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Nick and Katie are back for the first time in 2021 to talk about their time in Maldraxxus, especially since they both chose to join the Necrolord covenant. But first, Katie talks about her participation in the Con Before the Storm Warcraft Lore panel, available on the Con Before the Storm podcast feed. Then, she and Nick talk about their appearance on Live, Laugh, Lore with Gin and Ali. Good times were had by all. Nick also mentions that he got the Junkyard title on Mechagon and he is finally done with that content. They start talking about Maldraxxus, focusing first on the soulbind characters. Katie espeically likes Plague Deviser Marlieth for his humor, but also Emeni because she was a Sethrak princess now infused into an Abomination. They jump around the story a bit but talk about the experience of getting to Maldraxxus and jumping right into the Theater of Pain. Nick tries to recap the state of Maldraxxus with the Primus missing and the Houses of Plagues and Eyes destroyed. They recap the journey to defend against the Houses of Constructs and Rituals and the betrayal of the House of the Chosen by Baron Vyraz. Then they talk about the quest to open the Seat of the Primus after you are able to claim the Runeblade from inside the statue. They agree that the Runecarver in Torghast is likely the Primus. They talk about working to survive the House of Constructs with the Bastion refugees and also working for the House of Eyes and recruiting Baroness Vashj. Finally, Nick gets into the Primus' message and gets excited for the lore implications. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 1/20 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2nvDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are back to continue their wishes for what they want to see for various characters in the new year! They begin by talking about the Dragon Aspects and in particular Ysera now that she has returned in Ardenweald. Next they talk about Azeroth and how she still has a big sword sticking in her. Katie is excited to talk about Vol'jin, and then she talks about Gazlowe for a bit, before talking about Bwon'samdi. They discuss Uther after his turn in Afterlives: Bastion. Next they talk about Arthas and Nick considers that he would be a good replacement for the Jailer. They talk about Draka and Nick thinks she should replace the Primus. Nick then goes off on a tangent about what Zovaal may have done to get himself imprisoned in the Maw and how he and the other Eternal Ones are all connected and related to Elune. He also speculates that destroying the Shadowlands may not truly break death, in that it may be a construct built over an existing system. He references Neil Gaiman's Sandman. They get back to talking about Alexandros Mograine, wondering if he could travel to Azeroth. They also talk about Darion Mograine and consider who controls the Ebon Blade now. They discuss Ara'lon but have encountered him suprisingly little thus far. They talk about the Winter Queen and the Archon, as they are the only remaining Eternal Ones at the moment. Next, they talk about Garrosh and Kael'thas and try to think about how they would be if they were rehablilitated. Katie then runs through a list of characters and Nick just wants to see everyone show up like in Avengers: Endgame. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 1/20 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2nhDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Nick and Katie are back with the annual tradition of looking at each character and wishing what they want for each of them in the new year. First, Katie talks about joining the Necrolord covenant. Then they talk about the Deathwing that Katie is wearing on her head. Finally, they get into the Best Wishes. They begin by talking about Sylvanas and debating what she deserves, as her motivations are now coming to light. They get into an argument about what realm she would be sent to by the Arbiter, and wonder if she can be rehabilitated. Then they talk about Nathanos and Nick wants to see Nathanos be the last surprising shred of Sylvanas' humanity. They also talk about the Jailer and what they want now that they've encountered him. Nick goes on an extended riff about turning the Maw into a giant ball pit. Next, they discuss the Arbiter, although Katie finds it hard to wish something for her since she has been pretty much unconscious since our arrival in Oribos. They also discuss Bolvar and consider his role as compared to Khadgar and Magni the last two expansions. Next they mention Taelia and look at her relationship with her father. Then they reconsider Calia Menethil and admit that she is probably not Taelia's mother despite it seeming possible previously, with little evidence. They also talk about Lillian Voss and how she's a good leader for the Forsaken. Then they look at Tyrande and her role as the Night Warrior of late. They also bring up Malfurion but he hasn't been as present. Next, they review Anduin, Jaina, Thrall, and Baine who were all trapped in the Maw. They agree they all deserve vacations and are going to have severe trauma coming out of the Maw. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 1/6 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2n9Discord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Edanar from such shows as Tavern Tales, Dropping Spicy, Heroes Never Die, and Clan of Three joins Nick and Katie to talk about Bastion and the Kyrian and so much more. But before the show even gets started they get off the rails talking as Edanar and Katie immediately butt heads over his dislike of goblins. They then get into a discussion on which hunter pets they use (or lack thereof) and talk a little about the Firelands challenge tames. Then they get into a discussion of mount farming and the struggles of trying to acquire some of the rarer drops. They then talk about raiding Spine of Deathwing and then Nick finally finishes the intro to the show. They then get into talking about leveling in Shadowlands and how everyone is enjoying the straight narrative path as compared with the choose-your-zone-order that was allowed in Legion and BfA. Nick alludes to the Castle Nathria cinematic only to say that he watched it and did not understand it. They talk about the idea of Blizzard putting out an expansion without leveling where the only requirement is to play through the campaign. They talk a little about ideas for other podcasts and Edanar mentions that he does not listen to his own shows. They get back to talking about Bastion and the Edanar compares the fields to Nagrand while Katie thinks the grasses look more like Minnesota. Katie and Edanar argue about being from Minnesota and Wisconsin and Nick compares the Maw to a burning couch. Edanar then brings up his surprise that there was no Overwatch Easter Egg in Bastion and he and Katie hope to see Ganymede referenced but Nick wants the entire zone to turn into a giant cannon. Nick then questions how the Bastion Afterlives ties into the zone since it seems that Devos' role is being obscured, but Edanar says to wait and some answers are revealed in other zones. Katie brings up the concept of all souls being turned into blue humanoids, and Nick wonders about the prevalance of the human form amongst cosmic beings like the Kyrian and Titans. They talk briefly about Pelegos, then Nick brings up the region where the Void attacked Bastion and wonders where Maldraxxus was, which raises questions about the relationships between the various zones. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @

Nick and Katie are back and ready to talk about Shadowlands! First they talk a little about what they've been doing instead of playing Shadowlands, especially with Katie focusing on her bag space. At this point, Katie is well into Maldraxxus while Nick is only about half way through Bastion. Then they get into talking about first impressions of Oribos. They compare it to Dazar'Alor and how impressive that city was while Oribos feels a little underwhelming. Katie brings up that Dazar'Alor had dinosaurs, which is a point against Oribos. Nick compares the constant changing of hub cities to moving between college dorm rooms. Katie is fascinated by the vendors and Nick points out they seem similar to ethereals. Nick brings up the cinematic that introduces the Jailer and has Anduin save us long enough for us to escape. Katie recaps some of the events of the Maw and they get into a side discussion about Helya and Sylvanas. Nick points out that the Jailer got what he needed, and asserts that it may be knowledge of us, since we seem like we might be able to break him out. Nick then talks about the event that breaks the machine of death, when a red orb impacts with the Arbiter. Katie mentions a similar red orb in Legion and Nick wonders if defeating Argus caused all this. They try to ping down the exact timing of the incident, but lack full information. Katie talks a bit about what she saw in Bastion. Katie finishes by wondering about the shape that souls can take in the Shadowlands. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 12/9 at 10:30 pm EST at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2lmDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are back and they are alone and they haven't planned any specific character to talk about so they can catch up on some things. Katie reveals that she still did not get the Headless Horseman's Horse during Hallow's End this year. They talk a little bit about Vol'jin. Nick mentions that he's sticking around in Mechagon and working on Balance of Power. Katie has been leveling. Gin from Morally Grey messaged with a correction to some character ages. Finally the duo get into one of their topics, "Terror by Torchlight." It is a new short story from Christie Golden which has Flynn Fairwind and Matthias Shaw traveling to Duskwood to fight some undead and recover a missing artifact. Katie recaps the story and then they comment on how they enjoyed the Flynn-Shaw couple. They also talk about how this ties into the Scourge invasion in Shadowlands, and leads directly into the upcoming Christie Golden book, "Exploring the Eastern Kingdoms." Then, Katie runs through the cinematics leading into the pre-patch Scourge invasion. They talk about how several characters were abducted and they all had a witness left with them to remain behind. This leads to a discussion of how Tyrande was able to fend off the abductors and instead was present to face Nathanos. The pair considers Nathanos' motive for facing us at his home, and then talk about his possible fate. They also discuss how Sylvanas and Tyrande mirror each other from the Light and Death perspective. They talk about how hyped they are for Shadowlands to finally be launching next week. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 11/25 at 10:30 pm EST at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2l8Discord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are back to talk about Kael'thas Sunstrider, former Prince of Quel'thalas, since we'll be encountering him in Shadowlands. But before they do, first they get sidetracked talking about the Steamy Romance novels and the apparent appearance of the author in Boralus. Then they talk about what they've been up to in game. Katie's been running Horrific Visions and islands to get her albatross. Nick is almost done with Mechagon and is planning to go back to the Firelands next. Then they get into talking about Kael'thas. They talk about his history in Dalaran before the Second War and get distracted by his fascination with Jaina. Then they talk about how the Scourge destroy Silvermoon and that brings him back from his travels, and his ensuing struggles to connect with his people. He christens them Sin’dorei, or Blood Elves. Kael'thas then winds up heading out and encountering the Night Elf contingent of Tyrande, Illidan, Maiev, and Malfurion in a situation that aggravates Katie. Then he meets Garithos and after working with the Naga to stave off the Scourge, is imprisoned by his commander. Lady Vashj frees Kael'thas and takes him to Outland. They meet back up with Illidan and they work to defeat Magtheridon and claim the Black Temple. After a poorly executed excursion to Northrend, Kael'thas eventually falls under Kil'jaeden's sway and leaves to go to Netherstorm where he takes over Tempest Keep. Players defeat him there, but he manages to barely survive. He then returns to Quel'danas to bring Kil'jaeden to Azeroth but is finally defeated in Magister's Terrace. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 10/28 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2kvDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

This week Gin and Ali from the Live, Laugh, Lore podcast (among many others!) join Nick and Katie to talk about Shadowlands hype. First, after Nick rants briefly about episode numbers, they talk a bit about the founding of Live, Laugh, Lore and how Gin and Ali came together from their other podcast projects to talk about Warcraft lore on a biweekly basis. Then, Nick brings up the book "Enemy Infiltration - Preface" which is found in the Spire of the Unseen Guests, which is a clear reference to the dreadlords. The group discusses the possible interpretations of the book, including the revelation that Lothraxion could still be in league with the Nathrezim and they discuss just how much you can trust the Dreadlords, including even as far as leaving the book around. Nick poses a theory for how the expansion could end, and that leads to a discussion of whether or not Arthas deserves redemption. Gin mentions that the Art Book that came with the Shadowlands Collectors Edition contains some significant lore nuggets. Katie checks out for a bit while Gin and Ali tell Nick about the purpose behind the Helm of Domination and its connection to the Jailer. Katie comes back and the group goes off topic a bit talking about popcorn. When they get back on topic, they look at Sylvanas' possible role as Illidan 2.0 in the great cosmic war. Finally, they about Steve Danuser's recent interview where he compared souls to ropes and try to make that fit with the rest of the known story. Thanks again to Gin and Ali for coming on! Check out Live, Laugh, Lore on your favorite podcatcher of choice. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 11/11 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2k5Discord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are back and after Nick gets some letters confused they talk about the history of Highlord and Lich King Bolvar Fordragon. First, they talk about his history with his daughter Taelia and his possible romance with Calia Menethil, which is purely fan speculation at this point. Nick wonders if they rekindle their relationship if their supernatural natures could allow them to make some special child. Bolvar appears in vanilla serving as the Regent for Stormwind in Varian's absence, while Anduin is a child king. Bolvar is involved in the Onyxia attunement quests, as rumors suggest that Lady Katrana Prestor is up to no good but Bolvar continually requires proof. Finally, she is confronted and Bolvar helps fight her out of Stormwind, and then sends the player to defeat her in Dustwallow Marsh. Bolvar also sends players to Silithus and Naxxramas when those patches were active. In Wrath of the Lich King, Varian returns so Bolvar can lead the Alliance to Northrend. He winds up at the Wrathgate where his fate is decided. He seems to have a cordial relationship with Dranosh, until Arthas shows up and kills the orc. Putress then rains down blight and before Bolvar can die, he is burned by Alexstraza's fire which turns him into the charred husk he is today. Nick talks about Arthas being jealous of Alexstraza for burning people with no objection. Katie wonders if the Aspect of Life knew was she was doing when she saved Bolvar. Bolvar then appears again after being tortured at the Frozen Throne. After Arthas' defeat, Bolvar stops Tirion from putting on the Helm of Domination and claims that fate for himself, becoming the new Lich King and being encased in ice. In Legion, Bolvar reclaims the Knights of the Ebon Blade as his servants. Nick wonders if that was Bolvar's plan all along, or if he just got lucky. Katie mentions that Bolvar shows up in BfA to talk with Vol'jin in a hostile fashion. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 10/14 at 10:30 pm E at

Nick and Katie are back and now that we’ve looked at the Revendreth short, its time to look at the life of Garrosh Hellscream. They discuss his childhood when he was sick and abandoned by his father. Then they talk about Thrall coming and showing him that his father was a hero and recruiting him to the Horde. Next, Garrosh goes to Northrend where he leads the Horde against the Lich King and learns from Saurfang in the process. He comes back and Thrall makes him Warchief and things go downhill. He fights and murders Cairne thanks to the involvement of Magatha Grimtotem. Conversely, he looks noble in Stormtalon Peaks when he rejects Grom’kar’s hostility and throws him off a cliff. He jumps off a zeppelin in Twilight Highlands because he can be hyper aggressive. Garrosh then bombs Theramore, and sends the Horde into a tailspin. He sends a scouting force into Pandaria to secure a beachhead, and then leads the following invansion. He finds the Divine Bell and almost kills Anduin with it though not for lack of trying. He then gets the Heart of Y'shaarj and uses its power to fight the Horde and Alliance, but is defeated. He is imprisoned and taken to Pandaria, where he compares himself to Arthas before portaling away to the an alternatime timeline Draenor 35 years in the past. He gets Grommash to not drink Mannoroth's blood, and helps build the Iron Horde to assault Azeroth. We go and find him in Nagrand, and then Thrall shows up and they finish their Mak'gora with Thrall killing Garrosh. And then he goes to Revendreth. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/30 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2jbDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are here to talk about the final Afterlives animated short on Revendreth. Nick compares this to the other episodes as they all focused on a character while this one centered on the zone itself, with a marginal (but important) role for Garrosh Hellscream. They discuss if there is an order to the cinematics, showing how the situation in the Shadowlands has devolved over time, since the Bastion cinematic took place while before the anima drought, and even in Ardenweald, the story started ahead of the drought and then progressed into it. Clearly in Revendreth, the drought has been going on for some time. They talk about Garrosh being used as an anima supply, and the irony of Garrosh rejecting chains and shackles regularly throughout his life only to find himself enslaved in such a fashion. They comment on Sire Denathrius faux-benevolent tone. Katie wonders if we'll see other characters like Kael'thas or Kel'thuzad in the zone. Nick hypes the music for the zone and mentions that Danathrius has the echo affect on his voice like the other leaders of the dead. They mention that he is most likely one of the bosses, if not the boss, of the first raid, Castle Nathria. They also compare Garrosh's situation to Gul'dan at the start of Warlords of Draenor, and speculate how the player and Garrosh finally meeting could go upon their arrival. Finally, Nick and Katie ponder which of the cinematics and zones they like best, and they debate how “sunlight” works in the Shadowlands. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/30 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons, but please check twitter for any scheduling changes. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2j4Discord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

POOR URSOC!!! Nick and Katie are here to work through their grief over the bear god's fate. But first, Nick rants about how Night Elves always have the most tragic stories, in pointing out the similarities between Ardenweald and Val'sharrah (and Teldrassil, for what its worth.) Then, the duo get into Ursoc's history. They talk about how he and his brother Ursol were empowered by Freya to become wild gods. They also talk about how Freya gave Ursoc the Claw of Ursoc and he worked to master them. Ursoc and Ursol were quick to respond to the call for help during the War of the Ancients, and they were killed when they were overrun by felhounds. Ursoc was resurrected by the Grizzlemaw furbolgs in Grizzly Hills, and then we had to kill him because he was corrupted by Yogg-Saron. He then spends his time in the Emerald Dream until he's trapped by Xavius and corrupted to become a boss in the Emerald Nightmare raid, which is where the cinematic picks up. Nick and Katie then talk about the cinematic, and try to divine how the cycle of life and death works for wild gods. Nick compares the Emerald Dream to the Firelands for Ragnaros and the Twisting Nether for demons, and wonders if we'll see characters like Ragnaros or Kil'jaeden in the Shadowlands somewhere (probably not.) They also talk about how powerful beings in the Shadowlands (or connected to the Shadowlands) get the echo-reverb effect, like the Winter Queen, or the Archon of Bastion, or the Lich King. They also then wonder about what it means to live in the Shadowlands like fauns like Ara'lon and discuss what that must be like. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/16 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. We are also doing a live recording on 9/17 at 11:30 pm E. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2iuDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are back with a whole new animated short to talk about! This time, we learn about Draka's experiences serving in Maldraxxus. But first Katie and Nick try to list notable orc women. Then, the duo review Draka's life. Draka was born weak and set out on a quest to get ingredients for a potion to cure her, but it turns out the quest itself did the job. Then she meets Durotan and they get married and have a kid. They are exiled to Alteract Valley and Nick shares the two versions of their meeting with Orgrim and the ensuing ambush, as detailed in Lord of the Clans and Chronicle Volume II. Draka is killed in the ambush but Nick focuses on the particularly tragic death of Durotan. The pair then discuss the cinematic. They talk about Draka becoming a rogue in the afterlife. They consider why the other denizens of Maldraxxus are all skeletons, and wonder about the purpose of existence. They talk about the shot of the two felguards and how it was cribbed from Harbingers: Illidan, and look at what that could mean, assuming Blizzard wasn't just blindly reusing assets (although Nick points out that they reuse assets in the game all the time.) They talk about what the implications are that the Legion is in the Shadowlands, unless Draka is free to leave the Shadowlands, which also has massive implications, and wonder about the flow of power between the various realms. Finally, Nick considers if Draka's soul was split like Uther's, but because of her existence on Alternate Draenor. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/10 at 11:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2imDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Blizzard released the first of four Afterlives animated shorts on Thursday, and Katie and Nick couldn't wait to talk about it. The cinematic focuses on what happened to Uther after he died, so the duo begins by talking about Uther's life. They talk about how Uther was an apprentice to Alonsus Faol, who then selected him to become part of the Order of the Silver Hand. Uther was given the Libram of Justice and served with Anduin Lothar and Turalyon. In the Second War, the paladins fought the orc death knights and won. Uther later discovered the betrayal of the Alliance by Alterac, and then fought in the battle of Blackrock Spire. Turalyon christened him the Lightbringer. Uther led the assault against the Burning Blade at the Dark Portal. Uther then takes on Arthas as a student, who he sees as a son. Nick and Katie enjoy the fact that Uther gave Arthas ceremonial shoulderplates. Arthas starts to fall under the sway of the Lich King, which culminates in the Culling of Stratholme. Arthas eventually kills Uther, but his story does not end there. Uther is entombed in the Western Plaguelands, and quests in Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King had players interacting with his ghost. Now caught up, the pair are able to talk about the cinematic. They talk about how Arthas plays such a key role in the cinematic, and speculate on what his role in Shadowlands will be. They look at Uther's invocation of the Light just before dying, and wonder if the Light isn't responsible for what's happening in Bastion. They examine how Uther's soul was split, and consider if that could be an effect of being stabbed by Frostmourne. In particular, they wonder about another famous victim of Frostmourne, Sylvanas. They talk about Devos and Uther become dark angels and wonder just who the bad guys in Bastion will be. Nick congratulates Blizzard on using Arthas to market Shadowlands. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/3 at 11:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us... Visit website for full summary. Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2ifDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Ryan aka CognitivePit from Warcraft Reloaded is here with Nick and Katie to talk about C'Thun and the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj since the gates just opened on WoW Classic! Nick asks Ryan if he got his Scarab Lord title and he did not. Ryan then talks a bit about playing through the Ahn'Qiraj experience. They then get into some of the lore around C'Thun and the gates and talk about Fandral Staghelm sending his son Valstann to regrow Silithus. Valstann stumbles into Ahn'Qiraj and awakens C'Thun and the Qiraji and the War of the Shifting Sands begins. Nick wonders about how people keep wandering into sleeping Old Gods acusing problems. Nick then goes back to the origins of Ahn'Qiraj, talking about how the Zandalari awoke the C'thraxxi Kith'ix, who led an Aqir army, and started the Troll-Aqir war. The Aqir were pushed into Ahn'Qiraj where the Zandalari and Gurbashi trapped them, and then they were warped into the Qiraji by C'Thun's power. Ryan goes into the ways the Anubiseth were affected by C'Thun and talks about some of the Ahn'Qiraj bosses like the Twin Emperors and Prophet Skeram. They then talk about Fandral going nuts when Valstann is killed and how Fandral ultimately joins Ragnaros. This leads to a discussion of how Old Gods tend to corrupt people. They talk about Saurfang leading the united war front, and the effort required to gather so much cloth for the war effort for bandages. Nick brings up how Cho'gall started the War by sacrificing several cultists to awaken C'Thun. Finally, Ryan ends by talking about his show Warcraft Reloded. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/2 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2ieDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are back but Katie brought friends! Joining the pair tonight are James, Katie's brother, and Bryce, Katie's boyfriend. James plays WoW but hasn't paid much attention to the lore, and Bryce has only just started playing but has picked up some tidbits of story from Katie through osmosis. To honor episode #101, Katie decided to hold a Warcraft 101 style class so she and Nick could educate these two "students." With introductions out of the way, Bryce starts with a lengthy narrative vividly describing his understanding of the Warcraft lore. It is definitely influenced by Katie's opinions. He starts with the orcs forming the Horde on "Durostar" and coming through the portal and leads through the events of Warcraft III and then up to Battle for Azeroth. James then has a turn, and he is able to describe the history of WoW by going through his memory of the raids. Katie and Nick try to correct some of what they can. James asks about the history of the warchief. Bryce says that Grommash, Garrosh, and Thrall were the three warchieves and they now sit on the Horde council, along with Vol'jin's ashes. Nick then runs through a quick history of the position from Blackhand (as manipulated by Gul'dan) up through Sylvanas killing Saurfang and then fleeing and the formation of the Council. Bryce then asks about mages and portals. Katie talks about the Kirin Tor and the group concludes that mages are terrible. Finally, we finish with James and Bryce describing WoW characters, and Nick and Katie (with help from Gin from Morally Grey and Ali from Dungeon Fables in the chat) trying to guess who they are talking about. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 8/19 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2i8Discord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Join Nick and Katie as they celebrate 100 episodes. First, they take a moment to thank everyone for helping them get this far. Nick and Katie both just finished the Shadowlands pre-expansion novel, Shadows Rising by Madeline Roux, and they are excited to talk about it. Nick talks about missing the various voice talents when reading the story, and Katie talks about Susan Wokoma, the voice actress for Talanji, reading the audio book. They talk about Zekhan's role in the book and the fact that Bwonsamdi calls him Zappy Boy. Nick suggests that Bwonsamdi has a loose relationship with the fourth wall like Deadpool. Katie talks about Zekhan's large role in the book. They talk about his near death scene burning in the tar, and Nick says he wasn't worried because all deaths are cheapened at the moment since we are about to head into the Shadowlands. The pair point out that the climax of the story happens simultaneously with Sylvanas ripping the Helm of Domination apart in Icecrown and opening the hole in the sky. They consider troll regeneration and look at what was wrong with Apari’s leg. Then then talk about Anduin and Roux's depiction of leadership, with many of the characters physically exhibiting signs of stress and rubbing their temples often. They talk about the evolution of Tyrande as the Night Warrior and her brief but important role in the book. Nick considers the Stockades where Sira is imprisoned and how they had a role at the start of the expansion and now again at the end. They talk about the Horde and Alliance and how the Horde is at relative peace at the end, while the Alliance is still in turmoil. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 8/6 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2hhDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick's conversation with Gin continues as they get into what they are most looking forward to in the next expansion. SPOILERS FOR SHADOWS RISING AND FOR SHADOWLANDS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Gin says he's most looking forward to Sylvanas' journey for how she gets from poofing out of Ogrimmar to breaking the Helm of Domination. He also mentions that Warcraft's first homosexual relationship has been confirmed in that Flynn Fairwind and Matthias Shaw are a couple in Shadows Rising. Nick expresses surprise in that he missed the clues in game. GIn talks about how the book involves everyone reaction to Sylvanas but doesn't feature her for much of it. He talks about how Nathanos and Sira Moonwarden are working together, as well as Talanji and Bwon'samdi, and of course Flynn and Shaw. They get into a discussion of Turalyon and Alleria and Nick misunderstands what Gin is saying. They talk about how Turalyon was so fixed by his time with the Light (and Xe'ra) and now that he is out from under that, he can finally grow again. They talk about how the Warcraft lore has grown since Chronicle came out and that the Light and the Void are being disassociated from good and evil. Nick asserts that the reception for Shadowlands will entirely hinge on how welll Blizzard can reveal Sylvanas' motives. If players are unhappy with the reveal, then their opinions of the expansion willl be harsher. If they appreciate it, Battle for Azeroth can retroactively be made better. They discuss the need for a Chronicle Volume 4, and how much of the lore around the Argus raid is missing. They talk about using Chronicle Volume 4 to fill in the lore from the viewpoint of the other characters (the first ones?) They speculate about how souls can be split after death and Gin talks about his expectations that the blacksmith in the Maw willbe a major character. They talk about some of the artifact weapons. They also talk about many of the characters they look forward to interacting with. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 7/22 at 10:30 pm E at

Gin from Morally Grey is here to fill in for Katie and talk with Nick about playing alts and some of his recent interview with Madeline Roux, author of Shadows Rising. They start with Nick diving into Gin's favorite part of the interview with her, talking about her writing process and her favorite characters. They discuss how some people have problems separating the actions of fictional characters from the authors or creators, with Nick talking about the recent death threats against Laura Bailey. They then talk about podcasting while drinking, and Nick credits Gin for his sounders on Morally Grey. They talk about recording podcasts and the struggles with editing them, and then switching to streaming. They also talk about recording episodes in a cluster for release later. They also discuss Gin's plans for Morally Grey as it moves from Warcraft II into Warcraft III. Gin also talks a bit about A Thousand Years of War, regarding Turalyon and Alleria. They get off on a tangent about screenshots, with Nick talking about how he takes too many screenshots and Gin not taking any at all. They then talk about the Developer Livestream where it was revealed that Torghast would not be gated and they complain a bit about Horrific Visions being gated behind dailies. Nick compares that to the Paragon reputations, and then talks about how a single attunement would be preferable to daily unlocks. Gin is appreciative that seemingly everything discussed at Blizzcon will be in Shadowlands, and was elaborated on in the livestream. Nick points out that Blizzard seems to be carefullly responding to the criticisms of the development process for Battle for Azeroth. They compare how few mythic + dungeons they've run. Gin talks about his alts for a bit, and then talks about the headcanon of race-changing your character. Nick defers since he has never race-changed, but Gin talks about how his one character has been multiple people. Nick then complains that the collections in the game are getting too big. Gin and Nick compare histories of playing and quitting the game throughout the early expansions. Then they talk about weapon skill points and how they levelled up their unarmed combat. They talk about Grim Batol in Cataclysm and how there are no kid dwarven or tauren models. This leads to a facetious discussion on the origin of gnomes. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or que... Visit website for full summary. Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2h3Discord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons

Nick and Katie are back with special guest Spazz Wesson to talk about playing alts in World of Warcraft. But first, they talk about what they've been doing in game. Spazz mentions that he's been killing the same few MoP bosses for mounts, and this leads to a discussion about 8.3 being one of the deader final patches in WoW history. The trio compares 8.3 with 6.2 and 7.3, delving into why features such as the Mage Tower made Legion such a strong expansion. They consider if the strength of the prior expansions is a detriment to the subsequent content. They conclude with Katie talking about playing with her boyfriend and boring him with lore. Spazz asks the question, " When you watch a cinematic in game for the first time, do you react as your main, as yourself or do you react as all your characters?" Nick throws the question to Spazz first, who talks about his alts and how his main is a night elf. Katie talks about her family of alts including Klanker and his Night Elf wife. Nick mentions the Battle for Azeroth cinematic and how Sylvanas' "For the Horde!" made him feel at the time. They discuss how their various alts relate to one another, and bring up other cinematics including Elisande's pre-raid encounter. They go in depth on the burning of Teldrassil, as that affected all characters differently. Nick and Spazz agree that everyone should have a Sylvanas loyalist character. They talk further about how their characters reacted to Sylvanas trusting them early in the Horde campaign. Finally, hey talk a bit about how alts level through the world. Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 7/6 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us! Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2gkDiscord: http://discord.me/mashthosebuttons Hosts: Nick Zielenkievicz twitter.com/WookieeBHtwitch.tv/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. Mash Those Buttons Website twitter.com/mtbsite facebook.com/mashthosebuttons