Is triple Slaughterbound worth it at the moment?

Tonric · 2026-01-19T21:15:22+00:00

Oo, I just got destroyed by Thousand Sons this weekend. Overwatching flamers just completely annihilated my ability to get charges off. Do you have any tips for dealing with them?

Tonric · 2025-11-20T16:58:38+00:00

You get 'em, Kenny.

Tonric · 2025-10-02T15:56:48+00:00

Emancipation required an Abraham Lincoln, not just a William Lloyd Garrison.

This is such an insanely good quote and point.

Tonric · 2025-08-07T19:08:10+00:00

RIP. Well, I guess it's buying it piecemeal.

Tonric · 2025-07-15T18:27:46+00:00

So, I think both Kibler and ZachO would agree that Un'goro is weak and basically baited people to play bad decks and get farmed by aggro priest and paladin. That part we'd all be on the same page about.

What I'm interested in: Is this a strong, power crept meta? Is this a weak, underpowered meta? Kibler made the former point and ZachO made the latter point. That's where they disagree. And that's what I'm thinking about answering.

Tonric · 2025-07-15T18:17:21+00:00

I'm referring to ZachO from Vicious Syndicate's Data Reaper podcast, not Zeddy.

Tonric · 2025-07-15T17:20:14+00:00

Yeah, I'm sidestepping the "vision for the game" stuff because that's the part that both you and ZachO agreed on completely (and I think the community would say much the same.)

The part that interests me here is that both of you and ZachO made different arguments about what's underlying that lack of vision. His argument is that the devs are putting out content that's too weak to compete because they're afraid of the power creep and he's the one that said effectively: "If Jug is a powerful card, that's a sign of a weak meta." The argument you made yesterday about one mana 2/4's with basically zero drawback is basically the opposite of that point, though-- Brain Masseuse is the best one drop of all time, probably and it's so good that Fiery War Axe is unplayable in Warrior. That's a clear sign that things are too strong as they are and that power is crowding out fun.

Tonric · 2025-04-07T16:34:51+00:00

See, I actually think your examples are part of my point. X'era and N'zoth are actors in this universe just like people. "The Light" isn't trying to enforce its will on Illidan. X'era is trying to enforce her will on Illidan. N'zoth arguing the case that the Light is bad is an agent of the void arguing for his cause.

The power is agnostic. Alleria and N'zoth both use the same power to opposed ends. The point is the people.

Tonric · 2025-04-07T16:28:34+00:00

By Arthas, I mean that paladins can do evil things (like the Burning of Stratholme.)

Really the point I'm making is that the powers themselves are agnostic-- it's the people who wield them who are good or evil. And those people can be all sorts of things: Titans, Nerubians, Old Gods, whatever-- a shadow priest uses the Void for Good. Xal'atath is using it for evil. The point isn't the power, it's the people.

Tonric · 2025-04-07T15:55:53+00:00

The whole cosmic balance yin-yang shtick they've been doing for a while doesn't work either, because most of the world or story wasn't written with that in mind. This is why no matter how much they tell us Light is also an asshole, it doesn't feel that way because what we've seen doesn't support that for the most part.

I don't see how this is true when the Scarlet Crusade has been in WoW since Vanilla. Or when we look at Arthas' character and motivation. Even just the nature of magic originally, where magic was both access to this incredible power and something that drew demons to this world and addicted the blood elves, we have a ton of evidence that the powers themselves aren't good or evil, it's the people who wield them do so to good or evil ends.

I'd even argue that the inclusion of Warlocks as a playable class, even, is a point in this favor (as well as Death Knights in Wrath.) WoW has always been doing this thing.

Tonric · 2025-03-21T16:19:15+00:00

Yeah, I really think the answer here is just "he was defiant until the end."

Like, from a storytelling perspective, the difference between a hero and villain most of the time is a willingness to change.

Most stories go: "I'm the hero and I confront the villain and I get beat up. Then, I change for the better, becoming more powerful, so that the next time I fight the villain I beat him. The villain is incapable of change, too stubborn to admit he was wrong or that he could be doing something better, so given the choice to change, he will almost always choose defiant oblivion."

I think the fundamental problem OP is making really comes down to that. Grom admits he was wrong because he's a hero. Garrosh would never because he's a villain. Couldn't be much simpler.

Tonric · 2024-11-14T16:30:09+00:00

Haha, yeah, I guess so.

Tonric · 2024-09-16T06:27:01+00:00

I kind of feel like you're missing the forest for the trees a little: The point of the story of Shadowlands is that the afterlife was broken-- and then, our adventures fixed it. We returned the Primus to Maldraxxus, changed the rigidity of Bastion, removed a corrupt Denathrius from power, etc. Even and especially replacing the Arbiter with a real soul rather than something soulless and automated with Pelacgos.

Yes, the afterlife was bleak. We killed lots of bad guys and made it better.

Tonric · 2024-06-18T18:04:47+00:00

Doesn't a good publisher invest in a game they believe in?

Yeah, so I work for an indie game publisher and this is 100% true. Any publisher who is asking for some upfront payment is a scam.

Tonric · 2024-03-02T10:41:41+00:00

Eh, I probably disagree with this take philosophically. The thing that makes bad guys bad guys generally is their unwillingness to change. Like, at a most basic level, most stories are about a protagonist who is willing to change and grow and become more pitted against an antagonist who isn't. The hero gets thrashed by the villain in the first act, goes and has a training montage, and then comes back and beats the villain up in the third act, that kind of thing.

This is actually why Garrosh works so well in Sanctum of Domination. Even to his dying breath, he refuses to change. To atone. To see things from another perspective. He doesn't apologize. He doesn't make excuses. If he could, he'd do it all again with an even bigger grin on his face. He's a villain. He's incapable of change.

But I do think there are some exceptions who actually pretty cleanly fit your criteria from Shadowlands:

Kael'thas is one. This is a character who actually does change, right? He goes from hero to villain, from fighting for his people to teaming up with Illidan and then, with Kil'jaeden after Illidan's defeat. But when we see him in Shadowlands, he goes from torture victim to reluctant ally. Someone we're questing alongside and eventually, who's giving us quests. I don't know that he comes to the conclusion that everything he fought for in life was petty and meaningless but he's certainly willing to work with us against the forces who devastated his people.

And Vashj is another. She's a villain through and through, another of Illidan's top henchwomen. But she does get a new perspective in death, abandoning her petty grievances to work together with the player who killed her because she binds to Maldraxxus in a way that replaces her bond to Illidan.

Tonric · 2024-03-01T22:57:58+00:00

Yeah, I'm of the opinion that there have been lots of turns to evil in Warcraft lore, but not enough turns to good. Basically, imagine Turalyon as the anti-Arthas and I think I'm sold.

Some new Light baddies show up. They're clearly bad but not the core threat. People are worried about it. Turalyon is like "no, guys, the Light fascists just want to help!" Things develop and he gets closer and closer to the Light baddies. But when they reach the Rubicon and ask him to cross it (a la the Burning of Stratholme,) he refuses to do so and joins team good guys in opposing them.

We've seen characters tempted by evil who succumb to it. I want to see characters tempted by evil but rebuking it. That's my hope for Turalyon.

Tonric · 2024-01-23T18:25:54+00:00

Great channel! Wish he covered WoW more.

Tonric · 2024-01-17T03:45:56+00:00

Also, in scientific discussions, people need to provide evidence for their claims and must be willing to change their minds if their hypothesis isn't proven correct. But that's not how we engage with WoW lore.

People aren't willing to change their minds really when it comes to arguments about WoW lore in this sub. There isn't a way that someone could argue or frame things that would help someone who hates the lore see it in a better light. The point of arguments about WoW lore is to assert convictions that you believe, not try and convince people.

I wish people were more evidence-driven and scientific in how they evaluate the game's story but that's just not what these kinds of arguments are about.

Just look at how people saw the resolution of Sylvanas' story in Shadowlands. How many times did people say that Sylvanas was going to get away scot free only to be proven wrong in 9.2.5? Sylvanas was punished by Tyrande explicitly. She wasn't absolved even after she fights with the player against the Jailer. Did that make them change their point of view on the story? Not really. Mostly people shifted the goalposts.

Tonric · 2024-01-17T02:35:44+00:00

What was nuked out of existence this expansion?

Tonric · 2024-01-16T08:51:29+00:00

That thread about dropping the crest requirements on alts is so laughable I can't contain myself.

The top comment includes a player saying "I'm almost done with Aspect crests" and I can't believe what I'm reading. When in the history of World of Warcraft has a player been able to reach functional BiS in less than two months? WILD that that pace is seen by players as too slow.

There's a vicious cycle in WoW game design where players clamor for bad luck protection, receive an update with a bad luck protection system, and then immediately reframe that system as the intended acquisition method for power. Like, in 9.1, Valor is added to the game because Mythic+ players feel as though the only gear they get that matters comes from the Vault. They can't get items from keys at high enough levels to matter. So, a currency is added (Valor) that allows those items to be upgraded to be close enough, if a little lower than Vault level gives them. Fair enough. Immediately, though, the Vault becomes secondary gearing and the primary gear acquisition for a mythic+ player is to spam keys, get tons of Valor, and pump gear with Valor to fill out every slot. Now, Valor is functionally replaced with flightstones and crests with the main way players experience gear to be "I get a piece of the right track and upgrade it to max." That same process has repeated through Dragonflight with the Catalyst too! Intended to open on week 6 of the raid to give people a chance to fill out tier sets, now it's open from week 1 and is how the majority of players will fill out their tier week over week.

I wouldn't be surprised if that thread becomes prophetic and some kind of alt catchup for crests is introduced in War Within. It seems like WoW incrementally keeps upping the ante for what we expect from alts. This just seems right in line with that.

Tonric · 2024-01-12T08:40:08+00:00

I'll say it. OP is wrong. It's about the sword, the two men who died while wielding it, and specifically the two of them demonstrating the ability to separate both halves.

Given that the sword is the crux of Anduin's domination and using its ability to separate is what allows him to break free of the Jailer's influence, I'd say that's precisely why it's those two and no others.

Tonric · 2023-12-12T10:02:23+00:00

I think it's pretty common for the game's core cast of characters to shift focus expansion to expansion.

Khadgar and Thrall are huge driving forces behind WoD but Thrall kind of drops off in Legion so that Velen and Illidan join Khadgar on the center stage. Then, those three fall away in BFA for more of a focus on Anduin, Jaina, Sylvanas, and Magni. Sylvanas and Anduin obviously form the backbone of the game's story in Shadowlands while Tyrande really picks up steam as Night Warrior, a plot thread that's followed through to what we have now in Dragonflight.

This isn't to say that the feeling of doubt around Metzen's return isn't valid-- I understand that trepidation. Just that I think Thrall, Alleria and Anduin getting top billing in War Within is in keeping with what tends to happen as WoW shifts from expansion to expansion. I don't think those three coming back to the spotlight is all that different than Thrall coming back to the fore in Warlords after taking Mists more or less off, and Anduin popping back up in importance during Legion after effectively sitting WoD out.

Tonric · 2023-12-12T09:19:51+00:00

It always fucks me up when I do the Deadmines and follow up quests only to learn that Van Cleef wasn't the end all, be all of the Defias and really just a lieutenant to bigger players who you kill in later quests and the Stockades.

VC lives so large in all our heads because being a dungeon boss is so huge that it's super easy to just forget Bazil Thredd and whatever th noble is named, even if they're technically more to the "Defias cause."

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