The Grinding Gear Podcast

The Instance Epilogue with Scott Johnson! | The Grinding Gear Podcast #32

Scott Johnson, previously of The Instance: A World of Warcraft Podcast (so you don’t have to) joins the show. Garrett ended The Instance alongside Scott just last year along with Kyle’s ongoing D&D Podcast There Will Be Dungeons. The craft of podcasting, content creation is deeply delved into with this reunion. Scott is also a massive Diablo fan and is here to give you the scoop on the beta weekend that was, and what it’s going to be. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll add yellow tape and ...

Octopath Babblers | The Grinding Gear Podcast #31

While Garrett plays Octopath Traveler II and Kyle works his way through Bloodborne, there is a new game on the horizon: Diablo 4. With tomorrow’s (at the time of recording this) Beta weekend right around the corner, Kyle shares his concerns and Garrett shares his desires. Resident Evil 4 also looks righteous, though certainly different than its original incarnation. Your emails and more. Supportourbromance.com or you can’t pet the dog.

JoCat! | The Grinding Gear Podcast #30

JoCat, content creator extraordinaire from FFXIV to Monster Hunter to D&D, joins the episode. One of our most requested guests, we have a long chat about content creation, creating and following passion, streaming, communities and more!

Too Much Star Wars! | The Grinding Gear Podcast #29

Grinding Gear goes to the movies! Elden Ring sells 20 Million copies, Liam Neeson says Star Wars has lost its magic and Marvel reaches burnout with still solid Ant Man sales. We wrap up with a video game (and movie) heavy mailbag. Supportourbromance.com or your guilty pleasures will be EXTRA GUILTY.

The Great Dune Fight | The Grinding Gear Podcast #28

Music Talk! | The Grinding Gear Podcast #26 w/ MarcoMeatball

Macromeatball, pro opera singer turned voice actor and youtuber, joins the show to take us to school on Video Game music. This episode has heart! No genre of music left untouched, though you may have a particular interest in this episode for the FFXIV musical breakdowns. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll copyright our voices against future Ai mischief. 

Music Talk! | The Grinding Gear Podcast #27 w/ MarcoMeatball

Macromeatball, pro opera singer turned voice actor and youtuber, joins the show to take us to school on Video Game music. This episode has heart! No genre of music left untouched, though you may have a particular interest in this episode for the FFXIV musical breakdowns. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll copyright our voices against future Ai mischief. 

Intergalactic Drama | The Grinding Gear Podcast #26

There is much news! Dead Space Remake’s success has spread on discussion of future games in the franchise. Jedi Survivor has been delayed. But the big topic on everyone's lips is, FFXIV has a new cheating scandal and Yoshi P is cracking down! A journey of games, discovery, your emails and more! 

Left 4 Farcry | The Grinding Gear Podcast #25

Don’t call it a deep dive! Xbox Direct unleashed a wave of new video game trailers, one of which came out that very day! Minecraft Legends, Forza Motorsport, Hi-Fi Rush and ESO, all shall be covered, as well as our upcoming picks of 2023. Supportourbromance.com or add open world to our co-op shooter.

The First of Us | The Grinding Gear Podcast #24

The new year maneuvering was fired up. Every game company seems to be unleashing their big moves and bad news. D&D, Microsoft, Netease and Tencent all got a little weird this week. But don’t you worry, we got a big The Last of Us chaser for you as Garrett and Kyle have both watched the HBO pilot.

Get Your PC Together Sony! | The Grinding Gear Podcast #23

Companies are going weird! Sony Playstation denies that FFXVI will come on on PS and Yoshi P says “Sorry, I went Overboard”. Wizards of the Coast is tightening its grip on content using its Open Game Licence. Kyle and Garrett share their personal favorites from the FFXIV 6.3 Spoiler Free Patch Notes. God of War Ragnarok talk fires up as Kyle gets into the game. Your emails and more!

Degenerate & Domestic Gaming | The Grinding Gear Podcast #22

GG is back with our Holiday exploits in tow. God of War Ragnarok, Elden Ring, Mario Kart, its all here. Domestic and degenerate, all forms of gaming are covered. Plus we look into whatever the President of Square Enix is gonna do with NFTs and how Wizards of the Coasts continues its streak of oddities. 

“Content Creator Sympathy Pains” w/ Jesse Cox | The Grinding Gear Podcast #21

FFXIV Spoiler warning, this episode is joined by the internet’s own Jesse Cox! We talk about the MMO market, World of Warcraft, game producing, and of course a mighty serving of Final Fantasy 14. Jesse attempts to maintain the hype while Garrett and Kyle continue their MSQ adventures. 

Blitz Metzen | The Grinding Gear Podcast #20

Video game news is unleashed! Moments before the record, John Hight announces the return of Chris Metzen to Blizzard. WoW is making some waves with its incoming “battle pass”. The Video Game Awards unleashed a heaping pile of trailers for our park. Emails and more!

Dial of Diablo | The Grinding Gear Podcast #19

The episode that went places! The Video Game Awards approach, Diablo 4 is making waves. That’s the part we planned. The Washington Post reveals mid-show that they are suing Microsoft over the Activision Blizzard buyout. We effortlessly switch to Trailer Park for the Indiana Jones trailer and then into emails, where you can find our more in-depth thoughts on “giving Blizzard another chance”.

DragonHigh | The Grinding Gear Podcast #18

Garrett returns from his casting debut for Hearthstone, Kyle returns for Paternity leave. Dragonflight is out, and we have thoughts. Garrett and Kyle are playing but one is more smitten than the other, only time will tell. GG also discusses Darktide release and Calisto Project reviews. Emails and more. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll add a cash shop after the beta test weekend.

Cow Chase | The Grinding Gear Podcast #17

It’s mail bag time! The boys bust out the massive mail bag and go through the non-FFXIV questions and the FFXIV-specific questions.

Crispy Games | The Grinding Gear Podcast #16

Kyle is out becoming a 2x dad! So Jon Jagger returns to talk Marvel Snap and all things Final Fantasy with Garrett!

Game Do Not Pass | The Grinding Gear Podcast #15

The Grinding Gear Podcast is here, Kyle is still here?! Xbox is stalling, the Game Pass has reached its limit. Hearthstone is unleashing the Death Knight class and Garrett has the inside scoop. Blight: Survival is looking rad, we want more Co-op games! A big mail bag finishes us out.

DragonGasLight | The Grinding Gear Podcast #14

The WarCraft Hype Machine ROARS to life! In this behind-the-scenes peak, Garrett and Kyle give you a look at what people REALLY watch on YouTube. Does this Dragon have wings? Or will it Dragon Flop? Garrett has been back into Hearthstone. Kyle is in LOVE with Persona 5. SupportOurBromance.com or we’ll script our Day One Survival Guide.

The Fantasy is Final with Jon Jagger | The Grinding Gear Podcast #13

Jon Jagger, our behind-the-scenes FFXIV MSQ curator and stream coordinator visits the show! Kyle and Jon talk about the recent Silent Hill Announcements and their distrust of the franchise. For Trailer Park, we check out the new Final Fantasy 16 Story Trailer and what we can gleem from it. From then on, it’s a deep dive of FF14 and how you might go about getting those you love to play it. Check out Jon's other works on CORE Podcast on the Frogpants network and his live streams on Twitch...

Conjuring Cons | The Grinding Gear Podcast #12

Garrrett and Kyle have pros and CONs. To talk about. This week Twitch had a rather disastrous convention and Final Fantasy announced its highly anticipated Fan Fest. While we prepare for some RL in our lives, we take back to 2019 for a check in on Kyle’s Jedi Fallen Order playthought. Episode concludes with a CONdences mailbag and some Halloween recommendations. All this and more! Supportourbromance.com or we’ll make more Con puns!

You Have Prepaid Phones Don’t You? | The Grinding Gear Podcast #11

This is Grinding Gear! Witcher has many games on the horizon along with a Cyberpunk and unannounced title. Overwatch is back in the mess with DDOS attacks and not allowing all phone plans to be used for SMS. Need for Speed enters our Trailer park. Kyle finally plays the Jedi Fallen Order. Your Halloween emails and more! Supportourbromance.com or we’ll relaunch our show with a 2 in the title and slight meta changes.

DragonFine | The Grinding Gear Podcast #10

Garrett emerges from Florida weather to a host of gaming news. Kyle gives him the briefing on the Dragonflight date announcement and new protection plans for Overwatch 2. Games are hitting $70 this Fall, led by the big triple A publishers. Stadia is canceled to the surprise of no one. We recount last night's Extreme stream and head into emails packed with your questions. This and more! Supportourbromance.com or we’ll record your voice comms.

Indebted to NVIDIA | The Grinding Gear Podcast #09

This is Grinding Gear! Nvidia has released their new 4000 series prices and they are OUTRAGEOUS! Phil Spencer still wants to get FF14 for Xbox. Twitch is in the news, so you know its not good news. Wrath of the Lich King has a beautiful new trailer and Garrett is excited. Kyle saw the leaked Diablo 4 footage.

A Pair of GoldenEyes | The Grinding Gear Podcast #08

Podcast DIRECT TO YOU! Cyberpunk is back on everyone's mind thanks to the new Netflix show. Garrett dives in and checks out what we both avoided long ago. We got dueling Goldeye eye remasters announced along with a massive Nintendo direct. Ubisoft also unleashes its plans on the populace. Assassin's Creed going back to its roots? Black Flag greater than Skull and Bones?

Shadows Brought | The Grinding Gear Podcast #07

Last night Garrett and Kyle entered Shadowbringers in a stream marathon. This comes to you fresh off that. We talk Rings of Power (Patrons, check your feed for a special spoiler episode), Dreamlight Valley, God of War Ragnarok and much much more. Naturally, FF14 is on the brain, so we do a deep dive on our thoughts there. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll hide new characters behind the battle pass.

Saving Cyberpunk | The Grinding Gear Podcast #06

Despite investigations, the Microsoft acquisition of Activision marches on. Phil Spencer made a post. Garrett dipped a toe in the Wrath Classic pre-launch event. Kyle is excited about Cyberpunk on Netflix. Lots of Final Fantasy 14 talk on the back end.

Gameboy Mini-Cooper | The Grinding Gear Podcast #05

Gamescom has unveiled its plethora of new games; and with any gaming announcement, there was plenty of bizarreness on display. Several have caught our attention though. Hearthstone, the most profitable game at Blizzard Entertainment, is taking steps to be even more profitable. Final Fantasy 14 continues to dominate our time and we have our jobs selected for our next expansion Shadowbringers. We take some questions about content creation and more. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll create a...

Role Uncertainty | The Grinding Gear Podcast #04

Hot off the press, Diablo 4 plans to have an “army of developers'' working on their monetization and battle pass systems. Wizards of the Coasts also announces their plans for D&D into the future. Yoshi P says “Final Fantasy is Struggling” as he works on the new FFXVI title. Garrett and Kyle also have a big talk about their current FFXIV projects with help from your emails. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll add an in-game shop.

Something I Do Now | The Grinding Gear Podcast #03

Indie games descent upon Kyle. Netflix gets into gaming. GTA might head to New Mexico? Prey, 2022’s Predator Movie and God of War 2018 come to you later in the show as part of our new spoiler section! All this and more.

No Must Have Games | The Grinding Gear Podcast #2

Big show. Activision Throws Shade at Blizzard, EA Taking the L and Multiversus is the hot new thing for the kids. Garrett and Kyle also unleash their new show segment and catch up on the God of War playthrough. FF14 fans will also enjoy the sprinkling of topics as we both enjoyed some Monster Hunter and have become curious to get into Worlds or Rise. Emails and more. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll add premium currencies to unlock additional characters.

Into the Next Us | The Grinding Gear Podcast #1

We’re back! You’re here, perhaps for the first time. The voyage begins. The Grinding Gear Podcast is here to bring you burn-out-free video game coverage and much more. Join Garrett and Kyle, podcast veterans as they are, for Wrath Classics release date, the D&D movie trailer, and a big serving of God of War 2018. Emails and more. Supportourbromance.com or we’ll make NFTs!

Our Favorite Games - Garrett & Kyle’s Podcast Vacation Vol.2

Happy Thursday! Garrett and Kyle are back with another podcast vacation episode to give you a look into their nerdy brains. Join the two as they dive deep, genre by genre, into their favorite games of all time. They'll be back soon to announce their new podcast.

The Bromance - Garrett & Kyle’s Podcast Vacation Vol.1

The transformation begins. Garrett and Kyle are coming to you from podcasting pergatory. The audio lands in between Into the Nexus and what is next for our podcasting duo. Enjoy as the two reminisce on their journey from podcasting about StarCraft 2, to a YouTube exploration of Final Fantasy XIV, and a maybe a hint or two about where they're going from here.

#433 - Into the Nexus: “Out of the Nexus”

Heroes, the time has come. Blizzard has announced Maintenance mode for our beloved game. If you’ve enjoyed this show, if you’ve enjoyed that last year: Stay tuned right here. This feed is going to evolve. Join Garrett and Kyle on a new journey starting in two weeks. For now, this is our send off to our beloved Heroes of the Storm. Thank you all for your continued support and we hope to see you in and out of the Nexus.

#432 - Into the Nexus: “4 Days”

Season extension! But only 4 days? What is in store for our favorite MOBA. Or should I say, Hero Brawler! Kyle has been on an Artanis kick while Garrett got his eyes on the future. We take a look at the Heroes adjacent news, your emails and more!

#421 - Into the Nexus: “1 Week”

One week till a balance patch?! What’s on your list? Garrett and Kyle share their desires for the upcoming Heroes of the Storm update. Reddit has ideas, discord has ideas. All math or CCL balance awaits us. You be the judge! Emails and more to follow!

#431 - Into the Nexus: “1 Week”

One week till a balance patch?! What’s on your list? Garrett and Kyle share their desires for the upcoming Heroes of the Storm update. Reddit has ideas, discord has ideas. All math or CCL balance awaits us. You be the judge! Emails and more to follow!

#430 - Into the Nexus: “Getting Hammered”

Into the Nexus, the Heroes of the Storm resistance broadcast that will not STOP! News from the bastion of battle, the holdout for our great game. Garrett and Kyle talk Hammer of all things. Hammer is in! Get the rundown. We also have a preview of what Heroes could look like on the Xbox Game Pass. And what will become of our Boosts?! Your emails, questions, and more! Stay tuned HEROES!

#429 - Into the Nexus: “Storm the Gate!”

Into the Nexus is hot on the tail of the Stormgate’s announcement. Unveiled at the Summer Game Fest, old Blizzard and even Heroes devs hope to revive the RTS genre (and even take esports with it). Daybringer is on the project, which leaves some big unknowns with Heroes. CCL continues, AZ Jackson shares stories. Your emails and MORE!

#428 - Into the Nexus: “RTS Revival”

Bahamut joins for what starts as a CCL centric episode, but goes on a journey. The caster tells tales of metas abound and gets you hype for this upcoming weekend of games; but with Garrett out sick, Kyle and Bahamut take a look at the plethora of mobile games being released right now. This leads to a look at the StarCraft custom game scene where they appear to be recreating Heroes of the Storm with new content. Perhaps our salvation lies not with Heroes but outside. Maybe even a little studio...

#427 - Into the Nexus: “Mobile-palooza”

No internet can’t stop us, THIS IS Into the Nexus. Mobile Madness is unleashed. Arclight Rumble beta and Marvel Snap beta have been played. Diablo Immortal is just a week away. The new Heroes season is four weeks away, supposedly. Will the release of mobile mania bring devs back to our beloved game? Are companies even chasing the right market right now? Your emails and more in another stealth recorded episode!

#426 - Into the Nexus: “Into the Breakfast”

Join us for Into the Breakfast! Garrett and Kyle, give you a special morning episode of your favorite Heroes of the Storm podcast. The HeroesEsports Twitter account has awakened yet again, and the launch has fresh content on it. There is also a bug fix and some community manager interaction on Reddit. The team stirs?! Emails and more!

#425 - Into the Nexus: “Don’t Light My Fire”

Into the Nexus returns with Hot Fixes and Hot Takes! Garrett and Kyle take on the received bug fix report and HeroesHearths Week 1 of the CCL Season 4. What awaits in the meta for you? You’ll have to listen and find out.

#424 - Into the Nexus: “Leaver Inferno”

CCL is on the horizon. Garrett and Kyle breakdown the team rosters released last week. Heroes is currently undergoing maintenance, so that mystery will be saved for another day. We now know the WarCraft mobile game and it is not a Heroes influence product. Emails, stories, and more! Enjoy!

#423 - Into the Nexus: “First Time?”

Garrett and Kyle share all. Wisdom Gaming, hosts of the HeroesHearth CCL, have revealed that they have been running Heroes of the Storm esports at an “unsustainable loss” since. In an attempt to attract more sponsors, they are moving the stream to Grubby's channel. This comes hot on the heels of announcements that Twitch is planning to increase its revenue by increasing ads and reducing payout percentages. Blizzard is about to unleash its mobile empire. Will it use Heroes of the Storm a...

#422 - Into the Nexus: “Live Más”

Garrett and Kyle return with the latest Heroes news! We are speeding towards HeroesHearth’s CCL Season 4, just two weeks out. We also take a look at the recent meta shake ups. Naturally, Blizzard has been busy promoting their upcoming WoW expansion Dragonflight. Microsoft is considering adding ads to their F2P games, which Heroes will one day be. Options, comments and Heroes of the Storm. Enjoy!

#421 - Into the Nexus: “Koticking”

Into the Nexus, returns to bring you the Heroes best and Blizzard happenings. NGS is over for Kyle, so he and Garrett have been on a Stormrage vacation from serious town. The Activision Blizzard ongoings have taken a turn though, and it seems the Governor of California might be interfering with the case. Emails round out the show and bring us back to our Heroes of the Storm home.

#420 - Into the Nexus: “Ladder Land”

Into the Nexus is back and talking ladder! Former Heroes Balance Designer AZJackson was on Twitter this week talking about a recent article posted by Magic the Gathering creator Richard Garfield. The challenges of game design and letting things like MMR handle your players for you. We also briefly check on World of Warcraft’s new expansion leaks before taking emails.