Breakfast Topic: How do you transition in and out of playing WoW?
by Andrew Ross 
Nov 3rd 2011 at 8:00AM
We all know it: Other games are coming. We say it'll be what we're sticking with this time, but after a few days, weeks, months, or maybe years, we end up back in WoW. The question is, what do you do before you leave?
For me, I go with friends. It's what always brings me back to WoW anyway. We go as a guild usually, maybe bring some server mates, but we don't quit cold turkey (and maybe that's our problem!). We still play WoW a bit, to make sure the guild doesn't die and so others can chip in, but after awhile, we find ourselves back in WoW, sometimes bringing a few new friends with us.
I know other people who just quietly leave, play a new game, and then server/faction/name change as a way of not having to face their old contacts again (unless they decide to contact a few choice ones). Some just don't think about it but have talked about a new game for months and hit it up, then come back because they missed something about WoW.
What do you do? Plan things out, escape WoW duties, or just take a short vacation into a new world?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Nina Katarina Nov 3rd 2011 8:04AM
I've already told my raid group not to expect me online outside of raid time for the next few weeks, once Skyrim comes out. But I know that no matter how vast the world that Bethesda puts together is, I'll be missing commentary and gratuitous gratsing and joke promotion/demotions and mailing people wierd things and getting wierd mail in my inbox before too long. So I'll be back levelling another alt or gearing up one of my 85s, before too long.
Noyou Nov 3rd 2011 8:50AM
This might be a dilemma for me. I want to get Skyrim when it comes out. I just signed up for the annual pass. I picked up new vegas a couple months back and barely touched it. I know Skyrim will probably hold my interest more than that did. (played both Oblivion and Fallout pretty hardcore) Since I started playing WoW, I have only played new vegas, and that was maybe 6 hours tops. I'm kind of tempted to wait on Skyrim, then I see the trailer on TV. I am afraid WoW might kill Skyrim for me. The biggest question is, can both coexist for me?
If I do get it, the transition will be ok. I will still log on to to dailies I'm sure. No. I'm not sure. I haven't had a gaming dilemma. Ever. It was always a lull in between RPGs for me. WoW is around all the time. /sigh.
Didax Nov 3rd 2011 9:17AM
My guild expects the same thing of...well...most of our members when Skyrim comes out. I imagine logging in between raid times will be like logging into a ghost town.
I put probably 100+ hours into Morrowind. Oblivion sucked away 80+ and I still haven't completed the main quest.
So, while I won't quit WoW, I'll certainly be online a lot less (at least until MoP is released).
deymorin Nov 3rd 2011 8:58PM
@noyou wait on it. Buy Skyrim used, or buy the game of the year edition that you know will be out eventually so you can have all the DLC for cheap. Thats my plan. When the MoP is in deep beta, and you are sick to death of killing Deathwing... Thats when a cheap buy of Skyrim will save the day. Now Mass Effect 3..... I might not be able to follow my own advice there....
Khazou Nov 3rd 2011 8:11AM
I quit about four weeks ago to maybe come back with MoP. I told the two guilds I am in with my chars, said goodbye to all I know and were online and that I will eventually come back. They all promised to keep my char in the guild to have a home when I do so - sweet.
MattKrotzer Nov 3rd 2011 8:14AM
I never delude myself that another game will permanently steal me away from WoW. I've invested too much time and energy into my characters.
When another game comes along, I'll check it out, but I still make sure I'm on WoW at raid times during the week. Especially in a raiding guild, there's people counting on me to be there. It'd be pretty selfish to leave them hanging and then expect to step back in like nothing changed a few weeks or months later.
ugoticedbro Nov 3rd 2011 10:04AM
I'm with you there. I've put too much time into this game to just outright quit for good. When modern warfare 2 came out I quit for around 4 months, and with mw3 on the way it may happen again, but I know I will be back in a matter of time
Caz Nov 3rd 2011 11:15AM
Likewise - I'll go so far as to say I don't play any other games, nor do I have plans to. Except Diablo 3.
Between work, household chores, hanging out with friends, going to concerts, bars, dinners and plays and having an active social life in general, there just is not time to be playing other games alongside World of Warcraft. As it is now, I barely have time for about 6-8 hours of play per week.
Carlos Nov 3rd 2011 5:42PM
After three years of developing my wow characters leaving wow was very, very
difficult. However, once I started playing the new game (that shall remain nameless)
I got into it and never looked back. I did, however, designed and named all my
new characters in the new MMO the same as my wow characters ... in a way, all
my characters from wow transferred with me to the new MMO. MMOs may change
but my characters will only die off when I do :)
AdamAldaine Nov 3rd 2011 8:19AM
Where's that log-in screen from? Mine is Deathwing atop Stormwind. I like this one better.
Geiss Nov 3rd 2011 8:28AM
cata beta methinks
Muse Nov 3rd 2011 8:35AM
It's the one the game displays if it for some reason isn't able to load the regular one. (because you did something funny to your game, mispatch, copy from one place to another a little wrong, just downloaded the entire thing, etc etc.) It's a static image, nothing's moving, so takes up a lot less space.
razion Nov 3rd 2011 8:38AM
I'd rather they had gone with this.
I imagine the burning wreckage being looked at on a larger scale from afar, with those collapsing spires and crumbling walls. Then, while everything is falling apart, Deathwing swoops down like a bird and crutches the building like a fish, sundering it and lacerating it with his claws and then bellows triumphantly. Personally, that sort of thing would be much more of an impactful loading screen then "ohey it's Deathwing and he's sitting on Stormwind. He'd like a soda because he's just sorta chilling out. Standing there."
AdamAldaine Nov 3rd 2011 8:42AM
Also, that Deathwing seems much more to scale. The one on top of Stormwind makes him look rather tiny... the one up there makes him look like 25 people may actually be able to fight on his back without pushing each other off.
severyn71 Nov 3rd 2011 9:16AM
Yeah, in the animated one he looks kinda like a big headed characature from the carnival artist!
Silversol Nov 3rd 2011 1:19PM
From the version number in the lower left, its from the 4.1 PTR it seems.
VoodooSheq Nov 3rd 2011 10:13AM
I drift in and out. Usually something makes me frustrated and I walk away, which turns into a month away, which turns into a canceled sub.
Pedro Ginja Nov 3rd 2011 8:33AM
Well
Basically i am doing that every month on every month off. My job doesn´t permit me to continue playing since i work by shifts so it´s constant coming and going from the game.
As a plus i never get to the point of getting bored of the game and when i come back i am much more refreshed to do those most boring stuff i couldn´t do before.
Good for those annoying achivments and rep grindings.
As a negative side usually when i gain place in raiding guild when i return i am not so hot anymore so i get to be out of the team again. This happened so many times i lost count. Anyway, plenty to do besides raiding so i get my playing time nonetheless.
Anymore people on my situation?
Welldead Nov 3rd 2011 11:31AM
I am Lol. When i first started playing like mid wotlk, i centered myself on making it into lvl 80 as fast as i could so i could of done naxx and all those raids, by the time i reached lvl 80, they wouldn't let me join the core team cause i was a "Fresh" 80 so i was pissed, but then once that guild broke, i now am on the core team but we dont do crap. literally i want to raid cata content and we cant even get through the heroic dungeons cause people dont know wtf they're doing so its frustrating wiping 15 times like i did on alysrazor on my druid and got it on my 16th time in one night, it was a complete frustration not to be able to join once more.
razion Nov 3rd 2011 8:34AM
Altaholism.
Sometimes I just feel like I want to play by myself and enjoy the game for what it is. Sometimes I don't want to raid or do battlegrounds, and grinding rep and doing achievements can seem like a job. When those times come, I go on my alt server where no one knows I'm at, jump into a new character, and just drink in the leveling.
Yo Raz, I hurd you laike escapes so we put an escape in your escape so you can escape while you escape.