I didn't intentionally set out to do a recap of all of my MMORPG projects the way I did last year for Labor Day, but it just so happens that my last three posts sum up what I'm doing in three of my five games. With LOTRO's big free to play rollout happening over the next day or so, I might as well mention WoW to make it five out of five.
Through a combination of my preference and schedule, raiding in the Wrath era was never a serious option for me. The irony is that it has never been easier to assemble a group for unscheduled 5-man instance, but it has also never been so meaningless for the non-raider. Most of the content is stuff that I was already beating comfortably in pugs, 18 months and two gear resets ago. If I was raiding, the massive gear upgrades would allow me to see new content. Because I'm not, the only reward for zerging already-trivial content is to make that content even easier.
What's left for me in the Cataclysm era are projects that may no longer be possible when the new expansion arrives. For example, I finally saw the Wrathgate and the Battle for the Undercity from the Horde side over the summer, and I'd still like to beat down the rest of Nagrand so that I can do the chain that introduced Thrall to Garrosh. (I haven't heard confirmation, but I assume that this chain will be gone in Cataclysm, with Garrosh sitting in Thrall's seat in Ogrimmar. The Battle for the Undercity WILL be removed from the game for both factions for the same reason.)
I also experimented with farming old group content for mounts, with comically lucky results. There has been so much gear inflation in Wrath that it's now possible to solo 5-man content from the previous expansion. This is actually a lot of fun, because it's difficult but doable in a way that none of Wrath's solo content even attempts. Depending on how well the early attempts go, I might try to solo the entire TBC Heroic Dungeon achievement line just to see if I can.
Finally, there are pre-Cataclysm world events, the first of which started today. This type of thing always jumps to the front of my gaming queue simply because it won't be there down the line.
Overall, WoW does not figure to be my full-time MMO at any point before Cataclysm arrives. Fortunately, with four open access MMO's at my disposal, it no longer has to be.
>Fortunately, with four open access MMO's at my disposal, it no longer has to be.
ReplyDeleteI love this feeling!
I ditched WoW, and a lot of guildies I was very fond of, for LoTRO. LoTRO just fit me a lot better.
ReplyDeleteAnd on top of that, were the option put in front of me to play EQ II practically for free..or play WoW..well then I would have chosen EQ II at any point. They are very similar products, one with more depth one with more polish and players. [Apart from the first year of EQ II, in which it as nearly atrocious to my tastes...heaven forbid that I should ever have to make stacks of scrolls, pens, and ink again]
Cataclysm has lost most of it's draw for me. WoW has such a strong social momentum that I may be drawn in that way. But in terms of gameplay and mechanics, I'm pretty sure I have been there.