In recent weeks, one thing has become clear: part of the ARC Raiders community is not interested in PvP, but enjoys the gameplay of an extraction shooter with PvE. MeinMMO editor Dariusz Müller has therefore set himself the task of presenting some games that you might enjoy if you’re not into PvP.
What kind of games are these? I have chosen games here that allow you to experience the gameplay of an extraction shooter with fun PvE, without taking away the fun with forced PvP.
Who is writing here? Dariusz is a passionate shooter fan and plays almost every game the genre has to offer. While he feels most comfortable in competitive tactical shooters like Rainbow Six: Siege and Valorant, he also loves to blast through hordes of enemies in PvE shooters or fight for survival with deadly force.
The Forever Winter
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In The Forever Winter, you fight as a nonpartisan in a mech war
Developer: Fun Dog Studios |Release Date: September 24, 2024 (Early Access) |Price: €28.99 | Platforms: Steam |Mode: Singleplayer, Coop |Perspective:
What kind of game is this? In The Forever Winter, there is a war between various factions. However, you are not part of this war; you are merely a looter living in the war zone who does everything to keep it that way. To this end, you traverse the battlefields to gather important resources and complete missions.
During your trips through the rugged terrain, you carefully sneak past fighting soldiers and huge war machines like mechs and tanks. The idea of The Forever Winter is clear: You are not a heavily armed elite fighter or superhero, but just a looter who can easily become a victim of the raging war if you’re not careful.
As the game progresses, however, your chances of surviving an encounter steadily increase. You will obtain better equipment, expand your base, and continually improve your character’s skills.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Hardware is becoming increasingly expensive. The Vice President of AMD has now promised to keep prices affordable. In Germany, the most popular graphics cards from AMD are available at least at the MSRP. However, whether this will remain the case is questionable.
Hardware is getting more expensive, especially RAM, but SSDs and graphics cards are also affected to some extent. Some graphics cards, such as the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are hardly or not at all available.
The Gizmodo magazine spoke with David McAfee, Vice President of AMD and responsible for Ryzen, on the sidelines of CES 2026. When asked about the rising prices of PC hardware, McAfee stated that they are working with various board partners to prevent prices from rising further.
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Valve presents the Steam Machine in the new trailer
AMD aims to ensure that graphics cards remain affordable
McAfee stated: McAfee, Vice President of AMD, explained that they have had significant partnerships with DRAM producers for many years. DRAM is important for graphics cards. This way, they aim to prevent prices from rising for graphics cards as well:
We have maintained very strategic partnerships with all DRAM manufacturers for many, many years to ensure that both the supply volume we need and the economics of our purchases align with our graphics business.
He added that AMD is trying to work with board manufacturers to keep prices close to AMD’s recommended prices.
Without memory at the right price, it’s difficult to develop graphics cards that hit the right price and market together with our AIB partners. Therefore, very precise management of this memory ecosystem is an absolutely central part of our work.
In Germany, you can currently get AMD’s key graphics cards at MSRP or below
What does the current situation look like? AMD’s currently most important graphics cards are the RX 9070 XT and the RX 9070. In addition, there are the smaller models from the 9060 series. If you look at the prices on Geizhals.de, the prices are currently indeed slightly below or at MSRP.
The RX 9070 XT has an MSRP of 689 Euros, but you can already get the graphics card for 650 Euros. The same goes for the RX 9070: The MSRP is 629 Euros, but you can already get the graphics card for around 600 Euros.
By the way, Nvidia is similar: The MSRP for the comparable RTX 5070 is 589 Euros, and you can partly get the graphics card at or slightly below MSRP.
However, how long prices will remain like this is another question. There are already rumors (via Videocardz.com) that AMD is planning to slightly adjust the MSRP of its graphics cards due to rising costs: It’s said to be 20 or 30 Euros per card. In Germany, there’s no sign of these price adjustments yet, but in other countries, there have been price adjustments (via Reddit.com).
The first update of the early access version of Hytale is just around the corner. While fans are waiting for the official patch notes, the creator reveals which improvements are planned for the coming days.
Update from January 17, 2026 – 1:55 PM: A few minutes ago, an announcement on the official Discord confirmed that Hytale’s first update is now live. Additionally, the developers have released the official patch notes. You can find them at hytale.com and on the second page of this article. Below is the table of contents, allowing you to jump directly to the sections you’re interested in:
About 10 hours ago, the game’s creator, Simon_Hypixel, stated on X:
We might be able to release the entire update – along with some additional fixes and new attacks for Rex and Snapdragon – in a few hours. Due to a few issues, we couldn’t get it out in time today, but now everything is good to go.
We’re going to take a short nap now and then return to push the changes to the pre-release branch. If everything fits then, it’s time for the official release of update #1.
Two hours ago, there was an update on X: some adjustments had to be made, but if they prove successful in testing, the update will be out soon.
It is said that creating the final patch notes took many hours. In a third post on X.com, Simon_Hypixel explains: “There are so many changes that writing the patch notes has become a bottleneck. We have already spent several hours on the first version alone – really tedious.”
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Hytale feiert erfolgreichen Early-Access-Release mit 2,8 Millionen Spielern
Still no patch notes, but a first outlook
First outlook on upcoming updates: Following this, the developer gives an outlook on some of the improvements that are planned to land on the servers in the coming days. The planned features are:
Saving the avatar and loading presets
Hiding the helmet
Tooltips for weapons with information on, for example, damage
What do I need to know about Hytale? Hytale is a sandbox RPG with a block-based aesthetic. Because of its visual similarities to Minecraft, it has long been referred to as a Minecraft killer. The release was originally planned for 2021.
However, that did not happen. In between, the game was even put on hold during development. Ultimately, Hytale was rescued. On January 13, 2026, it went live in early access. MeinMMO author Johanna expresses her enthusiasm in her preview: Hytale restricts me in ways I always wished for from Minecraft
On the next page, you will find the official patch notes for Hytale Update 1:
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The USA is currently making it significantly more difficult for manufacturers of electric cars. Tesla is now taking a bold step: It aims to produce batteries in Germany by 2027.
The USA has been tightening its policy towards electric cars for several months: On the one hand, it relaxed emissions regulations for automakers, and on the other hand, it wants to completely eliminate electric car subsidies.
Even planned factories for electric cars are at risk because the U.S. government is systematically reducing subsidies, reports the investment magazine Gtai.de. The U.S. manufacturer Tesla is now looking for a way out and is preparing to produce its important batteries abroad. Specifically: in its German factory.
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Slate Auto presents new truck with electric motor
Tesla will produce batteries for 130,000 vehicles in Europe starting in 2027
What does Tesla want to do? Tesla plans to begin battery production at its German factory in Grünheide. The current goal is up to 8 GWh per year. This should allow for the equipping of approximately 130,000 vehicles. This is reported by the French-language magazine automobile-magazine.
The manufacturer speaks of an investment of several hundred million euros, but does not provide exact figures at this time. It is about two things: long-term reduction of logistics costs for imports from the USA and adapting to the European desire to localize the entire value chain for electric vehicles.
However, whether this will actually happen is another question. This is not the first time Tesla has announced such projects: Originally, the Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin was supposed to produce 50 GWh of batteries. But production was eventually relocated to the USA.
What does the current situation look like? When it comes to batteries, Europe has a huge lag behind China. The production capacities in Europe are significantly lower, which in turn is a problem since battery cells are immensely important for electromobility.
The EU is therefore investing 852 million euros in six battery projects for electric vehicles to become more independent and reduce the pressure on the domestic industry (via Europa.eu).
The people in charge of BitCraft Online announced in 2025 that they wanted to take a special path for the MMORPG genre. Phase 1 is set to start soon.
What is BitCraft Online planning? The developers from Clockwork Laboratories revealed in May 2025 that they want to implement something that will never exist for WoW, Final Fantasy XIV, and others: The code of BitCraft Online will be made available as “Open Source”.
In this way, the people in charge want to make the MMORPG genre more accessible and show interested parties how to develop new MMOs using the SpacetimeDB platform. They also hope that this measure will have a positive impact on BitCraft itself. This way, the community can enhance the gaming experience over time with mods or fresh features, for example.
The developers are aware that there are many good reasons why not a single commercial MMORPG has been published under an open-source license so far. The risk that others will use the code or assets for their own commercial purposes is, for example, quite high.
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BitCraft Online: New Gameplay Trailer Prepares for Early Access on Steam
Phase 1 starts already next week
When will Open Source come? On the official website bitcraftonline.com, the developers revealed that the first phase of the open-source project is set to start on January 21, 2026. From then on, the freely accessible version will be available via github.com.
This will initially include the entire server module sub-repository of BitCraft. This repository practically represents the entire core logic of the game. In about 6 months, Phase 2 will add some server services that control AI behavior or generate the map.
However, it may still take some time before the client expands the open-source offering. According to the developers, this contains assets from early prototype phases for which they do not have open-source rights. These must first be completely removed, which requires care and time.
In principle, it is still not entirely clear under what license the code will ultimately be published: Depending on the license, the code may then be distributed and processed or only integrated into projects to a limited extent.
So what can I actually do with Phase 1? According to the developers, the server module sub-repository offers you the following possibilities:
You can view the code to understand how BitCraft works at this level. The insights can be used, for example, to implement your own projects.
You can modify the code locally and experiment with it.
You can create and test your own versions of server modules.
What is not allowed: The developers emphasize that the open-source version is not intended to use the graphics, game content, music, or other legally protected assets (including the brand name) of BitCraft to implement your own projects with this code.
Similarly, it will also not be permitted to share security vulnerabilities discovered in the code with others or to operate private or unofficial BitCraft servers.
What do I need to know about BitCraft Online? The survival MMORPG from Clockwork Laboratories adopts a Zelda-like graphic style and aims to throw all players into a single world where they cooperate to build settlements, establish an economy, and compete for territories.
Here you can choose to work as a craftsman, trader, monster hunter, politician, or anything in between. The surface of the world is changeable. And the survival struggle in the world also plays a role. For several months now, there have even been dungeons where bosses and loot await you: The MMORPG on Steam, reminiscent of Zelda, is getting its first dungeon: “It was about time”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In League of Legends the matchmaking rating has been reset, which is currently causing a lot of frustration. Now the developers want to penalize players who prefer to play in pairs. Because they have a significant advantage over solo players.
In League of Legends a new season has begun and this has also brought about some changes. At the same time, the reset of the MMR (which stands for matchmaking rating) has caused quite a stir, and players are frustrated with their matches in LoL.
The developers have now presented some adjustments and want to temporarily block a feature: the duo queue for certain high-ranked players. Additionally, there will be general disadvantages for all players who want to play as a duo.
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The trailer of the new champion of League of Legends showcases his abilities in action
Penalties for players who play in pairs: Because they have an advantage over solo players
What exactly is going to change? Riot has now announced that duo-queues for very high-ranked players will be significantly restricted to reduce abuse and perceived “unfair” matches at the start of the new season (via PCGamesn.com):
According to LoL creative director Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, “a change has been implemented that prohibits duo play up to the Grandmaster level, even if you have a Grandmaster MMR.”
The “duo penalty”, the internal disadvantage in matchmaking, has been increased so that the additional coordination in voice chat does not create an unfair advantage over solo players who do not have such an advantage. This also affects players who are supposed to be in lower ranks.
According to Phroxzon, this has been exploited more than usual: Players have deliberately created unfair matchups through targeted de-ranking, account sharing, and other prohibited methods. Additionally, since there are already few players in the high elo queue, it becomes particularly noticeable when a coordinated duo encounters random solo players.
Single players who exploit this can cause a lot of trouble. In the future, duo teams in matchmaking should receive a stronger disadvantage, which Riot claims is now “much closer” to the real additional power that a well-coordinated duo has over five randoms.
The German Twitch event Sauercrowd brings veterans and newcomers together in WoW Classic Hardcore. After numerous setbacks during the leveling phase, the content guild has now celebrated a particularly remarkable success.
What kind of success is this? The Twitch streamer Felikah reached level 60 with her mage on January 16, 2026, in WoW Classic Hardcore. She was accompanied by her guildmates Vlesk (Warrior, who also reached level 60) and Zeusspezial (a Hunter currently at level 58).
For the last experience points needed to reach level cap, the trio headed to the Blasted Lands to take down the rare carrion bird Zaricotl. They got lucky! The elite opponent had little resistance. Ding! Level 60. You can watch the moment on Twitch or as a TikTok short below:
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Accordingly, the joy in the guild was immense when Felikah (and of course Vlesk) successfully completed their leveling journey. Many comrades came to Discord to congratulate. Sauercrowd co-founder Metashi even brought half of his community with him, who left many kind words, Zaricotl emotes, follows, and subs in the Twitch chat.
It’s the least, oh my god, I’m so proud of you, no kidding. This really moves me.
For Metashi, the past days were unfortunately not quite as successful. Just before reaching level 60, he wanted to enter the Sunken Temple in the Swamp of Sorrows with a Sauercrowd group. When he was unexpectedly marked for PvP on the way there, panic set in: What if a streamer sniper uses this to attack me?
Although the 5-player team was not yet complete and the PvP status made cooperation in the group more difficult, the attendees – especially the panicking Metashi – urged to get into the safe dungeon as quickly as possible. The rest is history: Twitch streamer Metashi dies in WoW Classic, taking 2 teammates with him to death
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
ARC Raiders has a problem with cheaters, but now many have been banned. Unfortunately, many rotten apples seem to be back in the game to harass their targets again.Players say: Account bans are the wrong method to permanently get rid of these cheaters.
What kind of cheaters are they? Players who prefer to join the matches of streamers to annoy, disturb, or simply ruin the game for them. The players exploit the fact that every lobby in ARC Raiders has a unique code, making it very easy to find certain players and matches.
Exactly these cheaters are said to have been banned by developer Embark Studio. Some users report this, posting a picture on X.com showing that they no longer have access to their game. However, these supposedly permanent punishments seem to be only temporary.
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Matchmaking in ARC Raiders: „Ratten“ könnten euch in PvP-Lobbys befördern
ARC Raiders bans cheaters, but they just buy a new account and continue to annoy
Because some banned players have apparently already gotten themselves a new account or a new game. Someone writes on Reddit:
They are already back. If you click on the Twitter thread linked below, you will see that they commented that they set up new accounts.
When asked why they do this, they replied to troll streamers. I find it absolutely crazy that people spend their free time doing this.
And this is an everyday problem for many online games: When players are caught cheating and blocked in other online games, they simply buy or register a new account and can continue to cheat.
Players are therefore demanding on Reddit that the developers should block not just accounts, but the entire hardware of the player. Because hardware bans are much harder to bypass than an account ban. One user writes:
They [the developers] should start banning systems instead of accounts. Cheaters will just buy the game again and do the same thing.
According to players, hardware bans would simply be the more effective method. Because the bans may be permanent, but they are only for the banned accounts.
ARC Raiders is really something like the rebirth of extraction shooters. Many players are currently discovering the genre for themselves. MeinMMO editor Dariusz has tested an extraction shooter that is completely free of PvP and is still fun: A shooter on Steam is perfect for players who don’t want PvP in ARC Raiders
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Colleague Michał from the international FYNG team (Find Your Next Game) had already downloaded Anthem at the beginning of December to closely monitor the last days of the game. In his video on YouTube, he describes the experience as downright “disturbing”.
You can watch Michał’s video below (Note: the original is in English, but you can enable subtitles):
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Matchmaking was difficult in the last days of Anthem, but it eventually worked out
His goal was to connect with other players who wanted to say goodbye to Anthem. However, on Saturday, January 10, 2026, three days before the shutdown, matchmaking was already not really working. At least, Michał was unable to join other players in a public match all day long. Had the community already given up on Anthem?
So Michał played Anthem alone and enjoyed the things that the game had done really well until the end. Above all, this is the flying and combat experience in the Javelin.
On Sunday (January 11, 2026) and Monday (January 12, 2026), things fortunately improved. From time to time, Michał actually found players for a joint match or two. And in the social hub, a few players interacted with each other using emotes. Unfortunately, Anthem had little more social features to offer despite its enormous budget and long development time until the end.
The literal silence among the players only underscored the oppressive feeling that the end of Anthem brought with it. It was fitting that the servers of Anthem were also suddenly unavailable to Michał before the time actually communicated. It felt as if EA wanted to finally put it behind them.
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„Wusste immer, dass es irgendwann endet“ – Chef-Entwickler von Anthem spricht über die letzte Hoffnung für den Shooter
What else is in the video? Michał not only describes the last days with Anthem in his video, but also revisits the difficult development of the game. Additionally, he discusses the “Stop Killing Games” initiative, which gained momentum last year.
Foxhole is an MMO with thousands of players. On February 9, 2026, the next major update with airplanes is set to be released on Steam. This is expected to give the current player numbers a strong boost.
What kind of MMO is it? Foxhole is a multiplayer game in which thousands of players compete against each other. The game is oriented around World War II, which is reflected in its weapons, war machinery, and uniforms.
Now the next major update for Foxhole has been announced: On February 9, 2026, airplanes will be added to the game.
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Foxhole 1.0 Inferno – Launch Trailer
War in the Air and on the Sea
What kind of update is this? Specifically, the update is called “Foxhole Airborne” and is quite extensive. According to comments on YouTube, it could be the largest update for Foxhole yet.
Aircraft must first be assembled individually in factories before they can be launched. With bombers, you can destroy entire regions, but defenders can also build air defense systems to take down your planes. Aircraft carriers have also made it into the game.
The focus of the update is on the new planes, but there will also be many improvements and innovations: new regions on the map to conquer, an expanded navy, and an updated graphics engine that makes the landscape look significantly more beautiful, at least in the trailer.
How is Foxhole doing currently? As of now, player numbers according to SteamDB fluctuate daily between 1,300 and 3,000 active players. Thus, Foxhole is not necessarily huge, but it has a small yet loyal fan base. After major updates, player numbers regularly increase significantly, reaching nearly 10,000 at times.
In addition to Foxhole, there are also other MMOs and MMORPGs that you can test and play on Steam. We have selected a current list of the best titles for you. Here is the overview of the best games of 2025: The 10 currently best MMOs and MMORPGs of 2025
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Disney removed 14 games from Steam and no one knows why. Fans suggest three reasons why the games might be gone.
Publishers or developers irregularly remove games from the Steam platform. The reasons for such a removal can be varied. Now the publisher Disney has removed 14 of its games. Why Disney removed these games is completely unclear.
In any case, the games are no longer available for purchase in the shop, but those who have already purchased them can still play.
Which games were removed? At the current time (as of January 17, 2026), 14 games are missing from Steam:
Afterlife
Armed and Dangerous
Disney’s Cars Radiator Springs Adventures
Disney’s Chicken Little Ace in Action
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell’s Adventure
Disney’s Hercules
Disney Pixar Finding Nemo
Disney Pixar Toy Story Mania
Disney Planes
Disney The Princess and The Frog
Disney Winnie the Pooh
Lucidity
Phineas and Ferb: New Inventions
Stunt Island
Start video
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed – The release trailer for the remake of the classic
14 games have been removed, fans gather possible reasons
Why were the games removed? There is no official statement from Disney regarding this, so it is completely unclear why the games were removed. Currently, 85 games are still listed on Steam, for which Disney is officially the publisher. Older games are also listed here, such as the old Monkey Island games or the more than 20-year-old Indiana Jones titles.
In a current discussion, fans have suggested on Reddit three speculations about why the games suddenly disappeared:
The games made so little money that removing them from the store didn’t hurt anyone.
Disney wants to sell or offer the games on its own platform and sees Steam as a disruptive factor.
A license for some software has expired (Havok, Miles Sound System, Bink Video) and that is why the games had to disappear.
But these are all speculations, and there has been no official confirmation from Disney yet.
Julian Gerighty has been working at Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment for what feels like ages. Over the past decades, he has made a name for himself primarily through the “The Division” franchise. Now, the veteran developer is directing his experience towards another shooter franchise.
What will Julian Gerighty do in the future? He will no longer work at Massive Entertainment or for Ubisoft on The Division 3. The developer is quite reticent regarding his departure:
Agents! A quick update from the operations base: It is time for me to hang up my backpack (I will keep the watch) as I dive into a new big adventure.
The future of The Division is bright, and I can’t wait for you to discover what the teams have been working on.
Will Ubisoft reveal more? Yes! On videogameschronicle.com, the publisher’s representatives are quoted as follows:
While we will miss him [Julian Gerighty, editor’s note], his legacy will live on at Massive. We will continue to present the world he helped create to our players in the coming years.
To our players: Don’t worry, Agents. Our teams, who built this world together with Julian, are still here. They will continue to lead it with an ambitious, unwavering commitment to the future of The Division 2, The Division 2: Survivors, The Division Resurgence, and The Division 3.
In the future, Division veterans Yannick Banchereau and Mathias Karlson will lead the work on The Division 2 and The Division 3 respectively. Massive veteran Magnus Jansen will push forward the Extraction mode The Division 2: Survivors.
Additionally, it is clear that Julian Gerighty is moving to the Battlefield studios of Electronic Arts. However, what role he will take there is still unclear at this time.
Who is Julian Gerighty? The industry veteran has been working at or for Ubisoft since 1999. From January 2014, he served as Creative Director at Massive Entertainment, leading the creative development of “The Division”.
In Dungeons & Dragons, players often long for particularly powerful magical items that can make them remarkably powerful. A moment from Critical Role’s The Mighty Nein proves, however, that it’s not about the rarity or power of an item, but about its application and a clever idea.
Critical Role has already proven in many episodes of their campaigns that they are up to almost any challenge. Through tactics, skilled actions, and of course a bit of dice luck, they have managed to defeat all enemies and become powerful heroes.
However, there was one moment when the entire group nearly had to give up. But only nearly.
In The Mighty Nein, the second campaign of Critical Role, which has also received a series adaptation on Amazon Prime, the group faced a problem they couldn’t easily solve. However, cleric Jester, played by Laura Bailey, proved that in Dungeons & Dragons, with a pinch of cleverness and a rather inconspicuous item, one can create an absolutely legendary moment.
Here you can see the trailer for The Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime with the original voices of Critical Role:
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In episode 93 of The Mighty Nein, Jester honored her class (Cleric of the Trickery Domain). She used her skilled kindness and a little trick to outsmart a powerful enemy. All she needed was a simple leftover cupcake, as well as an item that can also be seen in the animated series.
Spoiler Warning: If you already know what happens in episode 93, or if you don’t mind spoilers, you can read on without hesitation. However, it is especially worthwhile for D&D players to see a particularly strong example of how to make the most out of their items.
A Deal with a Hag is Rarely Fair
In the episode, the group encounters a hag that has placed a curse on one of the members of the Mighty Nein, which plagues the person anew day after day. Jester does not want to witness this any longer.
However, a hag is not so easily convinced and demands a trade. One that is worthy of the curse’s resolution. It must be something that would make the tiefling just as unhappy as the plaguing curse.
While Laura contemplates what she is willing to give up, the Twitch chat, which is following everything, is already in a panic. But no matter what she offers, it’s not enough for the monstrous creature.
But Matt, who plays the hag, knows exactly what would truly hurt the cleric. She wants to take away her artistic side. She demands Jester’s hands so that she can never paint again. And since she would lose her hands through a curse, there is little hope of magically “regrowing” them, as the hag explains: “I think you know how intense and permanent these deals can be.”
So let this be a reminder: Don’t forget about your items that are gathering dust in your inventory. They might even save your life, even if you wouldn’t expect it.
You can see Laura struggling with the decision. A friend’s improved life for her own joy that she experiences through art. Instead of agreeing to the deal, she makes a counteroffer that turns the situation 180 degrees.
Jester (Laura Bailey, left) and the hag (Matt Mercer, right) negotiate (Source: YouTube)
“So Delicious That It’s Almost Distracting”
Before Jester wants to give up her hands, she asks the hag to let her eat one last cupcake, while the chat screams at Laura not to agree to the deal.
The trickster wants to share the blueberry cupcake with the hag and offers her half after a persuasion roll of 24. When the hag bites into the cupcake, Laura informs the game master that the cupcake was sprinkled with “Dust of Deliciousness”. A rather inconspicuous item that she feels she has been carrying since the beginning of the campaign and bought from the merchant Pumat Sol in Zadash.
Even in the animated series on Amazon Prime, you can see how Jester buys the dust from him, with Pumat’s note that it makes any food so delicious that it’s “almost distracting”.
Matt can’t help but laugh at that moment. He seems to have underestimated Laura and lets himself be mercilessly outsmarted by the tiefling until the end of the discussion.
With Enough Wit, Even the Smallest Item Can Achieve Great Things
Under the influence of the Dust of Deliciousness, the hag has a disadvantage on all Wisdom checks and saving throws from that moment, which is immediately exploited. With the spell “Modify Memory” and a disadvantage on the hag’s saving throw, the cleric ensures that she now believes:
The hag liked Jester’s presence so much that she agreed to lift the curse. Simply because they had such a wonderful time together.
Here you can see how Laura outsmarted Matt. If you start the video from the page, you’ll jump in at the right moment. (Spoiler Warning: The video reveals who the curse affects!)
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Considering all the time that the item spent unused and unutilized in Jester’s bag, one can see how underestimated the item ultimately was.
So let this be a reminder: Don’t forget about your items that are gathering dust in your inventory. They might even save your life, even if you wouldn’t expect it.
On Steam there’s a playable demo of Styx: Blades of Greed and it really puts MeinMMO author Ody back in the mood for sneaking around. And it gets even better: You can currently get both predecessors completely for free.
I’m actually not a fan of stealth games at all – especially when they force me to sneak around. A game in which I constantly creep around as a small and fragile goblin sounds like the last game I want to play.
However, although the Styx games do not appeal to me on paper, I have always been very fascinated by them. With the Steam demo of the latest game, Blades of Greed, that hasn’t changed – I’m back in the stealth fever.
The fact that I like the Styx games so much has two reasons: Styx himself and the atmosphere of the game world.
Start video
Styx: Blades of Greed – The stealth game with the sneaky goblin now gets a demo on Steam
Fantasy world like out of Warhammer – and you are a nasty Goblin
Styx doesn’t just make stupid jokes but is a really nasty character: He usually acts out of purely selfish reasons (even if not, he would never admit it) and is the king of sarcasm. In Shards of Darkness, the second part of the Styx series, the goblin even snaps at you directly if you dare to fail at a certain point – and I love that.
The goblin is delightfully nasty, and I can’t wait to see what he says or does next. Added to this is the fantasy world, which just feels unique. If I had to compare it with something, it would be with Warhammer.
The humans, elves, and dwarves of this world are not simply “the good guys,” but all have some dirt on their hands. In comparison, the orcs and goblins often don’t seem quite as mean.
Unfortunately, the biggest weakness of the series remains
Our nasty hooded goblin has various tools and special abilities to silently and stealthily eliminate enemies: You can poison guards, unleash clones on them, or control them with one of your new quartz abilities like a puppet and send them off a cliff. The stealth gameplay is thus beautifully diverse, even if the controls remain the biggest weakness.
Aside from some awkward camera angles when navigating tight spaces, the controls of the goblin in Blades of Greed are also not always as precise as they should be. This can be frustrating, especially when jumping and climbing. I would have expected more 9 years after the last game.
The fact that Styx: Blades of Greed still struggles with the weaknesses of its predecessors in the demo isn’t that important to me. Because the most important aspects for me – Styx himself and the atmosphere of the world – have once again turned out really well. I had my fun and will replay parts 1 and 2 before Blades of Greed is released.
If you want to give the predecessors a chance, there’s now an unbeatable offer: The Epic Games Store is currently giving away both Styx: Master of Shadows and Styx: Shards of Darkness. If you get the games by January 22, 2026 at 5 PM, you can keep them.
Batman does not only take place in movies with real actors. The Dark Knight has received several animated films. Here are the 10 best ones.
How did this list come about? Since we have to wait a bit for the next Batman movie, we wanted to give you some tips from the extensive animated catalog of the Dark Knight in this list. For this, we selected the 10 best ones based on IMDB ratings and present them to you in this ranking.
Animated films that revolve around the Justice League, or those in which Batman and his villains play only a minor role, have been omitted.
If you have a hidden gem that is totally underrated, feel free to let us know in the comments. A general Batman ranking from MeinMMO author Christoph Waldboth can be found here: 13 Movies about Batman ranked – Which is the best?
Honorable Mentions:
Lego Batman: A great Batman film that we exclude from the list due to its style. It is funny and respectfully mocks the Batman mythos (IMDb: 7.3 with over 189,000 ratings)
Batman Ninja: Batman Ninja is like Batman living in an anime world. The action is absurd, exaggerated, and quite colorful. (IMDb: 5.6 with over 23,800 ratings)
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: As the name suggests, the Dark Knight meets the legendary turtles here. But it’s not just the heroes teaming up. (IMDb: 7.1 with over 13,000 reviews)
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In Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero, the hero must save an ally from the villain
10. Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Release year: 1998
Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero takes place in the universe of the popular animated series of the Dark Knight, which aired between 1992 and 1995. As the title suggests, Batman must confront his old adversary Mr. Freeze in the film.
In the film, Mr. Freeze kidnaps Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) to save his frozen wife through a transplant. Batman, along with Robin, must prevent this. Mr. Freeze is a tragic villain who only wants to save his wife. But he uses villainous methods to achieve this.
On IMDb, the film has a rating of 7.1 out of 10 based on over 19,700 reviews.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Gamers can be persistent and resourceful. This is proven by a user who now shares his story. He can no longer play one of his favorite games on Steam due to a disability and decides to quickly create a solution himself.
What has the gamer shared? The user ChipsAhoiMCCoy writes in his Reddit post from January 15, 2026, that he is annoyed about not being able to play Terraria without vision. He was not born blind but lost his eyesight at some point. This led him to decide to create an accessibility mod for Terraria himself.
The user claims to have no experience with coding. But with the help of the AI tool Claude Code, he still managed to do it. It cost him several sleepless nights, but in the end, a satisfactory result came out.
How students utilize AI for their own advantage and steal sensitive data from individuals, you can see in the following video:
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Students spy on passersby with hidden cameras and AI, find name and address in seconds
Audio cues and voice narration are game changers
How does the mod function in-game? The creator of the mod explains in a comment on the post how the mod works. He links in the original post to a test recording of himself, in which he presents the functions of the modification.
The NVDA screen reader is supposed to read out in-game text passages, menus, displays, and conversations during gameplay so that users can orient themselves. Additionally, the mod is said to support gamepads and even an experimental mouse and keyboard mode.
Moreover, features like audio cues for movements, NPCs, crafting, housing, and building modes are intended to simplify gaming for players. Warning signals in the form of increasingly loud beeps from enemies, depending on their distance from the player, are also claimed to be implemented.
How is the mod received? The post has now gathered over 2,600 upvotes (as of January 16, 2026), and there has long been a Discord server for the project, where players can ask for tips and tricks. The community has welcomed the post positively:
Gaming-Burrito says (via Reddit): „That’s so cool. Thank you for making this mod that enables even more players to enjoy this wonderful game.”
Dangerous_Excuse4706 writes (via Reddit): „Inspiring. Truly inspiring … When faced with adversity, we can grow the most.”
KubosKube explains (via Reddit): „I hate LLMs, vibe coding, and generative AI with a passion. However, this mod is the only and perfect use case for such a tool.”
This shows that the community can solve problems, even when no one believes in it. But not only in the help area are mods being created every day. Compared to the accessibility mod for Terraria, there are also rather funny mods, such as in the new game Hytale: The first mods make Hytale uglier than before, and are well received immediately.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There are mistakes you should avoid in Pokémon GO. This is something a trainer had to realize, as he reported on Reddit.
If you are on the hunt for rare monsters in Pokémon GO, then the 3 legendary Galar birds should be familiar to you. You can only find them if you use the daily adventure incense. Accordingly, they are quite rare – especially the shiny variants.
It is all the more frustrating when you encounter such a specimen and cannot catch it. This is exactly what a trainer reports. The reason for the failed catch is not only annoying, but also avoidable.
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Pokémon GO shows its new season in the trailer
“Has anyone ever recovered from something like this?”
What happened to the trainer? As the trainer reported in his post on Reddit, he took a walk to use his daily adventure incense. During this walk, he noticed that the battery of his smartphone was now only at 3%.
Since he was almost finished with his round and was just about to get home, it didn’t bother him much – until suddenly a Galar Zapdos appeared. When he clicked on it, he realized it was even a shiny.
Although the legendary shiny birds cannot flee, he decided to use a master ball. Using other balls could have taken some time that he didn’t have due to his low battery.
However, he did not get to that: at the moment he wanted to select his master ball, a message already appeared on his smartphone indicating that the battery level was very low and his smartphone was about to shut down. According to him, the touchscreen was already unresponsive at that moment. He could only take a screenshot. The Zapdos was gone.
What does the trainer say about it? The trainer himself comments on his story as follows: “I stood there and stared at my own reflection on the dead screen for five minutes. Has anyone ever recovered from something like this? Because I think I’m at my end.”
What does the community say? Besides sharing their own experiences and some mockery, the community also shares some tips to help the trainer avoid such situations in the future.
“With Android, 5% and lower haven’t been ‘real’ 5% for way too many years. You drop from 10% to 5% within an hour, but the last 5% last 5 seconds or sometimes maybe a minute,” writes Hinote21
“Hopefully this never happens to you again, but I have salvaged the situation a few times by simply locking my phone until I could charge it. Of course, you might not have had the opportunity to do so, but keep it in mind for the future,” notes 2007pearce
“I’ve gotten to the point where I take my power bank and a charging cable with me on all my walks,” reports Narei
“I don’t want to be mean, but you brought this on yourself. At that battery level, you have to expect disappointments,” says Vegetable_Wafer_6581
To avoid getting into such a situation, you should always remember to charge your battery and, if possible, take a power bank with you on your catching trips. Another trainer took this advice to heart and was able to successfully complete a rescue mission for a shiny in Pokémon GO under the most unfavorable conditions.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As in Minecraft, fans should also be able to create or install mods in Hytale, but the game is still fresh. Many adventurers are wondering where they can find the mods to activate them. That’s why you will find all the important information about modding here.
Where can I find mods? If you want to install mods, currently your best option is the mod site “CurseForge“. At release, the developers of Hytale entered into a partnership with CurseForge and integrated modding functionality directly into the new block game.
But we can reassure you: You don’t need to download a launcher for your mods. Instead, it’s enough to download the desired mod from CurseForge and put it in the right folder. How to do that, we will explain to you now.
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Hytale feiert erfolgreichen Early-Access-Release mit 2,8 Millionen Spielern
How to install mods in Hytale
How do I install mods? You have two options for installing mods:
Use the CurseForge launcher and let it do all the work
Download your mods manually and place them in the right folder
If you want to use the launcher to manage your mods, you should proceed as follows:
Install the standalone launcher from CurseForge (not the one from Overwolf, as this only fills your PC with ads).
Log in as a guest.
Now install the mods you want.
Now press “Run Game” at the top of the launcher to activate the mods.
Now start Hytale and right-click to open the menu of your world.
Now you can activate or deactivate the mods on the left side of your menu.
If you are not interested in a launcher and prefer to manage everything yourself, you should proceed as follows:
Find the mods you want and install them manually on your desktop.
Press the orange arrow on the right side of your screen.
Now open Hytale and choose your world.
Right-click to open the menu of your world, then click the “Open Folder” button at the bottom of your screen.
Now the file path of your game world will open.
Important Info: If you only want the mods in the currently selected world, you can put the mods in the “mods” folder.
Now click on “UserData” in the file path.
Now place your mod in the “Mods” folder.
Now you can select your world with a right-click and activate or deactivate your mods before spawning.
With these steps, all mods will be activated for every available or future-created map.
Can I be banned for using mods? No, because you are not playing on the developers’ internal server. These servers are often hosted by other players. However, if you cause trouble in these worlds, the server admins can exclude you and thereby ban you.
That was all the important information about mods in Hytale. Do you still have difficulties setting up your world or could our guide help you? Apart from mods, the new block game will also surprise fans of Minecraft with innovations. What to pay attention to at your start, you can find out here: Hytale: 7 tips for getting started that will prepare you for the game
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Hytale there are horses that can greatly facilitate traveling through the world, but like in real life, these animals are shy. So, if you’re not careful, you can quickly lose your mount. We show you how to keep your steed with you and tame it.
Update, February 18, 2026: The article has been updated with the new information from the taming update.
Taming horses – Here’s how: To own a horse, you must tame it. Without taming, the horse will not recognize you as its owner and will flee from you in fright every time. Therefore, it is no surprise that fans of Minecraft are now also trying to tame their mounts in Hytale.
Look at the speech bubble to find out what food your horse needs
Equip the food and press “F” again
Your horse has now been tamed
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Hytale feiert erfolgreichen Early-Access-Release mit 2,8 Millionen Spielern
What has changed since the update? With the taming update, the tamed animals no longer run away from you. Before, it was necessary to get on horses, quickly park them in a stable, and then secure them with high fences. With the new feature, both the animals and your horses are friendly towards you once you have tamed them.
You can now mount and dismount without a saddle, without fear that your horse will flee immediately afterward. Your means of transportation remains with you and even looks at you.
These were all the current details about taming horses. Hytale has just launched in early access, and those new to the world of blocks will surely need assistance. Our MeinMMO author Johanna therefore provides you with tips that will ease your entry: Hytale: 7 tips for beginners to help you get started in the game
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The first major update for Hytale is coming and brings several changes that are intended to improve the game. One of them is particularly helpful.
What kind of update is this? The developers of Hytale plan to release the first major update for the Minecraft alternative between Friday and Saturday, January 16 to 17. Although the game has only been out for a few days, new content as well as improvements that Hytale desperately needs are already available.
The launch of Hytale was already a great success:
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Hytale feiert erfolgreichen Early-Access-Release mit 2,8 Millionen Spielern
New content and important improvements
What’s included in the update? The developers of Hytale have not yet published official patch notes, but in recent days, the head Simon “Hypixel” has made several comments about improvements.
Below the zone, there is another underworld where the dinosaurs are expected to spawn. However, for some players, the improvement in placing torches may be even more important. With the new patch, players should be able to easily place torches by right-clicking while holding them in their off-hand.
Also confirmed is a change to the sound effects that occur when mining. These are expected to be more rewarding to enhance the mining experience.
What else is to come? While the official patch notes are still awaited, the Hytale partner @HytaleNewsYT has posted a summary of the unofficial patch notes. It is unclear whether these will actually come to pass and how the list was generated. We have translated the list into German here and will exchange it for the official patch notes as soon as they go live. You can find the original on X.com:
Combat & Balance
More reliable melee hits
Burns/Lava adjustments + water extinguishes burns
Fire creatures are now fireproof
NPC/combat corrections + exploit fixes
Crafting & Items
Backpacks are easier and cheaper to craft
Workbench pulls from a larger chest radius (2x)
Faster processing of leather (-10 s)
Adjustments to the balance of food/agriculture
Corrections to the physics of dropped items
You can now place torches while wielding two weapons at once (except swords, which have priority with blocking).
Better lag handling + minor updates to the key mapping/user interface
Improved atmosphere/spawns in Zone 4 (sewer/volcano areas)
Villages/outposts/dungeons repaired
Overhaul of environmental damage
Earlier bedtime (–1 h 30 min)
Loot/animation corrections + minor interaction adjustments
Dinosaur added in Zone 4
Customization & Miscellaneous
New face/hair options (available only when the release version is released) + cosmetic fixes
Adorable secret new NPC added for creatives and modders
Commands / Server / Stability
Improvements to teleport/give/whitelist/ban
Network/authentication updates + stability fixes
With the first major patch of Hytale, the team demonstrates how they intend to proceed with development in the future. Many smaller updates are to be released continuously, just like in Minecraft when the competition was still in alpha. The very first patch of Hytale actually came shortly after the release: Hytale reaches 2.8 million players at release, fixes major issues with first patch
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
