Breakfast Topic: Shunning the Endgame?
by Lesley Smith 
Jul 15th 2009 at 8:00AM
Let's imagine for a moment that you can't/won't raid any of the Wrath content. What would you do instead? I'm talking the little things in life like rolling a new toon and exploring all those newer locales that you missed since leaving to Northrend. Are you going to turn off XP and just see how it feels? Rather than do the endgame, are you going to give PvP or PvE a go? Go for that really tough achievement? What about a little role playing? Would you finally level up that second profession or give first aid, cooking and fishing a go?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Battlegrounds, Alts, Making money, Leveling, Bosses, Raiding, Quests, Instances, Achievements
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Agerath Jul 15th 2009 8:06AM
If I couldn't raid, I'd quit.
For me, being able to get together with 9/24 of my friends from all over the world and partake in a shared, enjoyable experience is what makes WoW.
Sharkhunt Jul 15th 2009 11:52AM
If I had to raid, I'd quit.
For me, being able to hop online for an hour or two when I feel like it for as long as I feel like it is what makes an enjoyable game.
I already schedule large blocks of time to be someplace specific where I'm expected to and get together to do things with other people. If I don't do what I'm supposed to while I'm there, I might get in trouble or at least not be able to partake in all the rewards associated with the experience....I call this thing "work."
Agerath Jul 15th 2009 10:57AM
@SharkHunt:
That's good for you! Why are you being so aggressive? We are all entitled to our own opinions and everyone gets their own enjoyment from this game.
I merely expressed mine, so there's no need to try and belittle me with your holier-than-thou attitude.
Vidi Jul 15th 2009 11:05AM
@Agerath
I think you're reading tone instead of text there. I didn't find Sharks post aggressive but a response to your statement.
Falcrist Jul 15th 2009 11:56AM
@Sharkhunt
That's a pretty agressive response... No one said anything about forcing anyone to raid. If the ability to "hop online for an hour or two" is why you play, then why choose WoW? Seems like a sub par alternative to an X-Box.
Also, I hope you're not insinuating that Raiders don't have jobs. The vast majority of people I raid with have jobs and "real lives" (the rest are retired or in school). Raiding doesn't preclude being a productive member of society.
IMO large scale cooperative gameplay is what sets this game apart. Otherwise it's just another RPG with sub par PvP and IRC attached.
If Raiding was removed, then I'd probably quit as well.
Jon Do Jul 15th 2009 1:38PM
Not that it matters, but I raid, and also hop on for an hour or two here or there to do anything I want. And I even work too, full time, been at the job for years.
I guess I'm an overachiever?
I didn't feel special or anything...
Sharkhunt Jul 15th 2009 2:01PM
@ Agerath: No aggression, I'm just offering an alternative point of view from someone who is already shunning the endgame and giving a reason for that decision. If my post makes you feel defensive, you may want to think more about why that's the case...maybe I struck a nerve?
@ Falcrist: I've done my bit as a hardcore raider on and off since launch and choose not to now for the reasons outlined in my post. I never said it precludes having a job or a life, but it does remove a lot of flexibility from your schedule. There are only so many hours in a day and the more of a life you want to have outside of game, the more difficult it can be to both raid with an end-game guild working on progression content AND still enjoy the other things life has to offer. If all you're going to do with the 20 hours or so it takes a week to do progression raiding is sit in front of the computer anyway, then it isn't really much of a loss (Estimated time based on my own experience. Your milage may vary, but the time cost of raiding isn't just the time actively spent fighting internet monsters...it includes time spent waiting around, doing the pre and post-raid chats on vent or on your guild forums, helping others with gear, keeping up with EJ discussions to continue being uber, making enough gold to cover your repairs, gems, enchants...etc).
Anyway, play the game the way you want to, what you do with your time is your own business. The point of my post was to present an opinion about why the endgame is worth shunning in the first place.
Jon Do Jul 15th 2009 2:14PM
“Shunning the Endgame?”
To address the question posed by the blogger...
I ran into that sort of attitude recently when I invited some friends on another server over to my server to round out a 10-man raid team. We had several geared level-80 toons waiting and ready to help them level, craft gear, bags, gold, guild bank stocked with helpful stuff - but they weren’t interested. I know they haven’t raided, and have only run a few instances. Raiding is not for everyone, but was kind of taken aback that they weren’t even willing to give it a try with some friends who had good experience in raiding.
SpaceDog Jul 15th 2009 8:10AM
I'm actually finally getting around to leveling up Horde-side (albeit at recruit-a-friend rates). I enjoyed the raiding I did in TBC but honestly it's still a huge commitment for most guilds so with Wrath I focus more on solo / small group stuff.
There's actually something quite refreshing about starting on a new server without the option of wiring yourself gold. Also it's nice to learn more classes because it gives you a glimpse of how other people play and what all those spells you hear about actually do.
I also devote a fair bit of time to pointless or superficial endeavours such as looking for the Tome-Lost drake or Gondria (already got Loque).
Superbeef Jul 15th 2009 8:10AM
Go outside. Write a book. Have a relationship with a female. Get a six pack.
Rugus Jul 15th 2009 8:42AM
Oh come on, yet again this "WoW gamers have no sex/normal life" stereotype? Grow up ;-)
Wither Jul 15th 2009 8:53AM
The converse is also true. The vast majority of people who do not play WoW have not written books and do not have a six pack.
Neither statement precludes the other.
Arcaria Jul 15th 2009 8:56AM
Rufus, you gotta admit that the comment has some merit given the level of nerdrage every Tuesday during the "servers are down" posts.
Superbeef Jul 15th 2009 10:14AM
Stereotypes aside, that's what I would probably do, as WoW Gamer if I didn't play WoW, because they're things I do now, but not to the extent I would if I weren't playing WoW every so often and again.
Captahab Jul 15th 2009 10:38AM
Funny thing is This is exactly what I did when I quit raiding.
Starting training for a boxing match, strengthened my relationship with my lady (we both still play, just no more end game), and fleshed out the idea and started doing research for a book.
As for what I do in game now, I just hit up the battlegrounds when I'm jonesing for a virtual beatdown or level alts on slow days with said lady.
Has made my life much simpler.
Nick S Jul 15th 2009 11:45AM
A 6-pack of abs or a 6-pack of beer?
I am in support of one of those goals.
gr33nzo Jul 15th 2009 8:13AM
I think that World of Warcraft has a lot to offer those levelling to 80, however once you've done that whole process once it's a bit repetitive. I levelled both alliance and horde toons, and I did not enjoy the levelling process since then - it's too samey. Death Knights brought a nice change of pace for a little while and so did blood elfs/draenei (i.e. first quests) but then it's back to the same old quests.
Bottom line is without raiding or end-game pvp there isn't much to do in World of Warcraft and if you're not planning on doing at least 10man raiding of some sorts you gotta ask yourself why you're actually playing this game? Blizzard has done a great job at catering to even those who don't have much time to play (raids like Eye of Eternity and Obsidian Sanctum shouldn't take more than an hour even with taking your time getting a group together and wiping a couple of times)
DanH Jul 15th 2009 8:27AM
"Bottom line is without raiding or end-game pvp there isn't much to do in World of Warcraft and if you're not planning on doing at least 10man raiding of some sorts you gotta ask yourself why you're actually playing this game?"
Let's see.
Endgame: Six ten and twenty-five man raids, each of which makes the previous one obsolete.
Non-endgame: forty-five to fifty instanced dungeons, sixty zones, and of course seventy-nine levels. Ten character classes, a dozen professions, thousands of quests, battlegrounds, not to mention RP if you're into it, playing the Auction House if that's what floats your boat.
If raiding was all that mattered, they'd just start everybody at 80.
Neyssa Jul 15th 2009 8:55AM
Agree with DanH.
I didnt go to a single raid in about a month. Before that, I was an active (even raidleader) raider, but it presses my schedule too much. I work / go out on weekday nights without any usual schedule, and I hate not showing up for a raid that we put in calendar, but I hate cancelling my RL program (or work) as well.
I do pvp, level alts (i think alts are necessary to play pvp well, to learn what other classes do), LOVE AH (I can spend hours there), etc.
We just started arena with 4 other friends, it is much fun. Also, Arena/PVP is without loot drama - you dont go for 1 loot, you all work together towards points and you can all buy that piece of gear. I love that.
percinho Jul 15th 2009 9:35AM
I've never been in a raid in my life. What do I do with my 80? Finish all the Northrend quests, go after achievements and titles, hang around fishing and chatting to friends, go and look at old instances I didn;t run when levelling up, go looking for good looking items for casual wear around town, max out professions. Add to that a healthy suite of alts all of whom need a bit of time putting in and I'm never short of things to do.
And as for why I play the game, it's because I have some good real-life friends who live in different parts of the country, and this enables us to all get together and spend time shooting the sh... er... breeze. We'll have nights when we all log onto lower level alts and quest together, or else we'll just set out a picnic basket in Dalaran and arse about. And if the Wife needs me to do something at the drop of a hat it's easy for me to say my goodbyes and log with no drama whatsoever.
There's a lot of people with very different motivations for playing this game, and there are many people who have no interest in running heroics even, let alone raiding. I've yet to find one of them who's run out of things to do.