Episode 22 – Bookending Gallywix, Best NPC Tournament, and Putting Light into the World

Episode 22 – Bookending Gallywix, Best NPC Tournament, and Putting Light into the World

Show Notes

Welcome to Episode 22! – 3:06

• Big thanks to Ease, the host of Realm Maintenance, for interviewing me for that podcast a couple weeks ago; great conversation about WoW, 11.1, and Solo Queue; check it out on your podcast feed of choice or (hopefully) it will hit YouTube in video form
• A trimmed down episode for “early” March
  • Goblin starting zone revision
  • 1 discussion
  • Brief news segment
  • The Main Event – Tournament of 64 launch!
• But first, indulge me for a few minutes…

Special Topic: Podcasthon, Watts of Love, and Raising Awareness of the Power of Charitable Giving, All Through Podcasts Like This One – 7:30

Podcasthon is a global effort running this week on more than 1,000 podcasts worldwide in which podcasts are choosing a charity of their choice to highlight. This is part of a wider effort to raise awareness for the continued need for altruism and charitable giving in the world.

I chose to have Solo Queue to participate because I agree with that message of doing something in your power to help in your own way.

Solo Queue is highlighting Watts of Love, a non-profit dedicated to giving solar lamps to households and communities that lack electrical power all over the world. Watts of Love also helps reinvest the money saved my not purchasing kerosene or other power sources. Solo Queue and my family are donating $100 to Watts of Love because I am impressed with their mission and their reputation as a charity.

My call to action for you, the Solo Crew of listeners, is to find a way for you to lend assistance to those in need in a way that is meaningful to you. If it is also donating to Watts of Love, great! Go for it! If it is donating to a charity of your choice, be it local or one with a wider mission, also great! Maybe it is volunteering. You may have skills that can benefit a charity just as much, if not more, than money. Please do what you can. That is my request. Drop me a message or email and let me know what you did. Thanks.

Watts of Love: https://www.wattsoflove.org/

Podcasthon: https://podcasthon.org/

“What have you done lately?” – 18:17

• Revisiting the Goblin starting zone storyline in Kezan and the Lost Isles by starting my 65th character (yes, that is the cap); similarities to Undermine; story line is long and interesting; why does Thrall choose to put Gallywix back in charge and how does he have that power?
• My thoughts on the full story of 11.1 [THERE WILL BE STORY SPOILERS], including the Delves, Operation Floodgate dungeon (on Follower mode), Liberation of Undermine raid (NOT on Follower mode, just Story Mode - #followerraids), and the final storyline, Homecoming
• Delve gearing video on Icy Veins: https://www.icy-veins.com/wow/news/get-item-level-639-649-gear-every-week-fast-optimal-delve-gearing-strategy/
• My idea for Blizzard – Solo Questing Mode for an immersive experience!

News – 1:04:34

• Video from Blizzard: Building Azeroth: The Liberation of Undermine. Check it out! Lots of visual effects creation talk and that audio and sound creation, a topic near to my podcasting heart!
• Another Video from Blizz: 11 Solo Activities in Undermine. Hosted by HazelNuttyGames. She walks through activities solo players can tackle.
• Huge housing update. The WoWhead article is here: https://www.wowhead.com/news/how-decorating-your-house-will-work-in-player-housing-new-dye-feature-375821. Focused on interior decoration, the level of detail and customization exceeds what most of us were expecting.
• And BlizzCon will return! Well, in 18 months or so. Mark your calendars for September 12-13, 2026. You might even see me there for my first BlizzCon.

Main Topic: The First Annual Solo Queue Tournament of 64 to Determine the Best NPC in WoW – 1:18:02

64 NPCs square off against each other in a bracket-style tournament to determine who is “the best.” That can mean whatever you want. Voting determines who advances to the next round. Here are the directions:

• Each round will be live on social media (Bluesky, Twitter/X, Insta, Facebook, Threads) for 3 days.
• Reply to a post or DM or email me at soloqueuewow@gmail.com with your votes for who wins each matchup in each round. List names or even just the numbers of your choices.
• First round only – can send a full bracket of predictions for all rounds up to the champion in addition to your votes.
• After 3 days, I will tally votes, update the bracket, and post the next round matchups

If you want to hear about the NPCs participating, I walk through the matchups by region:

East – 1:28:41

North – 1:40:06

South – 1:50:49

West – 2:06:27

Outro – 2:21:07

• Thanks to Blizzard for the amazing music and sound, to OGRE for intro/outro music, my lovely and supportive wife, and you for listening.
• Support the show at Patreon.com/SoloQueueWoW
• Thank you to patrons, Andrew, Righteous Bandy, ThatSkyGuy, Darkblade Cyn, Snek of Vol’dun and Jon!
• That said, my sincere hope is that you find a way to support a charity of your choice this month, be it with your money or time or expertise. I am proud to be participating in Podcasthon this year and donating to Watts of Love!
• Subscribe to the podcast at your podcast feed of choice, Apple, Spotify, and all the rest. Leave a 5-star rating and a written review to help grow Solo Queue.
• You can contact me at soloqueuewow at gmail.com, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
• Remember to watch socials and get your votes in and we will talk about the first 3 rounds of the tournament in the regular March episode coming soon!

“I will see you out there."