This week's show started off with The War Within season 2. We discussed how we feel about Undermine now that we've had a week in the zone, though Liz noted the patch added a ton to do outside the zone, too. All the co-hosts are now on the record as emphatically pro jazz, and also pro Race to World First, which officially kicked off as the season did. Diablo events and why they're too short (maybe to even bother with them at all) were a hot topic this week, with the week-long Gilded Goblins event going on now, but blink and you've probably already missed it.

Also, some of us are really pumped for the Visual Novel Fest on Steam this week. Guest host Phil Ulrich named off some of his favorites, which led Liz down a rabbit hole. Everything from Hatoful Boyfriend to Coffee Talk to Boyfriend Dungeon to Monster Prom was mentioned, and lots of other titles in between. Plus, some of us have a bone to pick with a particular BAFTA nominee short list.

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This week's podcast is all about the fun new stuff that just hit WoW with patch 11.1 and Undermine. The Everlasting Nogginfogger was a popular topic, as was the overall Goblin mystique -- and the IRL hot rod Blizzard made last week. We also delved into Delves, the new rares we'll be killing -- or taming! -- and the new cool campfire scenes players can select for their Warbands.

We also discuss Heroes of the Storm and its influence on the rest of Blizzard's games. If you're a regular listener, you know that means Cory is guest hosting this week. He recommends Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 if you're looking to sample a game demo during Steam Next Fest, and said so three times fast, like Beetlejuice only slightly more cursed. And yes, that is a real game.

Also, if you're wondering what the best soundtrack is to get your Golds on the Kalimdor Cup now that that's back, we have some ideas.

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Overwatch 2 was the game we were most excited to start discussing this week. The development team released a big showcase just ahead of season 15's release, which also contained a lot of content teasers like upcoming hero Freja for season 16 and beyond. Loot boxes? 6v6 in competitive? What year is this, 2019? Not to be left out, the Hearthstone team also released a ton of info for their next expansion, Journey into the Emerald Dream. It involves splitting the classes into a side for the Dream and a side for the corrupted Emerald Nightmare, and Matt had a little quibble about including Warriors with the likes of Warlocks and Death Knights.

Plus, a little bird (Jason Schreier) told us there won't be a new Diablo 4 expansion til 2026, so we discussed how we feel about that (and weirdly... not bad?).

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Matt, Joe, and Liz were joined by Cory this week, and all four were more than ready to chat about Player Housing in WoW, which we recently got to see for the first time. There are still a lot of question marks after this first overview, but the team is excited about the information we do have, from Neighborhoods to decor (like a tower of bones, for instance!) to lack of repo men poised to take your house away if you default on your wizard mortgage. However, before anyone joins our Neighborhoods, there may be some rules to discuss (like no towers of bones, for instance!).

But, in the more immediate future is patch 11.1, which is coming out February 25. The car sounds incredibly cool, but of more importance is Brann Bronzebeard's continued Delving and his dedication to fancy hats. After all, transmog is endgame, even for NPCs. There's also the potential of a Diablo roadmap, and Warcraft Rumble and Diablo Immortal both have what seem like their own neat holidays going on... for as much as we play them. 

The crew got so carried away there wasn't even enough time for questions, but we do appreciate you asking them. We'll save them for next week.

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Liz hosted the Blizzard Watch podcast this week, with Joe and occasional guest host Phil Ulrich, and there is so much to talk about going on all at the same time. Slap together several concurrent holidays in WoW, holidays in Diablo 4, and a battle pass for Hearthstone Battlegrounds, and everyone is just a little overwhelmed. Luckily for you, we're here to help you navigate it all. Even the upcoming content patch, with three different Goblin cartels to back. And Delve changes. And Diablo 4 changes. And then, the questions from our listeners!

Yep, you can trust us. Everything under control over here. Also, which of our recurring podcast guest hosts are you rooting for in the Beyblade Arena?

We also take this opportunity to reminisce a bit, since Blizzard Watch turned 10 years old this week. No, seriously. It's been a full decade since a few nutty kids decided to band together and keep bringing the news and views. We couldn't have done it, much less for as long as we have, without the support of our Patrons, our community, and a dash of plucky optimism. We thank you now for showing us we can do this, as we have every day since February 2015.

Thank you.

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The discussion starts with WoW news, especially the three-kids-in-a-trenchcoat that is Classic, and how it’s once again time to respect your Elders with the Lunar Festival returning this week. They turned to Diablo’s seasonal scheduling, and how it may or may not be under the influence. Who’s to judge.Then, the crew hit on Overwatch 2, and how a whole lot of the new stuff introduced this midseason banks on that “uphill both ways” style nostalgia. We’d say it was also “in the snow” but Joe rather vociferously nixed that topic during the preshow.

The Q&A portion of the show was supplied mostly by staff member Cory. There’s just no denying fashion, we suppose.

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Join us with special guest and resident Diablian Liz Patt as we discuss the new Season of Witchcraft arriving in Diablo 4, now that we’ve had a bit of a chance to get our hands on it — though all the rest of the Diablo fam is a bit of a seasonal mess.

Not Diablo 2, though. Diablo 2 is Gen X.

Plus, we discuss the trajectory for WoW Classic (and WoW Classic Classic) while we look toward the summer releases with a hint of nostalgia. Speaking of nostalgia, the Switch 2 was announced this week, and while we’re excited, that’s about where the info stops, so.

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Join us as we look into the improvements to the Plunderstorm event that has returned to the WoW servers for a limited time, the delay of the Cataclysm Classic Phase Four rollout, and the preview of Diablo 4’s upcoming Season of Witchcraft theme. 

We also speculate if the Warcraft 30th Anniversary World Tour means no BlizzCon this year (or ever!), dive into the details of the StarCraft-themed mini-set for Hearthstone, and vent our frustrations about battle passes and other monetization tactics of big gaming studios.

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