Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kurabara are back this week to prepare for the imminent Patch 11.0.7 Siren’s Isle release on 12/17 by taking the Patch 11.0.7 Quiz! But first, Rei talks about the struggles with the changes to crest acquisition and Kura agrees with her. Then, she talks about a guild member who quit because the guild was not social enough, and that leads to a discussion of ways that guilds can be social and how being soclal requires both participation and inclusion. Kura talks about getting invited to a party and then getting whispered about the invite. They discuss discord as an alternative to Guild Chat. Rei mentions that she has not heard back about her harassment report. She also mentions that she is working on the anniversary achievements and that the voice actress for Nola, the Tortollan from Battle for Azeroth, passed away last year.

Eric then discusses the guild working on phase III of Queen Ansurek in the Nerub-ar Palace raid. He also mentions he has levelled more alts and then gets into a discussion of his struggles with Mythic+. He talks about a tank that quit after one pull and admits that he hates PUGs. He then talks about the secret questline in the anniversary event and Nick talks about how quickly it can be completed since time is starting to run out.

Kurabara talks about working on his crafting skills and that he rolled a vulpera priest. He is playing discipline and stressing out in dungeons as he learns the spec. He also talks about having a death knight ability that he just learned needs to be in melee range.

Next, Nick administers the Patch 11.0.7 quiz. Please send your quiz results to [email protected] with the subject “I want the transmog” For a chance to win the Waveborne Diplomat’s Regalia Transmog.

They then talk about recent events such as the secret hunting discord finally finding the felcycle and the supposed survey that Blizzard sent out asking about which classes people would like added to the game.

Finally, Nick takes a quick look back at episode #180 where they talked about struggling with PUGs.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for December 30th 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on Bluesky @wowtalk.mash.gg. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3lj

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kurabara are back this week to talk about what is going on in World of Warcraft. Rei begins by talking about some mythic+ runs and then they get sidetracked talking about the Felcycle mount that can be earned through completing several secrets. The secret finding discord is still trying to solve all the puzzles and Nick comments that getting the Hateforged Blazecycle through the Mountain Dew promotion may be easier. Rei also talks about running some mythic+ dungeons with underskilled groups and struggling to help get them up to a level to complete the dungeon.

Eric talks about how the guild is working on heroic Queen Ansurek but has not made much progress due to people missing raid for the holidays. He also mentions that he is working on his eighth level 80 character.

Kurabara talks about playing some WoW Classic instead of retail and compares that with his recent experience playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. He and Nick talk about why TOR is just an okay MMO when compared to WoW. They both do mention that they enjoy it. They talk about how the game struggles trying to marry story with MMO trappings without properly innovating in the space.

Nick talks about playing WoW with his kids and introducing them to classic as well as retail. He talks about how his son was struggling with the game because he lacks experience playing only Minecraft and tablet games.

In the news, they talk about the December Trading Post and also how Blizzard is now banning players for regularly leaving Mythic+ runs. They talk about how this is a deserved banwave.

They also discuss a reddit comment about saying hi when starting a Mythic+ run and then kicking anyone that does not respond. They agree this is acceptable as responding to a hello is a bare minimum ask of someone you are running a dungeon with.

Finally, Nick looks back at episode 179 when they reviewed Blizzconline and got ready for patch 9.0.5.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for December 16th, 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us onBluesky @wowtalk.mash.gg. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3li

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Nick, Rei, and Eric are joined by Kurabara and his wife Blythe who only recently started playing WoW and is here to talk about the new player experience. She talks about rolling a dwarven fury warrior and mistakenly attempting to tank. She also shares her experience learning about dragonriding and discovering that she can add more action bars. She talks about rolling an evoker and not understanding what was happening. She compares WoW and Diablo IV.

Next, Rei talks about running mythic+ dungeons and getting tanks that don’t pay attention. Rei and Kura ran some dungeons and they complain about Necrotic Wake.

Eric mentions that Order of Corrupted Souls has downed Silken Court and is struggling on Ansurek. He also talks about learning to play his Havoc Demon Hunter and how he’s still figuring out their enhanced mobility. He talks about finishing the Earthen campaign and he and Kura complain about Jewelcrafting.

Kurabara continues talking about his struggles with crafting this expansion and in particular questions the usefulness of inscription. He also complains that getting Best-in-slot gear has been difficult, and he and Rei discuss how current loot rules can be a problem.

Kura and Nick talk about the Warcraft Direct and how Warcraft Reforged was supposed to get some fixes in a new patch, but more bugs were introduced. Also, Warcraft I and Warcraft II Reforged were released with plenty of bugs as well. Then they discuss the Patch 11.1 announcement and go over what is coming in the 2025 Roadmap. They also talk about the Player Housing announcement and Nick cautions everyone to lower their expectations. Kura brings up the Mountain Dew promotion and how scalpers have made getting the Hateforged Blazecycle difficult and expensive.

Nick takes a quick look back at episode #178 when they were preparing for Blizzconline.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for December 2nd 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on Bluesky @wowtalk.bsky.social. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3l5

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kura are back to talk about all the news that has come out over the last two weeks! First Rei talks about her struggles with acquiring crests and then talks about people not answering questions in a timely fashion in discord. She then explains her character’s transmog as she talks about chatting with someone after five and half years. This segues into a conversation about Amazon deliveries gone wrong. Then she talks about how she is not enjoying Xal’atath’s Bargain in Mythic+.

Eric talks about the guild being six of eight in Nerub-ar Palace. He’s also working on leveling up his death knight.

Kura talks about the twentieth anniversary event and he and Nick talk about how Blizzard was slow to correct the Token acquisition rates. They also talk about how some of the events are hit or miss but there’s plenty of time to get everything. Next, Kura mentions that he got the ninety dollar brutosaur mount. Nick ribs him for getting a Pay-to-win mount before debunking the notion that a mailbox is a pay-to-win feature.

Next, they talk about what’s been going on in the news. They talk about the Mountain Dew, Rockstar, and Doritos promotion that will let you earn points to buy items for World of Warcraft including the Fel Cycles that have been in the game files for a long time.

Then, they talk about the upcoming Warcraft Direct on 11/13. And then they talk about the announcement for Patch 11.0.7 which will focus on Siren’s isle. They talk about the new ring on the isle, but they are more surprised by the appearance of former WoW! Talk! host Katie who is now a developer on the Warcraft team!

Next, they talk about watching The Remarkable Life of Ibelin on Netflix, which focuses on the life of Ibelin who suffered from Duchenne syndrome while being an active guild member.

Finally, they take a quick look back at episode #177 which was about the upcoming Blizzconline.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for November 18th 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3kw

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kurabara are back this week to talk about the upcoming Patch 11.0.5 celebrating the WoW 20th anniversary, and of course in order to prepare for that, its time for a quiz! But first, Rei talks about how the Xalatath buff only says it heals for a “certain amount” which is not very specific. She also talks about joining various PUGs to see what they are doing with their specific group requests, like an all girl PUG. She also talks about how people have not adjusted to the new scaling for Mythic+ dungeons: a +8 is not a +8, and a +10 is the new +20. They talk about how Delves have affected players normal gearing rotations for Mythic+, and point out that you should not be going into Mythic+s that you are not ready for.

Next, they talk about how players are not using all their utility in the Mythic+ dungeons. Kura talks about how he has different talent builds on his evoker with different utility talents selected depending on the boss fight. Nick points out that Mythic+ is intended for players to communicate, and being open to switching your build and using your interrupts is part of that. They also talk about how players can be defensive and think each other is being needlessly toxic. They also talk about how interrupts and dispels are just as much boss mechanics as standing in fire or dodging attacks are.

Next, Eric talks about how the guild has defeated the Nexus Princess boss. He was the only player left alive when he did it.

Kura talks about several bugs he has encountered in game (not Nerubians!). He also got a new mouse and his wife is excitedly digging into the lore.

Next, its time for the Patch 11.0.5 quiz, talking about the various events that will be part of the upcoming celebration.

In the news, Diablo IV has some awesome WoW skins available, and there is a new 12-month subscription mount/pet bundle.

Finally, Nick takes a quick look back at episode #176.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for November 4th 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3kh

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kura are back this week to talk about what is going on in World of Warcraft! First, they talk about the ongoing guild bank issue where Blizzard has lost several items from player’s guild banks, including completely wiping out some banks entirely! They talk about how this issue is getting more and more attention each week and it’s a shame that Blizzard is unable to recover the data. They also point out that for the most part its just old mats but in some cases some unique items from the game’s history were also lost and cannot be recovered.

Next, Rei talks about her experiences with the weekly quests and working to catch up on some of them. Kura talks about how a recent mining quest was prohibitively expensive for the materials it was asking for. Rei also talks about running the new Deephaul Ravine battleground with Kura and trying some +6 Mythic Dungeons.

Eric talks about how the guild is halfway through Nerub’ar Palace. He also mentions that he is working on leveling up his jewelcrafting profession but that seems slower this expansion.

Kura talks about how he found the cause of his low DPS – his pets were set to passive. He also talks about the ease with which he can complete delves as a blook DK. He mentions that his wife has made a new WoW character and is playing an Evoker.

Nick talks about how the quickest way to complete delves is to not focus on finding the little containers that have experience for Bran and instead just rush to the end.

In the news, Limit won Mythic World First for Nerub’ar Palace. Also, Echo is stepping back from some events. And Thrall’s voice can be used with your Waze navigation app.

Finally, we look back 100 episodes at January of 2021 when Limit won World First for Mythic Castle Nathria.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for October 21st 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3kg

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kurabara are back with a surprise episode to talk about the release of Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier which releases today! The gang was lucky enough to receive an advance copy and having read the book we are able to share our thoughts.

First, we talk about whether we enjoyed the book and enjoyed the Rise, Fall, Future format. Nick mentions that the rise and fall portions of the book feel like different books, as the stories change from one of an up-and-coming company to a series of corporate battels. The last part of the book is also tough to read as the stories Schreir is telling are from the last half decade when Blizzard has been in turmoil, and as it becomes evident which story he is setting up, the anticipation of knowing what he’s about to discuss can be discomfiting. Nick also comments that the last chapter stands out since it addresses the layoffs from January.

We talk about how Schreier’s writing style which works for telling these narratives, although Nick and Rei were pressed to try to fit everything into chronological order.

Rei also talks about her experiences working for Gamestop and Activision and how they compare with the experiences under Activision’s bad management.

We also talk about some of the more interesting anecdotes, like how Brian Birmingham quit because of the implementation of stack ranking. They talk about Ben Brode’s path to joining Blizzard. And Nick mentions his disdain for Armin Zerza.

Play Nice is now available at bookstores everywhere.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for October 21st 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3k6

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kurabara are back this week to talk about how they’ve been enjoying Season One. Rei talks about how they had a bunch of people interested in raiding Nerub-ar Palace but for various reasons (not understanding the raid roster or having internet problems) they were unable to make it. Rei talks about beating Normal Ansurek and then running Story Mode Ansurek, and this leads to a discussion comparing the difficulty of story mode and normal mode. Nick talks about how story mode is a good idea but it feels unnecessary in the face of LFR. He points out that there are interesting story tidbits in the raid not included in story mode.

They also talk about how the loot grind feels this season with Delves giving credit in the Great Vault, and then they discuss how Delves are feeling a few weeks into the season. Nick mentions that they have been nerfed and how various builds and groupings are handling them differently. Rei mentions that she is excited for the puzzles in delves.

Rei also talks about running mythic+ dungeons and dealing with a tank who didn’t understand how to kite a mob. Also, in Stonevault, DBM gives a warning that you should not go into the void.

Eric talks about clearing Normal Nerub-ar palace and switching his warlock to affliction.

Kurabara talks about how a new Death Knight has joined the guild and is outperforming him on the damage meters even though Kura has a higher ilvl. He is planning to change his trinket.

Nick talks about the quests in Azj-Kahet and in particular the questline with the Pathfinder in the Pillar Nest Xesh. They talk about how Blizzard nailed the horror vibe and how he enjoyed the zone.

In the news, Xbox laid off 650 people, including members of the Warcraft Rumble team. Also, Blizzard updated their response to the missing Guild items issue.

Finally, they take a look back at episode #174 which was the final episode of 2020.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for October 7th 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3k4

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kura are back to keep talking about their experiences in The War Within. Rei talks about how Order of Corrupted Souls is still getting an influx of new members but now the real test will be how the guild performs with Season 1 starting on September 10th. Rei also talks about how she is still working on the campaign. Kura and Nick talk about how easy it is to level with Kura mentioning that he has five with another character almost there.

Eric talks about getting his warlock to be raid ready and is not looking forward to the initial raid experience as his characters are undergeared. He does however love the hero talents for his warlock, especially the Diabloist spec.

Kura talks about some of the bugs he has found in game. He recounts leaving a dungeon and getting teleported to an endless ocean where he was stuck falling and could not get out. He wound up needing a guild invite to teleport him back to the game. He also talks about a bug on the last quest of the campaign that prevented him from seeing the finale cinematic.

Next, Nick and Kura talk about the recent WoWCast where they announced Patch 11.0.5 was coming which will be the big anniversary event. They talk about how the Caverns of Time are being redone, as well as the refreshed tier 2 armor being added. They mention the Classic TImewalking Dungeons being added. Also various new transmogs will be included in the game as well. They then debate if the 20% experience buff will be included in this year’s celebration as well.

Finally, they take a quick look back at episode #173 when Kurabara made a guest appearance to talk about Shadowlands.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for September 23rd, 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: [episode_short_url]

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kura are here against their will because they would rather be off playing The War Within! Rei talks about her warband and guild banks being broken. She also talks about how the Dungeon Diplomat achievement is bugged, since that keeps posting as completed in guild chat for everyone. The gang talks about how they found various bugs in The War Within beta and Blizzard sent out emails to let people know how much of an impact they had on fixing the new expansion. Rei also talks about her shaman talent points being reset.

Eric and Kura talk about leveling through The War Within. Eric talks about how they ran dungeons and that messed up their leveling pace. They talk about Hero Talent and Kura loves how he gets to summong the Four Horseman to fight alongside him. They talk about Delves and how they’ve been enjoying this, but it is similar enough to Torghast that we will have to see if the community sours on it. They also talk about Dornagal as a capital city and without spoilers try to mention some of the questing highlights.

In the news, Blizzard put out an animated short depicting Alleria’s history. They also released an interview with Chris Metzen that Nick goes over.

Nick talks about how the Early Access split the community, and how everyone talking about not being able to play all throughout the weekend only served to market Blizzard’s FOMO for them. He talks about how social media was unbearable this weekend as a result.

Finally, they take a very brief look back at episode #172.

Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for September 9th 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to [email protected].

Episode URL: mtb.gg/3jz

Hosts:

Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

Rei Liou

Eric Knutson

Cory Treadway
twitter.com/kurabaras

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices