Zoom-in Online

If you like, you can skip my intro, and get to the list.

I've been playing WoW for almost two years now, sometimes more actively than others, but one pair of facts has persisted throughout: there are often times—especially when I'm in the car or when I'm coding—when A.) I can't be at my computer playing WoW and B.) I wish I could be at my computer playing WoW. Yes: addicted.

One option to quell the shakes that is sometimes fun, sometimes annoying, is logging into my 450+ member guild's Ventrilo server, and join the main channel, or some channel where a major raid is going on, and just lurk. Sort of like a "talk show" or some other audio experience, it keeps me connected to my guildies and the game. Those of you who play the game (or have a spouse or child who play) know how addicting it is, and those of you who don't... it suffices to say that there are times when those of us who are leveling a character in Azeroth simply need to plug in to the game - even when we can't actually play.

Enter the Podcast...
Rewind back to July 18, 2005, I stumbled upon a little Podcast called World of Warcast by Starman and Lindyen. It was just these two fans of the game just sitting around talking about WoW. It was somewhat poorly produced at first, and they rambled on a bit too much about "their old EQ days"... yet, I couldn't stop listening. After about 4 or 5 weeks, they really started to get their act together and the production value began to increase with some new mics, and I knew I was hooked. I started looking for other podcasts about WoW that I could download and burn to CD-RW and listen to in the car on my multi-hour drives that I do just about weekly.

Over the past year and a half, I have subscribed to just about every WoW Podcast that has come along, and I have unsubscribed to far more than I have stuck with. Some are very informative and offer actual tips for getting more out of the game, some explore the lore of the world, some are funny, some are just one long rant, some are as hardcore-geeky as can be. As it turns out, there have been something like 50 or more of them. Some with somewhere between three and four episodes that just pull a mad pod-fade and disappear forever, others that just plain sucked, and some that have remained a weekly part of my media indulgence, and it is those ten fine productions that I intend to compile for you here.

The Top Five WoW Podcasts: My Weekly/Monthly Staples

1. The Instance [subscribe ]
Rating: A+
Tone: Informal, humorous, good audio, informative and timely, clean
Hosts: Scott Johnson, Andrew and Randydeluxe
Frequency: Weekly, almost without fail, 40-60 minute show
Launch Date: January 6, 2006
Number of Episodes To Date: 55
Content: This show is just great. It's a pleasure to listen to, it's entertaining and informative, it's not so long that you can't get through it, the hosts are self-professed geeks, easy to listen to, and the show is run like a radio program so there are regular segments, good pacing, and they know when to shut up and move on. They love to play listener audio comments and voicemails, and run a host of submitted segments produced by outside contributors about mods, n00b tips, leveling, professions, group dynamics, et al. One of these contributors made such an invaluable weekly contribution to the show—Randy Deluxe—that they invited him to become a regular host on the show. If you play WoW, you really ought to give these guys a half hour of your time every week... heck, you can listen while you grind murlocs. They even played a couple of my call-ins early on... I'm Lorlor. :) Randy is an end-game raider, and the two original hosts have never had a character (from what I can tell) over about level 45. So there is a lot they have not seen and don't know about, but for a weekly upbeat fix of WoW talk, these guys have it down.

2. World of Warcast [subscribe ]
Rating: A-
Tone: Laid back, conversational, anecdotal and very informative, good audio, clean
Hosts: Starman and Renata
Frequency: Once every couple/few weeks, erratic releases, but long shows usually around 75-100 minutes
Launch Date: July 2, 2005
Number of Episodes To Date: 38
Content: These two hosts love the game and they love to talk about it. They talk about serious details of the game, and rarely get silly and goof off. No production, just discussion. They do topic segments and series' of segments (like a great running segment on learning to be a main tank in raids and groups, and another on the benefits of playing a shadowpriest and still healing). It's nice because Renata is representing for all the gamer girls, and it makes for good conversation and interesting views given the hosts are male and female. In fact, it could be said she's more hardcore than he is - which isn't the assumed stereotype. That aspect aside, they provide good info, detailed analysis and colorful anecdotes. They are serious for the most part, which can make parts of a longer show a bit dry, but I'd rather have their show to listen to on a long drive home from a gig late at night when I'm done listening to music thank you very much, than just about any of the other shows. Interesting to the last.

3. WoWcast [subscribe ]
Rating: A
Tone: Insightful, creative, whimsical, informative but from a unique angle, decent audio, explicit
Host: Alachia (with occasional-regulars: her close friends Flipmax, Sadin, Felix and Shadowtaint)
Frequency: Erratic, but worth the wait (sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month) between 90-120 minutes
Launch Date: November 20, 2005
Number of Episodes To Date: 25
Content: Alachia... what can I say about Alachia. She is a great podcaster. She has her own style and focus, and that's exactly what she's about. She's not trying to copy anyone, be like anyone or act like some version of herself... she just does her show, talks about the aspects of play that interest her most, and she speaks honestly, from the heart and is unabashedly addicted to this game. She has some incredibly insightful things to say about WoW, gaming in general, MMO's, online communities, guild drama, high end gameplay, class roles, the art design and audio design of the game... almost everything under the sun. She released an incredibly poignant episode about 6 months ago, where she gives up raiding entirely and describes for us in detail the experience of her guild and it's relationships crumbling, the insatiable greed for loot displayed by many people, and the disappointment in her heart over the goings-on of her group of "friends" is palpable. She also has another episode where she discusses younger kids getting addicted to games and her ideas about the causes, ramifications and even the parental role in such a turn-of-events. I think in many ways her show is the best podcast of all, because it's not so much about "where's this quest" or "how do you kill that boss" or "tips for this or that" it's insightful discussion of the life and times of gamers. Besides, she's just cool. I bet you'll like her, check her show out. Oh yeah, and she likes to cuss.

4. Taverncast [subscribe ]
Rating: A-
Tone: High production value, radio-style, humor, beer, silly, good audio, occasionally explicit
Hosts: Cromley (Aric Watson), Eloysius (Bryce Erwin), Kernkaterre (Michelle O'Neill), Infernal Bill (William Ticknor); ex-hosts include Brian Waggoner and Karg
Frequency: Every few weeks. Lots of production time required. Usually 90-120 minutes
Launch Date: July 18, 2005
Number of Episodes To Date: 51
Content: These guys are entertaining as hell, and their show is all over the map. They do skits, discuss lore, offer loads of tips, engage in tons of crafty audio production complete with humorous ads. They have a great audio producer in their midst (I'm not certain, but I think it's Cromley who does the editing). There are songs, arguments, rants, discussions, guests, pork rinds... and there is beer, dear readers, and lots of it. They select a beer each episode as their "sponsor" and complete with a clink of bottles they start every show with a discussion of the rare brew on hand. They all have high level characters and have been playing WoW a long time. This is easily the most entertaining WoW podcast. Sometimes I have laughed so hard, I have had to pull the car over. I'm not kidding. They have gone through many incarnations, much in the way of audio improvement as the episodes tick by, the cast has changed over time as well. Karg, who was a hilarious element in the show in the beginning is no longer with them, but has been replaced by Infernal Bill who clearly has experience with radio or at least theater, and brings a comedic force to the show that is most welcome. Kern is way into the lore of the game and all the pretty sights and sounds of the world - she used to be hardcore RP, but has recently found her bloodlust satiated in the realm of PvP, and shows no signs of going back. These guys aren't so much about "news" and "Blizzard did or did not do this" but they discuss the game and their own particular enjoyment of it. Each episode starts off with "so what did you do this week" and it's cool to hear what other players are focusing on, since what you are focusing on is so often something different. Great show, one of the longest running, and it's only drawback is that it doesn't come out too often. When you hear what they do with their production however, and that producing the show is a hobby for them all, it's a wonder they come out as often as they do. Good times.

5. World of Podcast [subscribe ]
Rating: B
Tone: Informative, opinionated, slack, rant, low production value, gaseous expulsions, mediocre audio at best, explicit
Hosts: Samuel Altersitz (Uncle Thursday)
Frequency: Once a month or so. Runs around 25-40 minutes.
Launch Date: November 29, 2005
Number of Episodes To Date: 20 or 30 his numbering is so baked, you can't really get a count
Content: This guy Sam... I either love to hate him, or I hate to love him, I am honestly not sure which. This show is a long mellow Night Elf music intro and then Sam talking till he gets sick of recording. One thing is for sure, he has been doing this a long time, so kudos for staying power. Another thing is that he is opinionated, and often goes off on 20 minute rants about stuff, but at the end of the day, I usually agree with just about everything he says. He knows how to play the game, he knows how to lead a raid, and he knows how to be ok with himself burping on a prime time podcast. He has a "know your role, you bastards" podcast early in his run, it's an episode called "More Ear Bleeding", that I make everyone in my guild listen to. He can be an ass sometimes and get pissed off, but you can also tell that he's actually a good guy. You'll either love him or hate him, but he deserves to be on this top 5 list for sure.

The Next Top Five WoW Podcasts: The Up-And-Comers

The next five are all quality productions, and some are incredibly informative and long running. I recommend checking them all out. The Women of Warcraft is pretty silly at times, but is a regular vidcast done by Molly Stanbury who has a lot of energy and loves the game. You might enjoy it for sheer entertainment value. Weekly Murloc and WoW from 1 to 70 are both content rich and the hosts are very knowledgeable players with a ton to say about different aspects of play. Their production values have all gone up significantly with the purchase of new mics and som understanding of compression and EQ. A little goes a long way. WoWoW features some incredibly cool content, and I only just found it while researching this piece. I can't say for sure, I but I imagine these folks are going to be ones to watch. They're working on a documentary film about players of WoW and MMO's and it looks like it going to be a very interesting show. Legendary Thread is another one that I found this week, and shows promise. Good content, good audio, and a good supporting website.

6. The Weekly Murloc [subscribe ]

7. Women of Warcraft [podcast subscribe ] [vidcast subscribe ]

8. WoW From 1 to 70 [ itunes subscribe ]

9. World of World of Warcraft [subscribe ]

10. Legendary Thread [subscribe ]

If You Haven't Had Enough WoW Podcasts: Numbers Eleven and Twelve
Just two more mentions here for you... Maelstrom has some good content, and the hosts are getting their sea legs with their format, but it seems like it'll be a good one. And WoW Radio has to be mentioned because without question, they were the first to the party. They produce so much WoW content, that I have never been able to keep up with them. They run about 8 or 10 different weekly shows, and you can even listen live via their website. The production values of the shows runs a pretty wide gamut, but they're worth checking out if you have more hours in the week to spend soaking up all the audio and video WoW that you can possibly digest. Definitely worth checking out to see if there's a show or two in their line up that appeals to you specifically. I have never found room in my day for them, but they are prolific that's for sure.

11. The Maelstrom Podcast [subscribe ]

12. WoW Radio [subscribe ]

Are there other WoW Podcasts out there that are truly great, regular, and professional that I have missed?
I'm sure there are some. Leave a comment here and paste in a link to the website for the podcast, and the RSS feed. I'd love to check them out.

One Last WoW Note:
Hey, for those of you languishing in your 40's or 50's... get those characters leveled up... there's so much content in the game you have yet to see... and it just gets better and better the further you go. People say the game really starts at level 50, and I have to say I agree with that statement. Enjoy.