The State Of The Amateur

“Question, now that you have a few levels/hours under your belt, do you see it pulling you away from Mists (or WoW in general) at all? Or will it be more, something to play with during maintainence?” –Missescake

I was going to touch on this as part of a larger mailbag post because more than Cake asked the question.  Then I realized there is enough merit for it to be a stand alone discussion (heck, some thought I might’ve delayed getting the closing ceremonies out due to the game’s release).

Let’s get the answer most people want out of the way first, shall we?  I’m not leaving.  Not closing up shop, not shutting down my Warcraft account, nothing like that.

We good?

Excellent.

Despite my lamenting over not being interested in Mists of Pandaria, I’m still content with WoW.  Our honeymoon phase is long over, I freely admit.  In fact, there’s nights we go to bed without speaking to one another.   But when we do sit down together, good times are had.  I credit it partly to the fact I treat my toons as characters.  I’ve openly mentioned this before and it certainly hasn’t changed.  So, I’ve invested a lot of time and energy  into them and there are things I still want to do with many of these characters (and more) that dance around inside my skull.  How much time I will actually commit to that will vary.  You can bet I’ll be all over the Theramore event for that week.  I’m also still trying to generate gold on Runetotem so that I can sponsor a WoWFactor before the year is out.

There are two much bigger reasons why I’m still here, though.  The first is that I very much enjoy writing about World of Warcraft.  I imagine I could quit playing immediately and still have plenty to say about the product as a whole.  That someone else in the house would still be playing would no doubt make that easier, but you get the idea.  I like blogging about WoW.

The second reason is friends.  It’s also the big one.  The awesome social circle I’ve got in Azeroth, and as an extension here on the blog, is too awesome to just walk away from.  I look forward to Laid Back Raids.  I look forward to seeing who can make it out and as anyone who ever Real ID messages me will tell you, I’m always happy to chat and here on the blog I love the network of additional people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and talk with.  So I’m sure not going to give that up.

So why even bother with the subject if that’s the case, right?  Well here’s the thing…Guild Wars 2 is sweet, sweet, love as far as I’m concerned right now.  I’ve been excited about the game for so long and now it’s here and I think it’s in the process of delivering -big time.

I’m early in the game, but there’s just so darn much I enjoy from the onset that I’m giddy about a video game for the first time in a long time.  Actually, since the Cataclysm trailer first came out is probably accurate (but it’s delivering more like Wrath).  I want to play it, experience it, and enjoy it.  It’s just so different.  Now that could very much wear off in a few months and I’d be more than happy to admit it, but that’s not the case right now (not even close).

So, no, Guild Wars 2 isn’t going to be a “maintenance day” getaway for me.  It’s very much got my attention and I look forward to devoting more time to it.   The occasion where I find myself with a large chunk of time, I’ll be delving into Tyria.  I’m not saying it’s better than World of Warcraft.  I honestly don’t know that yet.  It’s just different.  Yes, it’s fresh and new so everything looks shinier, but that doesn’t change how I (and others) feel about it.

So Tyria is going to be my focus mostly for a while (save for Theramore), but I’ll still be on regularly on WoW whether it’s for some reputation grind or to play the auction house or putter.  Using this week as an example, I’ve had GW2 installed and have played a bit but still frequented Azeroth more often.  I expect that’s how things will continue to go.  I also still have plenty to write about so it will be very much the status quo here.

Something to mention as well is first and foremost, this is a World of Warcraft blog and I don’t want to clutter it up with stuff about Guild Wars 2.  There may be moments where I borrow something because I feel it’s relevant to WoW, but those will be sparse.  Instead, I have a sister blog.  “Pillars of Tyria” is where you’ll be able to find all my Guild Wars 2 thoughts just as Amateur Azerothian remains my thoughts for all things WoW, and I hope you check it out if for no other reason than to see what the game is like or to read my thoughts on something different for a change.

My schedule doesn’t allow for two full-time MMO’s and I quite easily recognize that.  It does, however, allow for part time.  That one is free makes the management much easier for me to justify, I will not lie on that front.  But even if the only time I log on to World of Warcraft is to hook up with friends, it’s completely worth it.  The way I see it, WoW’s monthly fee is cheaper than three drinks at the bar.  It not only lasts much longer, but is far more rewarding as well.  Plus, I can play WoW and drink for free at home.

So if you don’t swing by Pillars any time soon, this will be the last you hear from me regarding Guild Wars 2 for a long time.  It’s once again “All Azeroth All The Time”.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few links to copy and some LBR’s to schedule.