FFXIV Fan Fest NA Roundtable w/ Jesse Cox & Preach! | The Grinding Gear Podcast #158

We gather the Round Table to discuss the big news and the future of our beloved MMO. Fan Fest announcements, Evercold Trailer, Evolved Combat and more. The "vacation" expansion Dawntrail seems brighter knowing we head into the darkness again. What was the crowds reaction? What was life like online during the big announcements. Jesse Cox and Preach "the big man" return for the big talk. SupportOurBromance.com or we’ll never ask Preach to watch Evangelion again.

Pre-Fan Fest special!

We played Deadlock. A lot of Deadlock. The memes are true, it will overwhelm you and you'll be left wanting more. Kyle is happy to report that Slay the Spire 2 is more Slay the Spire, exactly what we wanted. Garrett played World of Warcraft, and its exactly what he wanted. Nintendo sueing America? Everyone wants that. But it seems not everyone wanted FF14 loot? This is GG Podcast. Supportourbromance.com or we'll make Grinding Gear 2, but it will be DIFFERENT! '

Games come and games go, some fast and some slow. This is Grinding Gear podcast where we discuss all the industry happenings, along with our own retro journey. Sony Pulls back from games on PC. Resident Evil 9 sold well, but lacks cultural splash. Highguard announces final update. Crimson Desert hype is building? Pokopia crits player desires. We've been playing Arc Raiders, RE1, Minecraft, FF14 and Deadlock.

Jesse and Preach return to the Podcast to discuss the MSQ that was and the surrounding state of MMOs. Final Fantasy XIV has delivered a tight patch and a glimpse at where the story is heading. We question what will be important later, who are the Winterers, the Squirrel Suit, what was Yoshi P hinting at and much much more. Fan Fest will be here before we know it and the Roundtable shall return. Supportourbromance.com or Alphinaud will just stand there in 8.0.

You’ll take our PCs from our old RAM hands! On the GG podcast this week Kyle is lost in the BG3 sauce again, Garrett gets sold on Blue Mage, Highguard sure has low hype, AI might be on the ropes, and folks want to know about Garrett’s NYC adventures!

The Grindys, The Golden Gears, Return! The Best of 2025. What a year it has been. GG has survived several YouTube-polyspes and played many games. Some retro, but more modern than our normal affair. This is the final official podcast record for the year 2025 and we have our own LEGALLY DISTINCT accolades to hand out. An insane year for video games comes to a close. Who will win “Best I Think It’s an Indie game” and who will walk away with Brightest Dumpster Fire. Our plans are big for 2026, we’ll see you then. Supportourbromance.com for a big new year of GG in 2026! That’s no joke.