The Tauren & The Goblin – Warcraft Story & Lore

Latest Episodes:

#15: On Un'Goro Crater Apr 10, 2017

Show notes

Journey to Un'Goro is live in Hearthstone, and Nick & Katie want to celebrate by talking about Un'Goro Crater! But first, Katie has been working on solving the puzzle of the Riddler's Worm, and that leads to a discussion about community riddles and how they are investigated. Nick laments that the Gara mystery was solved during Warlords beta, and is glad current puzzles are making it unsolved to the live game. Meanwhile, he finally earned his Falcosaur mount and has started to upgrade his artifacts in patch 7.2. Katie then reminds everyone that you can buy Order Resources with your Bloods of Sargeras.
Alisaunder writes in to share her thoughts on the recent artifact appearance debate, and rightly advocates for more barbershop options. That leads to a discussion of how players can show their accomplishments without Blizzard excessively restricting appearances. YepX also emails to talk about TCG mounts, and Katie shares her affinity for mount collecting and reviews her collection of TCG mounts. As for Un'Goro crater, Katie dislikes the initial quests upon entering the zone, but Nick defends them. They discuss the lack of Un'Goro information in Chronicle Vol. I. Nick struggles to say the name Ngorongoro, the real location that Un'Goro is based on.
Katie reviews the Titan influence in Un'Goro, as demonstrated by the Pylons in each quadrant, but also by the presence of the Nablya, the Watcher placed there by the Titans. Nick mentions how this connects the zone to Sholazar Basin. They also discuss the devilsaurs and how intimidating they are to low level characters. Katie shares the tale of Maximillian of Northshire, and how he is based off the literary character Don Quixote. Finally, Katie swoons over the goblin quest givers in the zone. The episode may run a little bit long, but we hope you enjoy this lore-packed episode of The Tauren & the Goblin!

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1s4
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

SE: Chronicle II... Two. Apr 04, 2017

Show notes

Nick and Katie are back and dive right into the awesomeness that is Chronicle II. The talk about Draenor, the orc clans, their relationships, and how many of them that aren't featured in WoW are call backs to the earlier games. They talk about the convenience of Aggramar showing up just long enough to set Draenor on its path through history, and then getting summoned off to die. Nick also shares the story of why the Dragonmaw are called the Dragonmaw despite there not being Dragons on Draenor. They try to ponder some of the changes with Alternate Draenor, such as Ga'nar dying eleven years before the Dark Portal instead of at the time of the portal itself (he should have been dead on AU Draenor, but he wasn't).
They talk about Medivh, and Nick theorizes that the way Medivh reacted to the impending Legion invasion while having Sargeras possessing him is similar to how Wrathion has been preparing for this Legion invasion. They also talk about how the history of Karazhan explains much of the initial Karazhan raid, especially with Aegwynn bringing a blue dragon there. They also talk about Orgrim being a bad ass, and how Blizzard was able to sort-of fit both endings to Warcraft I into the story by having the orcs attack Stormwind twice. Katie then fawns over Deathwing's manipulations in the first war and his role in the second. Nick appreciates how parts of the second war were just backstory for the various units used in the game.
They share their disappointment that the book ended just as Draenor is shattered, and everyone is looking forward to Chronicle III next year. Have you bought your copy yet? If not, GO GET IT NOW!!! All this and more on a special episode of The Tauren and the Goblin!

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1rz
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#14: The Arrakoa & the Arrakoa (Chronicle II) Mar 28, 2017

Show notes

CHRONICLE VOLUME II IS HERE!!!!! Nick and Katie are excited to finally talk about the next chapter in the compendium of Warcraft lore. First, they get into a discussion about artifact appearances and how they are currently scheduled to no longer be available when Legion is over. Both Nick and Katie dislike that idea, especially since there is so much content to do in Legion and so many appearances to earn per character, that it is going to be difficult to get all the appearances one may want before they are gone. Plus its always a poor decision to remove content from a game where players are always looking for more things to do. Then, Nick and Katie finally dive into Chronicle.
They talk about one of their favorite parts -- the Arrakoa lore, since the bird-people are one of their favorite races. They discuss how the Arrakoa have been important since the Burning Crusade and how Legion expanded their lore dramatically. Nick appreciates how the Curse of Sethe led to the orc's red pox which led to the red mist that turned some of the Draenai into the Broken. Then they discuss Ner'zhul's changing role through the canon, as Chronicile intially depicts him as a much more sympathetic character, and end by talking about Medivh and how One Night in Karazhan is kinda made canon. All this and much more rambling about lore in this week's The Tauren & the Goblin!

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1rt
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#13: On Azsuna Mar 14, 2017

Show notes

The long wait is over... Nick and Katie are here to FINALLY talk about Aszuna. But first, the duo discusses the quest to get the Falcosaur mounts. Nick isn't getting the quest to trigger when he summons his pet, so he wonders if he needs to have some pet battling experience. This prompts a discussion of pet battling, which Nick has not done since Mists of Pandaria beta. Katie also shares that she's been running Throne of Thunder lately. Finally, Aszuna.
Nick talks about how the zone was originally intended to be the starting zone for Legion (before level-scaling was developed) and the zone feels like the most randomly-assembled of all the Legion zones. The shipwreck cove, the Azurewing Repose, the Court of Farondis, the Vault of the Wardens, and the Legion invasion all seem to be rather different, as opposed to the other zones which feel more unified. The wardens being in Aszuna feels especially incongruous, since they are so close to the isolated Nightborne in Suramar. Outside of Cordana's small role in the zone, the Wardens are rather inconsequential for the area.
The zone begins with Khadgar sending you in to fight the Legion. After claiming some demon souls for interrogation, the player learns that the Legion is kidnapping and trying to turn Illidari. The player frees the Illidari but finds one single Demon Hunter that was turned by Cordana Felsong (Nick and Katie discuss her name as it relates to her fate.). After killing the Demon Hunter, players free a blue dragon and visit the Azurewing Repose, where they fight the withered and some Nightborne channeling ley energy that the Blue Dragonflight need. This is where Runas is introduced, and Katie laments him appropriately.
After helping the Blue Dragons, we are then introduced to the Court of Farondis. Prince Farondis stood up to Queen Azshara 10000 years ago during the first war, and her response was to break the Tidestone of Golganneth and use its energy to trap Farondis and his subjects as ghosts for eternity. As such, Farondis' people do not like him, so the player must help battle the Naga so the Prince can earn the respect of his people. Having done that, the player is allowed entry into the Hogwarts-esque Narthalas Academy, but before the Tidestone can be obtained, Azshara's minions arrive to kidnap the player. Farondis comes to the rescue by inverting the quest dynamics, and ultimately, the player must head into the Eye of Azshara to claim the Pillar of Creation and complete the zone.

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1rk
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#12: On Free Will with Alisaunder Feb 28, 2017

Show notes

Sometimes a guest comes on and the chemistry just clicks and the show goes for an extra half hour or more, and that's exactly what happens this week as Alisaunder of the Hunting Party Podcast joins Nick and Katie to talk about all sorts of things. First, Katie's been working on her druid off-spec, getting a legendary to drop. She also did the archaeology quest to get the Spirit of Eche'ro mount. Alisaunder has the best mount though, as she got her Big Pink Love Rocket during Love is in the Air, and that leads to a discussion of RNG for such presitgious items. Katie admits that she's still farming Houlon. Then, Alisaunder reveals to Katie that she plays a gnome, and two get along much better than Nick would have expected!
Katie talks briefly about getting her direbeak mount. Alisaunder talks about getting her Holy Priest artifact, Light's Wrath. She also has Pathfinder Part 1 completed. Then she discusses running Naxxramas at level as part of an experience-locked group, and raises the issue that it is more fun since Legion is all a bunch of grinding which gets old and everyone's not as young as they used to be. She then talks about the Rogue assassination questline which she has been loving! Be careful as the discussion does contain spoilers!!! Although, she is worried about how she may have to kill characters she has strong relationships with in her head canon.
Nick points out that the head canon conflict makes her experience similar to that of Garona during the first war. This leads into a discussion of how role playing can come into conflict with what our characters would be willing to do as opposed to what the game forces them to do. Katie hates killing Goblins. The Forsaken's brand of morality makes them especially difficult to work with at times (think of the Wrathgate!). The Demon Hunter questline has some interesting choices early on. Katie talks about the conflict of a Goblin Shaman, while Nick mentions the difficulty he had leading up to the Seige of Orgrimmar when he wanted to resist Garrosh more. Of course, this also leads to Nick lamenting that he had to kill Nazgrim, and his love for his return as a super-badass Death Knight!
Alisaunder poses the question of whether or not we would follow Sargeras if he was a quest giver? Nick responds with the consideration we could already be influenced by the Old Gods and not know it. The group discusses Saurfang's plight, and Katie brings up Dave Kosak's titan-imbued theory from Reddit. Nick talks... Visit website for full summary.

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1rb
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#11: ...and the Pandaren Feb 14, 2017

Show notes

Jason (Emery) from Watchpoint Radio joins us this week to talk about all things Monk and Pandaren! Katie's been running the Crown Chemical Co. over and over in order to get her mount. Jason talks about playing his druid, but doesn't like that Pandaren can't be druids. Everyone argues that Pandaren should be able to be druids, and hope that the next time class/race combinations are expanded pandaren druids will be included. Jason also talks about his love of monks pre-dating World of Warcraft, and the monk artifact weapons. The Monkey King gives you Fu Zan, the brewmaster artifact weapon, but not after a standard World of Warcraft poop-collecting quest!
There is more discussion about the Celestials and how they relate to the Wild Gods (and why Monks should be druids). Jason then talks about the Monk order quest, and how the Peak of Serentiy (the old Monk class area) is attacked by the Legion, and how the progress of the order quest involves relocating and rebuilding the Order Hall on the Wandering Isle. A discussion about Taran Zhu ensues, as he is a monk class follower, and how Jason didn't like him but Nick appreciated his grumpiness. Jason also talks about the Shado-Pan and their importance to Pandaren culture.
Finally, we wrap up with Katie discussing the Love is in the Air questline, and how it is all due to goblins (in this case, the Steamwheedle Cartel) noticing that their profits were affected by the Crown Chemical Company. The Cartel investigation leads to our daily attacks on the Apothecaries in Shadowfang Keep, and a plot is uncovered that seems to have ties to the Wrathgate. With the Apothecaries defeated, the world is saved all because of Goblin greed! Hooray!!!

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1r3
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77
Jason Bond
twitter.com/_EmeryPF

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

SE: 7.2 PTR Champions Feb 02, 2017

Show notes

Nick and Katie are back to talk more about the revelations of the Patch 7.2 PTR. Class Halls will be getting new champions! Death Knights get Minerva Ravensorrow, who Nick doesn't even remember from his time as a Death Knight. Demon Hunters get Lady S'theno, who is interesting because she is a Naga. Druids get Thisalee Crow, and Nick is excited because he liked her from his time spent in Firelands at Aviana's Shrine. She also was the Alliance Druid Follower earned from completing the Garrison Quests in Warlords of Draenor.
Hunters get Nighthuntress Syrenne who is apparently a Nightborne. Monks get Almai. Paladins get Nerus Moonfang who is a Night Elf Paladin, which is interesting since that is not a common paladin race-class combination. Could Night Elf Paladins be coming in the next expansion? Who expected we'd get Dreadlord Paladins in Legion? And what we now know about E'lune and the Light might make Elven Paladins logical in the Warcraft lore. Priests get Aelthalyste which Katie can't pronounce. Rogues get Tess Greymane and Lillian Voss. Its not known whether this means that followers will be assigned by faction, or if players will get a choice, or if Rogues will simply get two followers while most other classes get one.
Mages get Aethas Sunreaver, and Katie and Nick agree he's a bit of a heel, and its probably good that neither play a mage. After arguing about Aethas' value, they discuss the fact that Shamans get Magatha Grimtotem. Nick is a bit disappointed because her unresolved story left open after Thousand Needles was one of Blizzard's more intriguing plot hooks, and he hopes that they can make her partnership with the Shaman a compelling reward, more so than how the story of "What will Sylvanas do with Koltira after Anderhol?" was handled in the Death Knight campaign. Magatha would be a top level villain, and it is surprising to find her in the list. Also surprising was that Warlocks get Kanrethad Ebonlocke, back from his banishment at the end of the Green Fire quest.
At least he makes a bit more sense, because this is the equivalent of Warlocks breaking the banishment-glass in case of a Legion-emergency. Warrios get Darius Crowley and Eitrigg, who are both well respected choices. Paladins get Maximillian of Northshire and Katie is excited, encouraging everyone to do his quests in Un'goro Crater.

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1qu
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#10: Patch 7.2 Models (GALLYWIX!!!) Jan 31, 2017

Show notes

Katie is back to talk with Nick about the Patch 7.2 models that have appeared on the PTR. First though, Katie talks about what she's been up to in game playing on her druid. Nick started on the Warlock Class Hall quest, and shares his experience so far. Jackal left a comment regarding Episode 8 that gets Nick to admit that the show has Horde bias, and then Katie talks about Sylvanas and her motives in comparison to Garrosh. Nick points out that Horde leaders tend to be of the evil persuasion, and that can be disappointing as a Horde player (RIP Vol'jin).
Also, Jashall sends an email that talks about games where the concept of it being a video game were front and center. He mentions Star Ocean and The Matrix Online, but Nick also talks about .Hack. He doubts that World of Warcraft would go in that direction, but it is amusing to compare an established MMO to a fake MMO from 2003. Finally, Katie gets to talk about the Gallywix model, and her hope that this will lead to Undermine showing up in the game. They talk a little about Gallywix's past appearances in the Lost Isles and during the Legion Invasions, and his reliance on his Spider-Mech. Nick asks Katie who would win in a fight: Gallywix or Mechatorque, and gets the expected response.
Nick also brings up the Disguised Anduin model, which prompts specuation about how it could be used. Is Andiun courting Horde players, or is Anduin hiding from the Legion, or from some other group? Or is this even for patch 7.2 or 7.3, or could this model be for use in whatever expansion is to come? We don't know but we'll try to figure it out anyway on this week's The Tauren & the Goblin!

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1qs
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#9: Just the Tauren Jan 17, 2017

Show notes

Nick goes it alone this week as he decides to talk a little about the lore and some of his crazier theories. He laments that Legion has had too much content for him to do given his personal life right now. He then talks a bit about the Timeless Isle and how that bounces through time just like our characters do, except that no one notices because our characters aren't supposed to always be around like an island. He then goes into why he loves the story and how he loves probing at the cracks, trying to find where the story is weak because its all been bootstrapped on after the original lore coming out of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans.
That leads to him talking about how the lore is why he plays the game, and that the story is enganging and keeps him coming back. This leads to him bringing up the Timeless Isle again and talking about his theory that the universe of Warcraft knows that it is a game since Sargeras uses avatars just like we do, and Jaina's magic usage is once described as her manipulating numbers, like math. If the world is a game, does that mean that E'lune and the Void Lords are programmers of some sort, and the Old Gods are viruses? Possibly, but even Nick admits the theory might be pushing the boundaries. All this and more on this week's The Tauren and the Goblin.

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1qd
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Host:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#8: Best Wishes for 2017 Jan 03, 2017

Show notes

Its a new year and a new Tauren and Goblin. Nick and Katie are back to talk a little bit about some of what they missed about this year's Winter's Veil; they loved the new music and Greatfather Winter made an appearance in Highmountain! Then they discuss what they wish for the characters of Warcraft in 2017 (although Nick keeps saying 2016... tsk tsk tsk...)! Anduin had a rough 2016 and he should have a better year, and that leads to a discussion of Alliance and Horde leadership and a discussion of how Stormheim would have been different in Anduin had been in charge.
Sylvanas is arguably evil and she should be nicer this year, because she's either going to rise to the challenge of leading the Horde, or she's going to drag the Horde down with her. Katie REALLY doesn't like Genn Greymane, while Nick just wants him to heal from the loss of his son. Jaina is running the risk of becoming the next character to go crazy and become a raid boss, and no one wants to see that trope repeated. She needs time to heal as well, and she could return to play a pivotal role, although for which side?
Gul'dan is the kind of villain you love to hate, and Katie and Nick hope he'll stick around past Nighthold. Khadgar is cool as a cucumber and he should have a good 2017. Could he co-lead the Kirin Tor with Jaina? Wrathion has been absent for way too long and he needs to show up and deal with the Legion and Spritwalker Ebonhorn in 2017. And we hope you enjoy the Tauren and the Goblin in 2017! Happy New Year!

Episode URL: http://mash4.me/1q4
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

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

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Tauren & The Goblin – Warcraft Story & Lore

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected