Mewgenics offers a fresh twist on the popular roguelike style by combining deep turn-based strategy with quirky, creepy-cute cats. The game’s battles are challenging and memorable, especially with tough boss fights that can wipe out your whole team if you’re not ready.
One such boss is Queen Hippo, who is a great example of the type of encounter players will face. She has only a few moves but uses a clever trick that makes her tricky to beat if you don’t know what to expect. While she’s not the hardest boss in the game, she can be pretty tough early on, especially until you figure out how to counter her strengths.
Queen Hippo Overview
Queen Hippo appears as a final boss in the Alley region, often encountered early in your adventure, which can make her tough, especially if your team isn’t well developed yet. She has a lot of health, can perform multiple actions in a row, and deals heavy damage, making her a formidable foe when you’re just starting out or using weaker builds.
Luckily, her attack options are quite limited, so with some strategy, she isn’t unbeatable. Before diving into tactics, let’s look at her stats and ideal tools to fight her — especially in the early game.
Queen Hippo Details:
| Boss Type | Final Boss |
| — | — |
| Region | Act One: The Alley |
| Max HP | 80 HP |
| Possible Drops | Energy Drink (Weapon), Small Catnip Baggy (Trinket), Used Shirt (Necklace) |
Drops are random, so your loot may differ, but these are the items we’ve seen after defeating her. We’ll update this info if we find new prizes.
Recommended Units
Using the right cats and collars is key. Here’s a good team setup:
| Collar | Stats |
| — | — |
| Thief | Speed +4, Luck +1, Constitution -1, Strength -1 |
| Hunter | Dexterity +3, Luck +2, Speed -2, Constitution -1 |
| Tank | Constitution +4, Dexterity -1, Intelligence -1 |
| Cleric | Charisma +2, Constitution +2, Dexterity -1, Speed -1 |
You can replace the Thief with a Fighter or the Cleric with a Mage if those collars aren’t unlocked yet. The Thief is especially effective against Queen Hippo because of its speed and agility. The Cleric is ideal for reducing the damage she inflicts, but if unavailable, a Mage can still help by providing extra firepower from a safe distance. Remember, she has a ton of health and hits hard—don’t underestimate her!
How to Beat Queen Hippo
Queen Hippo’s fight revolves around her two main attacks, which are powerful but limited in variety. Since she only has two moves, with some planning, she becomes manageable.
She only has two big attacks:
Uppercut
She’ll land a brutal punch that sends a unit three tiles backward and deals massive damage. If there are units next to her at the start of her turn, she’ll automatically use this move before her turn begins, attacking and knocking back multiple units.
Tip: Keep your units away from her or tucked into tall grass to boost evasion and reduce her chances of landing this hit. Avoid clustering units together, as being knocked into objects or other cats can cause extra damage and leave them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
Haymaker
Her other move is a huge right hook that sends a unit four tiles back. This attack can be dangerous if there’s something behind the target, increasing its damage. It’s her default move so she’ll probably use it often.
Tip: Use tall grass to dodge her Haymaker, as it greatly increases your chances to evade. Keep moving around the arena, taking shots at her whenever you get openings, and avoiding standing directly in front of her.
Overall Strategy
Winning against Queen Hippo involves smart positioning:
Place your Hunter in the middle of the arena in a tall grass patch to keep her within striking distance.
Keep your Tank always in front of her to absorb damage and pull her attention away from more fragile units.
Use the Thief’s ability to teleport behind her to initiate attacks or reposition into tall grass.
If you have the Cleric, keep her floating close to your Tank to heal and mitigate her damage.
If you’re using a Mage, position them near the Hunter for ranged support while slower units deal damage from a safe distance.
Be quick and efficient—her big hits can take down your units if you drag the fight out. Focus on setting up the right defenses and targeting her weak spots to bring her down before she overwhelms you.
Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit, the mother of King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the country’s longest-reigning monarch, passed away late Friday at the age of 93, according to the royal palace. The Thai royal family is highly revered, often regarded by many as semi-divine figures, with expansive media coverage and portraits displayed across public spaces and private homes nationwide.
“Her loss is deeply felt by the nation,” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated on Saturday, announcing he would postpone his departure for a weekend summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Malaysia.
During her 66-year marriage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Sirikit gained a reputation as both a fashion icon and a compassionate matriarch—frequently featured in Western media on magazine covers and compared to Jackie Kennedy, the former U.S. First Lady.
“I had heard she had been unwell, and given her age, I knew this day might come,” said 53-year-old housekeeper Sasis Putthasit early Saturday in Bangkok. “But I didn’t expect it to be today. It’s very sad because she was like a mother figure for the nation, and now she’s gone.”
The palace noted that Sirikit had experienced several health issues, including a blood infection earlier this month, leading to her hospitalization since 2019. Her condition worsened until she passed away at Chulalongkorn Hospital.
King Vajiralongkorn has designated members of the royal family to oversee a year of mourning, with Thai media and officials wearing black in observance starting Saturday. Crowds gathered outside Chulalongkorn Hospital, holding portraits of the late queen and paying respects.
Her death “signifies a momentous event for the Thai royal family and the entire country, considering her enormous popularity and close ties to the late king, whom many still deeply revere,” remarked Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a former diplomat and scholar studying Thailand’s monarchy.
Known as the “Mother of the Nation,” Sirikit’s reign in the 1960s saw her mingling with U.S. presidents and celebrities like Elvis Presley, while also traveling extensively within Thailand to visit rural communities. Her birthday was officially designated as Thailand’s Mothers’ Day.
Store owner Tanyaporn Arammetha shared that she always viewed the late queen and king as parental figures. “She demonstrated genuine care for Thai people, much like a parent loves their children,” she said.
The country’s monarchy, established in 1782, currently faces a successor question, as King Vajiralongkorn has yet to formally name an heir. He has seven children—five sons from previous marriages who have been disowned and a 20-year-old son, Dipangkorn Rasmijoti.
Although the monarchy continues to enjoy high regard, it experienced unprecedented public protests in 2020 demanding political reforms and questioning royal authority—an extraordinary challenge in Thai history. The late queen also drew attention when she attended a royalist protester’s funeral in 2008.
Following King Bhumibol’s death, Thailand observed a year of mourning, with flags lowered to half-mast, bans on celebrations, and citizens wearing black. Sirikit’s body will lie in state at the Grand Palace’s Dusit Thron Hall in Bangkok.
A worker at a local food company reflected, “We’ve lost two guiding figures—Queen Sirikit and King Bhumibol. They’re watching over us from heaven.” International leaders also expressed condolences; Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended their sympathies, emphasizing Pakistan’s solidarity with Thailand during this period of mourning.
During the Wrath of the Ripper Queen mission in Borderlands 4, you’ll revisit familiar characters from previous Borderlands games. This story mission is crucial because it results in the fall of Callis, The Ripper Queen, who is an ally of the Timekeeper. Before starting, you need to free and support the resistance in Carcadia Burn. Luckily, this mission is quick to complete, but its length means there’s a lot to do, which can cause you to miss important details for progression.
How to Start the Wrath of the Ripper Queen Mission
Since it’s part of the main story, make sure you’ve completed the “A Lot to Process” mission first. Afterward, you’ll gain access to both Carcadia Burn and Terminus Range, but your focus for this quest is Carcadia Burn.
Once in the desert area and after accepting the mission, head to the northern part of Carcadia Burn. Look for a distress signal in the Grindstone of the Worthy province. When you arrive, you’ll see a rocky tunnel—go through it. On the other side, you’ll find an open space filled with enemies. Clear out the enemies first. They aren’t too tough individually, but because there are many, using a shotgun or other crowd-control weapon is recommended.
After defeating the enemies, a character named Quent will emerge from a building in the back. Talk to him and follow him to a large red building. As you approach, you’ll be attacked by a small group of enemies—defeat them before proceeding.
How to Extend the Bridge
Enter the red building, where Quent waits at a table in the center. Before talking to him, speak with the two survivors; one will be near a barrel on the right, and the other against the wall in front of Quent. Quent will then contact Levaine using his desk machine. She’ll ask you to extend a nearby bridge, which involves leaving the building and moving to the right from the entrance.
On the structure overlooking a large gap, you will need to extend the bridge. To get onto it, go to the front left side of the structure and look up for a grapple point to reach the top. Once there, you’ll find the control panel at the front. Activate it, but expect the screen to shake and nothing to happen—indicating the bridge is broken.
How to Place Explosives on the Catapult
Levaine will instruct you to destroy a catapult with Quent’s help. Quent is located on the outskirts of Carcadia, west of your position—find him on top of a destroyed building marked on your map. To reach him, go to the back of the building and jump up; Quent will hand you explosives to bring down the catapult.
Proceed to the area across the destroyed building. When you arrive near the catapult, enemies will attack again, and the catapult will keep firing. Place the explosives in the three green-highlighted spots at the base of the catapult. After planting them, take cover and wait for the explosion.
While behind cover, keep fighting enemies to prevent being overwhelmed, which could cause you to enter Fight for Your Life mode and complicate the mission. If the explosives don’t trigger, Quent will mention a wildcard character you can meet at a nearby bar—though its entrance is guarded by enemies. Clearing the bar area is necessary before proceeding.
How to Complete the Wrath of the Ripper Queen Mission
Reach the bar after eliminating all enemies outside. Once inside, follow Quent to the entrance, leading into a cutscene that introduces Zane, the wildcard Quent talked about, and Mad Moxxi, both familiar from earlier titles. After the cutscene, Quent will be near them, and your next step is to talk to the bartender to complete the mission. This will trigger the start of the next story mission, “Siege and Destroy.”
During her inaugural mission to space, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers has met three robots stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
“We hit the ground running (or floating??) here on the space station,” Ayers, who arrived at the ISS a little over a week ago, shared on X. “Along with gathering data for one of the research studies, I assisted in loading some software onto the Astrobees. This is Bumble!”
We hit the ground running (or floating??) here on @Space_Station! In addition to data collection for one of the studies, I got to help load some software onto the Astrobees. This is Bumble!
These robots are a technology demonstration meant to assist astronauts with routine tasks… pic.twitter.com/RBTQPkphyx
— Nichole “Vapor” Ayers (@Astro_Ayers) March 24, 2025
As Ayers explained, the Astrobee robots are part of a technology demonstration designed to aid ISS astronauts with everyday tasks. These tasks include inventory management, documenting experiments, and moving cargo, allowing astronauts to focus on responsibilities that require a human touch.
The compact, cube-shaped flying robots were developed at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and were sent to the ISS in 2019.
NASA astronaut Anne McClain unpacked the first Astrobee robot — Bumble — on the ISS in 2019.NASA
The Astrobee robots are equipped with various cameras and sensors for navigation, along with a touchscreen, speaker, and microphone. They even house a mechanical arm that can be fitted with different tools.
Rather than drifting aimlessly, these robots utilize a fan propulsion system to move in designated directions. Their onboard battery powers both the fans and other components, and when the battery runs low, the robot autonomously navigates to a docking station to recharge.
According to NASA, “Robots will play a crucial role in the agency’s mission to return to the moon and other deep space explorations. Tools like Astrobee have the potential to become caretakers for future spacecraft, maintaining systems and ensuring smooth operations while the crew is away.”
One of the ISS’s most recognized robotic tools is the Canadarm2, a 17.6-meter-long robotic arm that has been attached to the exterior of the ISS since 2001. It performs essential tasks such as moving supplies, equipment, and supporting astronauts during spacewalks. Earlier this year, NASA released footage of astronaut Suni Williams using the Canadarm2 during a spacewalk 250 miles above London.
Life is a precious commodity, and that’s true both in everyday life and in the game of Magic: The Gathering. While having a lot of life points can keep you in the game longer, it doesn’t always translate to wins. Just because you have more life than your opponents doesn’t guarantee your victory.
However, that changes when you have Linden, the Steadfast Queen on your side. With Linden leading the charge, every attack not only boosts your life total but also diminishes that of your opponents. White mages have numerous strategies to gain both power and life simultaneously. Keep reading to see how Linden can become your next commander choice.
Introducing the Commander: Linden, the Steadfast Queen
Linden is an uncomplicated commander. For three white mana, you get a 3/3 creature that can attack without tapping and gives you one life whenever a white creature you control attacks.
So, the more creatures you have, the more life you can gain. Any deck built around Linden should focus on having a lot of creatures and ways to enhance your life gain while attacking.
To maximize the benefits of a Linden deck, consider including token generators. The best of these will create tokens whenever you gain life, establishing a cycle where gaining more life leads to more creatures, which then leads to even more life gained.
Many white cards can also trigger additional life gain or token generation upon creature entry, creating an exponential increase in life and creatures. Eventually, your life total can reach such heights that dealing 40 damage to your opponents becomes infeasible, while your many creatures can easily overrun their defenses.
However, always keep in mind that having a lot of life doesn’t make you invincible. Commander damage can still end your game, and you may run out of cards in your library.
Creating Your Linden, the Steadfast Queen Commander Deck
Angel of Vitality by Johannes Voss
As we discussed earlier, a Linden life gain deck should focus on three major components: numerous creatures, effective ways to turn those creatures into life gain, and strategies to convert that life into offensive strength. It’s also beneficial to include cards that can transform life gain into additional life gain as well as alternative win conditions based on your life total.
Moreover, you won’t want to forget about essential white spells that can help manage threats, provide tactical advantages, and clear your board when necessary.
Life Gain
Linden already offers life gain when you attack, but the white color has plenty of ways to amplify that effect. Soul Warden stands out as one of the best options, but you can also include one-drop cards with a life gain trigger or lifelink, such as Ocelot Pride, Lunarch Veteran, Soul’s Attendant, Speaker of the Heavens, and Guide of Souls.
Many of these cards trigger when a creature enters the battlefield, making them even more valuable when combined with your token generators.
At the two-mana slot, consider options like Daxos, Blessed by the Sun, Suture Priest, Lifecreed Duo, and Impassioned Orator. You can also integrate cards such as Angel of Vitality, Rhox Faithmender, Leyline of Hope, and Cleric Class, which grant additional life for each life gained.
Transforming Life into Power
Simply gaining life won’t keep you safe; you need to convert that life into power. Include cards like Serra Ascendant, Essence Channeler, Ajani’s Pridemate, Elenda’s Hierophant, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, and Nykthos Paragon to convert every point of life gained into power for your creatures—typically represented as +1/+1 tokens.
Archangel of Thune is especially effective because it distributes those +1/+1 tokens across all your creatures rather than just one.
Additionally, certain creatures and enchantments can turn life gained into card draws. Cards like Rumor Gatherer, Dawn of Hope, Sigarda’s Splendor, and Well of Lost Dreams leverage life gains and high life totals into additional spells.
Token Generators
Much of your life gain strategy relies on having or creating a mass of creatures, and token generators such as Adeline, Resplendent Cathar, Mentor of the Meek, Defiler of Faith, Keeper of the Accord, Crested Sunmare, and Book of Exalted Deeds assist greatly. More creatures create more life and more power.
Alternative Win Conditions
Amassing life alone won’t secure victory. Some cards offer methods to win by reaching incredible life totals.
For instance, Angel of Destiny and Felidar Sovereign provide various paths to success. Felidar Sovereign is one of the simplest “you win” cards, requiring only that you have 40 or more life, while it’s relatively easy for Linden to gain 15 life more than your starting total.
Aetherflux Reservoir lets you convert your life points into damaging effects for opponents, and Halo Fountain can turn all your creatures into a victory without relying on life points or damage dealt.
Essential White Cards
Don’t hesitate to include staple white spells in a mono-white deck. Cards like Esper Sentinel, Welcoming Vampire, Mentor of the Meek, and Sun Titan will enhance your deck’s performance. Removal spells like Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Generous Gift, and Stroke of Midnight are essential.
Cards like Fumigate, Austere Command, and Martial Coup can clear the board, as can Ajani, Strength of the Pride (some even generate tokens). Storm Herd can often provide so many tokens that your opponents may only hope to clear the board themselves.
Finally, utilize Akroma’s Will and Unbreakable Formation to break stalemates, while cards like Sol Ring, Mind Stone, Pearl Medallion, Knight of White Orchid, and Oketra’s Monument can enhance your mana reserves or reduce casting costs.
Linden, the Steadfast Queen Commander Deck List
Dawn of Hope by Maël Ollivier-Henry
Here’s a sample deck list for Linden, the Steadfast Queen.
Linden, The Steadfast Queen Commander Deck List
Commander (1)
Linden, The Steadfast Queen
Creatures (35)
Esper Sentinel
Ocelot Pride
Lunarch Veteran
Soul Warden
Serra Ascendant
Guide of Souls
Speaker of the Heavens
Daxos, Blessed by the Sun
Essence Channeler
Knight of Dawn’s Light
Lifecreed Duo
Dawn of Hope
Knight of the White Orchid
Ajani’s Pridemate
Voice of the Blessed
Angel of Vitality
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
Enduring Innocence
Elenda’s Hierophant
Rumor Gatherer
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
The Gaffer
Mentor of the Meek
Welcoming Vampire
Defiler of Faith
Keeper of the Accord
Twinblade Paladin
Rhox Faithmender
Archangel of Thune
Crested Sunmare
Sunscorch Regent
Angel of Destiny
Nykthos Paragon
Sun Titan
Felidar Sovereign
Planeswalkers (2)
Ajani, Strength of the Pride
Elspeth Tirel
Sorcery (5)
Cut a Deal
Fumigate
Austere Command
Martial Coup
Storm Herd
Instants (6)
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Generous Gift
Stroke of Midnight
Unbreakable Formation
Akroma’s Will
Enchantments (6)
Authority of the Consuls
Cleric Class
Book of Exalted Deeds
Path of Bravery
Sigarda’s Splendor
Leyline of Hope
Artifacts (9)
Sol Ring
Mind Stone
Pearl Medallion
Halo Fountain
Caduceus, Staff of Hermes
Oketra’s Monument
Aetherflux Reservoir
Well of Lost Dreams
Cosmos Elixir
Lands (36)
Castle Ardenvale
Minas Tirith
War Room
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Radiant Fountain
Rogue’s Passage
Secluded Steppe
Reliquary Tower
Kabira Crossroads
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Plains (26)
Budget Substitutions
Some of the cards above might be pricey for casual players, so here are some budget-friendly alternatives:
Horn of Gondor, Spear of Heliod, Court of Grace, Griffin Aerie
Aetherflux Reservoir
Angelic Accord, Test of Endurance
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Temple of the False God, Karoo
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Idyllic Grange, New Benalia, Mistveil Plains
Playing Tips for Linden, the Steadfast Queen in Commander
Soul Warden by Joshua Cairos
Although Linden encourages life gain through attacking, there’s no obligation to do so if it’s not strategic. You have many other paths to gain life and win.
That said, don’t hesitate to attack. Often, your opponents’ counters won’t matter with your significant life total.
Always monitor commander damage, as it can still take you out even with a high life total.
Stay vigilant. There are cards like Phage the Untouchable and Etrata, the Silencer that can still eliminate you, regardless of your life total. Block potentially problematic creatures when you can, without losing too much of your board.
Some cards can entirely shut down life gain, so make sure to prepare for life gain hate.
