The Queue: Full Moon, Full Life

It’s full moon again, crazy how time flies

Sheesh what a week. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is out. Persona 3 Reload soundtrack is finally released in its entirety today. Dragonflight Season 4 is in full swing. And while I know not everybody is into Sportsball, the NFL Draft starts tomorrow and that’s a big deal for a team owner like myself.

I also found out some genius put together a three-hour radio show of Johnny Fever from WKRP in Cincinnati so of course I’ve been listening to that.

So while I groove to some classic rock and repeatedly hit refresh on ESPN’s draft coverage, let’s answer some questions!

Well if you’ve paid any attention to the alpha so far you know there’s a gigantic surprise at the start of the expansion. I won’t spoil it, but I suspect it’ll end up being the biggest surprise during the first tier of content. I do expect a couple other big surprises, especially involving everyone’s favorite knaifu Xal’atath, but nothing on par with that.

As for major character deaths I am expecting at least one, maybe two. That said, I tend to think most of the big flashy death scenes will be saved for the final expansion in the Worldsoul Saga but there should still be at least one that makes people upset.

The whole aesthetic of the Isle of Dorn is phenomenal. While Earthen aren’t exactly the same as Dwarves they share the same stylistic choices and it’s beautiful. I’m not sure why I’d leave Dornogal or the outlying villages.

You mentioned pets to tame and there’s something really cool: Hati’s various color models are present on some normal wolves on the Isle of Dorn. So Marksmanship and Survival Hunters can now pretend to have Hati with them — although you can’t actually name him Hati because that name is “reserved”. Be prepared to see a lot of wolves named Háti or Hatti, or for those who look into the original mythology, Mánagarmr (or a similar anglicized version like Managarm).

You can really feel the influence of folklore and evermore on The Tortured Poets Department, especially on the second half of the “Anthology” (the base release feels its Midnights influence stronger), and as those are my favorite albums by her so I love how it came out.

But.

It’s lacking in a couple areas. There’s no insta-hit (in my mind) like Anti-Hero, or a song I immediately love and play on repeat like You’re On Your Own Kid or Exile. Also unlike folklore/evermore they’re pretty much all autobiographical about the end of relationships so a lot of the lyrics are downers. I get how she mines her life for music but at the same time I’m praying her and Kelce have a long stable relationship.

That said, it’s a tremendous “vibe” album. Put it on shuffle and don’t pay too much attention to the words and it’s a fantastic mood. While I may not put it above folklore, I will definitely be keeping it in my rotation for a long time.

I agree the Haywire Servobot is pretty cool looking, but I’m giving my vote to Waxwick. I just love the description:

In a miracle of dreams and wishes, Waxwick awoke and climbed off a kobold’s head to pursue her own path.

Those are some real goals there!

I am wildly excited for playable Earthen, especially since I’ll now be able to get my “dwarf on” Horde-side. As I said above, the Earthen zone is fantastic, and their racials are pretty cool.

The Earthen though aren’t my most desired Allied Race, though. That remains Vrykul. So no, I am not yet satisfied, though that’s not the Earthens’ fault!

As part of the Bronze Enclave the Parting Glass moves in and out of time; it’s not always there. You probably never went by while it was present.

But seriously, anything outside the central area of Valdrakken is going to be on the obscure side as there have been only a few reasons to head to the Bronze Enclave during the course of the expansion. It’s actually kind of unfortunate, and I’m glad that Dornogal (the Earthen capital) has embraced a less concentrated layout.

If you’re not sure where it is, check out this article with all the important details!

My puppy looks like he’s about to tell me he’s seen my /played in WoW and is concerned.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! Be good to each other, and leave Matt plenty of questions!