I do agree on this! I made the same switch when TBC went live, or even a bit before that. We were raiding a lot, Molten Core at first, then Blackwing Lair, then AQ40 and Naxxramas in the end. That's when I decided it was enough for me. We went from three raid nights a week up to four (originally just temporarily, to master the Nefarian-fight) but the extra raid night was never taken out of our schedule again. And on our non-raiding nights we were (well at least I was) farming the hell out of WoW just to make up for the huge losses (consumables, repairs) caused by mastering new bosses-- or farming ZG/AQ20 to gear up alts.
After a while of following my old guildies through several guilds, the one we were in at that moment fell apart- the third in a short while, compared to the consistent and pretty solid guild we had before TBC. Sure, we had our problems, but nothing we didn't survive-- usually :) After seeing the guild landscape undergo an irreversible change since TBC I decided to quit, and become guildless once again. Or actually, to prevent being spammed with invites from guilds that had barely been founded, let along manage to gather up a decent bunch of people to have fun with, I founded a guild to harbour all of my characters. And guess what: I enjoy the game once again. By crafting stuff and PvP-ing a lot I even geared up my mage to a point where I am pretty satisfied, and possibly equal to how my gear would have been had I done endgame raiding! And the best part: if I don't feel like playing for a week, I don't play for a week, and I never have to feel guilty about letting my team down or anything. I love it.
It's supposed to be a game, not a job, as someone before me said. I agree, and now it is a game once again. Indeed, in the end everyone will find a way to enjoy the game as best suits his/her wishes and/or expectations. I know I found mine :)
WoW Blog: Hardcore to Casual: A Transition.
Hardcore raiding can be a very strenuous activity, especially when your efforts and time are not rewarded with new kills or gear upgrades. Recently, my Hyjal/Black Temple guild disbanded leaving many excellent players without a home, and myself pondering my raiding future.
Raiding 5 nights a week is a time consuming and addictive past time. Not only must you adhere to strict raiding requirements and timelines, but you need to supply your character with consumables to increase performance. This means you are constantly on the short end of gold funds.
I play a Hunter, probably one of the easiest farming classes in game. When I'm not grinding mobs, or hitting up the new dailys on the Isle of Quel'danas, I'm in Netherstorm herbing netherbloom. Raiding would often see me splurging over 100g per night to increase my raid viability. After my recent guild disbanded I was faced with a decision, my in game mates were urging me to transfer and raid with them in a further progressed guild, but I'd had enough. I wanted to take a more laid back approach to the game and experience it from a "noobs" point of view.I had a few real life friends who had just rolled their first characters and hit level 70, I joined their guild. Before long I was running normal instance, Mechanar, Steamvaults, MgT, and finding myself enjoying myself a lot more than I would have if I was raiding. Part of this was because I was pumping out huge dps and impressing everyone inguild (1450 on first boss in MgT - I Know attention seeker right?) however the majority was because I was particpating in something I enjoy with people I know.
You find yourself with a real sense of achievement watching players grow and learn. The guild is currently in the midst of gearing up for Karazhan, a stage I was at almost a year ago. I plan to stay on and help them experience some end game content.
Who knows, come WOTLK I just may find myself again in a Hardcore guild, competing for server first, but this time surrounded by real life companions.
Raiding 5 nights a week is a time consuming and addictive past time. Not only must you adhere to strict raiding requirements and timelines, but you need to supply your character with consumables to increase performance. This means you are constantly on the short end of gold funds.
I play a Hunter, probably one of the easiest farming classes in game. When I'm not grinding mobs, or hitting up the new dailys on the Isle of Quel'danas, I'm in Netherstorm herbing netherbloom. Raiding would often see me splurging over 100g per night to increase my raid viability. After my recent guild disbanded I was faced with a decision, my in game mates were urging me to transfer and raid with them in a further progressed guild, but I'd had enough. I wanted to take a more laid back approach to the game and experience it from a "noobs" point of view.I had a few real life friends who had just rolled their first characters and hit level 70, I joined their guild. Before long I was running normal instance, Mechanar, Steamvaults, MgT, and finding myself enjoying myself a lot more than I would have if I was raiding. Part of this was because I was pumping out huge dps and impressing everyone inguild (1450 on first boss in MgT - I Know attention seeker right?) however the majority was because I was particpating in something I enjoy with people I know.
You find yourself with a real sense of achievement watching players grow and learn. The guild is currently in the midst of gearing up for Karazhan, a stage I was at almost a year ago. I plan to stay on and help them experience some end game content.
Who knows, come WOTLK I just may find myself again in a Hardcore guild, competing for server first, but this time surrounded by real life companions.
Tags: News, WorldofWarcraft
