Side Quest with Dvalin

Dvalin
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Welcome to Side Quest with Dvalin, a weekly gaming video podcast covering the wild landscape of MMORPGs, upcoming releases, and variety gaming. Tune in every week for a relaxed, late-night take on the industry's biggest news, deep dives into upcoming titles, and honest conversations about the state of gaming. Grab a seat at the desk as we break down the massive hype, the frustrating delays, and everything in between.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Will Aion 2 Be the Ultimate MMORPG Revival?

    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

  2. Aug 21

    Minecraft Dungeons 2 Might Be the Best ARPG of 2026

    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

  3. Aug 14

    Will the Riot Games MMO Dethrone WoW, or Is It False Hope?

    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

  4. Aug 12

    Guild Wars 3 is Changing the MMO Genre

    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

    Guild Wars 3 is Changing the MMO Genre
  • 4 Episodes

About

Welcome to Side Quest with Dvalin, a weekly gaming video podcast covering the wild landscape of MMORPGs, upcoming releases, and variety gaming. Tune in every week for a relaxed, late-night take on the industry's biggest news, deep dives into upcoming titles, and honest conversations about the state of gaming. Grab a seat at the desk as we break down the massive hype, the frustrating delays, and everything in between.

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