How to beat the "Post-40 Blues"?Follow

So I started out my brief life in WoW with an Undead Warlock. I played her and loved her, and spent a lot of time getting skills up and doing quests and just having a good time by myself, mostly. I just liked the way Warlock played! Plus, I even made "good" money with her. I was the envy of my friends who didn't have profit professions and who had to buy a mount as well. Things were great and I expected to take her all the way to 60.

At 42, I never got the urge to play her again. It just felt like the same thing day after day... log in, check mail, try to quest, get ganked, try to quest somewhere else, get ganked, look for group until I realize nobody's doing instances, visit AH, and eventually log out. Day after day, this was my ritual. I thought that maybe it was my getting ganked repeatedly that was tainting my good time with WoW, but there was no way in hell I was gonna reroll on a vanilla PvE server. It was PvP or nothing.


I stopped playing WoW altogether. After almost two weeks of my not playing, a friend of mine suggested that I reroll.

So I reroll Troll Shaman on the same server. Things were fresh and exciting again! I played her and loved her, and I really liked the way Shamans reminded me of Red Mages from FFXI (which is what I played and loved back then). Plus I could actually manage to defend myself a bit in PvP, which was refreshing. Income was decent, although I knew I'd have to actually buy my mounts. But no worry... things were great!


Fast forward three weeks.

At 41, I'm getting very, very bored again. It feels like the same routine every day.... a routine that's very similar to what I went through with my Warlock. I'm not getting ganked nearly as much, though, but I feel like I'm stuck in a rut: log on and try to quest, finish what I can, then I look for group to find that hardly anyone wants to party, and when they do there's almost always some issue about so-and-so rolling for something that's not "for their class", ninjas this way and that, "0mgzors Im teh 1337," etc. etc. blah blah blah. My friends are now well over my level so I cannot quest with them anymore... or, I should say, they don't wanna quest with a lowbie, which I don't blame them for.

So anyway, I'm tempted to reroll but I know now that it will only keep me occupied for about three weeks until I'm 40 and mounted again, and then everything's gonna get dull like it has twice so far.


So my question to all of you fellow Allakhazamers is this: how did y'all manage to beat what I'm calling the Post-40 Blues?

When I hit 40 with my second rogue I was like that too.

So I started my horde warrior. But for me, I already have an alliance 60 rogue too on another server so I knew what to expect.

Well kinda. Switching factions for the first time really renewed my intrest in the game. The only thing that keeps me going now progression in my character in both armor and stats, or creating more alts.

I say take some time off in longer intervals and only play your lock in brief sections. I know what also keeped me playing was having to make money for my mount or in other words: goals.

Also there's a reason why they call it grinding. I rarely group, only for elite quests. The rest of the time I would put on my music and grind it out until I was able to do the quests on my own. Some may not like it, but for me it can be relaxing if it is repetitious and I welcome anyone in and around my level to try and gank me. To me that is one of the big reasons why I play: the thrill of unexpected PvP.

With all that said, I canceled my account because I'm poor right now. Haha. But I'll sign back up in a month or so once things get settled.

I understand what you are going through, I've had the game since the day it came out, and I just hit 60 a week ago for the first time, with my 6th character. I always re-rolled character once I got to around the 40's, cause I just couldn't bring myself to play them, similar to how you described.

The only way this character was different was that I often just duoed up with some friends, and did quests / PvPed for a while. You'd be amazed at how fast the time goes, and the exp bar goes when you just group up with a friend or two for a while. Once you hit level 50, it livens up a bit again, cause you get a nice selection of instances to hit up. You just really gotta suck it up and try to progress through the 40's the best you can, after that, it's all good again.

Try to play during the down-hours of your server. Even something as mundane as 4 PM can be a huge improvement over the bustling hours of 9 PM, where ganking seems to be the national pasttime. Also, take an interest in the world! At around level 43, I tried "grinding" and it really blew, because my sights were focused on "getting higher in level". I shifted gears and started doing more quests, and suddenly I was more excited about exploring areas and stuff.

40 is a major milestone, but after the WOW effect of having a mount wears off, people tend to get disappointed. Even I did, around level 45. However, I'm currently 49 and in a very bland area (Tanaris), and I'm loving it.

It's not that level 42-46ish are "bland" levels, it's just that the spike of interest at level 40 upsets the "balance".

Instead of walking into Feralas with "I'M GONNA GET TO LEVEL 47 HERE" on your mind, walk into it with "Okay, time to explore this jungle!".

Rerolling sometimes helps. However, realize that you can't judge a class in the first 10 levels. Any class is fun to play for the first 10 levels due to its uniqueness. However, you may dislike it once you hit 20 or further on. Just a warning.

Don't make too many alts. It dilutes your experience, and instead of running Molten Core two or three times, you run Deadmines 63 times.

Thank you everyone for all the responses... it does make sense that the excitement of getting to 40 would kinda negate the "thrill" of getting from 40-50 since there's not a whole lot to really look forward to until close to 60.

I do enjoy leveling fishing and cooking... but when done the way I do them, skilling up in them takes about two or three days. Once I hit 300 there doesn't seem to be any reason for me to keep going at it. I could fish just to... fish, I guess... but I can't shake the feeling like there's something more out there that I must be missing out on.

I also stay far away from grinding unless a quest specifically calls for it. In fact, except for one trip each through RFK and the Library in SM, questing has been my only source of experience. They're definitely fun but I'm starting to burn through them too quickly... I'm at a point where I could fit close to 15 quests in one level if I wanted to, but I think I've looked everywhere I can think of and all the ones that're coming up are either yellow-elite or just plain orange or red (but my repuation is pretty good for a level 40, I hear).


I think what's gonna be my solution is finding a good, fun Guild. A new quest begins!!!!

Thanks again, everyone!

I so rule.

Wow... just a follow-up here, but ah... BOY! Do guilds ever seem to be elite these days!!

I been lookin' over the homepages of various guilds on Illidan server. I'll read what sounds really great, and then I get to the guidelines and all, and I see...


(...oh ok, never mind that guild, I'll just go over to...)


(...wow, I think I'll pass on that guild, I mean I do work full-time, so...)


(...crap, now I gotta buy a headset? Ok, next...)


(...bloody hell...)


(...oh, well at least I got that one...)


(...hey, I can do tha--- wait, WHAT?)


(...wait just a second!)

i agree 110% good friends = good times!

as per the guild i know the guild i'm with on my server is the BOMB it's been great playing with these people and i really enjoy it alot, if it wheren't for these people i wouldn't have started playing wow again at all, and i deffinatly wouldn't have gotten out of my grinding rutt with my lvl 46 pally, now he's 60 and i'm having a BLAST started two alts, a mage i dotn work on and a druid i absolutely LOVE to play, once you find the right group of people to play with, and a class you really enjoy, you're SAILING!!!

Edited, Mon Oct 17 00:01:32 2005 by Moltari

Could always come to Llane....

Hmmmmm strange,
I did have the same problem but foir different reasons, I found the story line in wow to be pretty good up until that level or maybe a little lower and then all of a sudden it jsut seemed to disappear. Doing quests for the sake of continuing rather than for the good of the realm. Luckily during my first fourty levels i met some very nice people that I had begun to quest with on a regular basis even if quests could be solo'd. I would say around the level of 40 we decided to create our own guild with the pure and simple remit of fun and social (backup, help with lack of knowledge, group for fun and exchanging goods). This seems to have carried me through the game pretty well. I am now a level 53 Paladin and every night I have to go on because I am worried I am missing something that is going on :-)

I Play on a non PVP server, but if I want it there are always places to go (horde raids, Battlefields, dueling). The server is Thunderhorn and the guild name is Holy warriors.

Anyone that feels like this I would suggest joins a good social guild that trys to involve everyone high or low regardless of class and regardless of where you come from (as long as you can speak a bit of english)

Feel free to look us up. From four good friends a couple of months ago to a very good guild of 85 and rising.

Enjoy :-)

I remember similar threads, dating back to when then game was only about 3 months old. Part of what you're feeling is not your fault: it's an inherent flaw in WoW itself.

Oops, don't attack! I love the game. But imho and in the "o" of many others, the game is missing a "post lvl 40 element". It's missing, in a basic sense, enticement to do all that work.

Forty is a big level. By forty you get your mount, a big deal - a huge sense of accomplishment. If you stick w/ one talent tree, you get your top, uber talent skill (if your class has one worth going for). You "largely" get all the spells or abilities you're going to get by 40 (there are new ones after 40; it just doesn't "seem so" in part because you get a vast majority of new ones pre-40).

What do you get to do after 40? Work your tail off. Grinding is harder, and if you want those uber armor sets, that means instancing and raiding (and guild politics - headaches over ninjas, hassles and etc.).

Pre-40 the game is faster paced and changing. There is also the aspect of "learning the class". By 40 you've learned most of the tricks. Yeah, there is more to learn, but it doesn't feel that way - you feel you've mastered most of it.

So, what does the game offer post-40 (what's the enticement to play on)? Epic mounts (a chore). Again the uber goodies (a chore). High end trade skills (a chore). All the benefits of being in the lvl 60 club. Post 40 the quests seem to taper off. Do they really? I dunno, but they seem to shrink in quality and freshness. That may be more me than the game.

Forty is where the game turns "serious" (and if you agree w/ the above paragraph, becomes a "chore"). Increased work for shrinking return, at least as many people see it.

How did old EQ solve this? Post 50 in that old game, they had epic weapon quests (which were hellaciously challenging, unless your guild cakewalked you thru it - mine didn't). They introduced new spells that were inticing - see in WoW post 40, I can't think of any "MUST HAVE" spells that come after 40. Playing my old lock, I had Ruin at 30 (going for nightfall was nice but not "must have must have!"). I didn't want the crazy demon summoning spell cuz... it's too funky. Most spells just amp up in power - I can't think of one really cool, really colorful "new spell" a lock gets after 40.

In old EQ it was not like this - well, over 60 it was - you were just getting more uber over 60 imo. Wow imo needs more "enticement" to play to 60... except so many people just do it anyway, how could I be right? But for me, I'd love at least two killer, "must have" spells or abilities that come between lvl 55 and 60. A lot of you will disagree w/ me and say "hey, in my class I got "x" at lvl 58, and it was 'must have' for me!" And if you feel that way, I'm glad for you! I don't feel that way - I still love the game - but I think it needs something. The enticement they have plugged in, as is, doesn't work for everyone.

YARR!
<3 the realm forums.

Quick addendum:

I'm bearing thru the 40-50 grind this time around with some heavy battleground action.

It doesn't help my xp gathering, but it's a lot of fun ^_^

If you don't like pvp (not the server type, but the actual action)... well, I flat out pity you.