Ctrl Alt WoW FFXIV Episode 18 - FanFest Recap And The Steam Machine

 

AprilPvd and Grand Nagus discuss Final Fantasy XIV. Send an email to ctrlaltwow@gmail.com telling us how you play.

Discord: https://discord.gg/5dtHtHCu

Grand Nagus:

Final Fantasy XIV

Yo-Kai Colab is back from Aug. 4 to Oct.5

FanFest Berlin Recap:

Generally it was a great experience. Meeting so many people from the community was amazing.

Was there stuff that wasn't so good? YES!

But i don't want to go into that here, it didn't take away from the overall experience i had personally.

I focused on the events on Day 1 and more on the community aspect on Day 2. 

The Keynote was cool with YoshiP in the Bastion cosplay armor. Bastion is the new Tank job we get in Evercold. 

I got there a little ahead of time, as you can see, if you look at the pic i made just after i sat down 2h:37m:41secs before the event started. 

I didn't take many pics on Day 1, this pic is from the day before when the staff set up the banners outside

 

The most important event for me, tbh, was the concert on Day 1.

Keiko and Amanda Achen are just the best!

 

My favorite parts of the event were the concerts. Both Keiko's piano concert and The Primals on Day 2.

And both Amanda and Jason [Charles Miller] sang new songs i hadn't heard them sing before. 

In case you do not know, aside from singing a few songs in Shadowbringers, Jason was the ARR VA for Raubahn. 

On the Day 2 i arrived a little later, 11:45am on Day 2 vs 5:45am on Day 1. I'm just not that into PvP, and that was the first point of order on Day 2.

I went and checked out all the community areas on Day 2, and since the cosplay walk was on Day 2 as well, most of the cosplayers were there too. 

When i entered the community area, i met Foxclon, the main community person, i'm not sure of his title, not that that is important, but i got a pic with him. 

I met a bunch of cosplayers and we had a great time.

I  only got a couple of pics with the the cosplayers. I tend to get pics of them rather than with them, since i really like their work.

Here are a few pics i got with a few of them, though. 

As i said, at the end, the event was amazing. Well worth the investment.

I haven't done much ingame since i came home, other than set up my Steam Machine. I got the email about it when i was still in Berlin and had to see how to buy it since i didn't have all my passwords to my accounts i needed. But i got it to work in the end, so i'm a proud owner of a Steam Machine now. 

General thoughts on the Steam Machine.

Power usage of PC vs Steam Machine.

Windows vs Linux. 

Email

Greetings AprilPVD & Grand Nagus,

Attached is my audio this week. Doesn't look like I took any screenshots as most would have contained spoilers but having lots of fun on my Ninja who in fact hit 87 today.

Cheers,

Rigarmorty

 

 

Good day all! Hope you are all doing well?


So on Diablo 4 I took my Barbarian from Torment 1 to Torment 6.. Shortly after I did unlock Torment 7 in The Pit, but I was really struggling to take down the Bosses in the open world and dungeons etc., so I dropped backdown to T5. However, I was just obliterating everything with ease!

So I did some research and with the resources I had gathered I knew I have the potential to unlock much higher Torment Tiers. So I target farmed some pieces and got my resources to a good level, reconfigured my gear (which at times was a bit confusing and I wasted some things by accident.. I guess that’s how you also learn?). Anyway.. with a few changes I started smashing Torment 8! I pretty much one-shotted the Butcher in the Pit and have now unlocked Torment 9! With some more readjustments I believe I can get to T10/T11 very soon! I am also building up my Paragon Levels (currently 207) which will also help!


I am still absolutely loving this game! There are some interesting changes coming in Season 15, which (if the rumours are true?) it should be dropping in the middle of September after Blizcon!


On WoW, I have completed the August Travellers Log, which involved me running a few of the old BC Timewalking dungeons and I also won the Trial of Style a couple of times with my Goblin Monk! The reward for this month is a cosmetic Cowboy outfit, which actually looks pretty cool!


Anyway..

Hope you’re all having fun and enjoying your games?


All the best,

Kep!

Ctrl Alt WoW FFXIV Episode 17 - FanFest What Will You Bring

AprilPvd and Grand Nagus discuss Final Fantasy XIV. Send an email to ctrlaltwow@gmail.com telling us how you play.

Discord: https://discord.gg/5dtHtHCu

Grand Nagus:

Final Fantasy XIV

 

 

 

                         

 

JP FC:

We lost more lotteries, and one we are not sure of yet, we have a 3/15 chance of winning, so not all is lost yet. We just have to wait for the person that bid to come on and check the winning number. Nothing much else to talk about on JP, other than the fact that the subs are doing more exploring and the onions are growing, just like they should.

NA Goblin FC:

We resurrected an old FC my friend made some time back and it's high enough to start sending out subs right away, so we are seriously debating crafting the components on our main NA characters and then ship them over, lol.

The only issue was, and you are noticing me saying was, not is, that we didn't have a house with that FC, so, we entered the lottery for a house and ... WE WON!! 

So now the newly resurrected and renamed FC "Pastry Enterprises" is in business! The house, yes it is a smol, is named "The Lala Pastry Shop" and we fully intend to take over the world of pastries, cakes and other baked goods.

EU FC:

Still working on the second component for the first sub. 

No Man’s Sky

Email

 

Greetings AprilPVD & Grand Nagus,

Hope you're all doing well, missing Big G already and super jelly for Grand Nagus going to the upcoming Fanfest! 

Attached is my audio for this week and a couple of screens from my offering to two shrines and my new main job. NIN

Oschon Shrine

 Menphina Shrine

 

 

NIN is so much fun. Stabby stabby:)

 

 

Cheers,

Rigarmorty

 

 

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Hello all! 

I haven’t really played WoW at all over these last two weeks.. I am waiting for the Classic Turbulent Timeways event (starting tomorrow) so I can just smash through some dungeons to collect some Timeless Coins! 

I did however, get a new Mount as a gift; the Sunflare Driftmoth. I believe it’s because I have a 12 month subscription on one of my accounts.. 

On Diablo I started levelling a Spiritborn, he is currently max level, Torment 2. With a few minor tweaks he will easily be Torment 3! It was really good fun levelling him! Vortex, Gorilla smash, Centipede, BOOM! It was so much fun running around obliterating things! 

I have also been playing on my Rogue, where I have been levelling my Paragon Levels (currently level 131 and rising), I am gearing him up and I have had a few Ancestral gear drops, which I need to reconfigure/upgrade in the Horadric Cube, this will definitely push him up the torment levels (currently Torment 3/4). 

I have been collecting/farming ‘seeds of Hatred’ in the PVP zone to convert to ‘Red Dust’ to spend at the PVP vendor for cosmetic items. I have also been doing lots of Ruptures and collecting lots of ‘Whispers’ for the bonus Tree of Whisper cache event, which drop some really nice items. 

Anyway.. hope you are all well? 

Take it easy.. 

Kep 

 

 

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Ctrl Alt WoW FFXIV Episode 16 - Relic Weapons FATEs And FanFest

AprilPvd and Grand Nagus discuss Final Fantasy XIV. Send an email to ctrlaltwow@gmail.com telling us how you play.

Discord: https://discord.gg/5dtHtHCu

Grand Nagus:

Final Fantasy XIV

JP FC progress
Lost another couple of lotteries, but we are not giving up!! 

NA M'kolon's progress:

(Shared) FATE grinding. Bi-colored Gemstones as currency for all sorts of items.

DT Phantom Weapon upgrading 

 

HW Atma Weapon upgrading

Finished the last two Allied Society factions, so now I'm all up to date again.

Now I'm waiting for the Intersocietal Quests

No Man’s Sky

Finished the Expedition.

Email

 Greetings AprilPVD, Grand Nagus & Big G!

Attached is my audio this week and just a cool selfie I took looking up at the moon and a updated "don't mess with me look": A quick pose on my Lalafell at the seaside oh and my server pings just showing how much lag for oceanic servers.

 

Cheers,

Rigarmorty

 

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 day all! 

I popped back onto WoW to complete the ‘Travellers Log’ and get this months reward, the ‘Bilgewater X-TREME Firework Rocket’. I also tried to run Frost Lord Ahune once a day for a chance at the Mount, but sadly no drop this time! 

So on June the 30th at 6pm, Diablo

4 Season 14 “Death Awakening” dropped! I had been counting down the hours all day! 

I have reached max level (70) with my Barbarian and my Rogue and I am currently Paragon 26. I have also started levelling a Spiritborn last night, he is a lot of fun to play. 

I have been messing around with his build and coupling that with ‘Tempering’ his gear.. he just cuts through the enemies like a knife through butter! 

I have been farming gear with my level 70’s, and increasing the difficulty levels! I have also been collecting the new seasonal rewards and new items. 

I have been really enjoying D4 and having a blast!  

Anyway.. hope you are all well and having fun! 

Take care all 

Kep! 

 

 

 

Ctrl Alt WoW FFXIV Episode 15 One Month Until FanFest

Recorded Wednesday, June 24, 2026

AprilPvd and Grand Nagus discuss Final Fantasy XIV. 

Send an email to ctrlaltwow@gmail.com telling us how you play.

Discord: https://discord.gg/5dtHtHCu

Grand Nagus:

Final Fantasy XIV

 

 

 

 

 

M'kolon NA:

I've been continuing the work on my house. I'm still no were close to being done, but it's getting                there. I'm almost done with the garden, i think, though you never know what ideas one gets.                         Inside i'm still trying to find a use for the area under the loft, and i'll likely get to the bathroom soon.         

 JP FC:

Sadly, we did loose multiple lotteries these past weeks, again. It's just about keeping the spirit high and we'll eventually win one.

We built our fourth sub and started leveling it, and we upgraded others.

We are one FC rank away from unlocking the fifth and last FC chest tab. The FC chest is kinda of what you would call the guild bank, in other games.

 

No Man’s Sky

I finally unlocked living ships and got my first living frigate too.

I set up my first mold farm.

My first settlement might be all leveled up. I wish we could get a overview UI that showed us the layout and rank of each building. That would make it so much better, unless i just haven't found it yet.


In other news:

I haven't been to a concert in a few years, i believe the last one was Weird Al at BlizzCon 2016. It couldn't get any better than that, so i skipped the others. My friend i play FFXIV with introduced me to Loreena McKennitt, a Canadian singer/songwriter/composer, i think. Spotify let me know that she is on tour in Europe next year, so i got a ticket to see her in Hamburg next year.. I love her music, it's one of those storytelling things that you just can't escape from.

I got onto the list to get a Steam Machine.

 

It's not the super powerful machine, but it's good enough to do what i need it to do, and it saves a lot of electricity. My current PC has a 850W PSU, the Steam Machine has a 300W, and that is generously calculated.

 

Email

Good day all.. 

So WoW has definitely been put on the back-burner at the mo! I have completed the Travellers Log for the tokens and this months reward (The Flame-Painted Sun Roc). The Midsummer Fire Festival began on Sunday the 21st, so I have been running Frost Lord Ahune for some transmog gear and a chance for the new Mount to drop. Other than that all my gaming time has been spent on Diablo! 

When I first started Diablo I thought if I get a few weeks enjoyment, the main storyline completed I will be happy with that. However, I did not think I would have become this hooked on it! I have been learning more and more about the game as I go on! 

I have been running ‘Pits’ to increase my Torment Levels, War Boards and just doing general random things.. I am basically getting myself familiar with the mechanics, ready for Season 14! I am currently Paragon 115 and rising! 

The release date for S14 is scheduled for the 30th of June at 6pm BST! I literally cannot wait to start a fresh and smash my way through the Sanctuary! 

I am still undecided on which class I will start with? I really like Barbarian (raw power, smash some skulls) Rogue (nimble, fast and explosive) or the Paladin (a powerhouse and feels quite noble in a word full of demons).

I also got the urge to level a Sorcerer.. he was a lot of fun to level and I did not stop until I got to level 70! I have been running him through some Pits and other activities to try and get him some nice gear! 

My only gripe about Diablo is the number of character slots available (currently 16). I am obviously an ‘Altaholic’ so I’ve been filling up the slots very quickly, which would normally be okay. However, the problem is that I already have 8 slots filled and when Season 14 starts you start your character fresh, which I really like the idea of (new name, new look etc.). However, if I was to start a fresh with the classes I like it would push my slots to 12/13 used, which would then cause a problem for the on-going seasons.. I know you can wipe a characters levels, progress and start them from level 1 again, but I’m not sure about this idea.. I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it?? 

Anyway.. have fun all! 

All the best! 

Kep 

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Greetings AprilPVD, Grand Nagus and Big G!

Suffering through the heat here in merry ole England but still finding time to game when it is a little cooler in the evening and the working day is done. Mostly been just FFXIV as always these past couple of weeks and levelling side jobs on my main. Below are a couple of screenies though I think I shared a few over Discord recently. 

Wannabe Samurai

 

 

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 Recording Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Ctrl Alt WoW FFXIV Episode 14 -  Where Do We Want To Live

AprilPvd and Grand Nagus discuss Final Fantasy XIV. Send an email to ctrlaltwow@gmail.com telling us how you play.

Discord: https://discord.gg/5dtHtHCu

Grand Nagus:

Final Fantasy XIV

 

 

M'kolon progress:

M'kolon reached patch 7.4 MSQ progress, only two more patches to go.
She had to reach this stage of the MSQ to unlock the newest Custom Delivery content.
So far only OCE Jaffa Cake has finsihed the current MSQ, but M'kolon is well on her way to catch up. 
On retainer news, M'kolon got a very nice iLvl 750 WHM staff, making the WHM job the highest weapon equipped job she has.
The house is coming along great. I finally found out what i wanted to put in the upper floor promenade.   I  knew i wanted something there, but, as with many things before the increase of item slot numbers, it couldn't be realized. Now that i can do so, this is what i came up with, a little study area away from the busy library down below.

 

JP FC:

We lost yet another housing lottery bid, but i'm sure we'll get a win eventually. Our Submersibles are 
doing just great. The first one is close to reaching 75. Once it's at 85 is when we can upgrade the
individual components to a better quality, Modified-XXX is what they will be called after that upgrade.
We finished the basement Tea Party floor, and now we are starting work on the main floor. Since we
still only have a small house, we only have two floors.
We added the wall scroll and the two shelves along with the plant on the floor. Then we chose a color
for the new floor, since it was too dark, and we chose a light, white/grey pattern floor. Then we chose to
dye a bunch of the furnishings to match the different shades of grey in the floor, without dyeing them
all the same color. That was an advantage of choosing a floor with different shades of a color.
Then we put carpets down in a T shape, kind of guiding the visitor to the areas that lead to different parts
of the house, namely the doors to the Workshop and the lower floor:

Here is a picture of the first updated corner
next to the door into the Workshop and private rooms:


On the other wall, next to the main entrance door, we added one double shelf, the plant on the floor
and the picture of the Admiral of Limsa Lominsa. On the shelf we placed a few job stones.

 

Email

Good day Ctrl Alt Multiple Games Crew.. 

Diablo, Diablo, Diablo! I am completely hooked and enjoying it very much. I was a bit surprised to learn Season 13 was coming to an end at the end of June.. I am not sure yet when Season 14  starts, but I assume very shortly after? 

I feel like I have only scratched the surface and still have a lot to learn about the various mechanics of the game. With this in mind, I have decided to treat S13 as an experimental season, level characters to see which classes I prefer, trying/adapting different levelling builds that suit my play style, side quests, crafting and generally figuring things out.. 

So far I have max level Barbarian, Rogue, Necromancer and Paladin (Paragon 61). I am also working on my Druid and Spiritborn. I still might try levelling a Sorcerer and/or Warlock before the end of the season? 

Take care and all the best, 

Kep 

 

____________________________________ 

Greetings AprilPVD, Grand Nagus and Big G!

Attached is my quick audio for this episode. I have been progressing through the FFXIV story MSQs and even a little bit of a dabble back in to GW2 following the announcement of the Guild Wars 3 due to hit beta in the autumn next year. 

I did take a few screenshots but they've disappeared but below is an odd gear set I was wearing for a bit and an recent photo of my GW2 main, a Asuran Holosmith Engineer :D

 My GW2 Main

 

Cheers,

Rigarmorty