Solo Queue - A World of Warcraft Podcast

I Didn’t Know I Needed Blizzcon - Ep 45 SOLO QUEUE DISCORD available at: https://discord.gg/nXQVqERcSU Show Notes Welcome to Episode 45! – 2:03 Let’s just get to Blizzcon stuff. News – 8:03Blizzard news is dominated by Blizzcon announcements and the follow-up announcements. Here are the non-Warcraft announcements in order of how they affect me multiplied by their hype factor. Then we get into the good stuff. Overwatch Reveal – 16:54I am not an Overwatch person. They announced a new somebody after a cool cinematic. Don’t ask me the name of the hero. Heroes of the Storm Reveal – 18:22You can ask me the name of the new hero in HotS, it’s Xal’atath! With another on the horizon, HotS is back! Hearthstone Reveal – 23:30Hearthstone was my entry to Blizzard games. There is a new expansion coming soon diving back into the Black Empire. Also, I invent my second Blizzard game in back-to-back episodes—Hearthstone Classic! Who’s with me?! Diablo Reveals – 29:10Never really played Diablo, but with a Netflix show and an intriguing announcement of Diablo V, I’m open, or will be in 2029 when it arrives. Starcraft Reveal – 35:27Also not a Starcraft player, but dude…did you see that cinematic?! An open-world, story-driven shooter game just might pull me into the SC universe. Retail WoW Reveals – 49:12All of the news related to the five remaining patches coming in Midnight. 12.2 news – 49:44 12.2.5 news – 1:02:53 12.2.7 news – 1:04:57 12.1.5 news – 1:06:04 12.1.7 news – 1:06:58 Talebound Game Mode – 1:07:12New standalone game mode that is definitely not Plunderstorm. Looking forward to this as a solo player! Next Remix is…Wrath! – 1:13:33Not Shadowlands, we are heading back to Northrend to speedrun it all before the story returns to Northrend for The Last Titan. The Last Titan Teaser – 1:14:56Slightly unexpected and thin on any details, this brief cinematic definitely teases what’s on the horizon. Giant titan robots. Warcraft III…What? – 1:22:22An expansion for what now? The new campaigns added to Warcraft III give us insight into the fall of Lorderon and set up the story at the opening of the next new way to play World of Warcraft… WoW Forever! – 1:28:43Finally, we put the moniker “Classic+” to bed once and for all. WoW Forever has enchanted a large portion of the WoW player base and this is only beta. Launch is November 4. So excited for this sweet spot combination of Classic and Retail, possibly greater than the sum of its parts. So, What is the Character Limit in WoW Forever? – 1:58:40There are 52 possible combinations of race and class in WoW Forever as of the beta. Does the character limit allow you to try them all? At this moment, yes! Seems the cap is 70, just like Retail. “What have you done lately?” – 2:05:18 A little bit of my bumping around in retail and switching the main back to feral druid for the rest of Midnight and beyond. Main Topic – Highlights of My Blizzcon! – 2:13:26 Talking through my own experiences with the people I met at Blizzcon! Closing Thoughts – 2:39:21What Blizzcon meant to me. Go figure, set the announcements and the decorations and the hype aside. Blizzcon is about the community and the people you know or are about to know. I fully intend to return. And if you need to know someone at Blizzcon before you commit to going, I will be that person. And, a couple of changes coming to the show, the kind that might make it more interesting to watch on YouTube. Stay tuned. Outro – 2:24:51• Thanks to Blizzard for the amazing music and sound, to OGRE for intro/outro music, my lovely and supportive wife, Podbean for hosting the show, and YOU for listening. • Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/soloqueuewow • Thank you to contributing patrons Andrew, Righteous Bandy, ThatSkyGuy, Cyn, Snek of Voldun, Metacognition, Jeru, Raven, Greybeard, Pasta Matt, Luch, and Rak!• And thanks to free members Max, Eddie, Bear, Friends of Wumpus, Sean, Curro, AehanNahkriin, Guardian Sandy, Alice, D

Episode 27 – Gotta Collect Them All Show Notes Welcome to Episode 27! – 2:59 A celebration in three parts, the first of which is celebrating my return to WoW and the SQ mic after an unforeseen absence. Big thanks to Ali for coming on for Episode 24 and to Ali and Gin for having me on Live, Laugh, Lore to talk starting zones! SQ Book Club – 8:11 A review of Dungeon Crawler Carl, the first book in a fantasy series by Matt Dinniman. It gets the official SQ book recommendation for portraying the immersive MMORPG experience through an involuntary live-action global dungeon crawl with Carl and Princess Donut. News – 13:14 March of the Sethrak 2 on July 20 a success: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABnqfS8YeKs Greedy Emissary event ends July 29 – collect them all! Winds of Mysterious Fortune event is live until Aug. 12 Horrific Visions will continue into S3 but at S2 difficulty levels. Collector’s Bounty event ends July 29 as well – more collect them all! MoP launch event for the mount ends July 30 “Doom of K’aresh” short story just released to give us backstory on the world we will be adventuring in, written by Adam Christopher and voiced by Ray Porter as Locus Walker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSw8rW7fZ5c&t=2s The passing of Ozzy Osborne; will there be a WoW NPC in-game, or at least one everyone can reach? Housing update – types of neighborhoods and the endeavors Midnight expansion announcement at Gamescom on August 19! Changes to your bank tabs – level 80s need not worry Drink of the Month – 58:57 A wild goose chase for an adult beverage all over the southern tip of Kalimdor. “What have you done lately?” – 1:04:29 The lull before 11.2 is about as busy as could be with MoP Classic Pandaren starting zone, Lorewalking, One Button Rotation, Turbulent Timeways all kept me busy, until I hit… Main Topic: Collector’s Bounty Event – 1:52:07 Discussion of the monthlong event, including my farming tips, and a list of my haul for this month, including getting a new mount live in the show! Outro – 2:38:30 Thanks to Blizzard for the amazing music and sound, to OGRE for intro/outro music, my lovely and supportive wife, and you for listening. OGRE’s “King of the Wood” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7iErMhstlY Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/soloqueuewow Thank you to patrons, Andrew, Righteous Bandy, ThatSkyGuy, Cyn, Snek of Vol’dun, Jon and Scott! And thanks to all the free supporters as well! Subscribe to the podcast at your podcast feed of choice, Apple, Spotify, and all the rest. Leave a 5-star rating and a written review to help grow Solo Queue. You can contact me at soloqueuewow at gmail.com, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. “I will see you out there."

Episode 25 – Celebration! Warcraft 30, Down Time, and the Best NPC is… Show Notes Welcome to Episode 25! – 1:54 A celebration in three parts, the first of which is celebrating my return to WoW and the SQ mic after an unforeseen absence. Big thanks to Ali for coming on for Episode 24 and to Ali and Gin for having me on Live, Laugh, Lore to talk starting zones! Warcraft 30th Anniversary Event in Boston – 16:22 The second celebration was 90 minutes south of SQ headquarters in the fair city of Boston. While my plan to get news and good audio for the podcast was thwarted, I did spend quality time with an old friend, make a new friend, and get away from my normal routine for a night. Afterwards, I connected with WoW community members Stromgarde Enjoyer (https://bsky.app/profile/nilocor.bsky.social) and meggoart (https://bsky.app/profile/meggoart.bsky.social) to get their reactions to the Boston event. News – 48:24 Player Housing update from May – looking good! Mists of Pandaria Classic on July 21, pre-patch July 1 Legion arrives as a Remix late this year or early 2026 World of Warcraft: Blood Ties is the new novel from Christie Golden that arrives Nov. 18, 2025 as the lead-in to the Midnight expansion, pre-order now! “Faith and Flame” short story continues the journey of Faerin Lothar, written by L.L. McKinney and voiced by Paris Blu, the voice of Faerin herself - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJtigy8U-_8&t=3s Drink of the Month – 52:15 Stopping into the Snug Harbor Inn in Boralus for a Hook Point Porter and some Tiragarde Sharp cheese. 11.1.7 Launches June 17! – 1:00:28 Patch 11.1.7 launches with the Legacy of Arathor storyline, Lorewalking, Turbulent Timeways, Overcharged Delves, the Lightning-Blessed Spire and Sea-Blessed Shrine toys to transform you into a Sethrak or K’Thir, and new features including the rotation helping technology of Single-Button Assistant and Assisted Highlight. “What have you done lately?” – 1:24:03 It was Horrific Visions that eventually grabbed my interest and got me back into the game. Nightfall and Dastardly Duos haven’t quite had the same effect. Professions Pre-Planning? – 1:30:46 The other exciting project that returned me to the game was establishing a roster to cover all the professions and getting them all to 80. This is the beginning of the prep for an eventual episode on professions, a system that I think borders on being too complicated. Main Topic: Best WoW NPC Tournament Coverage Rounds 4, 5, and 6 – 1:42:28 Probably not really the main topic, but this is the exciting culmination of a process that took far too long. Outro – 1:54:57 Thanks to Blizzard for the amazing music and sound, to OGRE for intro/outro music, my lovely and supportive wife, and you for listening. Support the show at Patreon.com/SoloQueueWoW Thank you to patrons, Andrew, Righteous Bandy, ThatSkyGuy, Cyn, Snek of Vol’dun, Jon and Scott (welcome Scott)! And thanks to all the free supporters as well! Subscribe to the podcast at your podcast feed of choice, Apple, Spotify, and all the rest. Leave a 5-star rating and a written review to help grow Solo Queue. You can contact me at soloqueuewow at gmail.com, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Next episode will arrive in less than two months, light willing. “I will see you out there."

Episode 23 – The 10 Years Ago Thing Show Notes Welcome to Episode 23! – 4:42 Another full episode as we dive into three areas! Best WoW NPC Tournament Coverage Rounds 1, 2, and 3 – 6:43 The upsets, the lopsided victories, and the first three rounds of this grueling six round tournament. Coverage by region. We end the segment with 8 NPCs left to fight for the (someday) famous title of Solo Queue Tournament of 64 Champion and Best WoW NPC! News – 49:26 Season of Discovery Phase 8 – some new content in the old WoW? Is this the next phase of a test drive for Classic+? https://www.wowhead.com/classic/news/season-of-discovery-phase-8-patch-notes-new-avalon-scarlet-enclave-raid-and-376282 Use your Sparks of Fortunes to upgrade gear, but look at this article because it is still a mystery to me. https://www.wowhead.com/news/fourth-spark-of-fortunes-available-for-crafting-this-week-in-the-war-within-376283 The C.H.E.T.T. system demystified. Turns out you need Renown 13 to interact with the system. https://blizzardwatch.com/2025/03/26/wow-undermine-chett-list-cartel-reputation/#google_vignette And… 11.1.5 Launches April 22! – 54:32 Patch 11.1.5 rolls out in 3 phases beginning on April 22 with the Nightfall scenario, the Winds of Mysterious Fortune experience and reputation buff, and the new Cooldown Manager feature. Listen for more details and the details in the blue post here: https://www.wowhead.com/news/patch-11-1-5-release-date-is-april-22nd-376279 “What have you done lately?” – 1:09:34 Interesting interview about the disappearing role of Vulpera in WoW, but I need to build a story around this. Stay tuned. Also an interview with Ali from Live, Laugh, Lore coming in Episode 24! A few Delves. And lots of leveling in Draenor of all places which leads to the main topic! Main Topic: Revisiting Warlords of Draenor – 1:12:34 A walkthrough of the lore setup for WoD, a playthrough of the excellent WoD intro questline, talking about the questing in the Horde zone of Frostwall, how the graphics hold up, building a Garrison, not flying (but then getting weak and flying), hitting the Bloodmaul Slagmines dungeon, and wrapping up with the first of three raid tiers from WoW’s most maligned expansion. Drink of the Month – 2:09:11 Couldn’t find a tavern, so knocking back bottles of Ogre Moonshine on the steps of the raid entrance to get acclimated to battling ogres. Raid of the Month: Highmaul – 2:11:48 And, on to battling said ogres (but not OGRE, of course). Verdict on Mythic Highmaul – 2:27:29 You have to listen to find out, but let’s just say you probably aren’t going to be camping on the steps where we drank the moonshine each week. Solo Queue Mailbox – 2:29:52 Kind words on Apple Podcasts and the first SQ episode on YouTube! Outro – 2:33:08 Thanks to Blizzard for the amazing music and sound, to OGRE for intro/outro music, my lovely and supportive wife, and you for listening. Support the show at Patreon.com/SoloQueueWoW Thank you to patrons, Andrew, Righteous Bandy, ThatSkyGuy, Cyn, Snek of Vol’dun and Jon! And thanks to all the free supporters as well! Subscribe to the podcast at your podcast feed of choice, Apple, Spotify, and all the rest. Leave a 5-star rating and a written review to help grow Solo Queue. You can contact me at soloqueuewow at gmail.com, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Next episode is Ali from Live, Laugh, Lore! Remember to watch socials and r/wow on Reddit for the next 3 rounds to crown the best WoW NPC! “I will see you out there."

Episode 21 – Undermine, You Get My Drift? Show Notes Welcome to Episode 21! – 8:58 Busy world in life, in game, and in podcast. Lots of 11.1 going on! “What have you done lately?” – 16:17 Love is in the Air recap Library in our Player Housing when? Barely hitting the 2000 points for the Trading Post An unexpected and difficult adventure to earn the Troll Heritage Armor Main Topic: First Laps Around Undermine and Patch 11.1 – 36:03 First thoughts of Undermine and connections to the OG Goblin starting zone of Kezan First playthrough NOT on my Night Elf Druid main, Human Paladin instead on a whim Opening cinematic and Orweyna do tie Undermine to TWW storyline Missing voice lines for Renzik the Shiv? https://gamerant.com/world-of-warcraft-patch-11-1-renzik-voice-acting-missing/ Also, run, don’t walk to check out the new audio short story, Tipping Point! https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/media/audio/Warcraft%20Short%20Story Undermine the city – too much straight story; incredible detail; DRIVE is tricky at first but growing on me; SCRAP piles are fine; doing the jobs in DRIVE is a bit of a time sink; reached 2/6 storylines; one Delve down, one to go; skybox is hilarious; Bilge Rat Swabbie’s Brush mop transmog acquired; what is CHETT and how do I get the amazing double rocket-pack? Drink of the Month – 1:13:30 Is this a dry town? Went with an IRL Old Fashioned instead. Question of the Month – 1:16:18 Results - What should the next playable race be? 15 races suggested, but the top three vote getters were Naga, Arakkoa, and, by a landslide, Sethrak! New question: What has you excited about WoW? For me, it is story and story delivery. News – 1:24:52 Warband camp scenes and ability to create new camps now available 30th Anniversary event in London looked good; hoping to get to it in Boston AND hopefully land an dev interview of some sort Welcome back podcast Realm Maintenance and congrats to Ease and family on birth of their first child! Twitch drop is Tock the Clocker Spaniel – a must get WoW services and other stuff sale – might have bought some realm transfers Why Kalimdor Cup as 11.1 launches? Map adds the Events tab to track Ongoing and Timed events 1 introduces 2 new Delves, Dungeon Raid schedule and Story Mode only comes week 2 (#followerraids when?) Raid of the Month: Firelands (Cataclysm) – 1:39:57 One of the most loved raids in the game? When you add raid achievements, there are three solid mounts to chase here. I have the rare ground mount, I do not yet have the super rare flying mount, and I am one achievement away from the third one. In this episode, I bring you along as I try to sew up that last achievement. Do I get it? Does Charlie Brown ever kick the football? Verdict on Firelands– 2:05:00 Yes. This is a simple verdict. Park a toon or two or many in Hyjal. SQ Mailbox – 2:08:07 Voila and comments show up on Spotify! Some praise and one former listener who seemed to take issue with a single sentence from a single episode. I have a response to that. Outro – 2:16:37 Thanks to Blizzard and OGRE for audio, my lovely and supportive wife, and you for listening. Hoping OGRE will write the song “Mai'Zoth the Unkillable” for me Support the show at Patreon.com/SoloQueueWoW Thank you to patrons, Andrew, Righteous Bandy, ThatSkyGuy, Cyn, and Snek of Vol’dun! Thanks to free patrons Max, Eddie, Bear, Jon, Friends of Wumpus, Sean, Lavie, Curro, Aronaar, Aedan, Guardian Sandy, and Alice! Subscribe to the podcast at your podcast feed of choice, Apple, Spotify, and all the rest. Leave a 5-star rating and a written review to help grow Solo Queue. You can contact me at soloqueuewow at gmail.com, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. “I will see you out there."