You’re Quitting WoW?!?!

I’ve had this asked or stated to me at least three times in as many weeks, and yet I never actually said that’s what I’m doing.  For those who haven’t chatted with me regarding the subject (in Real ID mostly), allow me to elaborate.   There are two very true statements I have made.

The first, is that I am not planning to buy Mists of Pandaria.  I enjoy the game enough as it is and for what Cataclysm is required to be installed in order to play, I sometimes regret that purchase.  But it is what it is and I’m not going to cry about it so much as observe.  Pandas don’t appeal to me as a playable class and from what I gather, the Monk class will be available regardless of whether you have the expansion (and if not, I won’t be deeply upset either).  New lands are ok, but we’ll wait and see.

The second statement I made, is that I am ridiculously excited about Guild Wars 2.  Before you roll your eyes, please understand I am not one of these foolish “this is the WoW killer” types that seem to be starting to plume on the internet as GW 2 swings into its beta stage as it prepares for what the developers said will be a 2012 release.  Keep in mind, this is a game that’s been in the works since 2007.  So if they’re finally saying it will be out this year, I believe them.

So taking those two statements, people have felt that I am leaving Azeroth for Tyria when the time comes.  For me to answer one way or the other isn’t fair, but at this point that isn’t the plan.  Even the developers for Guild Wars 2 aren’t openly trying to steal WoW players (but let’s face it, bonus for them if it happens).  The game is different in a lot of ways (and I might discuss them at another time) and since it has no monthly fee, ArenaNet suggests players could end up doing both.

At this moment that is my eventual plan.

Could I leave WoW for GW2?  Absolutely.  If it’s as good as I think it will be and it draws me enough, then sure.  For me, part of the key will be the community (which to my understanding the in-game play encourages on ridiculously awesome levels), since I’ll be honest the WoW community (namely my guild friends and fellow bloggers) has sparked my gameplay in so many ways.  If Guild Wars 2 can replicate that, and I can pull some current friends with me, yeah I can see it happening.

Then again, there’s a chance I might be disappointed by the final Guild Wars 2 product on any number of levels, the least of which is an incredibly different style of gameplay.  I will most certainly try it (I’ve entered the draw for a beta invite), though I might wait for Santa to toss it under the tree.  If it isn’t good, then I still have World of Warcraft to find all kinds of ways to entertain myself.  15 dollars a month to play a game at my leisure and generate a hobby that relaxes me as much as writing does is not a bad thing.

So, no, I’m not quitting WoW.