Convert to Raid: The podcast for raiders in the World of Warcraft!

Latest Episodes:

#130 - Convert to Raid: 'Warlords' Beta Coming Soon? Feb 10, 2014

Show notes

This week, they CtR crew looks into their crystal ball to see the future of World of Warcraft!

PvP Season 14 is ending soon, but why would raiders care? According to Blizzard, we could be seeing the end of this season in the next couple of weeks, with patch 5.4.7 soon to follow. Included in the patch should be pre-purchase of Warlords of Draenor, the free boost to 90 and much more. And if the next PvP season is around 20 weeks long, when will we be seeing the next expansion? And when should we be finding out more about the release of the beta? The guys will give you their predictions!

WoW subscription numbers are… up? According to Blizzards quarterly earnings call, Q4 saw an increase of 200,000 subscribed members. This is definitely a surprise to many in the community. Can it all be traced back to Blizzcon, or is there something else in the works? And will Blizzard be able to retain these numbers?

In the prepatch to Warlords, expect a raiding shakeup! Ion Hazzikostas, Lead Encounter Designer for Blizzard said via Twitter that patch 6.0 would introduce all of the raid group changes into Siege of Orgrimmar. So Flex becomes Normal, Normal becomes Heroic, and Heroic becomes Mythic. It’s downright confusing for the guys to keep everything straight, but they’ll try to get everything and everyone sorted out as we approach the big switch.

Also, how can you get raiding experience if no one will let you in to your group? The guys take a look at a viewer question on how to take their first steps as a raider. Also, a wrap up of the Blizzard Stream Awards, more questions from you, and lots of laughs inside this week’s show!

#129 - Convert to Raid: Taking Your Team to the Next Level Feb 03, 2014

Show notes

This week, Pat Krane and Dairies welcome special guest Sloot from top ranked guild Midwinter, and they discuss difficulty levels for all kinds of encounters for Warlords of Draenor!

Lead Encounter Designer Ion “Watcher" Hazzikostas talked with several community members from the EU, touching on the resurrection of heroic 5 man content and what kind of difficulty we might expect for the upcoming expansion.

Along with that, Watcher mentioned that there may be alternate ways to gear up to similar ilevels to Looking For Raid, possibly through challenge modes. With all of the new opportunities Blizzard is giving players for loot in WoD, does that spell the demise of LFR or will it make playing the game more flexible and fun for everyone?

Mythic mechanics are getting freshened up too, according to Hazzikostas. The crew discusses how Blizzard could accomplish it, giving examples of what makes a good (and bad) raid encounter.

And finally, Sloot and the guys take an in depth look into what raid leaders should consider before taking their normal team into Mythic content in Warlords. If you’re thinking about taking your team to the next level, you won’t want to miss this discussion!

#128 - Convert to Raid: The Blizzard Ban Wave! Jan 27, 2014

Show notes

This week, Blizzard banned a TON of accounts (unofficial numbers in the hundreds of thousands) for botting programs that enhance gameplay, and some WoW players were caught in the crossfire. The CtR crew explains how these third party programs work, and what other programs may have been suspect. But was Blizzard biting the hand that feeds them, or is their tolerance for cheaters really that low?

Ion Hazzikostas announced that Blizzard is pretty happy with the bonus roll system for loot that was developed in Mists of Pandaria, but are you? Are there improvements to be made, or do the limitations feel appropriate?

The human female artwork revamp was released this week, and Koltrane explains why Blizzard should think about clothing their models, and why his coworkers are avoiding him at the water cooler.

More raiding stats were released this week from MMO-Champion about class popularity in heroic Siege of Orgrimmar, and the CtR crew weeds through the data to get to the important stuff. Plus, the Warcraft movie finishes its first week of filming, the CtR Guild anniversary celebration wraps up, the guys answer your questions and more in this exciting episode!

#127 - Convert to Raid: Ghostcrawler LOLs! Jan 20, 2014

Show notes

This week, former Blizzard lead developer Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street revealed his new gig at Riot Games. While the CtR gang were sure that was the most likely scenario, there was someone we have to thank for cracking the case -- Mr. Magoops, Cat Detective. And we’ll even play his story!

Big news broke on the World of Warcraft website: digital copies of Warlords of Draenor will be available SOON™ for pre-order. And when you purchase, you’ll receive the pet, the mount, and even your free boost to 90. Blizzard also hinted that the closed beta will be coming in the next several weeks as well. While everyone is excited about this, there are some words that bring up concerns of when WoD will actually drop.

Siege of Orgrimmar is getting some nerfs this week, and Lead Encounter Designer Ion Hazzikostas took to the forums to reassure raiders that these will only be targeted nerfs on several of the last encounters of the raid. Most nerfs are to smooth out progression further or help 10 man teams getting stuck on specific mechanics, and the guys give their take on why this is great news.

The Convert to Raid Guild on Aerie Peak - US celebrates its first anniversary this week, and the guys give you a little more detail on some of the inner workings of the guild and how we’re able to keep it running with the help of some very special people.

Of course there’s a ton more inside, so sit back, relax, and laugh along with Convert to Raid!

#126 - Convert to Raid: Nerf Herders! Jan 13, 2014

Show notes

This week the guys have plenty to talk about as everyone from Blizzard seems to have finally come back from the winter break!

More raiding stats are unleashed on the internet as MMO-Champion takes a look at heroic progression. Only 0.23% of active raiders have downed heroic Garrosh, but what does that mean in the scheme of things?

Blizzard’s Lead Encounter Designer Ion Hazzikostas joined Twitter this week and had plenty to say about some of the upcoming plans (or lack thereof) for the future of raiding. But is short form social media a good thing for players looking to glean some insight, or is it all too much noise for the average consumer?

Hazzikostas did state via Twitter that there were no plans for a raid-wide nerf in Siege of Orgrimmar. The players discuss whether (and when) they think it’s going to come, and how big of an influence Flex Raids are in the equation.

Also, with the flexible raiding system and the proposed Group Finder tool for Warlords, where does LFR fit in the next expansion? The guys tell you their reasons why Blizzard needs to nerf this feature even further in the future.

And… Convert to Raid is covering PvP news? Sure! Afterall, the announcement of a new PvP season could point to when the next expansion may drop. The crew updates their calendars and make new predictions based off the latest information.

And Pat, Koltrane and Dairies wrap up last week’s segment on how to be a better raid leader for 2014 with some more advice on communication and taking a look at different loot systems around the World of Warcraft.

#125 - Convert to Raid: How to Be A Better Raider Jan 06, 2014

Show notes

Happy New Year from Convert to Raid! The guys kick off 2014 with an extremely informative show, so get ready!

WoWProgress.com released a series of statistics comparing Siege of Orgrimmar to Throne of Thunder, both with the number of players and guilds downing bosses and the number of players still considered “active.” Pat, Dairies and Koltrane make sure to compare apples to apples as they sort out the numbers to figure out whether or not WoW is losing raiders.

A bomb was dropped from Chadd “Celestalon” Nervig on Twitter -- there will be no primary stats on gems for the next expansion! What does that mean for players, and more importantly, what does it mean for Jewelcrafters? What should we expect in Warlords, and should the Blizzard developers be rethinking the way professions work?

If you made a new year’s resolution to be a better raider (or raid leader), the CtR crew has got you covered! You’ll get an in depth discussion of how raiders and raid leaders can improve their preparation, performance, attitude and communication to make sure that your raid team is firing on all cylinders!

All that and much more in a very fun, extremely informative Convert to Raid!

#124 - Convert to Raid: The Winter Veil Special! Dec 23, 2013

Show notes

This week, the crew has their yearly Winter Veil special, talking about all of the latest WoW news, playing some of their best bits from the year, and more!

There is no more “magic number” in flex raiding as the developers have released their plan for Warlords of Draenor a little early. Now flexible raiding is even more flexible, minimizing perceived encounter breakpoints with a system that better scales to each group size. While some mechanics in Siege of Orgrimmar won’t scale as easily as others, there shouldn’t be a strong need to keep flex teams to a certain number of members.

The Warcraft movie announced two more actors joining the fray, with Daniel Wu and Clancy Brown. Both are veteran actors well known for action, so the players are getting amped up to think about the possibilities for this epic film.

The guys then turn the show over to you, as they take calls and answer your questions! Not only will the cast reveal fun information about themselves, but also talk about gear in SoO, discuss raiding in previous expansions, tackle the PvP vs. PvE debate, look back on the CtR Guild, as well as give great advice for those just stepping into heroics now.

Plus, grab some Noggenfogger and listen in on a few of our favorite comedy skits from 2013, celebrate, and look forward to a spectacular new year!

#123 - Convert to Raid: Dungeon Difficulties with Derevka! Dec 16, 2013

Show notes

This week, Pat Krane and Koltrane welcome Derevka (from Something Wicked, Whisperwind US) back to the show to talk about the latest happenings in World of Warcraft!

The 5-Man Dungeons of Warlords of Draenor are put under the CtR microscope as a new post on the EU forums went up about difficulty levels proposed for the next expansion. Is there a way that Blizzard can create meaningful, long lasting 5-man content for raiders, and how will it stack up against other VP grinds like scenarios? The guys take a look at the issue from several different angles, coming up with some possible solutions.

The recently disbanded guild is planning to rejoin the top raiding guilds in the world for Warlords, but will their new, more casual plan be a help or a hinderance for their rankings? Plus, as a ton of 10 man teams like Paragon venture into Mythic content, what will that do for the race to world first?

Derevka, Pat and Koltrane also talk in depth about healing, including healing meters vs. performance, discipline priests vs. other healing styles, and whether or not healing roles in World of Warcraft need a serious update.

Plus, they go back into the War Room to discuss the second encounter in Siege of Orgrimmar in both normals and heroics, try to get to your questions and a lot more!

#122 - Convert to Raid: Who's to Blame? Dec 09, 2013

Show notes

This week, the guys are back for another look at the latest buzz in the WoW community!

The Warcraft movie announced some of their cast members this week including Rob Kazinski, who claims to have a huge WoW background and plays a mean DK. How important is it for our crew that the cast and crew of the movie play World of Warcraft? Is there a meaningful difference to us if these guys are fans of the movie magic they’re producing?

Armory Stats show (as reported by MMO-Champion) that raiding numbers in Mists of Pandaria have dropped steadily over the expansion, with only 10% of raiders completing Siege of Orgrimmar. Has the luster of raiding worn off, is the pain and toxicity of LFR too much for players to handle, or is it just a matter of time before those numbers start climbing again?

It was Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street’s last day last week, so how can we welcome the newest guy (Celestalon) to the forefront of the Blizzard community? By blaming him, of course… for everything!

Raegwyn is back at downing bosses all by himself, and recently he took on (and defeated) Dark Animus in 10 man normal. Find out how he did it, and what other encounters we should expect being soloed soon!

Could Blizzcon be changing for the future? The Blizzcon follow up survey from this year certainly alludes that could be, possibly even splitting the panels from esports. The guys break down how it could happen

All that, plus there are a ton of viewer questions in the mail bag, so Pat, Koltrane and Dairies give you their insights on your questions!

#121 - Convert to Raid: Ghostcrawler Calls It Quits! Dec 02, 2013

Show notes

Covert to Raid #121 - Ghostcrawler Calls It Quits!

This week on CtR, Treckie from the top guild in the world (Method) joins Koltrane and Pat Krane to talk about the latest news and views from around World of Warcraft, including a big shake up at Blizzard Entertainment!

Greg Street announced that after almost six years as Lead Systems Designer he’s calling it quits and moving on to new (as yet undisclosed) opportunities. The guys discuss what Ghostcrawler has meant to the WoW Community over the years, and Koltrane’s cat left some clues as to where he might end up. Plus, the guys take a stroll down Memory Lane to their favorite G.C. moments.

It may have been a short work week here in the U.S., but Community Manager Crithto released a huge post on gearing and stats for Warlords of Draenor. Will gearing be simplified for the next expansion, or will it be just as confusing? The guys discuss some interesting developments and what it could mean for players at the end game.

A warlock from Russia (YouTube handle: Snowball) managed to solo Immerseus in the Siege of Orgrimmar raid instance! Was this flawed design, or are warlocks that overpowered? The crew weighs in with their opinions on having anyone be able to solo current content.

Treckie comes fresh from DreamHack Winter and gives some great insights on raiding in a top guild, including his views on Mists of Pandaria raiding and what’s to come for Warlords of Draenor. And if you want to take your game to the next level, he’s got some stellar advice.

All of that and more on a very fun show!

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