...poor Warg. I want to play you again!

Baboon

Kaedex

What for? Just so they can get an epeen? And I'll admit, in some ways, I jumped on the bandwagon and I was sucked in.. And yeah, I done those raids.. But it ceased to be fun. All I did on WoW was log on when a raid was due because the raiding was sapping how I felt about the game so much that I didn't feel as if I had the "will" to do anything else... Couple that with the fact that 80% of the people in the game were now raiding and unhelpful as ever there was just no "fun to be had."

Well, eventually, the guild did a few Horde server firsts (Though nothing to shout and scream about, the server I am on is waaaay behind every other server.) And I realised, hell, what am I doing? All the pettyness, kiddyness etc was getting to me and I thought I should probably hand the guild over to someone who was capable of running it a lot more efficiently than I was... Also, put that with the fact that I was never on enough to really run a guild well, I sort of thought that this was the best direction I could go in.

So I handed my guild over to a friend, I pretty much stopped raiding and would ask for spot when *I* felt like it, not when I was *obligated* to do it. See, problem with raiding is, if you're out for a week that's your "regular spot" gone in most cases. Well, sometimes I got in, sometimes I didn't.. But I was still paying a sub for a game I hardly played.

Eventually, I pondered why I was doing this, I was having zero fun.. So I quit the guild I was in, explaining my reasons thoroughly and the fact I have a full time life outside the game and don't have the time to be "letting other people down" because i had some commitment that made me half an hour late for a raid to Molten Core.

So I left the guild, joined a new one that was more "casual" or so they said. Yeah, the people in there were fun, but it was more or less a mirror of my old guild before we had MC on farm.. So I stuck it out with them, and yes, I was still not having fun.

Eventually I just cancelled my sub. Didn't play it for one and a half years... Dabbled with a few other MMOs and realised they were more or less the same at "endgame".

Well, a few weeks ago I decided that I would try the TBC trial, found I enjoyed it and I've reactivated my sub. I went out my way to talk to my old friends who are still "hardcore" (or consider themselves to be) and asked if they knew of any guild that was more "casual". I got an answer, eventually, found a guild and it's a good guild. Most are 30 somethings with kids and a full time job/etc, they still do Karazhan, but there's no "pressure" they're really laid back about it and I basically laid it out on a plate for them in my guild application. I raid to MY terms. Not yours. And they loved that. Guess what? I love the game again. I'm only 69, and I'm a priest.. So I've respecced shadow and done some PVP again. Having a LOT of fun again and can't believe the way they've changed the "necessity" of priests to be holy "to raid".. That's a great thing and resparked my interest in both the PVE and PVP side of the game. They've also made it easier and "catered" for the casuals and the hardcore at the same time. Downside to this is a lot of the raiding guilds, at least on my server, have become more "social" guilds because they struggle to do 25-man content (because gear for some of the more "casual" stuff is just as good.)

Anyway, to conclude, basically even though it caters for "casual" there's still a fair bit of work to do before you can get "any kind of good gear" and some of it does involve tedium (However, it doesn't HAVE to be 5 hour stints in raids anymore..), but on the flip from what I've seen so far they've offered different things to do and some more variety to the whole endgame experience.. So I'm looking forward to doing my last level and jumping into the endgame whereas I was expecting it to be more like the endgame 60 experience. Not only that but honour doesn't degrade anymore, I think, so it's a case of do what you want, when you want. From what I read most guilds don't even implement DKP anymore, because there's no point (Though perhaps they do for 25 man content, though to be honest, I don't think most people on our server are bothering.)

So yeah, that's my two pence. WoW was good levelling, bad at end game at 60.. But they seem to have addressed some concerns, and I'll play at 70 and maybe then I can "let you know what it's like".

nimagraven

Ok, now I'm feeling better... although... 10 Million players... Mr. T doing ads... and they might add new jewelcrafting recipes, which my char won't have then... *sigh*

No, No, No!

Mendorian

kNZA

B33

Blizzard took plenty of ideas from DAoC, EQ, and assimilates tons of UI updates from their own community. The Blizzard UI on day one was a fraction of what it is today, but thanks to the awesome mod community, they've been able to cover up for their inadequacies.

jynxycat

--

I started at day one, got into a good guild, raided everything from MC, to killing Kel'thuzzad. Played some of TBC, leaving after our guild cleared Gruul.

The game's content is what will ultimately limit itself. To advance, you have to have free time, and constantly have access to said free time. If you ever stop playing, you'll more than likely never get a chance to see high-end content ever again. If you fall out of the loop, there's little reason to ever go back.

PvP is over run by people like myself who have the bestest gear, and organized groups.

PvE is run by guilds like mine that require players to already have the bestest gear, and lots of free time.

All of that goes out the window once you quit, don't have enough free time, or just don't care to play.

jynxycat

HigglyPiggly

Although I must say it seems pretty fun and well polished, the only problem WoW causes is people stop innovating in MMOs and try to copy perfec-- err Blizzard.

Sober

seishino

EnigmaNemesis

YCS

YCS

Can I have a Starcraft or Diablo Online pretty please? :(

Xira

Shiryu

Monger King

Accelerata

When a woman who's pushing 90 plays a game like this you know it must have something going on, am I right?

BornToFlail

And, being a lover of RPGs, the world is too static. Nothing really changes and it's all about gearing up your character in the end. How many times has Onyxia been killed? How many times has the Defias Brotherhood been shut down? There's just no real sense that what I accomplish in the game really matters to the world except that your gear is purple. I just have to have more than that in a game to keep my interest.

WillSerenity

iwanttobeasleep

Can you effectively correlate WoW's popularity with the decline of PC gaming? If so, present real evidence. The supposed "fact" that most WoW players play nothing else on their PCs, even if true, is not real evidence.

Homard

I remember participating in the open beta for a week. It was highly addictive, but I didn't see WoW as being something I should pay more than once to play. =/

WK016

Maybe I'll go back once I get a real job (accept my resumes damnit!), but then I worry about how behind I am, and why I left in the first place (hooray for sucky guild). Gah, I can't decide...

SpishackCola

Psychotext

Islandkiwi

Mustakrakish

I've had my account cancelled for months, but I'm sure I will reactivate for WOTLK, since I'm already starting to get the WoW itch again just thinkin about it...

Personally, the most fun I have with the game is just solo-ing doing quests and leveling up. That's why with the BC I pretty much just hit 70 then deactivated my account again.

I look forward to getting back into it, and picking up gear within a few levels that puts all the stuff that people have been grinding away for months to get to shame. :-P

WrenixPhight

A console, on the other hand, is a one time cost that lasts half a decade or more.

mrantimatter

Irenicus-the one and only

Psychotext

Chloroform Monster

But how many international servers/franchises does WoW have? Because I know RO does it by having a regional version almost everywhere... iRO, kRO, jRO, pRO, euRO... (China yet?)

fuchikoma

Too many good games--and cartoons--from too many places on Earth to focus on just a few. =D

Homard

I think the key to enjoying WoW without becoming totally sucked in and addicted is BALANCE. I play WoW maybe 3-4 times a week for between 2-4 hours at a time. I imagine a lot of people here at Kotaku game for about this often as well. If you take the time to make sure you're also doing other things, hanging out with RL friends, spending time with your SO, etc, then it really shouldn't become a problem. And yes, it is possible to get to 70 and even raid with a more "casual" schedule like this. WoW doesn't have to be your life in order for you to get a lot out of it.

ach77

Mister Adequate

I wonder what their yearly profit after taxes/expenses is.

mrantimatter

I'll give it to Blizzard for taking constant steps to improve WoW and let everyone know what a success it is. Somehow, I feel that if Blizzard did not release any updates or news for months, the subscription rate probably wouldn't suffer. Can't say the same for Guild Wars though.

Shinsei

WoW does not own my soul. Gaming does. One week I might spend a ton of time on WoW, and the next, I might delve back into Mass Effect and MIGHT remember to log on WoW to check the Auction House at some point. I devote my life to no one game, just gaming... and cartoons... but thank god for Picture in Picture, that choice no longer haunts me.

K-OSS

@The_Phiphler: There is more to do in WoW than just raiding, as I'm sure you already know. More than likely the people who went back delved into activities they did not partake in before.

@icepick314: That's silly. A lot of people that have quit smoking have quit for good. In addition, the addictions are fundamentally different. Smoking is a chemical addiction. A person "addicted" to WoW (which does not include each and every one of its players) is likely suffering some sort of emotional problem or mental illness.

@xAnarChisTx: Your second last sentence is correct: it is a person's choice to play the game. To add to that, not everybody who plays WoW plans their life around it. I play WoW about 2-4 hours a WEEK on average. There's too much other stuff to do. =)

Homard

@Tcata: okay then what about cod4? thats a great game, much better than the last. ill admit i havent truly enjoyed ut since the first, but he was spot on with cod.

anyways, never played wow and never will.

shouryuuken

Wish it had achievements!

lionkitten

AdmiralRupert

K-Squad! (Badass Edition)

Grats Blizzard, nice job, real nice :D

I loved WoW for the PVE for the longest, after awhile it was just taking too much of my time and got repetitive, but how many people play the same game everyday for that long. Addicted people, thats it lol And now that I broke this I just need to quit smoking and I'm home free :P

Too all the haters, they are just pissed cause you nerfed the mage class, I know I am :(

Irenicus-the one and only

Now that they have officially taken over the world or something, Diablo 3 please?

Ajh

futurebiblehero

Hydrotarkus

Tcata

J-LI-L-i-LI-S

NotSoCool

homernoy

tehmark

Flawless101

I'm currently waiting for the expac. Screw TBC and the shit its caused me :<

Flawless101

Let me get this straight. World of Warcraft leads to PC piracy?

baberg

LX

...

But I need them epix...

Raynre

Chilly Hollow

seafisch

Kyle81

People send $15 a month to Blizzard to do the same lame stuff over and over again while good games like UT3 and CoD4 are pirated and have terrible sales on the PC.

Sweetz

dosboot

mtheumer

NotAZombie

ryanfrost

Tei

homernoy

wild_world_girl

Insane.

Strangelove

daycare

Improbable

Now it's up to 10 million. It's like the friggin black plague. It's just gonna get worse until the game dies out of old age (doubtfully).

The cure? Go to Blizzard and destroy all of their servers!

Hell, Blizzard makes awesome games, and WoW is a masterpiece, but IMO, it's taking too many lives.

Then again, it the persons choice to play the game or not.

I don't know, maybe I'm better off preaching to a wall, lol

xAnarChisTx

The Amazing Exploding-Man

banks

Hiero Glyph

Dayum.

Wuffles

brello

Think about that.

The Amazing Exploding-Man

Len Bias Cocaine Surplus

Winterbringer

Bluecell

kylenalepa

drifter13

you never really quit...you just stop for a little bit...

icepick314

Waza

ps. Where's all the SC2 news?!

pcgecko85

Psychotext

god damn you long weekends.

WhaleMenace

PaintedMidget

Mire

goldwings

Six weeks later and my newly rolled Draenei Shaman is level 69 with another two days (estimated) to go until 70. I'm a weak weak person...oh well, at least I'm having fun.

Aeralindor

I played priest to 70. Raided as far as the first bosses of Naxx before TBC, had max tailoring skill, quite a few lvl 70 epics, a guild with IRL buddies...

I quit because the game becomes a drain, it saps your time, your energy, and your mental focus. You become blind and oblivious, droning on with your "playing" (grind).

When I quit I just left everything as it was, thousands of gold, all gear left etc. And you know what? I never felt the need to go back. I even visited to site to check what they were updating next occasionally. I absolutly can not understand how you can go back to WoW after leaving it.

The_Phiphler

Budkin

GodzillaVsJapan

NotSoCool

Tonx

SAKY

Scroll down to about 80 to find the 10 million mark. Who knows, maybe YOUR country is smaller than WoW!

Moonshadow101

ShaggE

captronj