The onset of expansion burnout
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 9th 2006 at 2:13AM
fianakara over on WoW Ladies has an interesting tale of woe: her guild is completely burnt out on playing WoW before the expansion hits. After downing the twin emps a week ago, she says she's having problems even getting a 40 man together for BWL. And other players are responding in agreement-- guilds and raids all over the place can't seem to find enough players interested in playing "old" content before the new expansion.For me, the reaction has been almost the opposite-- my guild is pretty energized lately, and partly because of the expansion. We're hurrying to get into the endgame dungeons, and personally I'm putting in a lot of time trying to get my alt up before the December patch hits. But this problem is more widespread than even Blizzard might admit-- also on Livejournal, Thena B says she just can't find the urge to play WoW when everything is changing in just a month or two. Why play characters now when everyone's going to be rolling new characters as Draenei and Blood Elves?
I've said before that just because the expansion's coming out doesn't mean the game we have is any less fun-- I'm still enjoying myself. But I can't argue with experience, and lots of players are saying they just plain aren't feeling it lately. Is the game (and participation in general) slowing down because of the imminent expansion release? Are you playing more or less when you realize that almost everything is Azeroth is going to drastically change in the next few months?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, News items, Expansions
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Greg Nov 9th 2006 3:42AM
The way I see it, there are two primary sorts of raiders - those who raid for the love of raiding, and those who raid for the love of loot.
The people who raid for the love of loot are dropping off because they see little point in getting loot now that will rapidly become obsolete once the expansion hits.
The people who raid for the love of raiding are left behind, wondering where everyone went.
Hopefully, with enhanced PvP rewards, and more powerful crafting items, the only people left raiding in TBC will be the lovers of raiding.
Urmacht Nov 9th 2006 7:01AM
I see a third cathegory which is the content-raider, who has see all 5-20 mans a zillion times and raids to see, learn and enjoy the end-game dungeons. Once he's successfully beaten the instance, he only comes back for two reasons:
1)It's not boring yet, so raiding it is fun.
2) He needs to gear up to have a shot at even harder stuff.
With the (not that)imminent release of new content and especially avaiability of better gear to tackle these challenges, some of these can't be arsed to grind the instances that have become boring. The fun/new-factor is gone, and loot was only a means to an end, and not an end by itself.
TBC promises a much more easy access to those means, all you have to do is chill a bit until realease, and you'll be able to focus on the fun part of the game only, with the whole gear/rep-grinding alot of 40-mans have become
Urmacht Nov 9th 2006 5:29AM
y
Bartholemues Nov 9th 2006 7:31AM
I think it's probably just people getting over the game in general. It's just so easy that it kind of takes the feeling of achievment out of most things you do which leaves loot as the only motivation to keep playing for a lot of people. As poster 1 stated these people have probably slowed down now since TBC will make the current loot pointless (in their eyes).
Personally, I still enjoy logging on with my re-rolled toons and playing with guildees for a few hours every couple of nights but i've definately lost the passion I had when I first started playing.
If they put a bit more challenge into the game by making harder, more rewarding quests and various other means (don't ask me, I'm not a game designer) I think that would get people logging on again. I think the new arena system will go some way to helping this by uping the pvp challenge level but of course we have to wait for TBC for that ;)
DÖT Nov 9th 2006 8:31AM
Honestly, I think some people just play too much...with that said:
I understand where fianakara over on WoW Ladies is coming from...Blizzard kind of stuck it to us all. All 6 million players were expecting release this month (hell some were heart set on October) and Blizzard pulled the rug out from under us all and then attempted to pacify us with the TGC. Everyone was excepting new and exciting content and instead we got the possibility of finding a "rare" TGC Turtle loot card.
I am not burnt out, some times I feel I like I don’t want to play but I am not burnt out. In fact, last night I just fell in love all over again with my Warlock...I should have spec'd Affliction from the get go.
Theadrick Nov 9th 2006 9:15AM
I am lately finding both the raiding aspect boring, and the loot not even that enticing. Also, too much guild drama and changes in attitudes from long time guildmates have me logging on to my alts more and more. Basically yes, I am pretty bored with my 60s (I have 4 of them) and am just waiting for the expansion to come out before I give them too much more attention. Meanwhile, my alts in the OTHER faction are coming along nicely.
Rezza Nov 9th 2006 9:26AM
As far as pve raids are concerned... I never liked them anyway, especially 40 man! Its good to see blizzard is doing away with 40 man raids. Unfortuneately there is currently no incentive even to pvp since the honor system will be changing soon. I wonder when the patch will arrive?
Chleo Nov 9th 2006 9:36AM
Seeing as my guild has just broken into BWL (or Freeloot Lair as we like to call it) we're going through the opposite of burnout... not having enough slots in the raid for everyone that wants to come :)
But we're having a blast. Our goal is basically to get Nef down before the expansion hits so I don't think we'll be slowing down anytime soon.
Dave Nov 9th 2006 9:59AM
People are definitely still playing on my server (eldre'Thalas). In fact, everytime I try to log on at around 9 O'clock, the realm is full and I have to wait a half hour to get on. This has only been happening in the last few weeks.
Bunkai Nov 9th 2006 10:18AM
My feeling on people's loss of interest in the game...
Nerfing and Talent Reviews in the name of Balance.
A year and a half ago when I started playing, the game was fun! When grouping, you needed specific classes to accomplish goals and get through raid encounters. Now, there is still a need for a tank, a healer, and some DPS, but... Blizz has watered everything down so much that for a tank, you can have a Feral Bear Druid, an Enhance Shammy, or even a Pally... you can have Resto Druids, or Resto Shaman as MT healers in MC and BWL now... shadow priests, fire mages, and Fury spec'd warrios can dish out more than enough DPS for just about any boss fight...
Blizz has rendered every class obsolete because of listening to the n--bs cry about balance... that's why the game isn't as fun any more!
The expansion is just a convenient scapegoat, IMHO.
Clementure Nov 9th 2006 11:21AM
T’ain’t rolling no dreeny nor no bloody elf. Whatever for? Other than a class ability, they won’t be anything new.
An actual new class would be far more tempting than an existing class in a new suit.
And--- Nerf balance!
Warforge Nov 9th 2006 11:33AM
Nothing new?
Bull.. The new lands to explore from lvl 1-20. New gear. New crafts. Content changes.
The newbie experience will be new and refreshing even for vet players.
Those racials you are blowing off...are great on BE side. no joke great...and I can see the skills can be super usefull in raids or pvp. Muting casters is a nice pvp move....Draining Mana and filling yours...Mana pot racial just about. I can not count how many times I needed just a teeny bit more mana... well that new BE
skill is pretty darn nice.
I for one will be trying to get on raid on my new server I moved to. Not for gear but for the experience in the content.
But because I am in BC beta...I'll be preparing for jewel crafting now while the Ores are cheap.
We are going to see GOLD ore sky rocket on release. The rare ore that's practically useless right now.
I also moved OFF pvp cause I already know BC pvp is going to be hell. All those 60s and the needed factions ..with purposely designed questing to cause more conflicts ..oh yah ...STV lvl 60 style yuk.
I love pvp but the new setup in BC its going to be Gank crazy. Worse than STV Nessingwary on a Friday night.
Zerbe Nov 9th 2006 11:40AM
I havent slowed down any and I havent noticed a slow down on my server(Elune) either. There has been a growing queue in the previous weeks and now when logging on around 9pm, its in the 100s. Only takes about 10 mins to get in though.
Bill G Nov 9th 2006 11:50AM
I have had a 60 raiding rogue for a year and a half. To successfully gear up an alt to be able to join our BWL/AQ/Naxx raids in the past year or so would have been extremely difficult. We stopped going to MC a while ago, and even the thought of doing the lower instances to get 0.5 set items via PuGs makes me shudder.
However, the BC expansion is a unique opportunity to get an alt to T2 gear equivalence *without* all the current instances. I am leveling a mage to 60 before BC primarily by grinding, with minimal questing and instancing. He'll be geared in AH blues and greens at 60.
On BC release he'll be grinding a way in Outland just like the other 60s. Initially not as fast or effectively, but by 62-65, he'll be easily equipped in greens/blues that are as good as current T1/T2 gear, and then can move up to 70 and be equivalent in gear to my long time raiding rogue.
Sylythn Nov 9th 2006 12:00PM
I just ran out of rested experience and this is usually the time I switch to an alt or start up a new character while my main's rested regens. But what I'm really dying to do is roll a pally...but I play horde mostly, and so I'm waiting for the BE's in the expansion...so that leaves me with nothing to do right now - I've moved on to other things at the moment.
Clementure Nov 9th 2006 11:52AM
“Those racials you are blowing off...are great on BE side. no joke great...and I can see the skills can be super usefull in raids or pvp. Muting casters is a nice pvp move....Draining Mana and filling yours...Mana pot racial just about. I can not count how many times I needed just a teeny bit more mana... well that new BE skill is pretty darn nice.â€
I already do all that as a Warlock. Maybe those skills will work better or differently, but they are not new. Everyone is looking forward to the new content and the new loot.
And maybe leveling a new character will be fun. But how is a dreeny rogue going to really be any different from a ne rogue?
Quagmar Nov 9th 2006 12:01PM
For me I have totally lost interest in the game right now. Its been real hard logging on and trying to accomplish certain tasks when i know after playing 20 hours of the expansion i will have gear and loot better then what i can get right now. Our guild is currently working on BWL and any endgame raider knows that it takes a lot of time and gold to do this instance especially when you are learning it for the first time. I really dont see the point in grinding 15-30 hours a week for the mats to make pots and gold to do end game raiding right now, the effort is not worth the reward to me. When I can go out the first day and run the new lvl 60 instance and get low lvl 60 blue drops and have them be equal or better to tier 2 stuff there is something wrong with that. Blizzard pretty much fuck up, pardon my language. They over powered the equips and classes way way way too much come expansion time.
Sure i do miss my guild quite a bit, talking over vent to my friends, but i try and make at least one raid a week so i can see how everyone is doing IRL and the progress guild is making. I only log in a couple of times a week now and this is coming from someone who usally put in 60-80 hrs a week into WoW.
When i heard that the expansion was being delayed i was a little bummed, but then i relized FF XII, Guitar Hero 2, Nintendo Wii, PS3, and the expansion were all suppose to come out in the same month. Definitly not enough time for all of that and working a retail job during the christmas season. Im glad its not coming out till january! (hopefully)
warforge Nov 9th 2006 12:07PM
Draenei rogues...Will be just another HK for me =p
As a warlock maybe the BE skill isnt so great. But imagine the Mages,Paladins, hunters out there ...that can be a difference in a win or loss in a pvp fight.
Those skills are not needed but are seriously usefull.
The Draenei regen skill for a rogue I doubt will have much impact except in raids. Rogues tend to get healed least or last...and yet the raid leads want us in the heat of the fight DPSing....pfft...so that handy regen can keep you alive.
Also less healing needed means less mana used ...I was never fond of that Draenei racial. The BE one seems to be the most usefull. Durring my Leveling as a BE ...That mute skill has saved my booty ...and the mana leeching skill instant cast is a great pulling ranged skill. Less mana down time for my hunter and quick way to replenish my paladins Mana so I dont have to sit a lot.
The content and loot are the biggest draws to the new races. I was super skeptical like you till I rolled a Blood Elf. Im totally Undead at heart but I even enjoyed playing a Blood elf newbie. I have no love of releveling but the new zones..and quests kept me interested in leveling an alt.
Since the new races are not what you care about...There is so much waiting for you in OUtlands. You wont be disappointed. And the new pet at lvl 60 you get is pretty cool.
Druid dude Nov 9th 2006 3:47PM
Seeing it on the server I play on big time. I am in the number 2 raiding guild on the server. We have been having severe attendance issues, or at least they seemed pretty severe. At least we were still raiding, though not really progressing much.
The number 1 guild just imploded, losing a couple crucial tanks and more. They will continue on, but will be limping for quite a while now. The number three guild sort of evaporated, and we are absorbing several really good players from their ashes.
Now, with an influx of solid players from other guilds, we seem to be back on track for some solid progression. I suspect we now have enough momentum to get through until the expansion. But wow, guilds are dropping like flies. And these are guilds that are pretty far along raid-wise too.
Is it pre-expansion apathy? Maybe, I don't really know. I just know that it seems much more severe than ever before.
Weland Nov 9th 2006 3:03PM
I think it is lack of interest and burnout. We have been playing this game for just about 2 years. In the last year the majority of content has been for raiding or grinding. That gets old for players of all types.
We had been hanging on waiting for the expansion to hit, but the delay essentially exposed the boredom and burnout with WoW many of us have.
In addition there are very few if any competitive alternatives to WoW at the moment. We dont have anywhere to go for our MMO fix and we are just stuck in WoW. I personally have tried EQ2 and its not a bad game, but I just cant get into it.
The issue I hope Blizzard is addressing is how long after the expansion will we become bored with the Burning Crusade. i suspect they will have to accelerate the development time and change the size of the future expansions/content.