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Welcome to Episode 6 of Side Quest with Dvalin! We are just two days away from BlizzCon 2026, and the hype is off the charts. Today, we are laying our cards on the table with our official predictions for the Opening Ceremony and weekend panels, ranking the biggest rumors into tiers ranging from "Absolute Locks" to pure "Copium."

We dive into the loudest rumor on the floor: the highly anticipated StarCraft FPS reportedly led by former Far Cry developer Dan Hay. We debate whether it will be a tactical extraction shooter or a narrative-driven campaign. We also tackle the massive World of Warcraft Classic+ hype, breaking down why a permanent Classic+ holds a 75% probability compared to the near-zero chance of a complete WoW 2.0 engine rebuild during the active Worldsoul Saga roadmap.

Plus, we cover strong contenders like a Hearthstone Monk class and a fast-paced Shadowlands Remix, alongside the guaranteed locks: a new Overwatch hero and the next Diablo IV expansion to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary. We even dig into the wildcards, including potential Microsoft-pushed Netflix adaptations (Overwatch anime or Diablo dark fantasy?), new WoW specs, and the copium-fueled dreams of a Diablo 1 Remake, Heroes of the Storm Reborn, or a brand new Warcraft RTS.

00:00 Podcast Intro

01:07 Diablo 1 Remake?

02:39 New StarCraft FPS Game?

04:48 WoW 2.0 or Classic Plus?

07:57 Hearthstone Monk Class?

08:57 Heroes of the Storm 3.0?

11:00 Warcraft Forever?

13:41 New Overwatch Hero?

14:33 Netflix Series?

17:35 Next Retail WoW Expansion?

19:11 Shadowlands Remix?

20:32 New Warcraft RTS?

22:46 Next Diablo IV Expansion?

30:38 Outro

#blizzcon #blizzcon2026 #gaming #gamingpodcast #podcast

Welcome to Episode 5 of Side Quest with Dvalin. Today, we are sitting down for a massive 50-minute deep dive covering the absolute best game reveals, gameplay demos, and floor announcements from Gamescom 2026 and Opening Night Live.

From surprise AAA announcements to massive genre shifts, we break down all 8 major titles that stole the spotlight:

- Nodus Fall: HoYoverse breaks away from anime gacha into a gritty, Unreal Engine 5 dark fantasy co-op monster hunting action RPG with gameplay-unlocked rosters.

- Gears of War: E-Day: The prequel taking Marcus and Dom back to Emergence Day with survival-horror pacing, fluid sliding/jumping movement, and ray-traced visuals.

- Ananta: The high-speed urban superhero open-world RPG featuring Spider-Man-style skyscraper swinging, dynamic 4-character tag combat, and zero stamina gates.

- Game of Thrones: War for Westeros: PlaySide Studios' epic PC RTS featuring Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, and White Walker faction warfare with controllable heroes and dragons.

- Aion 2: NCSoft's Unreal Engine 5 MMORPG showcasing seamless 3D aerial combat, 100v100 Abyss sieges, and a PC-native Western rollout.

- LEGO Skylines: Paradox Interactive and Iceflake Studios combining deep city simulation infrastructure with unlimited, instruction-free LEGO brick building.

- Total War: Warhammer 40,000: The Gamescom "Best PC Game" winner bringing squad tactics, orbital drop pods, an army painter, and a groundbreaking PlayStation console launch.

- Path of Exile 2: The 1.0 launch breakdown detailing the newly revealed Duelist class, dual-stance sword combat (Blood & Sand), active parrying, and hybrid scaling.

00:00 Gamescom 2026 Recap & Intro

01:20 Nodus Fall (Hoyoverse) Co-op Dark Fantasy

08:13 Gears of War: E-Day Prequel Roots

12:48 Ananta (Project Mugen) Urban Open World RPG

17:14 Game of Thrones: War of Westeros RTS Strategy

24:50 Aion 2 Next-Gen MMORPG & PvP Focus

31:29 LEGO Skylines Creative City Building

35:55 Total War: Warhammer 40,000 Strategy Shift

42:47 Path of Exile 2 Launch & New Combat

48:00 Outro & Future Podcast Plans

Welcome to Episode 4 of Side Quest with Dvalin. This week, we are taking a deep dive into the highly anticipated global launch of Aion 2. Will this massive Unreal Engine 5 title be the ultimate MMORPG revival? We are breaking down everything you need to know about NCSOFT's newest release, featuring a seamless open world that is 36 times larger than the original game with zero instanced loading screens.

We explore the massive lore shift set after the collapse of the Tower of Eternity, where you awaken as the prophesied Arch-Daeva to fight the Balaur and their new soul-trapping Fafnite technology. Plus, we cover the 8 launch classes, including the brand-new, high-mobility Monk spec, and the evolution of PvPvE combat with massive 100v100 Abyss War sieges and unrestricted 3D flight.

Finally, we discuss the Western release strategy. NCSOFT has decoupled the Western launch from mobile to focus purely on a high-fidelity PC experience and is dropping the controversial two-tier Eastern monetization model. The game will be free-to-play with a cosmetic-only cash shop, an optional battle pass, and an optional $15/month subscription.

00:00 Intro to Aion 2 & Western Launch

00:46 Eastern Market Revenue & Success

01:36 Twitch Streams & Steam Details

02:02 PvE & PvP 50/50 Balance

02:28 Early Access vs Free-to-Play Dates

03:04 PC Focus & Scrapped Mobile Version

03:32 Consoles & Controller Support

04:41 Open World Scale & Exploration

05:23 Core Loop & Territorial Contests

06:09 3D Flight & Aerial Combat

07:03 Playable Classes Overview

07:52 Melee: Templar, Gladiator, Assassin, Monk

09:55 Ranged: Ranger & Sorcerer

10:55 Support: Spiritmaster, Chanter, Cleric

13:21 Abyss War: 100v100 Faction Battles

14:54 PvE Endgame & Dungeon Tiers

16:11 Combat Power & Talent Trees

18:00 Structured PvP: 1v1, 4v4 & Arenas

20:02 Abyss Conflict & PvP Resilience Gear

21:54 Spacetime Rifts & Invasions

23:48 100-Player Battle Royale Mode

25:05 Lore: Tower of Eternity & Balaur

28:01 Your Character's Origin Story

29:27 Western Free-to-Play Business Model

31:27 Final Platform Strategy Recap

33:53 Outro & Gamescom Teaser

Welcome to Episode 3 of Side Quest with Dvalin. Today, we are shifting gears from MMORPGs to take a deep dive into one of the most surprising upcoming releases of the year: Minecraft Dungeons II.

Launching globally for Windows and home consoles on September 29, 2026, this sequel is completely overhauling the formula. We break down how Mojang and Double Eleven are adding a new jump ability, expanding build crafting by splitting armor into four individual pieces, and introducing talismans that provide passive effects.

From the game originally leaking as "Project Spicewood" to the brand-new story focused on threats from the Deep Dark and Ancient Cities, we cover everything you need to know. We also discuss how this family-friendly dungeon crawler could potentially beat titans like Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2. Is this primed to take over your living room and become the best ARPG of 2026?

00:00 Intro to Minecraft Dungeons 2

01:10 Development & Spicewood Leaks

04:30 Reveal & Release Date Info

05:55 Platforms & Cross-play Details

06:55 Pre-orders & Game Pass Info

08:22 Open World vs. Instances

10:05 Verticality & Jump Attacks

11:22 Gear & Armor Customization

12:24 New Artifacts & Talismans

13:42 Co-op Changes & Friendly Fire

14:48 Storyline & The New Threat

16:40 Endgame Boss: Twisted Warden

18:50 Corrupted Worlds & Empowered Mobs

20:57 Lego Set & Pre-order Rewards

22:28 Final Thoughts & Channel Update

Welcome to Episode 2 of Side Quest with Dvalin. We are keeping the momentum going by breaking down the most anticipated upcoming MMOs in the industry. Today, we are tackling the giant in the room: the highly anticipated League of Legends MMORPG by Riot Games, often referred to as the Runeterra MMO.

We are analyzing the entire development timeline, from the initial 2020 announcement with Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street to the massive 2024 project reset led by Marc Merrill. We discuss Riot's ambitions to dethrone World of Warcraft, the recent hiring of heavy-hitting Blizzard veterans, and how the rich lore of Runeterra, alongside Arcane and 160+ champions, will translate into a living, breathing world. We also dive into release date predictions, combat expectations, and why Riot refuses to release a traditional MMO clone.

00:00 Introduction to the Riot MMO

01:23 Development History & Key Personnel

03:03 Platforms & Initial Announcement

03:56 The 2024 Project Reset

06:45 Why Riot Scrapped 4 Years of Work

08:04 Evolving the MMO Genre

09:48 Predicted Release Window

11:30 LoL 2.0 & Announcement Strategy

13:54 New Hires: The Blizzard Dream Team

17:46 World Building & Arcane Connections

21:40 Music & Audio Pedigree

25:00 Gameplay: Champions as NPCs

28:07 Future Episodes & Upcoming MMOs

28:57 Outro & Podcast Info

Welcome to the very first episode of A Side Quest with Dvalin. In this new podcast series, we explore the biggest upcoming MMOs in the gaming world. For Episode 1, we are diving deep into ArenaNet's newly announced Guild Wars 3.

We cover everything you need to know from the Summer Game Fest reveal, including the massive shift to include PlayStation 5, the transition to an action-RPG combat framework, and the lore behind the Vaelwarden role set 1,200 years before the original game. We also discuss the upcoming Fall 2027 beta, the strict buy-to-play model, and why the developers are officially skipping the battle pass system.

00:00 Welcome to Side Quest with Dvalin

00:30 Why Start with Guild Wars 3?

01:00 Future of Guild Wars: What We Know

01:38 What is Guild Wars 3?

02:12 Well Wardens & World Exploration

02:34 Combat & Movement Evolution

04:03 Action Adventure vs Traditional MMOs

05:08 Platforms: PS5 & Steam

06:28 Controller Support & Cross-Save

08:10 Beta Testing & Launch Predictions

10:10 The Future of Guild Wars 1 & 2

10:41 Cross-Progression: Hall of Momentum

11:12 Monetization: No Subscriptions

12:38 Lore: 1,200 Years in the Past

13:50 Transitioning to Action Combat

15:54 Playable Races & Future Species

18:33 Dvalin 2.0: New Channel Direction

21:33 Wrap Up & Riot MMO Teaser