Battle Bards Episode 28: Runes Of Magic

A new episode of Battle Bards is up!

This week, the theme is the music from Runes of Magic. As MMO soundtracks go, it’s one of the more popular ones, but what do the Bards think? Opinions are all across the board for this one, so be sure to tune in with me, Syp and Syl on this one. It’s one fun show you won’t want to miss.

As a reminder, we’re going to be doing a Listener’s Request episode very soon. If you have a favorite MMO track we haven’t covered, we invite you to submit it for the show! Feel free to leave a comment, tweet or email me or get in touch with us through the Battle Bards page.

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Episode 28 show notes

• Intro (featuring “Main Theme,” “Blazing Battle,” and “Absurdia”)
• “Main Theme Chapter 4”
• “Adventure”
• “Silverspring Day 2”
• “The Radiant Arcanum”
• “Tower of Wailing Wind”
• “Varanas City”
• “Traveling Tale”
• Which one did we like best?
• Mail From Zoward
• Mail from Shintar
• Reminder about listener episode submissions
• Outro (featuring “The Radiant Arcanum”)

Updates From Tamriel

It’s been a while since my last Elder Scrolls Online update, and I figured there’s no better time to do it than the one-month mark.

To cut to the chase, I’m still kicking around Tamriel on my Dragonknight, since I’d paid for a three month sub up front — ESO just feels like the kind of game I’d like to take my time in; I knew I was going to need at least that much time, and I think for the most part my instincts were correct. Granted, I’d like to throw myself into the game, but things have just been crazy this month. Thankfully I’ve been able to play here and there as time allows.

But already though, I can see and feel the effects of the post-1-month flight. Most nights, I don’t see as many people in the guild anymore, and some of the barrow instances where I used to see tons of other players going through to get skyshards — I never even used to have to fight, everything was always already dead! — well, they’re like ghost towns now. I think we’ve seen enough MMO launches to expect this cycle; it’s a pattern that has established itself since time eternal, but its effects are still very noticeable.

On a more positive note, I’m still enjoying my time playing. The quest writing in this game really is phenomenal. My Dragonknight is currently sitting at level 28, making my way through the content in Rivenspire, which probably puts me in the middle of the pack. It’s still a long way until 50, but I do plan on getting there, even if it takes me longer than the three months.

Right now I’m still sitting on the fence regarding WildStar. That I’ll be playing WS is probably a foregone conclusion, the only question is when. I’ve long given up being a game juggler, and if I’m to have any chance of seeing level cap in ESO, I’m going to have to simply not commit myself to another game until that happens, and stick to that plan no matter how tempting it might be to cave. It’s not looking like I’ll be able to play WS on day one, but I’m just crossing my fingers by the time I do get to buy the game and jump in, a lot of my friends will still be very active in it.

Battle Bards Episode 27: Kids’ MMOs

A new episode of Battle Bards is up! This week my co-hosts Syp and Syl and I are finding our inner child with music from a variety of kids’ MMOs. Boy, I never knew there were so many of them out there.

Beware, however, with this warning from the Sypster himself: If you’re allergic to bright, happy and cheerful tunes, this episode will probably make you die.

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Episode 26 show notes

• Intro (featuring “Wysteria Pigswick Academy” from Wizard101 and “Cave of Life” from MapleStory)
  
• Dragonica – “You Beat the Boss!”
• Free Realms – “Sanctuary”
• MapleStory – “Aqua Road East Sea”
• Star Stable – Selections
  
• Hello Kitty Online – “Dream Carnival”
• Pirate101 – “Cool Ranch Theme”
• Super Hero Squad Online – “Boss: Magneto”
• Which one did we like the best?
• Outro (featuring “Hope” from Hello Kitty Online)