Breakfast Topic: Anticipation Syndrome
by Matthew Rossi 
Nov 20th 2009 at 8:00AM
Possibly it's as bad as it is because this time I'm much more aware of the incoming patch than I have been for previous ones. I've run the new five mans on the PTR and kept up with the Quel'Delar questline and watched the raid testing on streams. Meanwhile, one of my oldest WoW friends will not shut up about Blood Elf Warriors in Cataclysm. Seriously, he will not be quiet. I've tried ordering him to be quiet but then he just starts nattering on about the violence inherent in the system.
To a degree, all of this waiting for future patches and expansions is kind of getting in the way of enjoying what we have now. I'm starting to feel like I've lost track of all the current raiding and instance content and am just standing around trying to raid a dungeon that's not even in the game yet. (And it doesn't help with the song of Skinny the Belf Fury Warrior constantly ringing in my ears, either.) So now I turn once again to you, the viewers at home, and ask if you're feeling anticipation syndrome or not.
Filed under: Warrior, Patches, Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, News items, Breakfast Topics, Expansions
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Joe Nov 20th 2009 8:09AM
The new LFG system, so I can finally do something with my alts other than grind their merry way from 1-80.
And there's never a bad time for a Monty Python quote. Well done.
"he just starts nattering on about the violence inherent in the system."
Rin Nov 20th 2009 8:06AM
YES
Jarviswabi Nov 20th 2009 8:12AM
Not only is looking forward to the next big thing (at the expense of enjoying the current moment) a common symptom of our short-attention-span society, you guys at WoW.com make your livings by endlessly talking and speculating about stuff that's yet to come. It's no wonder you can't stop and smell the roses. Of course, it doesn't help that the current WoW content (3.2 and Trial) kind of sucks ass and has bored the hell out of a lot of us. No wonder I did something stupid like finish Loremaster of EK this week.
Heilig Nov 20th 2009 9:06AM
A) It's a site about WoW NEWS, not about a bunch of WoW stuff everyone already knows about.
B) You're absolutley right, it's way worse this time because of the absolute crapfest that is Trial of the Crusader. Blizzard has been lazy before, reusing armor models and such, but this entire instance just takes the cake. We've been anticipating Icecrown since we first dropped Anub and said "That's it? Really?"
dawnseven Nov 20th 2009 10:05AM
"No wonder I did something stupid like finish Loremaster of EK this week."
This is my plan for the weekend. I started playing 6 months before TBC came out and I've been hurrying to get to a certain point (a certain level, a certain amount of money, etc.) for every patch and expansion since then. I'm definitely ready for this patch. I'm burned out from raiding and taking a break, so having gotten my stable of alts to 80, finished all the quests, and maxed all of their professions, I find that I'm logging in to do the particular set of dailies that I run and then I'm done for the night. Kinda sucks when that happens to be 9:30pm. : /
What I'm waiting for the most is the new LFG tool. I'm sick of sitting in the current tool for 45 mins, finally getting an invite from one dpser, and then sitting around for another 45 mins waiting to go because we can't find a tank, someone is on a phone call, someone is in the middle of a battleground, someone is spamming trade in Org for an enchant, is AFK "quick to eat dinner", etc. I want to get thrown into a group, teleported to the instance and just go.
talkingmike Nov 20th 2009 1:41PM
@Jarviswabi
What, no comments about the liberal media or the vast right-wing conspiracy??
Gamer am I Nov 20th 2009 8:12AM
I have anticipation syndrome for the nerfed version of Oculus, and I am not running it until after the nerfs. It's just not worth it considering how many bad things I have heard about it.
Ezence Nov 20th 2009 9:03AM
It isn't really that bad, when you first go in there try to go in with a group that don't mind spending some time getting their bearings. Once you've flown around for a bit you'll see it isn't that bad.
There are 4 levels of platforms,
The first being where you start.
The second where you kill the adds on 2 large round platforms and the circular platform in the middle.
The third is 3 platforms around the sides where you kill summoned adds (spirits as it were).
The fourth is the last boss.
As I say, spend some time getting to grips with the instance and before long you'll be clearing it in under 20 minutes! (Red proto ftw!)
descarte8 Nov 20th 2009 8:17AM
Help help, i'm being repressed
Kyle Nov 20th 2009 8:24AM
absolute win.
dearth Nov 20th 2009 8:47AM
Stop referring to it so it can remain cool.
Jade Nov 20th 2009 11:13AM
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is 34 years old. I really doubt that it can be made uncool by overuse at this point. It's not an internet meme about Chuck Norris, it's Monty Python.
Phoenix Nov 20th 2009 8:20AM
I feel the same way, though for me it's more because I find the current PvE Tier a bit lacking. As much as there is to do with the Argent Tournament and Trial of the Crusader it doesn't have the same Epic feeling that Ulduar did, and looking forward towards 3.3 the game looks a lot brighter as well.
I know that a lot of work went into 3.2, but it still feels like a band-aid tier, you know?
HunterTure Nov 20th 2009 8:20AM
My guild has effectively stopped almost all raids, because they are waiting for 3.3 to drop. for the well geared among us, this is understandable, but we have many up and coming 80's who need to run things, and I am one of the few that realizes, they won't get into Icecrown unless they get geared.
Jarvish Nov 20th 2009 8:23AM
Oh yeah... I haven't run a single heroic since the patch notes began to drop hints of the new LFG tool... Sorry to say, but the endless wait for a tank or a healer depending on what my spec is just doesn't appeal to me. Ye, im dualspecced bear/tree... If I go tree, we need a tank, and vice versa.
My social raiding guild has had an influx of terribads lately, and the GM and his best friend the RL insists on running 25's, when we were doing just fine with 10's. Never have I failed that hard in Naxx :O.
So all in all im on a hiatus with my druid and hunter, levelling a rogue (only doing battlegrounds, quite an experience) just waiting for the new LFG tool so I can finally run some instances and get some gear (and maybe that last drop for the EPIC achievement)...
-Jarv
Miri Nov 20th 2009 8:30AM
I know what you mean about current LFG! It took FOREVER to find a tank or a healer for one of my alts yesterday (one of my pure DPS classes who I'm just trying to get some gear for). My main is Prot/Holy, so I can fill ONE of the spots, but I never thought it would be as bad as it was. When I got around to running the Heroic daily yesterday, there were 5 healers in LFG...not a single tank. People were BEGGING in trade for tanks. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment running the heroics right now, but I can't WAIT for the new LFG tool to rectify a lot of the issues we've been having.
What you mention about your guild is why I quit raiding...I signed up to do 10s, and my guild did 10s well. Then they decided to expand and run 25s with another guild, and that just drove a lot of people to stop raiding. I rolled another toon to play with a friend, and did a 10-man Naxx with them one night...I server transferred a couple days later...the inability to clear more than 2 wings in 3 hours made me want to shoot myself.
I feel your pain =\
Ed Nov 20th 2009 8:25AM
At present, I play PTR only. Don't even log into Live. I have no desire to play anymore. To make things worse, with the new gear methods, I have decided to make an alt my new main for Icecrown. I am glad i can do this as it is what i want to do.
The simple fact that i can do this however, means blizzard has taken progression out of the game somehow. I think blizzard needs to be careful with this, because they are teaching me, something that is the opposite of something they said before Wotlk came out "you will always need to work for gear" - Not really.
I can cross-realm pug my ass off on my alt and be geared for icecrown in a few weeks.
To me this is not like a patch. Its like a new release and i'm almost wondering why i bothered to play so hard in the past.
So for me, the game has gotten boring, and the patch drop will be like a new start.
But with all that, i'm happy with all the decisions, it works well for me, they are a smart company, and perhaps they knew I needed that. -Something like that :p
Umehte Nov 20th 2009 8:53AM
You have won.
bean Nov 20th 2009 11:08AM
> "you will always need to work for gear" - Not really.
> I can cross-realm pug my ass off on my alt and be geared for icecrown in a few weeks.
So where's the contradiction here? I consider "pugging your ass off for a few weeks" to be working. It's not like you're getting handed epics when you ding.
Yes, you're able to get eq without going into raids. Why is this a problem?
Barker Nov 20th 2009 8:24AM
Anticipation is sometimes the only reason I keep playing the game. Raiding get's dull, gold sinks get filled, and PvP can shove it as far as I'm concerned. Even an altoholic tends to favor something and in my case, I favor a single class and alt only out of boredom. The prospect of mechanic changes is interesting, additional content extends game time, and the "class balancing" tickles my number fetish.
Small patches help sate the appetites of the occasional consumer, but these content patches and sweeping changes renew and retain the interest of everyone else. More dungeons and more levels means there is more to do.
Personally, I'm looking forward to the change of Hunters to Focus, the addition of the mastery system, and I already quite thrilled that there is a big de-emphasis on long cooldowns. I want to see the implementation of the Warlock shards. I just hope that the Mastery System helps simplify balancing so that balance patches are smaller and more consistent. Oh, and non-NElf Druids. I'll play a NElf Rogue, but bite me... the elf lore went steadily downhill post-WoW.