Leaving WoW until the Burning Crusade
by David Nelson 
Nov 21st 2006 at 11:00PM
One of my favorite WoW bloggers, Lauren from Mystic Worlds, announced today that she is planning on leaving World of Warcraft until the Burning Crusade expansion.We have talked about this topic before, via Breakfast Topics and other posts, but it really hits home when someone who has been blogging about WoW for the last year suddenly decides she's had enough. Her reason for bailing now? She simply has nothing to do until the expansion hits. Hmmm...where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, everywhere.
More interestingly, she sees a bigger problem than just the current boredom. She thinks that WoW is severely lacking in the endgame, and once you get to 70, it will be another big helping of what you got at level 60. Which obviously some people really, really love...and some people really, really hate. I can see her point, that being that while there will be 25 man raids instead of 40 mans, and there will be different places to visit and see, it is basically what it is...that being the endgame of a MMORPG. She wants something more.
Do you?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Scott Nov 21st 2006 11:07PM
You know you hate leveling but when you think about it leveling is the best part of the game
Matt Nov 22nd 2006 2:06AM
*Throws hat in ring*
I think the main problem with end-game raiding is it's reliance upon grouping or teaming with other people and it's repetitive nature. I am a long time end-game raider and I love the camaraderie and fun I enjoy with the 39 other people in my raids. I am also a close friend of a GM who, despite our initial thoughts, did come to rely on a steady group of PvPer's to reach the dizzying heights of Rank 14.
So essentially what Blizz has created is a MMORPG that has only one likely end, grouping for end game content, that being not only loot, but also boss fights.
I think that there is room for a single player stream of end-game content. Make class specific quest chains that require you to encounter bosses and situations that test all your classes’ abilities, similar to the Epic Bow quest for Hunters, but longer and more encompassing. This would require months of content for those who find the repetitive nature of the current structure boring. An example would be making some quests alittle more problem solving, or possibly varying endings of repeat quests depending on decisions, similiar to NWN. This would then open up a whole gammet of gear possibilities depending on personal preference.
This may seem nonsensical since you are playing a MMORPG, if you didn't want to play with other people, you could go play single player RPG's and forget WOW. But this kind of thinking only alienates players who for the most part, prefer soloing and occasionally make the foray into groups. We should not forget that while WOW is a Massive Multiplayer game, it is generally rather massive in it's scope and lore. Surely this can accommodate all play types, not just group junkies.
*Shields face from insults and spitting
Zyburn Nov 21st 2006 11:50PM
for all those people who feel there is nothing to do after level 60/70... it is a game, sometimes... they end. Go buy another one or go for a walk.
Greg Nov 22nd 2006 12:08AM
Agree. You can't expect the endgame to keep you entertained forever, every game has to come to an end at some point.
Move onto something else, or re-roll a new race/class and start again.
Kel Hoof Nov 22nd 2006 1:38AM
The expansion is merely going to be more of the same and the endgame just takes longer to reach. I just hope there are more dynamic instances that require more than just tank, heal, and dps. I hope there are new types of quests instead of just the old kill x number of mobs or collect y pieces of something.
I agree that WoW shouldn't only be for solo but, it's not like you want to group all the time to do anything. I just think WoW doesn't make easy to group up right now. Sometimes it takes like an hour to find a group for UBRS. Since it seems that there are a lot of casual players, I find that many people in my groups have to leave in the middle of an instance and leave the group without a tank or healer. And there are only so many times you can do an instance before you get tired of it, especially UBRS.
WoW basically enforces the replay value in endgame. Like in other games, once you beat a boss, you can move on to other enemies and so on. Then you can play it again on a harder difficulty level or something and the boss is harder but, still not boring for the second time around. In WoW, you have to repeatedly kill the same bosses in an instance until the raid is geared enough to take on the bosses in a higher instance and so on. Since the instances reset about once a week, it can take months to get geared enough to take on the next instance.
If we have proven that we can defeat all the bosses in an instance, why do we have to wait about a week until we can down them again? I just think that's where WoW gets peeople's money.
Lori Nov 22nd 2006 5:15AM
No insults from me, Matt as I agree with you. I started regularly raiding MC the second week of October. My giuld has downed all the bosses up to Rag and we can do it regularly without a wipe. We haven't downed Rag yet and I'm beginning to not care if we ever do. The repeated grind to get to him is getting to be so old. And there is no gaurntee that I'll have a complete tier 1 set when we do down him and ppl want to start moving on to BWL. Personally. I would prefer a long, difficult quest chain with Tier 1 item rewards along the way and the final item at the end over grinding in the hope all my class items drop enough times for all in my class to complete their sets in MC. Haveing to respec to complete certain qests and have quests the require different pets (I'm a lock) in the chain might be fun, too.
Such quest chains for all classes would be too much development for Blizz, I suppose. But as it stands now they have put a lot of development into lock pets that have no endgame use. All I ever do is summon the Imp. Come to think about it, I have never summond the last one I got or have actually seen one in the game.
Beth Nov 22nd 2006 8:05AM
Yes.
Endgame lacks something. I dislike farming for rep and I don't have time for 20 man raids. There needs to be a casual way to spend endgame time that's rewarding.
crsh Nov 22nd 2006 9:37AM
Realistically, we all saw that coming; for casuals who don't raid, getting to 60 is the end of the game (you can only enjoy running UBRS or Strat so many times). Not saying all casuals get bored, but this game wasn't build for them, ie. levelling a toon to 60 is hardly an achievement.
I raid plenty, my guild is in Naxx going after Gluth right now, but I totally feel the strain; expansion is coming, new gear and places to level in, and I'm wiping in Naxx? If I didn't like the people I raid with so much, I'd totally drop raiding and just go casual/PvP until BC is out.
RivanLord Nov 22nd 2006 10:58AM
I think you guys are missing the point of her post. She's not saying "end-game raiding is broken, fix it." She's talking about the personal aspect of the game. Focus on this line:
"There is no character building, role play or ability to create a persona that is meaningful and adds value to other people in the game. I say it really lacks immersiveness."
See, I couldn't disagree more. I build my character in three ways:
1.) Experiencing new content. Have Naxx on farm? No? Then, keep playing.
2.) Gear progression. Have full Tier 3 and an Atiesh? No? Then, keep playing.
3.) The stature of my character, not only within my guild and raiding alliance, but on my server as a whole.
#3 is the really insightful one. No, you don't really find much traditional "RP" in WoW. I'll grant you that. But, I also think that the fellow who posted above that, "The lack of a RP element to your char means that your char is essentially... you!" was right on. So, what does that mean? Well, it means that the social aspect of WoW is basically a means of personal development, not just for some avatar, but for you as a person. Perhaps my experience as GM of one of the oldest and largest guilds on my server has something to do with this, but my first thought in reading those lines was "find a better guild." My guild has become a family. We share in each others' joys and disappointments, both in game and in real life. We talk on TeamSpeak whenever we're in game, and we have each other's Skype ID's (and often phone numbers) for those times which we're not. I've even met people IRL that I first met in game. There are people on my server who like me, some who love me, some who hate me. Yes, my avatar is my representation in game, and yes, it has become a part of who I am on some level. That's immersiveness. My point is that I really feel that whether you "create a persona that is meaningful and adds value to other people in the game" is really up to you and how much you let yourself open up to those other people and what they have to offer.
Cheers,
Thoros
Emperor of Guild BTMW
Gul'dan - Horde
crsh Nov 22nd 2006 11:09AM
"The lack of a RP element to your char means that your char is essentially... you!"
This reminds of something a guildmate told me yesterday.. If you're not enjoying raiding (that's what we do), you're essentially paying $15/month for a glorified instant messaging service. It's your call whether that expense is worth it or not.
Mar Nov 22nd 2006 12:43PM
>>
3.) The stature of my character, not only within my guild and raiding alliance, but on my server as a whole.
>>
This IS roleplaying! You believe these things hold some sort of value or importance. You have faith in the social framework of a video game.
>>
"The lack of a RP element to your char means that your char is essentially... you!"
>>
It's not that the character is you, its that you have taken on a persona that is neither you or your character. It is your WoW persona. In your case, you are a "guild master".
Saylah Nov 22nd 2006 1:03PM
Well my first reply didn't post so here goes again...
You're wrong in choosing to think I'm focusing on RP, Thoros. That was only one of the things I mentioned. I clearly and repeatedly mentioned end-game and raiding. Once you hit 60, you do that or grind rep/honor - period. Now is the end-game broken? I don't know. That depends on how Blizzard is targeting with that content. If it's target toward their hardcore players, then no, it's fine as it is. However, if it's meant to be inclusive - everyone who's been able to hit 60, in whatever manner they chose to do so, then yes, it is in fact broken. We already know that casual players don't partake in the end-game raiding. We already know that only a small percentage of the actual player base raids. We know that small - family oriented guilds can't raid. Yet all of these players were able to play the game just fine to 60. If end-game is meant for everyone, then it IS broken.
I've been 60 for a very long time. I now have two other level 60 toons. The first is in epics - acquired thru raiding, which after a while I was just sick to death of doing. I mean really, what did having those purples really add to my game play? Nothing really, other than it meant I was geared to do more of what I was already tired of doing. Hmm, not sounding fund to me.
On the subsequent toons I decided flat out I wasn't raiding on them. Too bad that raiding in what was a casual guild became required. Now how on earth do you require someone to play an aspect of the game they don't want to play, simply because others want them to? Long and hard decision, I decided to leave a guild that I was a member of for 3 years as we'd been a guild on AC2. This whole raiding thing has become somewhat of a wedge in many guilds. For us, some wanted to raid less, others wanted to raid more, some wanted PVP raids. Well you can't satisfy everyone so the divide occurs and people leave and go find a guild that will meet their needs.
I don't RP and am not looking to. My point was that what are you in WOW besides the gear you're wearing? Professions mean squat, they're just another grind and most aren't even profitable. And there is the problem that the many of the recipies that are profitable, are dropped in raids. Hmmm. Don't know about you, but I see a pattern here.
I'm not trying to tell people how to play their copy of WOW. And am not tolerant of people telling me how to play my copy of WOW. We are all different and what may have worked for you, might not work for someone else. This is a game folks, not a religion. It's okay to get bored with it. It's okay not to like aspects of it. And it's okay to say you're done.
Raawr Nov 22nd 2006 2:38PM
Heh ...im kinda bored...enough to play in spurts now and drift over to battlefield 2142 more than I wow.
What the problem is "nothing good" is out yet^^ well for me it is.
Conan, Lotr, Warhammer, Vanguard.....im chomping at the bit to try something fresh...
Till then I am trying to stay entertained in WoW with Battlefield 2 as my backup.
I do feel many 2 years and going players are in the same boat as me...twiddling out thumbs for something new good and fresh to come out.
Unkle Nov 22nd 2006 7:34PM
This pretty much happens with all mmo's.
I've been hardcore in other games, but luckily my life no longer allows that. WoW will stay entertaining for a very long time for me. Especially since i'm sitting on easy mode with my hunter.
I occasionally join a party for an instance, but most of the time, i'm either doing world pvp, solo-grinding, or doing battlegrounds.
I can jump in whenever I want, and have a ton of fun in a short time. I still wear mostly greens, but who cares? Am I that much better off with fat purples? (well, yes) but does it make the game any different? No.
Being a casual pvp'er I enjoy just trying to whoop people that are all decked out in tier2/3. This is where my real fun comes in. Most people, especially those who raid enough to get that gear, just really don't know how to pvp well. I can generally take down anyone, regardless of gear, because I know how to pvp.
So is end-game really just about the armor? Because if it is .. no thanks.
If it is for you, I suggest you reconsider why you play. You can only grind for gear for so long. I can endlessly find new battles with pvp.
Gog Nov 24th 2006 4:29PM
I have been forced to stop playing for the past few months due to school firewall issues, so I guess I don't have to deal with this. The way it's looking I won't be on until sometime after BC comes out. If I was playing I'd be leveling up alts and doing pvp and what not.
I'm not a raider and have no need to raid and refuse to raid with any of my characters, so I'm not really missing out on anything like that. I play the game for the pure joy of it I guess, so I'm not too concerned with being bored by it.