Countdown To Classic

What do fire lords and Keanu Reeves have in common? They’re both hot AF and they’re both talked about in this week’s Countdown To Classic podcast!

Another week, another instance history lesson with vanilla dungeon designer John Staats who answers questions from Josh and the listeners about that first beloved raid, Molten Core.

Then, the show talks in depth about the games that will be fighting for your love and attention while Classic is up and running, as we break down all of the big announcements from E3 (Spoiler Alerts for FFVII & FFVIII).

After that, we finish up with world buffs and more stream sniping in a case in reply to last week’s episode.

Continue reading “Episode #109 – The Making of Molten Core, The Games Battling Classic For Your Attention: An E3 Breakdown, World Buffs, & Stream Sniping Part Two”

The beta rolls on and brings with it a couple of fresh talking points for the show and its listeners to tackle this week with Josh.

Warsong Gulch has been open for a couple of weeks now in the beta and Arathi Basin just opened days ago, and with those come the bloodthirsty PvP testers looking to see how things perform on the battlegrounds.

After that we break down stream sniping, after some comments made by streamer Sodapoppin ignited the forums this past week on the issue.

Then, we welcome back vanilla WoW level designer John Staats, for the first of a lengthy ongoing segment all about the design of vanilla WoW’s instances.  Listen in to part one of this series, as John tells us all about how he built one of the most beloved dungeons in MMORPG history, Blackrock Depths.

The show then rounds out with a great call with a sitting member of the state of Maine’s House of Representatives, about that one time that WoW got caught up in politics, and also a follow up call from last week, for a slightly different angle on the Trollgodx issue at the dueling tournament.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #108 – The Making of BRD w/ John Staats, WSG + AB in the Beta, Stream Sniping, WoW + Politics, & Trollgodx Part Two”

Countdown To Classic has a bit of everything for you today as we touch on beta news and talking points as well as a couple of class conversations.

Josh talks with the listeners on whether or not Blizzard should invoke the ban hammer for trolling streamed events, and covers off on more beta impressions as we dive deeper into what Classic has to offer.

Next, Josh talks to a number of hardcore Warrior theorycrafters in relation to the latest blue post from Blizzard about hit caps and the solved and unsolved mysteries behind the numbers for melee classes in Classic.

Finally, a pair of experienced Priests join the show to convince Josh that his choice of rolling with the light (or shadow) is the right way to go for his main on release day, as they discuss Priest PvE gameplay at length.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #107 – Duel Comp ‘Bans’, More Beta Impressions, Hit Caps/Warrior Theorycrafting & Priest PvE”

Stress test #1 of World of Warcraft Classic is in the books and the Countdown To Classic listeners are here to regale you with their tales of the experience.

After hearing all about C’Thun & Hogger messing with people (that is if they even got in at all!), the show then  brings you a one on one chat between Josh and a beloved Classic content creator, Frostadamus.  Frost chats all about himself, grinding/farming, the economy, and the AH in a great intimate chat.

Following that, the show goes off piste slightly, as a bunch of listeners call in to discuss a topic that has everyone talking lately, Game of Thrones! Why the hell is GoT being discussed on a WoW Classic podcast?!? Well, the crew highlights the parallels between GoT and WoW, the references in game, and also can’t help but touch on some thoughts regarding Season 8 and the finale (FULL SPOILER WARNING!).

Finally, we touch on a quick call regarding a caution to those Classic fans who are going through school when the game launches (given that release date!), and reminding everyone to keep their eye on the prize that is real life while enjoying WoW Classic in moderation.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #106 – Stress Test, Grinding & The AH With Frostadamus, Game Of Thrones/WoW Parallels + Balancing WoW With School”

It’s time to break down the first playable version of World of Warcraft Classic that we’ve been given as the closed beta dropped this past week.

Josh speaks with Defcamp & Polydox in a call recorded after two days spent with the beta, and then takes another call from Ayle after six days with the game, as the callers cover off on bugs, PvP and whether or not the game is fun and running well.

After that, Josh hears from IT professional Linkson, who stops by to give further clarification on exactly what Blizzard’s proposed ‘layering’ system entails, explaining it further to the listeners.

And, finally, in saving the best for last, vanilla WoW class designer Kevin Jordan stops by for the last instalment in his fantastic ‘Ask Kevin’ series, as he sits down with the Countdown community to discuss WoW, MMORPG’s, the gaming industry and Blizzard in a candid, final interview.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #105 – Beta Impressions, Layering Technically Explained, & Kevin Jordan on WoW, MMO’s & Blizzard”

CAN YOU SAY RELEASE DATE BABY??!!?

Blizzard finally delivers the news that everyone had been eager to hear with a release date for World of Warcraft Classic, and brings a number of other huge news items along with it.

Josh gets a handful of dedicated listeners on the line to breakdown the news while it was piping hot and fresh, and the group discusses sharding’s lesser known cousin ‘layering’, closed beta, and cross-realm battlegrounds amongst other topics that came to light.

After that, former vanilla WoW class/talents/abilities designer Kevin Jordan is back for his final class breakdown as we rip through the design history of Rogues in vanilla WoW.

Finally, we hear from a few listeners all about what the predicted reception of Classic will be from the retail crowd who haven’t already made the commitment to try the game out.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #104 – Release Date!! Discussing Beta, Layering, Cross-realm BG’s + Kevin Jordan on Rogues + Retail Reception of Classic WoW”

It’s a Triple P kind of day over at Countdown To Classic as we discuss Paladins, Podcasting, and Playing Roles (that’s kind of cheating, I know).

Listen as as three very experienced and knowledgeable players, Theloras, Smiter, and Sonosuke, talk listeners through the minutiae of Paladin PvE across all three specs, in what was a very extensive and enjoyable chat.

After that we hear from a group of passionate RP-PvP’ers who want their voices heard all the way in Irvine, CA about why Blizzard should reconsider their position on not having RP-PVP servers at launch.

And, finally, the show is lucky enough to welcome some WoW Podcasting royalty in Star Mike (World of Warcast) & Rho (Realm Maintenance), along with two newcomers to the podcasting game in Allen & Anthony (The Classic Casual), to discuss the history and fun of podcasting about World of Warcraft.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #103 – Paladin PvE, RP-PVP’ers State Their Case, & Podcasting WoW”