Essence of Azeroth - The World of Warcraft Video Game Lore Podcast - podcast cover

Essence of Azeroth - The World of Warcraft Video Game Lore Podcast

Will Harrisontwitter.com
Essence of Azeroth is the World of Warcraft lore radio podcast by Will Harrison, thoughtfully covering the topics, locations, and characters from the franchise's 19-year history. Think of it as a fireside chat about a 20-year-old game--but with LoFi hiphop. On Twitter @AzerothPodcast. Please subscribe so I can feed my cats. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth

Episodes

Rested XP (11/15/24): Housing, Refreshes, and Warcraft Direct

When is player housing coming to World of Warcraft? This past week's Warcraft Direct not only celebrated the 30th anniversary of the IP but gave a look at the future of the MMORPG. Join Will as he talks it over, discusses his lack of interest in WoW Classic, and waxes poetic about punching goblins. Find Will over on BlueSky here

Nov 16, 202429 min

The Boss Fights of the Sunwell Plateau Raid

The season finale for The Burning Crusade appears and Will Harrison returns with all the World of Warcraft lore you could want, this time talking about the Sunwell Plateau, the Sunwell Offensive, and how a character only found in a manga suddenly became the most important lore figure ever... At least for a few minutes. Oh, and Kalecgos is a sad boy. ESSENCE OF AZEROTH ON TWITTER: @AzerothPodcast ON YOUTUBE Essence of Azeroth On YT ESSENCE OF AZEROTH PATREON Give Me Money I Give You Lore...

May 05, 202434 min

Gnomes, Gnomality, and Gnomeregan

Join Will for the first episode of 2024, as he delves into the depth of the Gnomish capital to ask the question: Why did everyone forget about the Gnomes of World of Warcraft?

Jan 24, 202427 min

Holidays, Stories, and Cheer

Join Will on this holiday-tinged episode as he reads a story from the 'Fairy Tales of Azeroth' hardcover book collection and prepares to return to work in January.

Dec 25, 202337 min

Rested XP (12/11/23): A Season of Discovery

Will returns, giving an update on the next episode while also talking about the WoW Classic Season of Discovery and the two new Alliance capital cities coming in the next retail patch. So many cities.

Dec 11, 202320 min

Rested XP (11/13/23): Dreams, Pineapples, and Book Clubs

BlizzCon is over but that doesn't mean the World of Warcraft news stops there! Join Will this week as he talks about the 10.2 Emerald Dream patch, the upcoming Amirdrassil raid release, and a raid training minigame called Pineapplassil that you won't want to miss.

Nov 14, 202317 min

Rested XP (10/30/23): BlizzCon, Speculation, and Tall Dwarves

The Forsaken episode is out and Will is back with yet another dose of WoW news for your week. He's talking about BlizzCon 2023 speculation, rumors of the next WoW expansion, and why Heroes of the Storm isn't dead yet. ⁠PATREON: www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth

Oct 30, 202323 min

Forsaken, Gatherings, and Glades

Join Will this week as he details the history of the Forsaken race in World of Warcraft lore, including their origins and current state in the game. Also, we'll try not to mention Sylvanas too much, we promise. New KPR segment with Leeman Kessler ( @MayorLoveCraft on TikTok ) asks the question: What if Frasier Crane was a zombie?

Oct 24, 202348 min

Rested XP (10/9/23): Warcraft Rumble, Pets, and Furnaces

Will is freezing in northern Ohio and ready to talk about some WoW news! This week he goes over a new (and limited time) premium pet, more PTR info, and a mobile game cross-promotion. PATREON: www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth

Oct 09, 202324 min

Rested XP (10/2/23): Dwarf Expansion? Dwarf Expansion!

We're back again for a second week of World of Warcraft news, talking about rumors swirling around the next expansion, Classic Hardcore raid kills, and pro wrestling. Because, of course. PATREON: www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth

Oct 02, 202325 min

Rested XP (9/25/23): Naga, Eredar, and Moving

A NEW SHOW! Join Will for this (hopefully) short-form, weekly jaunt through World of Warcraft news you need to know, as well as updates about the show and goings-on you might want to keep up on! PATREON: www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth

Sep 25, 202320 min

Crusades, Onslaughts, and Dawns

We're back! Will breaks his WoW burnout after some World of Warcraft Classic Hardcore by talking about the Scarlet Crusade and its history. Consider joining our Patreon over at ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth⁠⁠ .

Sep 09, 202330 minSeason 5Ep. 1

Antiheroes, Illidari, and Black Temples

The April Hiatus is over! Join Will as he dives into the tail end of Burning Crusade, going over the siege on the Black Temple and how Blizzard ruined a perfectly good Illidan Stormrage. Consider joining our Patreon over at ⁠www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth⁠ .

May 02, 202351 minSeason 4Ep. 5

Draenor, Ogres, and Orcs

Will talks about what led to the shattering of Draenor, the history of its races, and how the Gronn, Ogron, Ogres, and Orcs are all related. Also: Gordoth returns to KPR with mixed results. Consider joining our Patreon over at www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth .

Mar 21, 202332 minSeason 4Ep. 4

Karazhan, Medivh, and Annoying Co-Hosts

Will ventures into the haunted Castle of Karazhan to answer questions about his favorite raid in WoW history, along with a new KPR segment and an other-worldly co-host who NEEDS TO READ THE ROOM A LITTLE, SARGERAS. Ugh. Consider joining our Patreon over at www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth .

Feb 28, 202352 minSeason 4Ep. 3

The Tempest Keep and Serpentshrine Raids

Illidan's two closest allies during The Burning Crusade eventually became his downfall. What happened to Kael'thas Sunstrider and Lady Vashj? Join Essence of Azeroth for yet another World of Warcraft lore podcast in our season dedicated completely to The Burning Crusade, as we head to Tempest Keep and Serpentshrine Cavern and inspect two of the most infamous raids in WoW history. Consider joining our Patreon over at www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth . ...

Feb 11, 202340 minSeason 4Ep. 2

Crusades, Legions, and Sargeras

The Season 4 Premiere! The Burning Crusade in many ways was more of a direct sequel to the Warcraft FTS games than vanilla World of Warcraft was. So, if we're going to do an entire season on just Burning Crusade then we need to start somewhere. Join Will this week as he delves into the backstory of Sargeras, the formation of the Burning Legion, and talks about the Illidan novel from Legion that made some serious updates to the Illidan Stormrage story. 

Jan 24, 202329 minSeason 4Ep. 1

Molten Cores, Hammers, and Majordomos

The Season 3 finale! Join Will for a look at the Game of Thrones-like history of the Dwarves, how Firelord Ragnaros came to Azeroth... Uh, the first time, and how a hardcore raiding guild almost got permabanned from the game for an earth-shattering bug in the salad days of Vanilla WoW raiding. Also: KPR returns! Loro Licklock is thrilled that we're paying him once again. 

Dec 31, 202239 min

Goblins, Anti-Semitism, and Hard Questions

Are the goblins of World of Warcraft anti-semitic? Join Will this week as he goes into the history and lore of the Goblin race while also providing the framework for attempting to answer an uncomfortable question about a thing he loves.  JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Dec 11, 202242 min

BONUS: The Lore of Weddings

In this bonus episode on World of Warcraft: Dragonflight launch day, join Will as he talks about the recent short story released by Blizzard that fills in some gaps between expansions. JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Nov 28, 20227 min

A Dragonflight Lore Primer

This week Will finishes preparing all of you for the new World of Warcraft: Dragonflight expansion with a rundown of some recent lore findings that involve the Grimtotem, Neltharion, and more.  JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Nov 21, 202225 min

Druids, Worgen, and The Dream

Join Will this week as he ventures into the history of the Druid class, the origins of the Worgen, and the green dragons that used to guard the Emerald Dream. JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Nov 08, 202234 min

The Ruins, Temple, and Old God of Ahn'Qiraj

The desert of Silithus hides many secrets, including two raids, one of the hardest accomplishments in video games, and a one-eyed God out to eat the world. Join Will this week as he tackles the Ruins of and Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raids, as well as the Scarab Lord title. JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Oct 24, 202244 min

Dragons, Galakrond, And Dragonflights

There's a lot of prep work to do before players visit the Dragon Isles in World of Warcraft's new expansion Dragonflight, so here's a primer on Proto Dragons, Galakrond, and the Watcher known as Tyr.  JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Oct 11, 202226 min

Wrath Classic, The Wrathgate, and the Wrathful

The Wrathgate is one of the most important events of lore in World of Warcraft, so why isn't it even in the game anymore? JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast LQuXa2zw3jsUiM7FRaOy...

Sep 26, 202229 min

The A, B, C's of Azeroth

Join your favorite kids' show host Billy this week as he talks about where the server names come from with the A, B, C's of Azeroth! JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Sep 15, 202233 min

The Light, The Dark, and The Good Place

This week we talk theology in Azeroth, why The Light is capitalized, and lore retcons.  JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/essenceofazeroth FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast...

Aug 31, 202227 min

The Boss Fights of Naxxramas

Part two of our Naxxramas journey, in which we go over every ring and boss inside the floating fortress.  FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast

Aug 17, 202237 minSeason 2Ep. 3

Naxxramas, Spider-Folk, and Getting In The Door

A raid as notorious as Naxxramas requires two episodes, so join Will this week as he talks about the lore behind one of the hardest raids in WoW and how the floating fort came to be. FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AzerothPodcast TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AzerothPodcast

Aug 02, 202220 minSeason 2Ep. 2