Fresh off their Lunatic Lutes World Tour, the bards have decided to do one encore presentation (until the next show, that is). The topic du jour? It's Aion, baby! Your ears will thank us when this hour is over and you've experienced the exciting, lovely music that's contained herein.

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 16 show notes

• Introduction (including "The Still, Sad World" and "Solid State Battle")
• "Utopia 3.0 main theme"
• "Tower of Eternity"
• "Song of Katalam / 4.0 login"
• "Fortress of Gods"
• "Death Waltz"
• "Steel Rake"
• "Canyon"
• Which one is our favorite?
• Mailbag
• Outro ("Marks of Dark Wound")

Can music make a battle-hardened bard cry? That's what we're going to put to the test on today's episode. Syl came up with the theme of "tearjerkers," and it's up to a bewildered Syp and a stoic Steff to figure out what will fit the bill. It's a surprisingly lively hour of music and discussion across a wide range of MMOs. Check it out!

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 15 show notes

• Introduction (including "Tasca's Demise" from Guild Wars and "Rule City" from Ultima X Odyssey)
• "Intro Cinematic" from Blade & Soul
• "Forgotten Sorrow (in-game piano version)" from Aion
• "Sorrowful Lamentations of a Rusty Heart" from Rusty Hearts
• "Ul'dah Town Theme at Night" from Final Fantasy XIV
• "The Sea of Sorrows" from Guild Wars 2
• "Shadow Kingdom" from Asheron's Call 2
• "Arthas, My Son" from World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
• Outro ("Forgotten Sorrow" from Aion)

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

Sometimes the Battle Bards have to give attention to the "little MMOs" out there. Maybe you've never heard of World of Warcraft, but you probably have played Warcraft: Orcs & Humans back in the day. Well, this is the MMO that's set in the same universe, and believe it or not, it's got some great tunes. Let's give it a listen, why not?

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 14 show notes

• Introduction (including “Main Theme” from World of Warcraft and "Howling Fjord" from Wrath of the Lich King)
• "A Call to Arms" from World of Warcraft
• "Elwynn Forest" from World of Warcraft
• "The Shaping of the World" from World of Warcraft
• "The Sin'dorei" from The Burning Crusade
• "Castaways" from Cataclysm
• "Mountains of Thunder" from Wrath of the Lich King
• "Stormstout Brew" from Mists of Pandaria
• Mailbag: Ian
• Outro (“Salty Sailor” from Taverns of Azeroth)

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

What does adventure mean to you? Everyone has their own definition, and the Battle Bards are bringing that question to the MMO music scene. In this episode, each of the three co-hosts submit their own favorite "spirit of adventure" tracks for group discussion. It's a big world out there and we need the very best soundtrack if we're going the journey through all of it!

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 13 show notes

• Introduction ("Hearthstone Revealed" from Hearthstone)
• "Open Sea Music" from Pirates of the Burning Sea
• "Explorers and Artifacts" from Guild Wars 2
• "Spiritual Elysium" from Anarchy Online
• "Step to the Next World" from Aion
• "Talking Island" from Lineage II
• "Romulus Suite" from Star Trek Online
• "Breeland Jig" from Lord of the Rings Online
• Outro ("Hills of the Shire" from Lord of the Rings Online)

* Apologies for Steff's sound toward the end of the show -- Skype was being glitchy with us!

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

Embark on a journey with us overseas, as the Battle Bards sail to the lands of Lineage 2. It's a plus-sized soundtrack with surprisingly good music, and we're all about bringing you the best of the best. Except for the one track that Syl held back for show 13 because she wanted to spite Syp. Not that Syp is bitter. It's a musical journey of cymbals, sunsets, and unicorn dreams. But what else would you expect from this show?

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 12 show notes

• Introduction (including After the Storm and The Beginning of Gracia)
• Opening: Call of Destiny
• Counterattack
• The Final Decisive Battle
• Temple of the Moon
• Praise the Victorious Knight
• Merchant Ships from the East
• Floran Theme
• Mailbag: Ian
• Outro (Unicorn Rest)

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

Everyone knows that the Battle Bards are a little odd. That's a fact. So it shouldn't come as a shock to discover that they're also into MMO music that's a little... off the beaten path. Today's episode is all about the strange and unusual themes that don't quite fit in elsewhere -- but they're in good company together!

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 11 show notes

• Introduction (including unknown track from Meridian 59)
• Spiral Knights: "Lucky Knight"
• FFXI: "Dash de Chocobo"
• Defiance: "The Battle of San Francisco"
• WoW: "Operation Gnomeregan"
• GW2: "Sunny Glade"
• SWTOR: "Yesterday's Jawa"
• Glitch: "Rainbow Run"
• Mailbag: Belghast and Ian (here's the link to his YouTube channel)
• Outro (Champions Online's 3rd anniversary song)

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

What pleases the Battle Bards? To crush their enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their husbands. Also, good music, which is why the bards are diving into the Age of Conan soundtrack this week! There are divided opinions on this incredibly popular score -- listen and see where you fall!

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 10 show notes

• Introduction (including "Northern Grassland")
• "Hamlets of Aquilonia"
• "All Heroes Unite"
• "Memories of Cimmeria"
• "Villages of Khitai"
• "Ambush from Three Directions"
• "The Sands of Forgetfullness/Tortage Beach"
• "The Damp Barachan Nights"
• Speakpipe: Reply to Axel Grimwulf
• Mailbag: Reply to Kuter
• Outro

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

This week on Battle Bards, the bards kick it old-school in their taverns of choice, checking out the sweet music and fine wine that pours forth from these iconic locations. You can almost hear the crackling of the fire as these virtual poets strum their lutes... or can you?

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 9 show notes

• Introduction to tavern tunes (including “Tavern De Kada-El” from PlaneShift)
• "Prancing Pony" from Lord of the Rings Online, composed by Chance Thomas
• "Tavern Rock Volume 1" from Dungeons and Dragons Online, composed by Stephen DiGregorio
• "Tavern" from World of Warcraft, composed by Jason Hayes
• "Spelunken und Tavernen" from Drakensang Online, composed by Tilman Sillescu and Markus Schmidt
• "Deepwater" from World of Warcraft, composed by David Arkenstone
• "Pub" from Ultima Online, composed by ??
• "Inn Music" from Final Fantasy XIV, composed by Nobuo Uematsu
• Outro: “Main Theme”

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

This week on Battle Bards, Syl, Steff, and Syp sail off to Norrath for a good dose of EverQuest 2. It's a truly massive soundtrack with plenty of stellar pieces to plunder, although it does sound suspiciously more like a movie score than something in an MMO. Intentional or not? Listen and decide for yourself!

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 8 show notes

• Introduction to city themes (including "Main Theme" and "Kelethin")
• "Character Menu" (comp. Laura Karpman)
• "Qeynos" (comp. Laura Karpman)
• "Isle of Refuge" (comp. Laura Karpman)
• "Skyshrine Merchant's Quarter" (comp. Inon Zur)
• "Antonica" (comp. Laura Karpman)
• "Tower of the Drafling" (comp. Laura Karpman)
• "Qeynos Guild Hall" (comp. Inon Zur)
• Website and blog plugs
• Outro: "Main Theme"

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!

This week on Battle Bards, we finally get away from singling out one MMO to doing another theme show: city tunes! What tales do these virtual metropolises have to tell through music? The bards are kicking up their feet in their home towns and telling their favorite memories that these songs evoke!

(Apologies on the sound quality in spots -- we had a devil of a time recording this due to several power outages!)

• Follow Battle Bards on iTunes
• Follow Battle Bards on Stitcher

Episode 7 show notes

• Introduction to city themes (incl. "Birth of a Player City" from Star Wars Galaxies and "Omni-Tek theme" from Anarchy Online)
• "Coruscant" from Star Wars: The Old Republic (comp. Lennie Moore)
• "Stormwind" from World of Warcraft (comp. Jason Hayes)
• "Imperial Square" from Allods Online (comp. Vladislav Isaev, Mark Morgan)
• "Meridian" from RIFT (comp. Inon Zur)
• "Seville" from Uncharted Waters Online (comp. Kazunori Miyake)
• "Crossroad at Dawn / Gludio" from Lineage II (comp. Bill Brown, Inon Zur)
• "Kingdom of Light" from Aion (comp. Yang Bang-Ean)
• Website and blog plugs

Special thanks to Tesh for the Battle Bards logo!