Countdown To Classic

Beta is done and so it’s time to give some final thoughts on what was a critical window of time for WoW Classic’s development process.

The show extensively covers the winners and losers of the beta, which includes a twist that would make M. Night Shymalan cringe!

After that the show goes on to break down the sneakily huge blue post regarding crit suppression with the theorycrafters, vanilla dungeon designer John Staat’s is back for part two of his epic recap of the making of Karazhan, and then we hear all about what’s happening with Countdown To Classic guild options.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #113 – Winners & Losers of Beta, Crit Suppression, The Making of Karazhan (Part Two), & Countdown Guilds”

Less than seven weeks to launch and there’s more to talk about on the show than ever! Listen to Josh discuss a wide range of topics with the listeners, who continue to call in for a fun chat.

Today, Hunter extraordinaire Zeroed stops by to chat about all of the Hunter issues that have reared their ugly head in the beta, causing concern for everyone wanting to roll their beloved ranged class in Classic.  Vanilla dungeon designer John Staats stops by again for part one of an epic two part conversation about the making of Karazhan, which while not being playable in vanilla, was very much a part of the vanilla design process.

Next, we unite former nemeses in a call about vanilla raid history, as members of famed guilds Nihilum and Death & Taxes stop by to bury the hatchet and fondly reminisce about their feats back in the day.  After that, we go over some detailed theorycrafting about warriors, warlocks and priests amongst others, and then finish up speaking with the host of the fantastic podcast ‘Convert To Raid’, as Pat Krane stops by to talk about what it’s been like coming back to Classic in the beta after so many years with retail.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #112 – Hunter Issues in the Beta, The Making of Karazhan (Part One), Nihilum + Death & Taxes Reminisce, Theorycrafting Commentary, & Pat Krane on the Classic Culture Shock”

Did somebody call in about Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker?!?

Countdown To Classic is back again as we inch another week closer to launch day, and we’ve got more topical issues and game related chatter for you.

Callers from far and wide hit the show up to discuss the minutiae behind using Thunderfury, a pro-world buffs reply, and Twitch sensation Dr. Lupo stops by to talk about his history with WoW and give his thoughts on how well WoW Classic and streaming will mix.

Then we hear from a couple of European players who have concerns over the recent news from Blizzard about EU servers, and finally, vanilla dungeon designer John Staats is back again to discuss the making of Wailing Caverns.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #111 – Thunderfury, Dr. Lupo on WoW Classic & Streaming, A Listener Reply To World Buffs, EU Server Mayhem, & The Making Of Wailing Caverns”

With the beta now being 6 weeks old, those who have been fortunate enough to spend time with it have begun to notice a few things which warrant a conversation about their implementation in WoW Classic.  Today, the listeners touch on some of those points.

We first hear all about melee leeway and get some further commentary on the layering examples that we’ve seen pop up thus far.  This is followed by a correction from an IT expert on the technical side of layering as touched on in earlier episodes.

From there, we hear all about how the AV weekend went, and then about a couple of server firsts in the third stress test from a pair of speed runners.

And, finally, we hear once again from vanilla WoW dungeon designer John Staats, all about the making of Scholomance.

Highlights Below:

Continue reading “Episode #110 – The Making of Scholomance, Melee Leeway + Layering Commentary, AV in the Beta, & Stress Test Races”

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”