Breakfast Topic: A message to someone who's left a lasting impression
by Matt Perovich 
Sep 4th 2011 at 8:00AM
I've played World of Warcraft since October of 2006 and during that time have seen many realms, their communities, and the special people that have made a lasting impression on my WoW memories. Many of my friends and family have also switched their character's names, transferred to other realms, or even faction-changed (or some wicked combination of the three!) -- but when that happens, you lose that factor of recognition, and you sometimes even lose a friendship along the way.
When I was in my PvP is my all and everything mode, I hopped across realms, switched names, and swapped races to try and find the right teams, the right realms, and the right players so I could maximize my Arena ratings and potential. But in doing so, I burned many bridges across the way, until I met a particular Undead rogue who made a lasting impression on me. He guided me through class-by-class duels when I was a novice. He never hesitated to give me constructive criticism and helpful advice when I lost 0-100 against a death knight. And he certainly never told me to "get good" or any of the other >9,000 ways someone can insult you.
And when I left my home realm, I felt I owed it to him to write him a letter before I left. I didn't know this guy in real life, but something just told me I had to. I told him I was grateful for his kind words, his encouragement, and his patience and that I wished him the best in his WoW career, as he had in mine.
And there it is! This is what I said to the person who made the most lasting impression. What would you say to that someone?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Deisyan Sep 4th 2011 8:25AM
I left a pvp server during BC, to move to a rp server and help friends of mine who was having trouble with raids and BG's. I miss lot of old friends back on my Pvp server.
all I could do is mail them in game, I told them what I was doing and "I wish you well." is all I could think of saying before moving character to help real-life friends in game.
Spectrum Sep 4th 2011 8:28AM
You really should have named said Character if you really wanted to say "Thanks" to him or her.
Imnick Sep 4th 2011 8:41AM
I disagree, if said person reads this site then he will know who he is from reading this, and now he won't also be pestered by a horde of internet dwellers.
Deisyan Sep 4th 2011 9:07AM
"all I could do is mail them in game"
They already know who they are, They all got the in game mail.
Side note, it was the beginning of Wrath launch. I transferred over on that day.
Still miss the guild on Lagalotiamdead (Magtheridon) server, Yugami.(name was changed)
Prash Sep 4th 2011 8:31AM
Back before I had a max level toon, I spent a lot of time running around on a low level holy pally (who eventually became my first 70) with a really fun fire mage who was always good for a joke and a laugh. I played with him for just a little under 2 years and got to know him pretty well. He was a good guy.
Unfortunately, I lost my temper on a raid night which happened to coincide with a burnout period. I deleted my pally, and he server transferred. I haven't really heard from him since, though a few people from my old guild are occasionally in touch with him.
What I'd say -
Sorry, man. I overreacted and definitely crossed a line. I was a couple of months away from getting married, and I let that tension spill over and lash out at you. It was unfair and definitely not something a friend should do to another friend. I had a lot of fun running with you, and I hope things have been good for you since last we talked.
Best,
Prash (Arygos)
Jcq Sep 7th 2011 5:25PM
Prash,
While I completely respect your friendship, I believe i speak for all Mages when i say that there are other all-around amazing Fire Mages still on Arygos that are slightly offended that you havent made an effort to befriend them (like me!). While I dont doubt your friend was a good guy (most fire mages are), let's be honest, he showed rather poor taste in server-tranferring because clearly Arygos is the pinnacle of raiding environments. In conclusion, I hope we all learned a lesson here; that it is never okay to yell, insult, or even doubt the prowess (sexual or otherwise) of such an amazing & skilled DPS class (except if they're playing a gnome).
That being said, I accept your apology for Fire Mages everywhere.
Sincerely,
Jcq (of Arygos)
Maymer Sep 4th 2011 8:36AM
When I first started playing WoW, I loved to explore the zones. I remember being only level five at the time, but I decided that Elwynn Forest had shown me enough trees, and I wanted to see more!
So, being the naturally silly and not prepared warrior I was, I hiked along east, until I stumbled upon the natural beauty of the crimson sanded ridges of Redridge Mountains.....where a ?? spider (at the time) decided to promptly make lunch of me.
I was so startled by the creature (come on, when you have not one ?, but TWO ??, you know you're pretty BA), I quickly retrieved my body and hightailed the hell out of there....right into Duskwood.
Yep, I had officially became lost. And yes, my hearthstone was still on CD. So, I continued through Duskwood, both fascinated and frightened of the zone, when suddenly, a large ??? (that's right, I swear it had three ???) came slombering at me!
I thought I was done. I thought I was finished.
But then, a random higher level suddenly appeared, and and with a flick of the man's sword, the beast lay dead.
And all he said was, "Hey buddy. I think you're a little low for this zone. Need help getting to the nearest town so you can fly out of here?"
I cannot remember his name to this day. I wish I could, for if it was not for him leading me out of Duskwood and killing the adds that insta-aggroed from the scent of my sweet newbie blood, I probably would have stopped playing.
All I wish I could say was, thank you, kind sir. You have inspired me to help low level characters when they are lost or need help. You have made me a better WoW player, showing me that there are living and breathing human beings behind those pixalated avatars.
Thank you.
bongwalk Sep 4th 2011 9:12AM
it was back in the day when i was seriously starting to raid... and it was BC.. i was on my hunter and playing whatever spec i felt like cause i really didnt understand mechanics and such until the day came that my brother(popejp) and i joined a guild... dark exiles.. on gorefiend server... was a great guild and i met a fellow hunter named Custer... he tought me so much and let me copy him for pretty much anything and everything he did... from pet choice to spec choice to everything else... i knew it annoyed him that i was always asking his opinion and help but he was very patient for me and it really helped me... eventually we became the top hunters in our raid grp... him being first of course... eventually my career would take me from wow for extended periods of time and guilds changed and people left and i was no longer in contact with him.. but i had already learned everything i could from the man and i was greatful..
a while passed and wratch was the new content and i remember how happy i was to bump into him in dal one day with a friendly /wave and hows it going convesation... it was great to see him again
thanks very much for everything custer
Grumbaz
Mullets Sep 4th 2011 9:20AM
Well this isn't someone who had a great impact on me in WoW but in real life.
I met her trough WoW though.
I was trying to lvl an alliance druid back in the early days of BC, and I was half way trough Ashenvale.
And there she was a night elf priest just standing on the road, I could see her moving around looking for something, with the obvious traits of a keyboard turner, I whispered her and asked what she was looking for, and if i she needed my help.I helped her with all her quests in Ashenvale and we got to talking.
After a month of ingame chatter, she asked if I had skype, I did, and that night she called me and we talked for hours into the night.
To this day she is still my best friend even though she lives in London and I in Copenhagen.
She is the one who made me realize that i would become a great father and that only I could stand in the way of my dreams and the life i wanted for my family.
Thanks to her, I am in a place in life that feels good. What would i tell her if she left my life?
Dear Samantha
I hope and pray that you are as happy in your new adventures as you have made me in mine.
I would like you to know, that you made me who I am, by guiding me from the darkest places of my own self, to the light of not being afraid to fail.
You have always been there for me, and i will always be here for you, should you choose to return.
Hugs and Kisses
Trug aka. your Dan.
As a matter of fact, I'm going to call her and tell her right now.
Bakura Sep 4th 2011 9:35AM
I had an amazing group of friends back in the day. From about the middle of BC through the end of Wrath me and about 5 other players were sort of like "best friends". We all started together raiding Kara and when the guild broke up we all moved to another one together, the seven of us all moved guilds together and did everything together for about all of wrath. It was great. I too a break from WoW for about 5 months between ICC and Cata...when I got back I found out 2 others quit playing, 1 had switched realms, and the others were in different guilds. I was heartbroken. But I am still in touch with one of them, to the rest of you I want to say thank you for all of the amazing memories that I acquired over time with you, it really was a fantastic time :)
Rubitard Sep 4th 2011 9:39AM
I'll never know their names, but some husband and wife team of then- level capped 60s happened by my newly minted first toon. I was recovering from a Defias mob attack near Goldshire, and the two of them rode up to me and gave me this advice: "Warriors don't need to drink." From there, it was a full Saturday of them showing me the very basics. I learned more in four hours of play with them than I ever did anywhere else, save for maybe one advanced clinic on how to boost my hunter's DPS in Wrath just before taking on Arthas himself. I remember that they had asked me to join their guild, and I had declined. At the time, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue playing. I always wondered if they'd have stayed my friends to this day had I joined.
Nadia Sep 4th 2011 9:58AM
Back in my very first guild, I was a Holy Priest on Daggerspine, a PvP server. I was also a rather large source of herbs for the guild.
Often, I would be out gathering plaguebloom (which is now sorrowmoss) and run into groups of nasty teabagging Horde that would camp me.
To the uber Warlock who frequently came to the rescue of a certain blue-haired Night Elf Priest who was insane enough to have leveled Holy in vanilla from a crappy laptop, thank you. You know who you are.
/drink /salute
vegetto375 Sep 4th 2011 10:14AM
It was when I first started playing the game. WoW was the very first MMO I had ever played and I was completely lost of the way the game worked. I was a level 10 NE rouge and there she was a NE priest I challenged her to a duel and won after that I invited her to for a party, we started talking she had already been playing the game for sometime and showed me the ropes.
I learned a lot from her. She tooked me thru my very first instance by asking her younger sister to run us thru deadmines. Her sister was a NE hunter lvl 50ish.. it was her alt.
After I while I started taking to the younger sister and found out that both of them were from Colombia just like me and to an even bigger coincidense they were born in the same city I was born, Cali.
To those two sisters I say, thank you you helped a totally complete n00b that was lost in a MMO world of the likes he had never played before. Talking to the both of you was really what got me to enjoy the game and learn that WoW is not just and RPG is a community.
Noselacri Sep 4th 2011 10:41AM
This, is to my ex best friend. I wish things had worked out differently. I was selfish and didn't make things easy for you on your journey to self discovery.
I'm sorry. Good luck on your new job, in your new home, and in WoW on your new server.
Sean Sep 4th 2011 11:00AM
When I started WoW back in December of 2005, I did so at the encouragement of a friend. He was in Ohio, and I was transplant in California. It was amazing to see the world of Azeroth. I had never experienced such an awe inspiring view. Everywhere I rotated my mouse, I saw a world just waiting for me to explore it. I had no idea where to begin, other than the obvious quests in Teldrassil. I had to quickly move because he was in Ironforge and I was a brand new night elf. He showed me quite literally the ropes and how to not walk off into the fire in Iron Forge. My friend stopped playing, however I was enlisted by some newer in-game friends to start up a guild. We explored Azeroth together, a few of them actually met each other outside the game, Oh the atrocity. However, that showed how the bonds of friendship could be extended well beyond Azeroth. My Night Elf is now a Worgen, and sadly that guild became a speck burned by Death Wing. I have said hello via Facebook to one of my former Guildies, but the others I have not found in game or out. If you're reading this Cirron, thank you for taking me through Eastern Kingdoms, right up to the castle doors of Undercity and dancing on the corpse of a newly defeated Horde player. Starage lives on through Draufgänger, on a different server and a new guild, but every once in awhile I catch a quick glance of a familiar Warrior figure that made the game exciting and fresh. Thank you and Saesa omentien lle.
Paws Sep 4th 2011 12:00PM
Great Post! A lot of good responses!
MattPerovich Sep 4th 2011 3:41PM
Thank you!
Long time WoW-Inside reader, first time author.
Heck, I haven't even posted before today!
jimiwall Sep 4th 2011 12:05PM
I foraged started the game near end of classic, played a human rogue to around 30. I'm not really sure when bc came out I mean I was completely oblivious to 90% of the game, but I eventually decided I had enough of looking at greyed out races in the character creation screen and bought bc. I was in 6th or 7th grade so I was young, but not completely immature. But being in middle school, thought blood elves looked awesome so I rolled my second character. A blood elf warlock. Still in evensong I remember being invited to the guild by a certain troll rogue, G. Not knowing what a guild was he explained, helped my on a few quests. And I joined The Hustlers. The best guild I was ever a part of. It was a very casual, very fun group of players. All through leveling I would get help from members on the group quests, like dun whatever in hillsbrad sticks out. Bel, another lock came and helped me and gave me a soul bag. One I still have because it means something. Then meeting up with X, the paladin that we leveled together and raced to levels. Best times in the game. Hit 70, we didn't raid or anything, I remember just questing, world pvp, and bgs with the best group of wow players I've ever played with. And it was the most fun I've ever had. Ended up quitting after sunwell, never ran the raid but that's when I stopped. Until a month or so after wotlk, came back and not a single one was still playing. I've since transferred servers and guilds, and nothing quite compares to playing with those guys.
-cam
Paws Sep 4th 2011 12:08PM
I will say thanks for all the great times to JD, Shinaku, Fawlty, Roam, Manosong, Eibwen, Aquaelf, Blissfulness, Fawlty, and Illiniwek from the Antonidas Realm. You probably won't get a chance to read this, but I appreciate all the great times playing WOW with you guys. A lot of good memories.
Paws (Antonidas)
Mojo Sep 4th 2011 12:26PM
It was my first max level char. I was a wrath baby and never really understood how to tank as a pally and was in half ret gear. When the new icc five mans came out I wanted to tank for the guild he ran. He gave me a shot and I failed miserably. I didn't understand aggro or the simple prot pally rotation.
But instead of Kymo the guilds leader getting angry he took me out of the raid and got a new dps and tank and promptly taught me how to tank. Gems enchants and rotation. I still lacked gear though. What this great person did was made me a list of all the gear I would need to become defense capped and geared to the T.