The Starting Zone

Episode# 041: It's Dragon Soul Time!

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:49:00 -0800

Episode# 41 is now live and available for download. We cover everything that you need to know about the newly released Patch 4.3, including a primer on Transmogrifying and Void Storage and a discussion on the future of WoW and that Star Wars MMO.

These aren’t the Show Notes you’re looking for.

** WARNING: A little coarse language at the very end of the show **

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
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Choose my 85!

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:47:59 -0700

As you heard if you listened to the latest episode I (Snarl) am showcasing a little exercise for you listeners. I just finished my third 85 level capped toon. A death knight to go with my Druid and my Paladin.

So which class should be my next level 85? Well, you will decide. Tweet, email, call or respond to this post with what you feel my next class to level cap should be. The class with the most votes will be my next toon to 85!

So chime in now!

Episode# 040: Kung Fu Panda WoW Style!

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:28:00 -0700

Episode# 40 is now live and available for download. We cover ALL of the blockbuster news coming out of Blizzcon 2011, including the latest expansion: Mists of Panderia, new race: Pandaren and a new class: Monk. So much WoW goodness!

The Show Notes are for players who can decipher the Copiale Cipher.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

Mists of Pandaria: First Impressions

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:59:00 -0700

I have been fortunate to be able to listen and watch the Live Stream of Blizzcon for most of the day, between naps with my son, and chores. I have watched the Developer Panel, Dungeon and Raid encounter Panel, and of course the Talent Panel. A lot of news and information. I have been scanning the web and I have noticed that the responses to Mists of Pandaria are very polarizing. Some love this idea, and some people absolutely hate it.

Where does Snarl land?

I LOVE THIS EXPANSION.

I am not saying this to suck up to Blizzard. I am genuinely very excited about this expansion. Why? Because, this expansion seems to be changing the game for the better. I will admit that perhaps the ‘story’ is not as strong as say Wrath of the Lich King, but the inherent changes and new additions are very strong.

PANDARANS: Eh, go look at my last post on the Pandas. I like them.

MONKS: Absolutely brilliant. The game play vids are just fantastic looking. This class feels very unique and different, and I for one really enjoy the concept of a hand to hand combatant who uses weapons for finishing. Such a new way to look at a class for WOW.

But I see how the Pandarans are controversial to ‘hard core’ players who don’t like this idea that WoW is getting Disney-fied. To those people, I site… oh… I don’t know… the current Hallows Eve events? Maybe the Valentine’s Day event where you have to hug players for an achievement. Give me a break. WoW isn’t just about Killing and Fighting, and I like how the Pandarans give us a different approach to how we see a Playable Race in world of warcraft. Also, let’s be honest, we don’t deserve a new RACE anyway.

The pattern has been alternating a new race with a new class. We were due for a class and we got a great one, and we get this bonus race. I think it’s great. Don’t complain, you probably didn’t think you were getting a new race anyway. So, if you get free fries with your burger do you say, “Oh, These are shoestring and I like steak cut!” No, you say, “Thanks for the free fries.

PET BATTLES: I love the idea of mini-games in WoW. I have told Tak many times how much I want fishing to be revamped into a mini-game. Here we have a very detailed mini-game that I actually want to play!

SHORTER DUNGEONS: Um, thank you. Tak and I chatted today that we thought that they were attempting to capture some of the solid parts of Wrath and accessibility that they completely botched in Cataclysm. This is a good step.

PVE Encounters: Another solid way to do dungeons and get valor points without having to do dungeons? Um… sign me up. PUGS on my server have been terrible since day one of Cataclysm. Having a new way to get Valor without having to rely on the D-Bags on your server is a good thing.

NEW TALENT TREES: This new simplified tree that gives you finally the ability to make your class unique. You don’t have to worry about passing up on a talent in favor of another because of performance. That is truly amazing. Blizzard finally took the bold step they should have taken in Cataclysm. This is a great new change, because it fundamentally changes how we play. This is less about story and more about gameplay, and for those of us who were feeling the talent and skill structure was stale, we finally get a true change.

ANNUAL PASS with D3: This blew my mind. Sorry to hyperbolize, but Jesse and I watched this together and when he said that we were both blown away. A year pass gets you Diablo 3 for FREE an in-game Mount and an instant invite to the Mists of Pandaria BETA? Yes, please. Not only do I appreciate this move from a player stand point, I appreciate it from a strategic business stand point. Your move SWOTR.

All in all, I am excited about this expansion, and if you disagree with me, fine. Let me know about it.

Why I Love the Pandaran!

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:40:12 -0700

For years Blizzard has delivered fantasy character avatars. I mean look at how gorgeous the Blood Elf Princess is, or how Muscle Bound the Orc Male is. But now, Blizzard has finally delivered a race I can truly identify with. An Overweight, Hairy Toon with a penchant for cooking and eating and drinking beer. It’s like they actually put me in the game.

Sincerely,

Snarl :)

Episode# 039: Patch 4.3 and PTR Primer!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:36:15 -0700

Episode# 39 is now live and available for download. We cover patch 4.3 news, a PTR primer for you adventurous players out there and introduce a new series in our GRIND segment dedicated to breaking down dungeon and Raid Boss encounters!

The Show Notes are for players who can read an ancient alien language.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

Episode# 038: Cataclysm Class Series - Mages!

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:17:19 -0700

Episode# 38 is now live and available for download. We kick off our Cataclysm class series with the never-before discussed Mages with special guest Nananea from the 1% Wipe Podcast! For any and all players interested in those crazy dealers of damage goodness, you gotta check this episode out!

The Show Notes are for warlocks.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

Episode# 037: Transmogrification and a special guest with ELEVEN level 85 characters!

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:32:16 -0700

Episode# 37 is now live and available for download. This week, The Starting Zone looks at Patch 4.3 possible changes, a Blizzard leak and what the heck does Transmogrification mean? Oh, and a special guest who has eleven level 85 characters who ALL have professions at 525. Oh my!

The Show Notes are not necessary.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

Ask Grit #2

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:16:26 -0700

Check out the latest question that we asked Grit by clicking here!

Ask Grit #1

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:04:44 -0700

Ask Grit #1:

Hey, we often get a lot of questions from you. But I bet you are wondering, who we go to, when we have questions. Well, lately, we’ve been going to GRIT your friendly neighborhood DK Tank @ http://grittank.tumblr.com/ This was our latest question we asked him. We’ll post more in the future.

Finally! A Donation Button!

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:06:00 -0700

That’s right! After several requests, we’ve finally added a DONATION button to the website. So if you want to SPONSOR an episode, simply click on the DONATE button on the right hand side of the website to send THE STARTING ZONE at least $5 for your own personalized shoutout or advertisement for your guild, raid team, well wishes, etc! Just please, keep the shoutout SFW (Safe For Work for you non-web 2.0 users).

As an added bonus, anyone who sponsors the show with at least $5 will receive their very own personalized title by Mr. Mick Montgomery himself!

Episode# 036: Mists of Pandaria and our guide to the Firelands Dailies!

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:40:04 -0700

Episode# 36 is now live and available for download. We’ve got potential breaking news with a brief discussion on Blizzard’s latest trademark: Mists of Panderia! Also, the Starting Zone does an in-depth guide on the new Firelands Dailies. Enjoy!

The Show Notes are not necessary.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

Snarl's Got a Manifesto!

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:02:37 -0700

Mick Montgomery, co-host of THE STARTING ZONE, has a brand spanking new Podcast about content creation and all that jazz! In fact he just put up Episode #2. So, we invite you to head on over to the website and check out THE MONTGOMERY MANIFESTO!

Snarl's Rant: The 10 Toon Server Limit?

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:29:03 -0700

Recently, we announced another one of our Guild Races. One of our Guardians was good enough to take the bull by the horns. In our Guild Races we all roll a level 1 toon of a particular race. We gather in the starting zone of that race and run to go find an officer hiding out in some city somewhere. It is pretty cool.

Then I saw someone ask if we could maybe do the race on an alternative server because he was maxed out on Toons on our server. It was at this point I began to wonder why Blizzard continues to keep this 10 toons per server limit, and has not increased the number.

At this stage, I would argue that a player should be allowed to roll 12 - 14 toons on a server based on the fact that we have 10 classes, and if you have a Druid and you want to play all four specs, you need to have an 11th toon. If you want to have a bank alt, you need a 12th toon. If you want to have a mailbox dancing toon, you need a 13th, and if you want to have an off faction spy, you need a 14th toon. So, why hasn’t Blizzard increased the server cap?

While my above reasoning is highly specific, I would have thought the cap would go to level 12 just to compensate for the addition of two new races. A player could in fact have 10 level capped players, and be forced (as I have seen) to either pay for a race change or worse, delete a toon they have worked hard on. If this is happening, isn’t it about time that Blizzard raised th server cap?

Has anyone else asked themselves this question recently?

Episode# 035: Our Two-Year Anniversary Show!

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:46:22 -0700

Episode# 35 is now live and available for download. In our two-year anniversary show, Mick and Jesse welcome two special guests to discuss everything related to the release of Patch 4.2, new Refer-A-Friend bonuses and a retrospective on the first six months of Cataclysm!

The Show Notes were eaten by the dog…again.

Enjoy!

The iTunes Link
The MP3 File
The RSS Feed

Two Year Anniversary Show TONIGHT at 5PM PST / 8PM EST

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:42:37 -0700

That’s right folks…the TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY show is TONIGHT at 5PM Pacific / 8PM Eastern. Here is the link to listen live:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-starting-zone

Remember, if you tune in live, you’ll be automatically entered into our random LIVE TCG Loot Card code giveaways!

We want your voicemails!

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:47:33 -0700

That’s it. No more waiting. No more procrastinating. It’s time for YOU to pick up your cell phone, skype headset or :gasp: landline and call our Voicemail line at (323) 389-5123.

Voicemail operators are standing by to take your voicemail. Leave a voicemail by Saturday (7/9) 11:59PM and you’ll be entered into our contest for a random TCG loot card code to be selected during OUR LIVE TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW, coming up THIS SUNDAY!!

So call in now. Do it! Do it!

Want to win some TCG Loot?!

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:06:37 -0700

To celebrate our TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY show, we’ll be giving away some TCG LOOT CARD codes during the live show. All you have to do is tune in THIS Sunday (7/5) at 5pm PST/8pm EST for your chance to win a Landro’s Lil’ XT, PVP Paint Bomb and more!

Livestream links coming soon!

Two Year Anniversary LIVE Broadcast on Sunday, July 10th!

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:08:06 -0700

That’s right folks…it’s time to celebrate the two-year anniversary of THE STARTING ZONE with another live show!

So mark your calendars! Sunday, July 10th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST. More details to come!

Looking for guild hosting website?

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:02:00 -0700

As you heard on episode# 34, Mr. Matticus enlightened both Mick and I to an awesome new guild hosting company called ENJIN. As a bonus, we’ve now become an OFFICIAL Enjin affiliate, so if you or anyone you know is looking for a guild hosting website, please CLICK on the banner above or on the sidebar!

You’ll not only be signing up for an amazing guild hosting website, but also giving a little bit back to THE STARTING ZONE podcast as well!

Thanks!