MMORPGs like World of Warcraft can easily consume a large part of your time with their regular updates and numerous contents. For some individuals, this can lead to gaming addiction as they neglect their real life. One player now reports how he overcame his addiction.
What problem did the player have? User finsup_305 writes in the reddit forum that he was “heavily addicted” to WoW. He invested dozens of hours of gameplay into the MMORPG over 16 years, neglecting his life: He failed 8th grade and dropped out of high school at 17.
Today, the user is 29 years old and happily married. However, he noticed that his life was slipping away from him again due to WoW. Therefore, he decided to take drastic action to free himself from the addiction.
Attention: If you feel that you may be affected by video game addiction, you can reach out to the following places:
German contacts for video game addiction Consultation for video game and internet addiction Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain Landsberger Allee 49 10249 Berlin Tel.: 030 130 238 011 E-Mail: [email protected]
Lost in Space Wartenburgstraße 8 10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg Tel.: 030 666 339 59 E-Mail: [email protected]
Consultation for gambling addiction Untere Zahlbacher Straße 8 55131 Mainz Tel.: 06131 176 064 E-Mail: [email protected]
Player is addicted to WoW, manages to overcome the addiction thanks to strong will
What step did the player take? The user explains that he deleted all his characters and even his account. As a further precaution, he completely uninstalled the game.
He writes that this step was very emotional and difficult for him. However, he could not risk WoW taking over most of his life again.
What do others say about it? In the comments, there are many supporters. Some write that they are struggling with similar issues and that he is not alone. One user also advises that the thread starter should not fall into another addiction, as it happened to him.
How is the user doing today? The user from the reddit forum was also able to free himself from addiction. He writes that he would not dare to create new accounts and start the game again. He had a moment of clarity and understood how he needed to solve the problem.
Other users accused him of trying to fill the gap with a new addiction. As the former WoW player admits, they were right: Luckily, he is not addicted to alcohol, drugs, or gambling, but is focusing his newfound time on his work and health.
Making money is a new addiction for him. He is not particularly good at it, but he is now really working hard on the things that would benefit his life.
The latest patch 1.0.2 brings some changes to Last Epoch. One of them is likely to annoy many players: keys are now less valuable. The reason is allegedly that a few individuals exploited the faction system to get rich.
This is what Last Epoch changed:
With patch 1.0.2, keys for the arena are now less valuable. You now only receive 175 Gold instead of 6,500 Gold when selling normal arena keys. The value of memory keys drops to 265 (previously 7,250). These are nerfs of about 97 and 96% respectively.
By comparison: Rare items can be sold to vendors for 100 Gold or a bit more if you are lucky, Uniques for up to 500.
Additionally, there were further changes to quests and UI, but no significant balance adjustments. The tier list of Last Epoch therefore does not change significantly.
Why were keys nerfed specifically? It seems that there was a method involving keys to accumulate enormous amounts of money and exchange them directly for powerful items. Something that wasn’t really intended.
The reason for this is the two factions of Last Epoch: the Circle of Fate and the Merchant Guild. Members of the circle could farm significantly more keys through the faction mechanics and do so particularly easily.
The revenue they then received from selling to a vendor was used by a second character who is in the Merchant Guild. Because the gold is shared between characters.
In the Merchant Guild, you have access to the bazaar and can trade items with other players, buy and sell via the auction house. In this way, players who utilized this method quickly amassed gold and strong items.
In the video, we explain the factions in detail:
Start video
Last Epoch: Faction of the Merchant Guild or Circle of Fate – These are the advantages
“You are punishing the honest players”
On Reddit and in the forum, people are now extremely angry about the change. They say: Only a few had done it that way, especially streamers and players who emulate them. Something should have been done to counter the “abuse” but not like this.
The nerf now punishes all players who are only in the circle and need the gold. In the Circle of Fate, you find plenty of items and need accordingly many slots in the chest, which will eventually become extremely expensive.
Merchant Guild players can easily obtain gold through items. Circle players have to farm it – and may need it more urgently. Accordingly, the reaction to the change is now very angry.
What particularly annoys the community is the nature of the change. There is no alternative or compensation, just the nerf. Possible solutions could be:
Prophecies for circle players that yield a lot of gold as an alternative – which according to other players would not solve the problem
Remove keys as a reward for the circle but keep the price as is
Just in time for the cinema release of Dune Part 2, we get to see the first gameplay of the new survival MMO Dune: Awakening. We had the opportunity to speak with the developers at Funcom and have 4 facts for you that every Dune fan should know about the game. Because this game is being developed by true Dune nerds.
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On March 4th, developer Funcom released a Direct about Dune: Awakening. It included new information about the survival MMO, although nothing has been announced regarding a potential release date.
Funcom also invited MeinMMO to see the Direct earlier. During this, we had the chance to ask questions about the game to the Creative Director Joel Bylos and Senior PR Manager Natascha Röösli from Funcom.
Dune: Awakening shows gameplay for the first time for the survival MMO
Dune: Awakening – Made by nerds, for nerds? 4 supporting facts
Can I ride sandworms in the game?
In the first of the two new Dune films, it was only hinted at. In the second, we finally see it in action: The Fremen, the natives of the desert planet Arrakis, can ride the huge sandworms and look extremely cool while doing so.
In Dune: Awakening, the sandworms also exist: They are a constant, albeit mostly invisible, threat in the desert. Only fleeing into the air or onto rocky terrain saves you and your equipment like spice harvesting machines. If you spot them in time.
The sandworms in Dune also make an appearance in the MMO. To avoid being eaten, you must always stay alert.
Unfortunately, you cannot ride the worms in Dune: Awakening. At least not yet. In a conversation with Natascha Röösli, she indicated that the team would really like to implement that mechanic:
Riding sandworms is very difficult to get right. And because we really want it in the game, we are working towards that. However, we don’t know when that will happen at the moment. […] We just want to be proud of a mechanic we built into the game, especially since it’s something as important as riding sandworms. We want to get it right and we want the player to say, “Okay, that’s fantastic”.
Natascha Röösli, Senior PR Manager at Funcom, 02/27/2024 in Los Angeles
Of course, it’s a shame that such an essential part of Dune likely won’t make it into the game at release. However, it’s better for mechanics not to be forced and then poorly implemented.
But it’s not all over yet: The developers themselves seem to want to have sandworm riding. If they find the right approach, they will probably introduce the mechanic as soon as possible.
How much of the official Dune lore is in the game?
Dune is much more than just the first book and its film adaptations. Frank Herbert alone published six novels and wrote a short story. Additionally, there is the Dune Encyclopedia and the works of Herbert’s son Brian Herbert together with science-fiction author Kevin J. Anderson. Particularly, the Encyclopedia gives enormous insights into the history of the Dune universe and how it works.
Among the especially obscure facts is, for example, that the technology used in Dune is often powered by highly specialized animals and insects:
The light-emitting Glow Globes, mentioned on almost every page of the books but never explained, contain tiny glowing worms. The wings of the Ornithopter, which are also known from the films, are said by the Encyclopedia to be powered by specially bred scallops.
Ornithopters exist on Arrakis like sand on the beach. However, in the game, they are powered by traditional mechanics, not by highly specialized scallops.
When asked if crafting in Dune: Awakening also considers the animals used in the technology, Joel Bylos first had to grin: That was stated in the Dune Encyclopedia, and part of the agreement we reached is that the Dune Encyclopedia isn’t really canonical. We also spoke with the Herbert Estate about it. So we set that aside a bit. We focused on the mechanical side of building the machines.
Natascha Röösli later mentioned that they work very closely with the Herbert Estate. If they wanted to do something differently in the game than what is anchored in the official lore, they also receive support from Brian Herbert himself, who continued his father’s books.
But she also says: If something is not in the game, it’s usually because it’s too complex in terms of mechanics. Or we can’t really implement it in a way that does it justice.
The team behind Dune: Awakening seems to be doing its utmost to stay as close to the lore as possible. But due to technical limitations, not everything will make it into the final game.
How important is your guild in the political endgame?
As in every good MMO, you can also found guilds in Dune: Awakening, which can each join one of two factions. Together, you build bases, explore the desert, and harvest spice.
What is spice?
Spice is a drug that is essential for space travel in the Dune universe and is also used as currency. Anyone who consumes spice over a long period develops bright blue eyes, like those seen in the Dune films, for example, on the Fremen.
Specifically, the Guild of Navigators uses spice outside of Arrakis: By consuming the drug, they gain almost clairvoyant abilities with which they can chart safe courses for spaceships.
The background to this is that thousands of years before the story of Paul Atreides, humanity banned all computer-like technology. Consequently, specially trained humans must take on tasks such as the highly complex space navigation.
Once you have secured your survival and always have enough water available, your endgame begins. You can choose to focus on trade and crafting or to display political ambitions.
The Creative Director Joel Bylos explained during the Q&A with journalists that in the endgame, important politics is friendlier than in Eve Online, but especially with clear direction: The so-called Landsraat, an intergalactic association of the great houses, gives you missions. If you fulfill them, you gain votes for your faction.
The catch? According to Joel Bylos, you have to learn about the goals and objectives of the Landsraat through espionage missions involving members of the great houses. Additionally, each guild can join one of the two factions, both of which are trying to fulfill the missions of the Landsraat. This can quickly lead you into conflicts with your fellow players due to limited resources.
However, if you play your cards right and complete mission after mission with your guild, you gain more and more influence. This way, you can work your way up from a band of nobodies to the status of a smaller house under one of the great houses.
Where does Dune: Awakening fit on the Dune timeline?
During the press event that MeinMMO was also invited to, Joel Bylos announced that Dune: Awakening takes place in an alternative version of the so-called War of Assassins.
The War of Assassins, as described in the books and supplementary materials, begins around the year 10,187 – about 4 years prior to the desert war revolving around Paul Atreides known from the first book and the film adaptations.
During these four years, tensions arise between the great houses, leading to several targeted assassination attempts. Arrakis is still firmly in the grasp of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. House Atreides, already under the leadership of Duke Leto Atreides (Paul’s father), remains on its home planet.
During the events of Dune: Awakening, Paul experiences his first adventures and even foils an assassination attempt.
The trigger for the war is the death of a member of House Moritani. Since he died on the planet Ecaz from a disease prevalent there, his father seeks revenge on the ruling family of Ecaz. Ultimately, House Harkonnen and House Moritani are on one side, while House Atreides supports House Moritani.
However, the main part of the conflict does not take place on Arrakis, but on various planets in the universe. In the final year of the war, however, it comes to light that Baron Vladimir Harkonnen has been hoarding secret spice reserves that he did not include in normal trade. This is one of the triggers for the recall of the Atreides to Arrakis, as you see in the first Dune movie.
Dune: Awakening falls within these four years of turbulence between the houses. According to Creative Director Joel Bylos, however, the preceding history of the Dune universe unfolded somewhat differently:
An important decision was made in the book and film universe that would have made the MMO on Arrakis impossible. For the game, the developers rewrote the history so that this decision turned out differently.
Unfortunately, the developers kept quiet about what the decision itself was. Therefore, we cannot say at this point what is different from the book and film universe. What is certain is that the team is trying to stay as close as possible to the books and films.
What decision do you think the developers made differently for Dune: Awakening? Or do you not care as long as you can become the next spice overlord on Arrakis? Let us know in the comments.
Netflix is giving Avatar: The Last Airbender a second and third season – despite significant criticism from the fanbase of the cartoon original. Even the first new character has already been confirmed.
How is Netflix continuing with Avatar? The streaming giant Netflix is providing Avatar: The Last Airbender with two more seasons. This was recently confirmed by the company’s official X.com account:
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What does this mean for the series? The first season of the live-action adaptation is based on the American animated series Avatar – The Last Airbender. It adapts its first season, known as Book: Water.
In the Netflix account’s post, the numbers 2 and 3 are now visible, which are inspired by the official symbols of the elements in the Avatar world. The two is surrounded by a green Earthbending symbol, while the three is accompanied by red flames of the Fire symbol.
Netflix is likely hinting that they will adapt the missing seasons of the cartoon in seasons two and three – Book 2: Earth and Book 3: Fire.
Start video
Avatar – Herr der Elemente sorgt kurz vor Start noch einmal für Tränen bei Fans
Two new seasons for Avatar – The first new character is already confirmed
Have story details for the seasons been confirmed? Even though the announcement has just gone live, Netflix has already confirmed the first new character for season 2. In a response post, the account wrote TOPH IS HERE.
In the comments below, users are also excited about seeing their favorite character in live-action: Toph Beifong.
She is the only daughter of a wealthy family from the Earth Kingdom. She joins the group around the Avatar in season 2 to teach Aang Earthbending. She impresses with her natural talent, her roughness that is not suited to her status, and her blindness, which she compensates with Earthbending. And by the fact that, at least in the cartoon, she is just a 12-year-old girl.
You can see how exactly Toph is in this YouTube video:
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Further details have not yet been disclosed. However, since the first season was based on the cartoon, it is reasonable to assume that seasons two and three will do the same. The live-action adaptation, however, changed some story points that will naturally also need to be further changed and adapted.
How are fans feeling about this? The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender actually received a lot of criticism from fans, as the Netflix adaptation lacks the ease of the original. Additionally, the live-action version omits the plotline surrounding Sozin’s Comet, which imposed a harsh deadline on Avatar Aang in the original to stop the Fire Lord.
Even before the release, the news caused excitement, that Netflix had removed Sokka’s sexism from the series. Sokka, the older brother of the waterbender Katara, is one of the three main characters. At the beginning, he has a very conservative worldview, which causes him to frequently find himself in arguments with Katara, as well as other women like Suki. However, over the course of the first season, he gains respect and begins to change his worldview.
Unfortunately, community feedback rarely influences the decisions of large companies. In this case, the adaptation seemingly did well enough for Netflix that the investment in further seasons is justified. Perhaps the company will take at least some of the feedback to heart.
Under the Netflix post on X.com, excited, happy Toph fans are currently gathering. How do you feel about the announcement: Are you excited and hoping to see Dwayne The Rock Johnson as The Boulder? What must seasons 2 and 3 absolutely not miss out on for you to tune in? Let us know your comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
GTA 5 Online brings you the new update “Cluckin’ Bell Farm Raid” with fresh content for your criminal life as a gangster. What you need to know for the start of the update and what time the download begins, you will find out here.
What kind of update is this? The Cluckin’ Bell Raid is an operation that you will not carry out as a gangster, but rather as an anti-hero. You will be working together with the LSPD and thus reveal a major case of corruption.
We summarize all the information we know about the update here.
Time and Download for the Launch of Cluckin-Bell Raid
What time does the update come out today? There is currently no exact release time for the update. However, we rely on older updates that were released in a similar timeframe:
The Winter Update 2023 was released around 11:00 AM
Based on these experiences, we believe that the release of the “Cluckin-Bell Raid” update will take place between 11 AM and 1 PM.
As soon as the downloads start, we will update this article for you with the download sizes.
Start video
GTA 5 Online: The Cluckin-Bell Heist – Fight the Corruption!
Contents of the Cluckin-Bell Raid
The new contents of the update at a glance: In the new update, you will uncover a major corruption case. The former head of security of the Diamond Casinos, Vincent Effenburger, now works for the LSPD and wants to dismantle a new cartel that has its claws in the Cluckin’ Bell factory in Paleto Bay.
You will face off against a gang of corrupt cops and the cartel, trying to destroy their influence on the dirty business. It is not only a story offered, but also the possibility of being rewarded for your efforts.
Last but not least, new vehicles will also be released, including the law enforcement vehicle Bravado Gauntlet Interceptor. Now you make sure justice and order prevail on the streets of Los Santos as a gangster and you can also earn a good sum of money.
In Genshin Impact, the different elements of the characters play an important role. We at MeinMMO will introduce them to you in more detail and explain what combos exist.
Why are the elements so interesting? In Genshin Impact, each playable character is associated with one of the available elements and can utilize the special elemental powers of an Archon. And this plays an important role in the game because:
Enemies in the game have weaknesses against specific elements and can be defeated more easily with them.
There are certain combos between the elements that can be activated by switching characters.
Below, we will introduce you to the combos between the elements. We will also reveal which character belongs to which element.
This article was last updated on March 7, 2024. We have added new elemental reactions and characters to the list.
These are the elements and how they can be combined
These are the elements: There are 7 elements in Genshin Impact.
Cryo slows down your enemies in Genshin Impact. With the ice effect, you can also build bridges over water.
Pyro burns enemies and inflicts continuous damage. This element is also needed to ignite torches.
Geo relies on the power from the earth.
Hydro uses water attacks to give enemies the Soaked status. This makes them more susceptible to Electro attacks. Skills can also be used to extinguish fire.
Electro uses the power of lightning and inflicts heavy damage. The effect is also strengthened if enemies are wet or in water.
Anemo uses the power of the wind and is particularly interesting for combos with other elements. Here, the effect of Swirl plays a role.
Dendro utilizes the power of plants and shines especially in combination with other elements.
Freezes an enemy. The ice can be broken by attacks, causing bonus damage.
Superconduct: Cryo + Electro
Deals Cryo damage as AoE and reduces the physical resistance of affected enemies.
Melting: Cryo + Pyro
Provides bonus damage from Cryo (x1.5) and Pyro (x2).
Overloaded: Electro + Pyro
Creates an explosion that deals Pyro damage as AoE.
Electro-Charged: Electro + Hydro
Inflicts continuous Electro damage for a short time. If an enemy is then also melted, an electric field is created, causing AoE damage.
Vaporize: Hydro + Pyro
Provides bonus damage from Cryo (x2) and Pyro (x2).
Swirl: Anemo + Cryo/Electro/Hydro/Pyro
Causes additional damage and distributes it through the effect.
Crystallize: Geo + Cryo/Electro/Hydro/Pyro
Creates crystal fragments that you can collect to receive a shield.
Sprout: Dendro + Hydro
This effect creates fragments called Dendro Cores, of which only a certain number can exist at the same time. If another is created after reaching the limit or the duration of the cores ends, they explode and cause Dendro AoE damage.
If Dendro Cores come into contact with Pyro, they trigger Flame Sprout, which causes higher Dendro AoE damage.
If Dendro Cores hit Electro, the reaction Super Sprout is triggered. In this case, the Dendro Cores become proliferating projectiles that automatically hit their targets.
Overgrowth: Dendro + Electro
Inflicts the status effect Original Growth on the enemy.
Further damage from Electro or Dendro attacks on the target adds bonus damage, and the reactions Super Overgrowth or Vine Growth are then triggered.
This is what the Dendro Cores look like that are created in the combo of Hydro and Dendro
Bonus Effects in Team: If multiple characters with certain elements are present in the team or in co-op in the world, an additional effect is generated:
Geo + Geo = Increases resistance to interruptions. Increases damage from attacks by 15% when protected by a shield
Pyro + Pyro = Reduces the effect duration of Cryo by 40%. Increases ATK by 25%
Hydro + Hydro = Reduces the effect duration of Pyro by 40%. Increases incoming healing by 30%
Anemo + Anemo = Reduces stamina consumption by 15%. Increases movement speed by 10% and reduces CD by 5%
Electro + Electro = Superconducts, Overloads, and Electro-Charged particles have a 100% chance to generate an Electro-elemental particle (5 seconds CD)
Cryo + Cryo = Reduces the effect duration of Electro by 40%. Increases crit chance against frozen enemies by 15%
Dendro + Dendro = Increases elemental mastery by 50 points. Increases the elemental mastery of all nearby team members by 30 points when triggering the reactions Burning, Original Growth, and Sprout for 6 seconds. Increases the elemental mastery of all nearby team members by 20 points when triggering the reactions Super Overgrowth, Vine Growth, Super Sprout, and Flame Sprout for 6 seconds. The duration of the mentioned effects is calculated independently.
4 different elements = Increases all elemental resistances by 15%
Depending on which combination you use, you will receive certain bonuses.
These are the elements various characters have
Electro: – Beidou – Fischl – Keqing – Kujou Sara – Kuki Shinobu – Lisa – Raiden Shogun – Razor – Yae Miko – Dori
Here you will also find an overview of all the codes in Genshin Impact that are currently available and provide you with great rewards such as Primogems or One Hero’s Wisdom. We update these regularly for you:
A wizard player is currently by far the best on the new leaderboards in Diablo 4. In an interview, he explains: He doesn’t even know exactly how he accomplished this. However, he is convinced that the stat “Duration of buff effects from shrines” is the most important for success.
Now Mekuna is currently the best solo player on the new leaderboards in Diablo 4. With his wizard, he has reached 1,199,528 points, more than any other player even in other classes.
In an interview with PC Gamer, he explains how you can improve in the new trial dungeon. However, he keeps his build to himself.
This is the important stat: “Duration of buff effects from shrines” increases, as the name suggests, the duration of buffs you receive from shrines. Actually, this value is something that players would exchange for something else with the occultist right at the beginning.
Shrines are simply too rare in the world and have too little influence on your build. However, that’s different in the trials, as Mekuna explains.
However, there are shrines that increase the drop of the required items. The buff lasts for a standard duration of 30 seconds. With the shrine value on the armor, you can extend this to up to one minute.
Here the developers explain how the dungeon works:
Start video
Diablo 4: The developers talk about the leaderboards and how to climb up there
“Builds are part of the challenge”
According to Mekuna, the value for the leaderboards is “super crucial” to earn many points. Therefore, equipment is much more important than he had assumed before the challenge.
Get shrine duration on your gear and test many routes. You never know if yours is the best. [You] should also analyze your run, but I can’t give any advice on that because I don’t do it myself. But some streamers do.
However, the player does not want to reveal which build he uses. According to Makuna, a good part of the challenge is finding the best build: “Someone [else] could optimize their route/their gear better and anything could happen.”
However, he is likely using a variation of the chain lightning build for the sorceress with electric whip. This build is currently extremely popular for speed farming in Diablo 4 and combines high speed with high damage. However, Mekuna still wants to test many builds. You can find the currently best builds for Diablo 4 in our tier list.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the milestone forge that once created Diablo, Warcraft, and Starcraft, Blizzard in 2024 has nothing in common. But who is to blame for this change? Many fans point to Activision. However, the main responsibility lies with the most successful MMORPG in video game history.
Do you know the saying “Where Blizzard is written, Blizzard is in it!?” After the disastrous Warcraft 3 Reforged, the virtual monetization hell Diablo Immortal, and mixed WoW expansions like Battle for Azeroth, it’s hard to believe, but there was indeed a time when the Blizzard Entertainment logo stood for quality.
With Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft, the Californians ultimately created three of the most well-known brands in video game history and several celebrated games with milestone status. But that was a long time ago.
Today, Blizzard is primarily associated with heavily monetized service games and some of the biggest scandals in the gaming industry. For many players, it seems clear: Activision is responsible for this change! After all, it has been downhill since the merger with Activision Blizzard in July 2008. In our analysis, we show you that the crucial turning point can actually be found much earlier.
Proudly presenting the small Blizzard team in the early 1990s with the new game: The Lost Vikings.
What was Activision’s influence on Blizzard?
First, let’s clarify: When Activision and Blizzard merged with Vivendi Games to create the new holding company Activision Blizzard, Vivendi still held the majority rights. Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick took over management in almost all areas, while Blizzard was given a special role and was allowed to develop games independently and release them through Vivendi.
This power structure only shifted between 2013 and 2016, as Vivendi gradually sold off its shares. And who was the buyer? Of course, Bobby Kotick or Activision. As a result, Blizzard was then fully under the publisher’s thumb eight years after the merger.
But was the influence felt immediately from that moment on? With Jay Wilson (Game Director of Diablo 3; he was with Blizzard until 2016), there is at least one insider who reported on this during a panel at the Retro Gaming Expo in Portland (via Youtube). The influence was supposedly hardly noticeable at first and was limited to certain areas.
Wilson reports, for example, about meetings set up by Activision that aimed to discuss how to make more money with Heroes of the Storm. The MOBA had many of the typical Blizzard strengths (low entry barrier, good readability and playability, high polish), but could not hold its ground against the established, overpowering competition from League of Legends or DOTA 2.
According to Wilson, Activision was also involved in the conception phase of Diablo Immortal. The publisher was adamant about having a Diablo with a free-to-play payment model.
2018 as a watershed year: Save, save, save!
In a Kotaku article by investigative journalist Jason Schreier from November 2018, it is stated (based on eleven anonymous sources) that the culture at Blizzard began to noticeably change in 2018 due to the increasing influence of Activision.
Instead of “It’s done when it’s done” (an old Blizzard motto: games are only released when they are finished and meet their quality standards), the focus was on cutting costs and increasing the number of releases per year.
Start video
Ex-Blizzard employees introduce F2P strategy game – Show battle between huge monster and combat robot
The reason: as of the third quarter of 2017, the number of monthly active players at Blizzard drastically decreased (from 47 million MAUs in the second quarter to 22 million MAUs in the first quarter of 2022). There were hardly any releases. New releases like Destiny 2 fell short of expectations.
Moreover, it certainly didn’t help that Blizzard’s co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime left in October 2018. His successor, J. Allen Brack, was only president and therefore no longer operated on equal terms with CEO Bobby Kotick.
These reports were already confirmed in December 2018 by another insider report from Jason Schreier for Kotaku. In it, sources report that many of the strategic decisions since 2018 have been made by the finance department (which supposedly had no say in the previous years). Victims of the austerity measures include the esports sector of Heroes of the Storm (with the cessation of the Storm Global Championship in December 2018) as well as the far too early release of Warcraft 3 Reforged (according to a Bloomberg report from July 2021, Activision insisted on the early release and the elimination of various features).
Grown from Blizzard’s own mistakes
According to various reports, there was indeed a negative influence from Activision on Blizzard, widespread only from 2018. Until then, Blizzard managers had already sullied their clean slate from the first ten years with a few stains. Here’s a best-of the Blizzard fails until 2016:
Cataclysm (released in December 2010) is the first WoW expansion that has been loudly criticized by large parts of the community and is still one of the most unpopular expansions in WoW history.
In July 2010, Blizzard wanted to introduce that you could only comment in the forum under your Real ID real name. After a brief but fierce shitstorm, the decision-makers retracted this plan.
Diablo 3 made negative headlines upon launch – “thanks” to the online requirement, server problems, and real money trade in the auction house.
Blizzard missed securing the rights to DOTA. Valve was quicker. Blizzard DOTA had to become Heroes of the Storm. The development of the comparatively small title took at least five years.
In September 2014, Blizzard canceled the development of Titan. Due to the early announcement in 2008 and the grand promises of some developers, this premature cancellation felt much more like a failure for the involved team than had been the case with a Warcraft adventure or a Starcraft Ghost.
The WoW expansion Warlords of Draenor launched in November 2014 with plenty of potential but suffered from huge content gaps and perhaps the worst content patch in WoW history (Patch 6.1 brought highlights like the selfie camera, Twitter integration, or the new character models for blood elves).
In 2015, Blizzard introduced the WoW token and with it official real money trade in the European version of World of Warcraft.
In 2016, the Blizzard developers fulfilled a frequently mentioned wish from the community, but the implementation couldn’t have been more careless: the first Diablo received a remake as a simple retro event in Diablo 3.
During the WotLK expansion, WoW celebrated its greatest success.
Suspect Number 1: World of Warcraft
Let’s rewind a few years. There were already two important dates before 2008 (and the merger with Activision Blizzard) that fundamentally impacted Blizzard as a company: November 23, 2004, and February 11, 2005. You surely know the dates.
With the release of World of Warcraft, everything changed. For many players, for the industry, and of course for Blizzard itself. At its peak, twelve million subscribers played the enormously successful online role-playing game (during the WotLK expansion, starting in October 2010). And what to do with all that money? As so often, Blizzard’s answer was: grow!
Before the WoW launch, the company had less than 500 employees, but by 2009 the number had risen to about 4,600. That such rapid growth leads to major problems that can even bury entire companies is shown by examples like Westwood and Bullfrog.
At Blizzard, two main things happened: First, the company culture supposedly changed noticeably, which only came to light during the major sexism scandal in 2021. According to a report by Jason Schreier for Bloomberg from August 2021, the top developers were treated like rock stars due to the success of WoW, rendering them untouchable for complaints.
This supposedly led to a so-called “frat boy culture” developing at Blizzard (similar to that at Ubisoft): male employees would gather at work for drinks, only to prey on and hit on female colleagues at their workstations.
Secondly, after 2004, Blizzard’s focus clearly shifted to World of Warcraft. While almost every year saw Blizzard games released for various franchises since 1994, between 2004 and 2009 only WoW existed.
The Skyhorse mount generated more revenue than Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty at launch.
Such experiences, as well as the enormous success of WoW, partially explain why Blizzard gradually drifted in the direction of games-as-a-service. The other part can be traced to the ever-changing market realities. This includes the fact that developing games is becoming increasingly expensive, but also that success on the stock market comes with obligations. After WoW, Blizzard had to measure itself against this very success and adapt its corporate strategy accordingly.
All these factors combined, triggered by World of Warcraft, ensured that the “Blizzard corporation” – with its thousands of employees, service focus, and a partly toxic culture – had already little in common with the “good old” Blizzard long before the influence of Activision.
Johanna Faries has been the new president of Blizzard since February 2024.
There is no going back, but …
The bad news: There is no way back for the company. The “good old Blizzard” will never return. On the one hand, because Blizzard now likely employs significantly more than 6,000 people. The focus will therefore continue to be on service and mobile games that can be extensively monetized.
On the other hand, hardly anyone from the veterans is still on board. Instead of the Blizzard founders Mike Morhaime, Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce, Johanna Farie (formerly Activision), Rod Fergusson (formerly The Coalition), Holly Longdale (formerly Daybreak), and others are setting the direction. Only a few of the old Blizzard veterans are still around. Chris Metzen, for example, Aaron Keller, Wyatt Cheng, or Tom Chilton.
However, the list of former long-standing Blizzard developers is considerably longer. It was only recently revealed that Marc Messenger left the company in January 2024 (via Reddit). He was among others the leading force behind the fantastic intro cinematic of WoW: Legion.
But there is also good news: As part of Microsoft, Blizzard now has the opportunity to implement projects outside of the core portfolio without a service model, which fit well with the Xbox Game Pass. Small pearls like Hi-Fi Rush from Tango Gameworks or Pentiment from Obsidian prove this. Would you also like to see a new story-focused game in the Starcraft universe?
Pokémon GO has announced the “Weather Week”. Here, you can expect a good Shiny chance and especially a lot of Stardust.
When does the Weather Week run? The Weather Week starts on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at 10:00 AM local time. It will then run until Monday, March 18, at 8:00 PM.
What is the highlight of the event? Stardust is one of the most important resources in the game to level up Pokémon or teach them additional moves. So you can never have enough of it – and the Weather Week looks like the ideal event to replenish your Stardust supply.
Because the benefits of the event include two Stardust bonuses: You will receive more dust for Pokémon with weather boosts, as well as double catch Stardust. Also, during the event spawns, Paras will appear more frequently, which is one of the Pokémon that generally give you more Stardust.
Accordingly: If you need Stardust, you should mark the Weather Week on your calendar.
Another highlight is the increased Shiny chance for Formeo. It will appear more frequently in the appropriate form depending on the weather while the event is running.
Pokémon GO: This is what the new season ‘World full of Wonders’ looks like in the trailer
Which Pokémon will appear during the Weather Week?
Basically, the spawns are thematically aligned with the weather conditions. For example, during rain, Loturzel may appear more frequently. We have summarized the Pokémon for you here, possible Shinies are marked with an asterisk*.
Every Weather: Paras*, Driftlon*, Eguana*, Amarino*, Schlurp* (rarely)
Additionally, a collector challenge will take place, which will bring you Stardust and a smoke.
Overall, the event is a great opportunity to secure Stardust, especially if you focus on weather-boosted Pokémon. And it is not the only exciting date in the coming weeks: Here you will find all events in March 2024 for Pokémon GO.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Almost every modern multiplayer game features emotes in some form, which are short animated actions that characters perform to greet, gesture, or dance. Helldivers 2 is no exception. In most games, emotes are useless, but in Arrowhead’s co-op shooter, a specific emote can save you from death.
How do players protect their friends from death? In Helldivers 2, there is an emote that allows you to perform a hug with another player. This hug can temporarily protect you from certain death – for example, when a hellbomb explodes next to you.
Of course, a simple hug won’t save you. One of the two players needs a shield generator backpack. This backpack creates a round barrier around the wearer that protects them from attacks as long as it is active.
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Helldivers 2 Announce Trailer PS5 PC
The shield generator backpack is part of the current meta builds of Helldivers 2, so it’s very likely that you’ll find someone in your lobby carrying the backpack. To protect another player from an explosion, for example, you need to pull them into the shield of your shield generator backpack with the hug.
To do this, you just have to press the emote button, and your brave soldier spreads their arms and awaits a hearty hug. Another teammate does not need to have the emote equipped but can respond to the hug with a simple keystroke.
The YouTuber Standard-Ace demonstrated this heartwarming strategy in a 34-second video:
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YouTube video about the hugging strategy in Helldivers 2
Players are moved: “Damn, that’s cute.”
What does the community say about it? Many players of Helldivers 2 are commenting under StandardAce’s YouTube video, expressing how great they think it is and praising Helldivers 2 for that.
grubbus7922: “Hugging your teammates to protect them is the sweetest thing in the world.”
boo.1337: “You know someone figured out the emote thing because they tried to spend their last moments hugging their buddy.”
beefnerd_sadboi3680: “Damn, that’s cute.”
CentauriTTJ: “Hold me, brother. Tight. For the weapons of democracy.”
EarthBoundBean: “God, that’s so cool. I assume it’s unintentional, but it makes sense. It doesn’t seem overpowered since it’s so situational. Hopefully, it won’t get patched.”
Even weeks after the release, many players are still enjoying Helldivers 2 and appreciating small things like a hug emote that can save you from death.
However, some fans of the co-op shooter are also patiently waiting for new content and looking forward to future updates. We already know that mechs will soon expand your tactical gear.
In Call of Duty: Warzone, campers are not exactly the most popular players. With a new killstreak, you can really get on their nerves since Season 2 Reloaded and force them to leave their positions.
With the Reloaded update in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, a new killstreak has been added to the game, which was hinted at in the Roadmap for Season 2. It is called the “Tankbreaker”.
The Tankbreaker is designed to shoot a rocket at a building, causing an explosion across multiple floors. Players are sure: This could be a nightmare for campers and snipers.
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Call of Duty: Warzone Season 2 Launch Trailer
“Tankbreaker” enables long-range attacks
Why does this make life difficult for campers? Campers like to hole up in buildings or on rooftops and wait there until they can surprise enemy players. Some sit in the corner with their shotgun, while others snipe from long distances.
Engaging campers in a gunfight can end badly because they often have an advantage due to their position. By the time you even enter the room or get to the rooftop, they already have you in their sights.
With the Tankbreaker, you don’t have to rely on luck that you aim and shoot faster; you can surprise the campers from a great distance with an attack. You activate the killstreak by pulling out your binoculars and targeting the building where you suspect the campers to be.
How does the Tankbreaker work? With the killstreak, you send a rocket crashing down on the target. This causes an explosion and leaves only a cloud of smoke behind. This means that the campers must leave their positions beforehand – or their avatars will be eliminated.
In the English article on callofduty.com, there is mention of a “column of gas”, which essentially translates to “gas column”. If it is not a smoke cloud but harmful gas, the attack would be even more dangerous.
After the explosion of the “Tankbreaker”, not much remains in the building.
“This will be the cause of many tears”
What do players say about this? In a post on X (formerly Twitter), one user notes: “The worst nightmare of a sniper is coming for us.” Someone comments: “This is going to be wild.” Another user mentions with a laughing emote that the killstreak will be particularly “broken” (too strong) in the endgame when players are camping in a building.
On Reddit, one user writes on March 4 that he hopes the “Tankbreaker” will be really rare. “I don’t see how this helps the gameplay at all.” In another comment, he adds: “It aids worse players who don’t know how to combat a better team with a better position. That’s the point.”
Another user writes: “This Tankbreaker will be the cause of many tears.” And one user sees it as a good addition, “depending on how long the warning before the attack actually lasts.” Someone wonders how large the radius of the killstreak is. If it is very far-reaching, it could be “game-changing”.
Will you try the “Tankbreaker”? What do you think of such killstreaks? Feel free to leave us a comment on that.
Today, on March 6, Season 2 Reloaded begins in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone. How well the new killstreak will be received in practice remains to be seen. It is clear that positioning often decides between victory and defeat – especially in Warzone.
A player has been an integral part of professional Counter-Strike for a decade, but just when the Major is taking place in his home country, his team misses out on qualifying for the tournament.
Which tournament is it? The Major tournament in Copenhagen is coming up. From March 17 to 31, the best teams from Counter-Strike 2 will meet and compete for $1,250,000.
A Major tournament is one of the most important tournaments in Counter-Strike. Major tournaments occur several times a year, where teams from different regions prove themselves in regional qualifying tournaments before they meet at the big tournaments. Major tournaments are usually held offline and attract a large audience of fans.
This year, two Major-format tournaments have been announced so far. The PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 from March 17 to 31 and the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 from December 1 to 15 in Shanghai.
Even before CS:GO became CS 2, many professionals played Counter-Strike: Source; you can see the trailer to reminisce here:
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Counter-Strike: Source – Trailer
Danish legend does not qualify for the Major in Denmark
Which professional is not participating? The Danish Counter-Strike pro Dupreeh has been one of the big stars of Counter-Strike Esports since the beginning. He played his first tournaments in 2012 and remains one of the most successful players of the game to this day.
His winnings are estimated at over $2.2 million on liquipedia. He has won the mentioned Major tournaments five times in the 11 years he has not missed a single one.
Since the turn of the year, the Dane has been playing for the team Preasy Esport, but things have not been going well lately.
Why is the team not participating? The Danish team Preasy Esport is not participating in the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 this year. In the qualification round of the Major, the so-called “European RMR B” tournament, the team could only secure one win against Pera Esports. They lost all other games and thus missed the qualification for the Major in their home country.
What about Dupreeh? The Dane is not participating in the tournament for the first time in 11 years due to his team’s poor performance.
On X (formerly Twitter), the pro commented on his team’s elimination saying: “We gave everything, but it wasn’t enough. Starting CS2 without the Major in Copenhagen is extremely sad, but in retrospect, it just wasn’t meant to be. Thank you for the support!”
Shortly thereafter, on X (formerly Twitter), the 5-time champion posted again after the previous post received many responses. “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up. Nelson Mandela This was my mindset for the RMR. Despite the failure, I am still proud of it.”
Steam introduces a new feature that allows you to hide your games. This is useful if you don’t want everyone to see what you are playing. There are also a few sensible improvements, for example for your shopping cart on Steam. You can read all the information directly on our site MeinMMO.
Valve regularly brings small but fine improvements for the Steam client. With the latest update, you can not only sync your shopping cart across multiple devices but also hide games that not everyone should see. Is your favorite game too embarrassing for everyone to see? Then you can hide it now.
You can now hide purchases and games on Steam
What does this bring? From now on, you can hide which games you buy or which games you are currently playing on Steam. This is especially useful for people who want to play titles that are somewhat embarrassing publicly.
If you start a game that your friends shouldn’t see, you can hide it from now on. Your friends will not see whether and when you start the game or when you earn achievements.
Do you have a weakness for Hentai? Or have you never dared to buy a “special” title because you were embarrassed in front of your friends? Then you can buy and play those now without anyone on your friends list seeing it.
How does it work?
You go to your library and right-click on the game.
Then go to the manage tab and click on “Mark as private.”
Now the game is “private”. In the same way, you can set the game back to “normal”.
If you buy a new game, you can directly select the note “For my account: Private” in the shopping cart.
Optimized purchases and improved shopping cart
What else came with the update?
Inline gifts: Buy gifts for multiple friends at once with just one transaction and with optimized notifications for a smooth purchase process.
A shopping cart on all devices: Your shopping cart is now seamlessly synced across all devices you log in on (including Steam Deck and mobile devices), ensuring a consistent shopping experience no matter where you buy your games or software.
When you now put a game in your shopping cart, you will also see a new interface and can confirm again that you really want to buy the game.
If you still need more games: Some games particularly benefit from the better display and HDR options of the new Steam Deck OLED. MeinMMO introduces you to 12 games you should check out.
On March 22, 2024, Dragon’s Dogma 2 will be released on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. The sequel to the popular role-playing game from 2013 cites a very specific game as inspiration for the freedom in the open world: GTA 5.
Which game is it about? Dragon’s Dogma is a fantasy role-playing game by Capcom from 2013. Accordingly, it has been around for eleven years. Fans of the game have been waiting for a sequel for years. Over time, Dragon’s Dogma has become a true fan favorite.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 already looks like a worthy sequel in the trailers. The game once again offers a vast open world and its unique Pawn system. You recruit AI-controlled party members whom you can also share with other players online. All in all, Dragon’s Dogma remains a single-player game.
The game director Hideaki Itsuno, who was responsible for the first part, spoke in an interview with GamesRadar+ about the design philosophy of the open world and the gameplay freedom. He named a surprising role model: GTA 5.
Dragon’s Dogma has shown its dynamic combat system in a new trailer:
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Dragon’s Dogma 2 showcases action-packed battles with a new class in the new trailer
Rockstar’s gangster epic has impressed the developer
Why was GTA 5 an inspiration? The fifth part of the GTA series, like Dragon’s Dogma, was released in 2013. In retrospect, game director Hideaki Itsuno is impressed by the way Rockstar Games designs their world.
Itsuno found it particularly inspiring how GTA 5 connects different gameplay systems, leading to a satisfying gaming experience. As a player, you feel completely free at all times. You get the feeling that you can do whatever you want.
GTA 5 is very flexible and allows multiple events to overlap. As an example, Itsuno mentions the chaos for which GTA is famous. You can do something that spirals out of control. Great chaos ensues, and the game world reacts to it.
The game manages that. It doesn’t crash, it doesn’t kick you out of one thing into another; it just lets everything flow in a way that, while chaotic, always feels intentional.
For instance, during police chases, which rarely go as one expects. The blending of gameplay and open world was impressively achieved in GTA 5. The environment adapts to the chaos – this summarizes the genius of a GTA well and should happen similarly in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 does without fast travel: According to Itsuno, the team aims to create an open world that is so exciting that players do not want to use fast travel at any time. To counteract this urge, the game even forgoes the otherwise so popular feature.
The role-playing game The Thaumaturge was released on March 4 on Steam. Even during the Steam Next Fest, players could embark on a dark adventure in Warsaw in the year 1905. Reactions to the full version are now mostly very positive.
What kind of game is this? The Thaumaturge is a new role-playing game developed by Fools Theorie. The Polish team will also develop the remake of The Witcher in the near future, while a fourth part is in development at CD Project Red.
The Thaumaturge transports you to Warsaw in the year 1905. The main character, Wiktor, is a Thaumaturge by profession, defined as a person who can perform miracles. In the game, this means that Wiktor can not only see various demons, called Salutors, but also recruit them for his cause. This not only sounds suspiciously like Pokémon, it also plays out that way in practice.
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The Thaumaturge shows in 7 minutes how you fight through the dark Warsaw
Detective Work from an Iso Perspective
What is there to do in The Thaumaturge? Supported by the demons, Wiktor dives into a Warsaw ruled by the Russian Tsar Empire. The story is the heart of the game. You embark on a quest to find Rasputin, the famous miracle healer. Together with him, Wiktor tries to solve the mysterious death of his own father.
In various main and side quests, you investigate as Wiktor from an Iso perspective and draw conclusions from various pieces of information. Fans of detective games like LA Noire or Disco Elysium will likely be pleased. Thaumaturge is similarly atmospheric and full of moral decisions. Additionally, the game world is filled with many small details and texts that provide additional background information.
The battles take place in turns, similar to Baldur’s Gate 3. And this is where the demonic Salutors come to your aid. Like in Pokémon, you can deploy them at will and have them fight against your enemies. The monsters look quite dark and each has different abilities. For example, the demon Bukavac becomes stronger as his opponent weakens.
How is the game received by the community? The Thaumaturge was released on March 4, 2024, on Steam. Even its trailer generated enthusiasm beforehand. Looking at the user reviews on the platform now, shortly after release, the game currently holds an average rating of 83%. This is sufficient for the verdict “very positive”.
The reviews especially highlight the story, the dense atmosphere of the game world along with its unusual scenario, and the tactical battles:
“You go on a buddy cop adventure with Rasputin and your zombie Pokémon,” summarizes lovelace their gaming experience.
“A Pokémon trainer who wants to be the Witcher solves mysteries in a Sherlock-like manner and catches new Pokémon with the help of Professor Oak’s distant wizard cousin Grigori Rasputin – 10/10,” judges Valkengale.
“I am so glad that in today’s bloated and boring triple-A world, there are still unique games like this,” states Ripleyy.
“A narrative, character-driven what-if story with an interesting hook, deep characters, unique mechanics, and a fascinating setting,” writes The Arcadean.
Just because a class is easier to play in Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. A player had to find this out, and he is now sharing his revelation on Reddit.
There are a total of 12 classes in Baldur’s Gate 3. Some are a bit more complex, while others play as classic “smash classes” that are significantly easier.
The fighter belongs to the second category. Armored with heavy armor, he can easily stand at the front line, heal himself, and deal a good amount of damage at the same time.
Due to his rather simple mechanics, the fighter is often underestimated. Additionally, he is well-suited for beginners:
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The best class for beginners in Baldur’s Gate 3
“Now I get it”
On Reddit, user tn00bz confesses that he underestimated a particular class for a long time: the fighter. He reports that he has been a DM for a D&D group for quite some time. However, none of his players ever decided to choose a fighter as their character.
“I understand that. They seem very vanilla. Boring.”
Vanilla means something like “normal.” When he then started his first run in Baldur’s Gate 3, he also chose not to include a fighter in his group.
However, after numerous recommendations, he eventually gave in and tried Lae’zel as a fighter. And the result surprised him:
I wasn’t particularly impressed until I got to certain minibosses in Act 2. There, she first disarmed, knocked down, gained an additional action, attacked twice more, and did a knockdown attack, killing the guy in her first round.
Since then, he is convinced of the class. “Now I get it,” he concludes his post.
Can it get any better? Even in the comments, players express their enthusiasm for the class and make it even more enticing.
“Wait until you reach Act 3. Then she can do all of that, but with 3 attacks per action and with better weapons and a potion of giant strength!” (Raddatatta)
“11 levels of fighter, 1 level of war cleric is all you need” (FremanBloodglaive)
Some also give tips to make Lae’zel even stronger:
“Also take Haste as a spell for extra fun” (goodrevitm)
“Or chug a potion of speed” (delboy5)
Overall, it shows that the fighter class should not be underestimated and is definitely worth a try. Another class that might not seem so strong at first glance but is incredibly effective is the monk. To find out why a player is so enthusiastic about a monk build, check this out:
In Helldivers 2 you have various missions. We will show you which one allows you to farm XP the fastest and reach level 20.
How can you level up quickly? In Helldivers 2, there are 2 types of missions that allow you to farm and level up XP very effectively.
Eliminate Terminid Swarm
Eliminate Robot Forces
In both missions, you must eliminate a certain number of enemies on a small map. The time for the mission is significantly lower than, for example, when destroying Terminid eggs, but it can also be completed much faster
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Helldivers 2 Announce Trailer PS5 PC
How much XP does the mission give? Depending on the difficulty level and your speed, you can earn several hundred XP with these missions within 5-7 minutes. It’s important that you complete the mission as quickly as possible and ideally cooperatively with four players.
You get more XP if all four Helldivers successfully extract.
The amount of XP you receive as a bonus increases the more remaining time you have.
A higher difficulty level is also rewarded: the higher the selected level, the more XP you get.
If you want to earn as much XP as possible for completing the mission, you need to complete it on difficulty levels eight or nine and can only take a few minutes to eliminate the robots or Terminids.
Is the mission doable solo? It’s quite difficult, as you have to face numerous enemies. Especially on difficulty levels 8 or 9, it’s almost impossible.
MeinMMO editor Dariusz Müller completed the “Eliminate Robot Forces” mission with random teammates on the relatively low difficulty level of “hard” (level 5) in just about 4.5 minutes and earned 422 XP for it.
If you play a large, time-consuming mission where you have 40 minutes and possibly even complete all side objectives, you often earn between 300 and 500 XP at a similar difficulty level. On levels 8 or 9, you can earn 700 XP or more, but that takes significantly more time.
Helldivers 2: Level up quickly by letting turrets do the work
How do you complete the mission the fastest? The fastest mission is actually the “Eliminate Robot Forces” since the attacking robots are dropped off by landing ships at fixed points before they reach your position on foot.
As the YouTuber “AvuKamu” shows in a video, it’s possible to destroy these ships even before dropping off the robots. For this, the entire squad should take three turrets with them, which you can place at the drop-off points or access paths.
You need per player:
1x Rocket Turret
1x Mortar Turret
1x Automatic Gun Turret
Once you have placed the turrets, they will take care of shooting down the ships. The YouTuber completed the mission on level 8 easily in under 5 minutes. You hardly have to participate in the fight yourself.
Against the Terminids, the turret strategy is unfortunately somewhat less effective, as the incoming horde cannot be shot down while still in a landing ship. The bugs instead crawl out of a bug outbreak and storm your position. They often attack and destroy your turrets first.
If you don’t want to leave all the fun to the turrets, you can vary your loadout within the squad, accept a loss of some time, and distribute lead yourself. If you’re wondering which weapons are best suited for this, you can find a tier list on MeinMMO: Helldivers 2: Tier List of the best weapons and grenades for every mission
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Currently, there is a publisher action from Capcom running on Steam. Among them, you will find one of the most popular co-op games for not even 10 euros.
Which game is this about?Monster Hunter: World is a cooperative game from the popular Monster Hunter franchise.
As monster hunters, you confront monsters to either kill or capture them. For this, you receive rewards in the form of money or materials to create better weapons and armor. With new equipment, you can then face stronger monsters.
You can watch the trailer for Monster Hunter: World here:
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Monster Hunter World Trailer
What does Monster Hunter: World cost? At full price, you have to pay 29.99 € on Steam for the base game of Monster Hunter: World. Currently, however, you can get the RPG hit for 67% cheaper. You only pay 9.89 €.
Thanks to Capcom’s publisher promotion, you can also save a lot on the other versions:
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Digital Deluxe for 19.79 € (Full price: 49.99 €)
What can you expect in Monster Hunter: World? In this action RPG, you take on the role of a monster hunter and explore a realistic ecosystem in search of powerful beasts. Whether you face this task alone or in a group of up to four players is up to you.
With the “Drop-In” mechanics, you can easily team up with other players online in multiplayer and face the hunt together. Using the scout flies, you will search for the monsters’ traces. The more traces you find, the more information you gather for the battle.
In battle, you have 14 different types of weapons at your disposal. Since each weapon offers unique properties and attack options, you can adjust them to your play style. Whether you master just one weapon or use different weapons depending on the situation is up to you.
Only 2024 brought one bad news after another for employees in the gaming industry. Developer and publisher Capcom, on the other hand, has good news: salary increases of up to 28% are planned.
What has happened recently in the gaming industry? Already 2023 was marked by major layoffs in the gaming industry. 2024 continued the trend. Meanwhile, there is even a dedicated English Wikipedia page just for the layoffs this year.
Here is a selection of the larger layoffs in January 2024
The publisher EA closed its studio Ridgeline Games, canceled a single-player Star Wars game from Respawn Entertainment, and laid off 670 employees
After all the sad news of layoffs, studio closures, and cutbacks, there is now good news.
One of Capcom’s most popular games is Monster Hunter World:
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Monster Hunter World Trailer
What is Capcom doing? In a press release, the developer and publisher Capcom states that they plan salary increases for their employees. In the fiscal year 2024, salaries are to be increased by an average of 5%. Additionally, there will be a bonus payment for all employees in April.
In the fiscal year 2025, Capcom intends to raise the monthly starting salary for new university graduates from the current 235,000 yen (approx. 1,444.08 €) to 300,000 yen (approx. 1,843.50 €) per year. This means that employees have 65,000 yen (399.43 €) more in their pockets each month – that’s about 27.66% more salary.
These changes come after Capcom already made various internal adjustments last year. Among other things, substantial investments were made in human resources.
One of the most popular action-adventuresyou could only play on Playstation. In May, that should change when you can also get this beautiful title on Steam.
Note: In an earlier version of the article, Ghost of Tsushima was referred to as “Soulslike”. We have corrected this and adapted it to “action-adventure”.
What game is this about? In 2020, Ghost of Tsushima was released as a beautiful action-adventure exclusively for the PS4 and a year later for the PS5. Since then, the game has developed into one of the absolute fan favorites and has received several awards, including the Game Award for “Best Art Direction”.
Ghost of Tsushima impressed not only with a good story or good gameplay but especially with breathtaking scenes, landscapes, and truly great graphics.
As early as the trailer for the PS4 version, the game showed itself in the best light and impressed many players right from the start:
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Ghost of Tsushima – PS4-Trailer
When can you play Ghost of Tsushima on PC? Four years after the console release, PC players can also dive into this beautiful adventure. As officially announced, you can play Ghost of Tsushima on Steam starting May 16, 2024.
If you want to start on the release day, you can even pre-order the game in the Director’s Cut version.
What information is there for PC players? You can already find some interesting information on the Steam page. This includes some technical details to enjoy this graphical masterpiece in all its glory:
Select your frame rate yourself and adjust it to your device
Supports resolutions of Ultrawide (21:9), Super Ultrawide (32:9), and 48:9 with support for up to three monitors
NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS. NVIDIA Reflex and NVIDIA DLAA are supported
You also have the option to play the game with Japanese synchronization. The cutscenes will be adapted to the lip movements. This way, your experience is supposed to become even more authentic.
On PC, you also have the choice of whether you want to play with a controller or with a mouse and keyboard. The controls are said to be completely customizable. For the controller, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers are also promised to improve the precision with your bow, for example.
