise details about the gameplay.
Overall, the gameplay of Ultrakill is praised. It’s simple, the game is not pretty, and there are definitely bugs, yet fans of fast shooters can fully enjoy it:
Redvilder via Steam: “Ultrakill is one of those magical games that have 0 flaws – every single mechanic and design is crafted to complement each other or subvert traditional/contemporary design philosophies. […] The interweaving of the mechanics creates a beautiful killer ballet and leaves a broad smile on your face […]”
NotAbsolutlySure via Steam: “This is probably my favorite FPS of all time, and possibly the best FPS on the market. […] Ultimately, Ultrakill is a game that plays unlike anything else I can think of. It’s kind of like a lot of games, but nothing is really like Ultrakill. I recommend this game to anyone interested in engaging FPS mechanics and VERY well-made boss fights […]”
Fearnugget via Steam: “If you can play this game as intended, I believe there is no better game on the market.”
Acencial via Steam: “Definitely one of the best FPS out there right now. My personal favorite. Drawing inspiration from legendary games like DMC [Note from editor: Devil May Cry] and Quake is a big deal, and I thought there was absolutely no way a solo developer could deliver that. The game somehow manages to pull it off very skillfully. […] As someone who has played Quake for thousands of hours and DMC 3 and 4 for 13 years, I can only say: Thank you for this great game.”
Overall, Ultrakill is really well-received by fans of fast shooters and could appeal to you if you enjoy games like Quake and Doom.
However, if Ultrakill feels too wild for you and you prefer realistic shooters, there is currently a demo available on Steam that you should definitely check out:
The protagonist of the Fallout-series experiences several adventures in the eight episodes. But which level from the games does she correspond to in the end? Fans are making their theories – and Bethesda comments on the character’s stats.
Attention Spoilers: Those who haven’t seen the Fallout series yet should be warned. There are mild spoilers regarding the character Lucy.
What are the fans speculating about? The viewers of Amazon’s Fallout series have grown fond of the protagonist Lucy and are now wondering what level the character actually has.
However, such leveling up is not mentioned in the series. Therefore, fans have no choice but to closely examine what Lucy experiences in the eight episodes and what she might receive experience points for.
Bethesda itself has since provided some assistance. The studio published Lucy’s official stats.
Start video
The official trailer for the Fallout series on Amazon in German
Here are Lucy’s stats
What do the character stats look like? Bethesda has published the stats of the Fallout Shelter version of Lucy in the Wiki . According to this, she is skilled as follows:
Strength: 4
Perception: 7
Endurance: 6
Charisma: 5
Intelligence: 6
Agility: 5
Luck: 7
Based on these values, it is clear: Lucy is anything but a fighter. This is also evident in the series. It takes a while for the peace-loving Vault dweller to realize that the Wasteland makes no prisoners.
She first has to overcome her reluctance to inflict violence on anyone. Instead, she prefers to use diplomacy and talk to people. However, her charisma could also be a bit higher, as her naive demeanor often seems strange to the hardened residents of the outside world.
What do the fans think? On X many fans share their theories about what level Lucy might have now. They are closely examining how much and exactly what she has experienced.
Some fans suspect a level between 12 and 17. However, they are in the minority. Most estimate Lucy lower, even more in the range of starting levels.
“If she started at level 5, she is now at level 7 or 8,” says ToddPowered.
Koda agrees and justifies it by saying: “She hasn’t done enough side quests and has only focused on the main quest.”
“No more than level 3. She hasn’t cracked any locks or computers and has only used a pistol and a knife,” argues user E-dizzl79.
And Raven also writes: “She has still been using the starting weapon (10mm pistol) at the end of the first season, and has only killed one ghoul. She’s at most level 5.”
Perhaps Lucy has also used cheats, thinks vetgamerboceifus jokingly, and suspects she is at level 60.
Some estimate the ghoul in contrast to be much more experienced and suspect that he has already reached the maximum level. After all, he has been in the Wasteland for a bit longer and seems to have the appropriate reaction for every situation.
In an interview, Alan Ritchson compared his lead role in Reacher to James Bond, but he also mentioned two points that bother him about the films featuring the well-known agent.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on April 13, 2024, actor Alan Ritchson spoke about his role in the popular Amazon series Reacher and his upcoming project The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
He also talked about the well-known James Bond films.
Here you can see a trailer for Season 2 of Reacher:
Start video
German trailer for season 2 of Reacher
“I’ve never had so much fun playing a character”
“It’s funny, I feel like Reacher is the American James Bond,” the actor said in the interview.
He went on to say how much fun he had playing the action hero in the Amazon series – especially since he is a big fan of the genre:
“And I’ve never had so much fun playing a character. I love these oversized, over-the-top action thrillers and spy films and heists that are clever and ahead of the audience.”
Although he also likes the James Bond films, there are still two aspects that he dislikes in the stories surrounding the British agent. Alan Ritchson said:
“That’s really great, but I feel that Bond is personally to me – people are going to hate me for saying this – I love Bond, but I feel like it’s all just a bit misogynistic and predictable.”
What he particularly appreciates about the British agent is how he always thinks strategically ahead and saves the world using his intelligence. However, in one aspect, Reacher is, in his opinion, a bit more elegant:
“Reacher is for me like the American Bond, and I think it’s a cool way of approaching things that is a little less intentionally cool. It’s not about how clever he is.[…]”
The actor had a rather late career breakthrough at the age of 39. In another interview, he talked about how he managed to build so much muscle mass and prepare his body for his role in Reacher without completely ruining himself.
A long summer break with dwindling player numbers: This is what Destiny 2 is currently struggling with until the new DLC “The Final Shape” is released. It’s good that Bungie had an ace up their sleeve and brought many players back to the servers with the free event “Into the Light.”
What did the servers of Destiny 2 look like? Generally speaking, relatively empty. Who doesn’t remember the crowded towers of Destiny 2 where minutes-long loading screens meant you spawned in the tower with up to 20 other guardians? Well, those times are over. Anyone loading into the tower finds an empty social space full of NPCs, and matchmaking wait times are longer than usual as well.
Looking back at the last weeks and months when guardians logged in via Steam, it was clear many players were wandering elsewhere and had no interest in the same activities from Season 23.
However, with the release of “Into the Light,” the number of players changed rapidly, and the loot shooter enjoys a larger audience of guardians.
Start video
Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Gameplay trailer for the new talents
120,000 players on Steam after months of drought
What caused the increase in players?Bungie announced a delay for “The Final Shape”. The DLC was originally set to release in February 2024 but was pushed to June of the same year. The delay was spontaneous, and Bungie had to develop new content so players would have a reason to log in during the big content drought.
For this reason, the free update “Into the Light” was created. The update was supposed to bring a horde mode, 12 iconic weapons, two exotic missions from the past, a raid mode, as well as three new PvP maps. A big package that could attract many guardians, as the release of the update shot player counts on Steam up to 120,000 players at peak.
What do the player numbers look like now on Steam? Comparing the player counts from the last months on steamcharts.com, one can see in the graph that player numbers have averaged between 30,000 and 40,000 players. However, since the release of the update, player numbers briefly shot up to 123,508.
After that, depending on playtimes, numbers follow from 60,000 to 90,000 players at peak. One might think that Bungie has briefly brought its players back. It remains to be seen whether the gatekeeping of content can keep players on the servers longer or if they will gradually leave for other titles.
Did Bungie do a good job with “Into the Light” or are you dissatisfied with the free update? Let us know in the comments!
You haven’t been able to collect Mega Scizor in Pokémon GO yet? A trainer explains how you can achieve this solo.
Since the weekend, you can obtain Mega Scizor in Pokémon GO. The attacker with the Bug and Fighting types is a very strong Pokémon that performs well as both a Bug and as a Fighting attacker.
If you missed the raid day on Saturday, you may now have trouble finding teammates for the Mega Scizor raids. These are still active until Thursday, April 25, at 10:00 AM. To help you catch the Pokémon, here are some tips from the community.
Start video
Pokémon GO: This is what the new season ‘World full of Wonders’ looks like in the trailer
How to take down Mega Scizor solo
What did the trainer do? A trainer on Reddit described how he recently completed 2 Mega Scizor raids solo. However, in addition to some items for reviving and healing, you primarily need a Mega Rayquaza with the charge attack Dragon Ascent. He states:
Dragon Ascent deals so much damage to Scizor because it is doubly weak against Flying. I have previously defeated two Scizor solo by forming a team solely with Rayquaza, reviving it, and quickly sending it back in.
The trainer also mentions that you do not need a fully leveled or perfect Rayquaza for this. He adds:
My Rayquaza has 3975 CP when normal and 5935 CP as Mega. So not even maximized or anything, and its stats are only 12/15/13.
How do I proceed to complete the raid solo? If you want to raid Mega Scizor solo, you proceed as follows:
Trigger Mega Evolution on Rayquaza
Create a team with Mega Rayquaza
Start the raid
Revive and heal Rayquaza when it is defeated
Continue the raid
A further trainer notes that you can speed up the entire process even further. In addition to Rayquaza, you add another Pokémon to the team. When Rayquaza is defeated, you exit the battle, revive Rayquaza, and continue the fight.
This saves you a few seconds, as exiting a battle is faster than if your entire team has been defeated.
What does the community say about it? The community has some additional tips on the topic.
Just a warning that the solo is much harder when the charge attack is Rock Throw – I was able to complete 6 raids solo on raid day Saturday, and the only one I couldn’t do had Rock Throw (my team was Mega Rayquaza and other Flying Pokémon), writes another trainer
It is possible solo even without Mega Rayquaza, I managed it yesterday. However, I think it requires a weather boost, is another comment
While that’s true, Mega Rayquaza is not necessary. You can even do it with a level 40 team of Cupidos or Shadow Staraptor. Mega Rayquaza just makes it much easier for those who have it, another trainer says on Reddit
What do you think about it? Have you already completed Mega Scizor solo or do you plan to try it? If you have already succeeded, what team did you use? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments.
Publisher NCSoft has announced that ArenaNet is working on the MMORPG Guild Wars 3. But the announcement was terrible, says MeinMMO author Schuhmann. Even the announcement of Diablo Immortal at the legendary terrible BlizzCon 2018 was a stroke of genius compared to this.
This is the situation: Guild Wars 1 is considered one of the best and most popular MMORPGs of all time. It was a standalone game, not a WoW clone, and many remember the game fondly to this day.
Because Guild Wars 2 did not appeal to those who liked Part 1 and is now already ten years old, many were waiting for Guild Wars 3 to be released. And finally, it was announced.
Start video
„This is how to make a trailer!“- MMORPG Guild Wars 2 delights with the launch trailer for the new expansion
Parent company is in serious crisis
What was the problem with the announcement? The announcement was anything but dignified. Normally, when announcing a new MMORPG, one expects a presentation, nice concept artwork, a speech, and a trailer.
For Guild Wars 3, there was none of that. The announcement felt like a panic reaction.
It was not ArenaNet, the developers, who announced Guild Wars 3, but the parent company, the Korean publisher NCSoft. After great years with record revenues from mobile games, the signs at NCSoft have pointed to a crisis since 2021.
The stock price has been declining for years, now NCSoft’s stock has lost about 80 percent of its value compared to the peak in February 2021.
Management comes under heavy fire at conference
This is how the conference went: And just now, at the worst possible time, they had to justify themselves again in front of investors: The quarterly conference call was due at the end of March.
The CEO didn’t even show up to take the flak; the representative had to step in. For the first time in many years, they kept the player numbers for all games under wraps. Not a good sign.
The representative from NCSoft, Park Byeong-moo, took hit after hit together with the CFO. The sometimes brutally honest summary of the “question and answer” session of the conference call can be read at inven. It almost sounds like a content warning should have been placed, as it got quite rough.
The poor man was asked: Is it fair for the managers to pay themselves high bonuses when the stock price is plummeting?
He was asked: What are they going to do about the damage that has been done to the brand?
One uncomfortable question after another was asked:
So many developers have left now – What are you doing about it?
And what about growth opportunities?
Even the whales are leaving Lineage now. Is there a comment on that?
It was even asked whether the CEO is fit for the job.
Barrage after barrage was showered upon NCSoft. They gave evasive answers: Yes, some would say NCSoft pays the managers too much money, but where there is performance, there must also be reward. They mentioned that they had already reduced salaries by 41 percent.
And yes, the image has suffered, and they had trouble with angry streamers, but improvement is on the way and the new games will then pursue different business models.
All not very satisfying.
NCSoft West has been in the red for 8 years
In response to a question, they could answer what was going on with NCSoft West; they wanted to know why they have only been making deficits for eight years.
And here, in this situation came the announcement, under heavy fire, that ArenaNet is working on Guild Wars 3. That could have a chance to succeed in the market.
How did it proceed from there? It was noticeable that the announcement of Guild Wars 3 apparently was not coordinated with ArenaNet.
Because they said in a statement somewhat tersely (via mmorpg.com) that they are a gaming company and therefore of course also working on new projects. However, they did not want to comment on Guild Wars 3. Right now, they are working on a new expansion for Guild Wars 2, which they will present soon.
“Don’t you guys have phones?”
“Don’t you guys have phones?”
This is what it’s about: There is often laughter about the botched announcement of Diablo Immortal . When everyone was waiting for Diablo 4 at BlizzCon and the “Don’t you guys have smartphones?” moment came.
But that was still high art compared to Guild Wars 3 now.
The poor developers at ArenaNet can’t be blamed, but they were left with a nice egg in their nest in South Korea.
Even in 2024, Skyrim is still very popular, and the role-playing game can still be a lot of fun today and keep up with current titles. We have put together the 5 most important basic mods for you, so you have a fundamentally improved gaming experience.
[toc]
Skyrim is still an absolutely recommendable game in 2024. Bethesda released a classic in 2011, which you can now play on almost all platforms. However, the game still has a few quirks that can be easily fixed with mods.
To make your next Skyrim run as bug-free and enjoyable as possible, we have five mods for you that significantly enhance your gaming experience. These mods are the absolute basics you should install if you want to navigate through the game well in 2024.
You can find our top five mod recommendations on page one. On page two, you will find the most important things you need to know before installation.
Start video
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Official Trailer
The 5 Most Important Mods for Skyrim in 2024
Here we have the five most important mods for an even better Skyrim experience.
Skyrim Script Extender
Whether you plan to enhance your Skyrim with more than just the basic mods or not: Many mods do not work without the Skyrim Script Extender. The mantra here is, better to have it than not to have it.
Although Skyrim is now 13 years old – the game is almost in its teenage years. However, it is still far from bug-free today. With the Unofficial Skyrim Patch, you get rid of most known problems.
The modders’ commitment to themselves: The mission of the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch is to fix every bug in Skyrim Special Edition that hasn’t been officially addressed by the developers within the Creation Kit and the community-developed tools, in an easy-to-install package.
The UI of Skyrim is difficult to navigate. SkyUI alleviates this by simplifying and making your menus more organized. This mod is not essential, but it is an absolute quality-of-life improvement that you should definitely consider.
Unfortunately, Bethesda does not allow the accumulation of achievements while using external mods. This is obviously inconvenient if you enjoy achievements. The Achievement Mods Enabler helps you out here:
The mod allows you to earn achievements even when using mods. You can download it here:
With these five mods, you have a good foundation on which you can expand your mod library over time. However, if you just want to play vanilla Skyrim, you have cleaned up the UI and eliminated most regularly occurring bugs from the game world with this.
On the next page, we have the most important information for you on how to use it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Modern gaming keyboards can display different lighting effects. An RGB expert combines 120 such keyboards into one screen and displays the shooter classic Doom on it.
Hardly any gaming PC today comes without RGB lighting. Meanwhile, almost all components of a computer are also available in a glowing version, to create a small RGB artwork. Accordingly, you can also let your peripherals shine in various color variations.
The experts from SignalRGB for the individual control of RGB LEDs have now demonstrated what can be done with 120 illuminated gaming keyboards. When combined, all the keyboards form a giant screen, which our colleagues from 3djuegospc.com also reported on.
Start video
Finalmouse Centerpiece Keyboard Reveal
120 illuminated gaming keyboards form a huge monitor wall
What kind of screen is this? The screen was presented at this year’s gaming fair Pax East in the United States. The construct consists of a total of 120 gaming keyboards that have been linked together.
The keyboard model used is not known. Assuming that each input device has at least the standard layout (in Germany 105 keys), that results in approximately 12,600 keys that can together display various color effects without special macro keys.
This number is sufficient to represent the old shooter Doom on the keyboard-monitor wall and to play various videos of internet memes. The image quality is not optimal, but it is greatly enhanced by the available color tones.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
SignalRGB shows a 30-second video of Doom on 120 keyboards on YouTube
How many colors are possible? The RGB color space is formed from the primary colors red, green, and blue. It is used in PC monitors, TV screens, and smartphones. By varying the weighting when mixing the three primary colors, different colors are produced.
The key factor is the color depth used. The color depth defines how many colors can be displayed in total. Computer monitors typically use 8 bits. This assigns a value between 0 and 255 to each of the three primary colors.
If you calculate the combinations (256 x 256 x 256), you get 16,777,216 different shades of color that can be used (via mechanical-keyboard.org).
The keyboard-monitor wall during construction (Source: X)
What technology is used? To utilize all the color possibilities of the RGB color space, special software is used. Using the tool SignalRGB, each key is addressed individually, allowing for custom lighting adjustments.
SignalRGB is freely available and can be used by anyone who has a compatible motherboard and illuminated RGB components in their gaming PC.
What do others say about the construct? The keyboard wall is very well received in the community. A 30-second video on YouTube and TikTok featuring a gameplay scene from Doom is being commented on extensively.
If you still don’t own Helldivers 2 despite its success, you can now play it for free – but only if you’ve spent €1,000 in 18 months.
How can you now play Helldivers 2 for free? Helldivers 2 is now included as a reward in the PlayStation Stars rewards catalog – the loyalty program for PS4 and PS5.
All members of PlayStation Stars have the opportunity to collect loyalty points, which you can then redeem in the rewards catalog of the PlayStation app.
Helldivers 2 is available in the PlayStation Stars rewards catalog and can be added to your game library in exchange for 10,000 points.
How do you get these points? You can earn points for the rewards catalog in 2 different ways:
You can complete so-called campaigns and win points. Campaigns consist of a series of objectives that you need to complete. Objectives include exploring game areas, playing with friends, or participating in global tournaments.
You earn points for qualifying purchases in the PlayStation Store if you are subscribed to PlayStation Plus.
Here you can watch the trailer for the latest war bond “Democratic Detonation”.
If you haven’t completed any PlayStation Stars campaigns, you would have needed to spend about €1,000 in 18 months for the 10,000 points required for Helldivers 2.
This year, a new strategy game will be launched on Steam, where you must cleverly utilize superheroes and their abilities to win.
What kind of game is this? The game Capes is a strategy game on Steam that initially resembles XCOM. The game is turn-based and requires the smart use of your heroes’ abilities.
In the game, you fight as superheroes who have found new courage against villains who came to power 20 years ago. To succeed, you need to recruit new allied superheroes. To become stronger, you gain experience points for the heroes after each mission, which you can use to skill them.
Additionally, each superhero grants their allied heroes in action a specific ability, making the right combination even more important. Almost like the Powerpuff Girls.
You can watch the trailer for Capes here:
Start video
Capes reminds of XCOM and shows itself in the announcement trailer
Capes requires brains
Who is the game suited for? On the Steam page of the turn-based superhero game, the developer states that the superpowers in Capes do not make the heroes invincible. Tactical positioning, team composition, and the right decisions determine the success of the missions.
Just placing your units behind cover and pressing fire should not be enough to win. Therefore, those who prefer very simple strategy games might find Capes a bit frustrating. However, it’s important to mention that the heroes can be leveled up, which should make missions easier.
How do the RPG elements work in Capes? After each completed mission, the heroes receive experience points, allowing them to level up. For each level-up and in bonus missions, the heroes receive skill points that they can distribute. An ultimate ability can also be unlocked per hero.
A new week in Destiny 2 means a new patch with various bug fixes for the loot shooter. When the server downtime begins this time, you can find out here.
Update, 7:10 PM: The update is now available for download and is 673.5 MB on PS5. After downloading, you will be placed in a queue, but after a short wait, you can log in. We have added the patch notes for you. Have fun and good evening!
What you need to know today: A week after the release of the free event “Into the Light,” Bungie is still not finished patching the broken spots of Destiny 2. That’s why the developers are shutting down the servers for a short time today.
MeinMMO will keep you updated. We will tell you how long the downtime will last. Additionally, we will update this article as soon as there is new information.
Maintenance on 16.04. – All times for server downtime
These times are important today: Bungie informs its players via x.com (formerly Twitter) about the exact downtime. The servers are planned to be unreachable for 3 hours and 20 minutes today.
This is what the maintenance schedule looks like:
At 3:00 PM, background maintenance will start on all platforms.
At around 3:40 PM, the servers will go offline. Players will be automatically kicked from the game.
At 7:00 PM, the shooter is expected to be back online, and you can log in again.
The maintenance will continue in the background until 9:00 PM.
What to consider during downtimes: As long as the background maintenance is running, there may be connection problems in the game. Additionally, login queues may form because Bungie allows access to the servers gradually to avoid issues from high server load. Therefore, you may have to wait longer until you are back in the game.
The following issues are known: Even in the Season of Wishes, there are many issues that players have to complain about. Bungie has some of them on the radar, but it is not known which ones will be fixed (via bungie.net). However, the following bugs could be addressed:
Significant changes to the sandbox for PvP are to be rolled out.
The fireteam finder is missing some options, such as adding Bungie friends.
Some legendary emotes are sorted with exotic emotes.
Veist rifles can only be partially rotated when inspected.
The shotgun “Striving of the Mindbender” no longer glows when fired.
Some rocket launchers are no longer displayed when inspected.
Old artifacts are still displayed in players’ inventories.
What is in the patch notes? A complete overview of all fixed issues and improvements will only be available this evening or afternoon after the update goes live.
We will update our article and provide you with the link to the patch notes. Because it is possible that the patch notes will be changed or corrected by Bungie afterwards.
Last weekend, more players than ever played Bethesda’s MMO Fallout 76 on Steam. And the other games in the series are also enjoying renewed popularity. After all, it is once again the talk of the town thanks to the Amazon series.
What is Fallout 76 all about? The MMO spin-off of the popular Fallout series was released in 2018 and received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the game currently has a score of 52, based on 49 reviews. The developers felt like the “villains of the internet.”
Users weren’t impressed either. The open world was completely empty at release, apart from other players. Over the years, Bethesda improved the game and marketed it – but the MMO just didn’t catch on.
However, last weekend, Fallout 76 was able to set a new record. There were more players than ever before exploring the wasteland of the online spin-off on Steam.
Start video
Everything you need to know about Fallout 76 – in 2 minutes
39,455 players just on Steam
What happened over the weekend? According to SteamDB, Fallout 76 achieved a record number of players over the weekend. A total of 39,455 people were playing the game simultaneously on Steam – the highest number ever.
The reason for the sudden increase seems to be obvious: Just two days before the weekend, the Fallout series from Amazon premiered.
It received good reviews and also convinced MeinMMO author Christoph Waldboth. Fans of the video game adaptation apparently also became interested in the post-apocalypse once again and quickly started Fallout 76.
This increase saw around 11,000 players on April 11 surge to over 39,000. A significant factor is likely that the game is currently free to play on Steam until April 18.
Was only Fallout 76 played? Other titles in the Fallout series also benefited from the sudden popularity of the Amazon series. Fallout 4 had over 83,000 players over the weekend, compared to 24,000 the week before.
Fallout 3 saw an increase of about 1,000 players to 6,700. And even the original 2D games in the series are enjoying renewed popularity. Fallout 1 had 2,300 players online simultaneously, compared to fewer than 300 before.
Here you can see the player development of Fallout New Vegas, 4, and 76 (via SteamDB/x):
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
This shows that the hype surrounding another medium can also reignite enthusiasm for a video game. While Bethesda has struggled in recent years to attract more players to their MMO, it was ultimately a series that made that happen.
In Palworld, there is currently the first raid, and players have already discovered how to defeat it super easily. What do you need for that? A well-placed campfire.
What is the first raid? The first endgame raid in Palworld is Bellanoir. It was just patched into the game a few weeks ago and is currently the only raid.
To fight Bellanoir, you first need to summon her. For that, you need a summoning altar, which you place in your camp. To activate the altar, you also need a stone tablet that you can craft with materials found in dungeons.
Start video
The developers of Palworld showcase the 1st raid
If you manage to defeat Bellanoir, she drops so-called ancient cores. These, in turn, allow you to craft new items. You can read all about it here: Ancient Cores – How to find and use them.
In theory, this strategy is about injuring the boss with a campfire so much that you can finish her off with a single headshot.
Basically, you spawn Bellanoir above a campfire and then immediately disappear from her line of sight. The campfire then deals 9,900 damage per second. As the time for the raid slowly counts down, she takes more and more damage.
Ultimately, you shoot her in the head with an explosive arrow to deal maximum damage. Then she is either already at 0 health points, or you can bring her down with a few more attacks.
How do you implement the strategy? In order to apply the strategy, you need your own raid camp. If you spawn Bellanoir in your normal built camp, the fight can destroy your structures. However, it doesn’t matter where you set up your raid camp.
Build two stools on top of each other in the center of your camp and place the raid altar on top of them. Once it is built, remove the stools again. Replace them with a simple campfire.
Then spawn a fast mount. The reddit user takes a Jetragon. In theory, it doesn’t matter which mount you take as long as it is as fast as possible. We have a selection for you here:
Mount your mount and activate the altar from its back. Now quickly leave and especially immediately exit the camp’s radius – move a few meters away just to be safe.
Bellanoir now spawns. Since she doesn’t see an opponent, she remains where she appeared – directly above the strategically placed campfire. However, the fire still deals damage to her, and you can watch her health bar truly melt away.
In total, the raid has a timer of 10 minutes. Wait until it counts down to 08:35. By then, Bellanoir should already be in the bottom tenth of her health points. In the post, the reddit user fights Bellanoir Libero, who has a total of 900,000 hitpoints. At under 90,000, he intervenes again.
With an assault rifle, GeneralHenry gives the Pal a headshot. This is important for two reasons:
You only receive your rewards if you have dealt damage to the Pal at least once yourself.
If you hit Bellanoir in the head, she is stunned and doesn’t attack you again and doesn’t leave her deadly position above the campfire. What she would do if she wasn’t stunned: You attacked her after all.
Ultimately, you just have to wait and watch as the campfire finishes off the Pal. In the reddit post, the mighty Bellanoi Libero goes down after only 01:31 minutes of combat time.
And you are done with the raid. What do you think of the strategy: Would you implement it? Have you already applied it? Or do you bravely stand in the way of Bellanoir and fight her together with your Pals? Let us know in the comments.
About Final Fantasy XIV, you often hear how great the community is. However, in the 80th Producer Letter, options were announced for the upcoming expansion to block other players, in some cases even completely hide them. The director hopes that you will not use these features.
What features will there be? For Final Fantasy XIV, there will be new community features with the next expansion Dawntrail. In the last Producer Letter, the following were announced:
Blacklist
Mute List
Expression Filter
Housing Exclusion Options
Lodestone Updates
There is already a blacklist in the game where players can be added. However, the new feature in Dawntrail is that not only messages from the players on the list will be hidden, but also their characters. In fact, all of them: Even new Warriors of Light created from the associated service account will be hidden.
The mute list, on the other hand, allows you to mute certain players only. The expression filter is also meant to help block spoilers or inappropriate expressions in chat.
The housing exclusion options go deeper: You can now exclude other players from entering your house for up to ten days. This feature will also apply to free companies.
Changes to the Lodestone, the official community site, also bring more privacy. In the future, you should be able to set whether other players are allowed to find your character at all. Additionally, you should be able to determine what information others can see about you.
Start video
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail – The Final Trailer
More Security Options for FFXIV – But the Director Doesn’t Want You to Use Them?
What does the director say about this? Naoki Yoshida, director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, personally introduced the new features for his game during the livestream. He explained that he is reluctant to have too many rules. However, about half a year ago, the team decided on these innovations.
He further explains:
I believe that many people’s time is shifting to a virtual world and that it will continue to develop in this direction. I have always thought about how [new blacklist] features would look.
I have thought a lot philosophically about these features, and personally, I hope that people do not feel the need to use them, but I absolutely understand when one reaches a point where it must be done.
Yoshida especially hopes that these features are not needed. However, he is aware that there are situations where they are absolutely essential.
A New Blacklist – Is It Necessary?
Is there reason for such features? The player base of Final Fantasy XIV is generally friendly and helpful. However, that does not mean that, as in any social situation, there are not individuals who behave inappropriately or even harmfully.
Despite all the friendliness, you may encounter unpleasant players in dungeons. Of course, there are people who are frustrated when the group repeatedly fails against a boss.
It can also get a bit harsher: there are known cases of stalking and harassment in the game by the community. One weak point is the marriage system. If a player unilaterally dissolves the marriage with another player, the other player can still track their ex via a teleportation ring.
More about the marriage system and stalking in Final Fantasy XIV can be read here:
Of course, it would be nice if features like blacklists in Final Fantasy XIV were not necessary. It is completely understandable that Naoki Yoshida wishes for this as well. However, the reality is that not all players are always friendly to one another.
However, the new features should assist players in defending themselves against malicious teammates.
However, the vast majority of the community proves time and again that they are incredibly warm-hearted. For example, the player base gathered in front of an in-game NPC house to honor the voice actor of the NPC housed there. His friend invested nearly 200 hours into the MMORPG to hear his voice
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
After filming the first season of the live-action adaptation of One Piece, actor Iñaki Godoy set off on a real adventure: to better understand the pirate captain, he sailed for 80 days through the Caribbean.
Who is Iñaki Godoy? Actor Iñaki Godoy was born in 2003, is from Mexico, and plays the main character Monkey D. Luffy in the live-action adaptation of One Piece. While he gained worldwide fame with this role, he had already been active in Mexican television since 2016 – at just 13 years old.
In 2021, he was announced by Netflix as the actor for Luffy. Godoy later reported in Teen Vogue that the original author Eiichiro Oda chose him because his audition made Oda laugh. It became clear to all viewers that Godoy was the right choice for the role, especially with the first season of the adaptation: Iñaki Godoy is the perfect casting for Luffy.
You can read our conclusion about the series here:
After the 10-month shooting period for season 1, Iñaki Godoy embarked on a very special adventure: He participated in an 80-day sailing tour through the Caribbean.
From Caribbean Island to Caribbean Island – Sailing like Jack Sparrow. Or like Luffy
Why did he go on the sailing tour? The story of Monkey D. Luffy begins with a lonely sloop at sea. He meets the first members of his crew, upgrades from the sloop to a real ship, and travels from island to island – from adventure to adventure.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
To experience just that, Iñaki Godoy followed in his character’s footsteps: During an 80-day sailing tour on the Ocean Star, a modern sailing ship, he explored the Caribbean. He learned everything there is to know about life and work on a ship:
What are sea showers?
How do you keep a ship clean?
How do I do a backflip off the ship?
What are sea legs?
And of course, much more about the parts of a ship, sailing knots, or maneuvering.
When is One Piece continuing on Netflix? For now, Netflix has announced a second season for the live-action adaptation. This will presumably seamlessly connect to the first season and may even cover the start on the Grand Line and the adventures surrounding the Baroque Works.
Start video
One Piece – German Trailer for the First Season of the Live-Action Series by Netflix
This way, German One Piece fans can always stay up to date here. You can read the weekly new manga chapters, when there is no break, in the Manga-Plus app. This app is run by Shueisha, the publisher behind One Piece, and the three latest chapters of a series are available for free.
By the way, Iñaki Godoy is not the only actor from the live-action version who has really put in the effort for the role. While Zorro actor Mackenyu Arata was almost too good a swordsman for the role, Sanji trained 8 hours a day and did all the fight scenes himself.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Microsoft recently introduced a planned change for Windows 11: users may soon receive ads in the form of recommended programs in the Start menu. This was not received well by many, but Microsoft is providing the solution right away.
What kind of ads are these? As Microsoft announced in a blog post on April 12, 2024, there could soon be ads in the Start menu of Windows 11. These will feature icons for “recommended programs” from the Microsoft Store, which will appear in the menu like an installed application.
The feature is intended to “help users discover great apps from the Microsoft Store,” according to the Microsoft website. Currently, it is being rolled out only for U.S. users in the “Windows Insider” beta program. Therefore, it is still unclear when and in what form the change will be available to all users.
However, this does not stop users on social media from getting upset already.
The “Deep Dive” is the dream of many gamers – what would the ads look like in it?
Start video
The “Deep Dive” is supposed to immerse us into MMORPGs deeper than ever before – What is it actually?
Users mock: Probably more advertising for Linux
How is the planned change being received? On social media, frustration and mockery seem to prevail. Many users express annoyance at the planned ad insertions. Some say this is exactly the reason they switched to Linux.
Some take the planned ads as an opportunity to finally learn Linux – because the operating systems have the reputation of being more complex and less convenient to use. We’ve gathered some comments under a video from drift0rtv on TikTok for you:
Mike: ‘What a great year to learn Linux.’
Brandon: ‘Sounds like an ad for Ubuntu, to be honest.’
Jinx <3: ‘I’m terrible at understanding tech stuff. I’ll manage with Linux if I have to.’
Others plan to bypass the feature in other ways: for example, by simply never updating their operating system, or by not using the Start menu and managing everything through desktop shortcuts. Fortunately, there is a simple way to receive no ads in the Start menu – and you don’t even have to learn Linux for it.
In fact, the solution comes from Microsoft itself. They probably anticipated that the planned change would not be well received by everyone. Therefore, the announcement also states how the ads in the Start menu can be disabled in the future:
Open the “Settings” of your Windows PC
Select “Personalization”
Select “Start”
Disable the toggle “Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more”
By the way, you can also disable the suggestions that Microsoft already displays in the Start menu this way. Without the planned ad insertions, you will see recently opened documents or frequently used programs there.
If you remain loyal to the Microsoft operating system, we have the best AI features you can already try out under Windows 11 here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Thanks to the “buff,” it was, for example, possible for PS5 players to eliminate a Acid Titan with three charged railgun shots in safe mode or one fully charged railgun shot in unsafe mode. This was one of the best ways to defeat the Acid Titan before the railgun received a significant nerf.
PC players could only benefit from the PS5 damage buff if the host of a mission was playing on PS5. A group consisting only of PC players had no chance of receiving the PS5 buff.
Patch 01.000.203 makes all players in Helldivers 2 equally weak
What has changed about the PS5 buff? In the patch notes for patch 01.000.203, the developers of Helldivers 2 write that they fixed a bug that caused different damage to be inflicted on enemies between PS5 and PC.
This means that with the patch from April 16, all players are once again equally strong, regardless of their platform. Players will now deal the damage of the PC version, which is consequently lower than the pre-patch damage of the PS5.
What does this mean for the players? For PC players, not much changes – unless they regularly had a PS5 host in their party. However, for PS5 players, this means they will now deal significantly less damage.
Patch 01.000.203 – Patch Notes
What else did patch 01.000.203 bring? There were mainly a few bug fixes intended to prevent crashes in the game in the future. Additionally, the armor “CE-27-Ground-Breaker” now has the passive ability “Engineer Kit.” The armor was advertised with that ability, but it was missing upon its release.
CE-27 Ground Breaker armor now has the Engineer Kit passive as previously advertised.
Bug fixes
Fixed an issue that resulted in different damage being dealt to enemies between PC and console players.
Red boxes in defense missions are no longer visible.
Major orders should now properly display text.
Fixed multiple crashes that could occur in the loadout screen when other players left or joined the game.
Fixed multiple crashes that could occur after extraction when the mission results and rewards were shown.
Fixed crash that could occur when throwing back a grenade while wielding a heat-based weapon.
Fixed crash that could occur when hosting a play session migrates to another player.
Fixed crash that could occur if too many civilians spawn.
Fixed various other crashes that could occur when deploying to mission.
Fixed various other crashes that could occur during gameplay.
What was not fixed? In the patch notes, the developers also informed about some bugs that are known and still present in the game. Particularly, crossplay, as well as friend invitations and the search function in the social menu are still bugged.
There are still delays in distributing medals earned through general commands. Also, a bug affecting “damage over time” is known to the developers. This bug means that damage over time, such as that caused by fire, can only be inflicted by the host of a mission.
The bug is also well known in the community, as it negatively impacts the strength of the new thermite grenade or the flamethrower.
A father wanted to do a favor for his son in Pokémon GO and give him a new Pokémon, but everything goes wrong. What exactly happened and why the father now even regrets the trade, we have summarized for you here on MeinMMO.
What favor is it about? In Pokémon GO, most players primarily want one thing: to complete their PokéDex. So does Reddit user AudioRejectz and his 8-year-old son. The latter is, as the father explains in his Reddit post, totally fascinated by the little pocket monsters, which is why they play together and complete raids.
A few days ago, AudioRejectz finally caught a Wingull, which his son was still missing in his collection, so he wanted to trade it with him. But now he regrets that trade. What exactly happened, we will explain to you below.
You can see the first insights into the big update in Pokémon GO in the video:
Start video
Pokémon GO: It’s time to #RediscoverGO!
Father chooses precious Pokémon for the trade
What went wrong in the trade? In his Reddit post, AudioRejectz reports to the community about his Wingull trade, which went completely differently than expected. He explains that he and his son had not traded Pokémon before, which is why they did not know exactly what to pay attention to. His son therefore gave him his phone so that AudioRejectz could carry out the trade for them.
When he finally was supposed to select a Pokémon in the trade interface to trade for the Wingull, he browsed through his son’s collection for monsters that he was still missing in his PokéDex.
In doing so, he came across a series of Slurpuff and selected one for the trade. When he returned the phone to his son, the big disappointment followed: The Slurpuff he had traded was a perfect Pokémon, meaning one with an IV of 100%.
As he writes on Reddit: When I scrolled through his Pokémon, I saw that he had a few Slurpuff, and since I didn’t have one, I traded one of them for the Wingull. When we were done, he looked at his list and within 60 seconds, he completely broke down, as his perfect Pokémon dropped from 2 to 1 (he also has a Meowth)…
Father regrets the trade: To fix his mistake, AudioRejectz wanted to return the Slurpuff to his son. But then came the next shock for both of them, as they realized that the IV had changed during the trade. For this reason, the father is upset with himself and asks in the Reddit community how he can make it right:
“So I tried to calm him down and told him that I didn’t know and that I would send it back right away. I guess now you can all see my problem… when I wanted to send it back, I clicked on review to show him that was it and went back to him, only to find out that new IVs are assigned when trading Pokémon. I am absolutely devastated!! I really didn’t know, and he is more than upset. Now I am just trying to figure out how much money I need to invest in his game to make it right so that he feels better.”
Why is Slurpuff so special? Slurpuff itself is actually not a particularly strong Pokémon, which is why it can only impress in the Great League. However, the Slurpuff of the son was a so-called Hundo.
These have the highest possible IV score of 100% and are thus the perfect Pokémon. In the game, however, they are very hard to obtain. For this reason, they are not only particularly popular among many players but also valuable.
Father receives encouraging words from the community
Trainers console father: Even though the trade of the perfect Slurpuff can no longer be undone, AudioRejectz receives plenty of encouraging words in the Reddit comments. Many write that they too have traded or sent away a monster that was actually important to them.
They therefore advise him to trade all Slurpuff he catches in the future with his son to get a new Hundo. Alternatively, they suggest that he offer his son to wish for another special monster from his collection. Thus, one can read the following comments:
Express-Luck-3812: There’s nothing you can do now. The Hundo is gone forever, but you never stop learning. […] When you become best friends in the game, the IV value increases to 5/5/5 when you trade, so the chance of getting a Hundo is higher.
QuietYam5625: It can take a long time, but if you trade him all the Slurpuff you catch, the chances of getting a Hundo from the trade are better than getting a Hundo in the wild. Especially if you become best friends. […] It’s sad, but we have all accidentally sent or traded a special specimen before.
wtfarekangaroos: Just keep reassuring your son that you didn’t know, that you are very sorry, and that it will never happen again. This can also be a great learning experience for him. It helps him learn how to deal with grace and forgiveness when someone makes a real mistake. […] Promise him that you owe him something the next time you get something really cool, shiny, or legendary that he wants.
Some trainers also give AudioRejectz tips in the comments on how to prevent this from happening again in the future. They explain to him that a Pokémon can only be traded once and that the IV is always reshuffled. For this reason, valuable Pokémon should be marked with a favorite star or given a nickname to recognize them more easily.
But also the tag and filter function is an important tool to ensure that no wrong monsters are sent or traded. The following notes can therefore be found about it on Reddit:
Gold-Perspective-699: That’s why I tell people to always favor their Hundos. Show him how to favor them or type !4* when you trade with him.
WraithTDK: Also, you cannot trade back. I don’t know whether that makes you feel better or worse, but just as a reminder: You cannot trade a Pokémon that has already been traded to you.
Platinumdogshit: Try to convince him to favor his 4*- Pokémon, so it’s harder for something like this to happen again. You can also add tags and change their names.
Have you ever traded a Pokémon that you really didn’t want to give away? And what filters do you prefer to use when trading with friends? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and share your thoughts with other trainers.
avatarKos: Remember to use search terms for EVERYTHING. An example would be !4*&!shiny (once you’ve used your search term, you can pin it for easy reuse).
Gold-Perspective-699: That’s why I tell people to always favor their Hundos. Show him how to favor them or type !4* when you trade with him.
WraithTDK: Also, you cannot trade back. I don’t know whether that makes you feel better or worse, but just as a reminder: You cannot trade a Pokémon that has already been traded to you.
Platinumdogshit: Try to convince him to favor his 4*- Pokémon, so it’s harder for something like this to happen again. You can also add tags and change their names.
Have you ever traded a Pokémon that you really didn’t want to give away? And what filters do you prefer to use when trading with friends? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and share your thoughts with other trainers.
The Titans from Attack on Titan are a significant threat to humanity. In the anime and manga, they are depicted like humans, just without visible genitalia. However, for the government in Malaysia, the removal of the genitalia was insufficient. Therefore, they altered the depiction of the Titans in the manga.
What do the censored Titans look like? Many images from the manga circulated on social media, where the Titans are seen wearing black shorts. In the original, the Titans’ bare bottoms and pelvis are visible, but in the Malaysian version, they are covered by fabric.
This is shown by X users FJ_GGS and sayi_v:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Since the female Titan has suggested breasts on her body, she was even given a dress that covers her upper body as well. One fan took the absurd censorship as an opportunity to create some images showing the Titans from the anime in these clothes – however, in a colorful, stylish version (via airayukihime on X).
The censorship was only implemented in the version of the Malaysian magazine Kreko. However, the magazine was reportedly discontinued during the story as readers shifted more to online platforms for reading (via Reddit). Some users joke that it must have been too much for them to cover the Titans with shorts. Especially in the grand finale, this would have caused problems.
Imagine how the following scenes would look with the Titans wearing black shorts:
Start video
The trailer for the first season of Attack on Titan
Strict censorship laws affect Attack on Titan
Why was censorship implemented? Some users wonder why the naked bodies must be covered, while the brutal fights are not censored. This has to do with the censorship laws in Malaysia. Particularly in Southeast Asian countries, there are strict laws regarding nudity:
In Malaysia: Even the mildest forms of nudity and sex must be deleted or covered up in all types of media.
In neighboring Indonesia, there are similar laws. For example, the cover of the 6th volume of Chainsaw Man was censored here. Reze wears clothes here; usually, she is naked on the cover (via alvinlaurentt on X).
In Germany, according to the MDR, the laws are somewhat relaxed due to artistic freedom. There must be a balance between youth protection and artistic freedom. You have probably seen the result of this in bookstores: Many mangas with erotic content are shrink-wrapped, found with an “18+” sticker on the shelf.
What’s next for Attack on Titan? Both the manga and the anime are finished. This month, a new chapter of the manga is expected, likely focusing on the events after the last episode.
