Looking Back and Moving Forward

We have a week to go before the 5.0.4 patch drops and about a month before Mists of Pandaria is finally released. Between then and now we have to do two things: relearn how to play our characters with the new MoP talents and secondly, decide if the new game changes have made the game more or less fun. Hopefully most of you are in the more fun category but I know that for a few of you, the game has lost its grasp on your interest. Don't worry my dear readers, I have played the beta and am firmly in the still fun category. I look forward to seeing everything Pandaria has to offer and having a great time with my guild running new dungeons, raids, and scenarios.

With so many new and exciting features like pet battles and scenarios, I believe that there is enough to keep me interested and playing WoW until the next expansion. I know some people are looking forward to one feature above all others, the pet battles! For others they are looking forward to Pandas and monks. 


But as I said, for some the game has taken a turn that they don't like. For some of these people the game is not the same game they fell in love with. For some real life has intruded (as it does) and while they sadly would love to play the game, they are unable to do so because of real life. Perhaps some have found a different game that now holds the place in their heart that WoW once used to occupy. They have decided to jump ship and are not looking back.




There is also a third group that is on the fence between each group, waiting, watching, and unsure of anything WoW related. They see some things that they like in MoP but they also see some things that they don't like. There are a few things keeping them playing WoW but they could walk away at the drop of a hat if they so decide. For these people, all it will take for them to leave is one thing that they don't like or agree with and they will make their decision.


Why am I even talking about this when the patch drops next week and everyone is talking about bucket lists and gear guides? Well I was thinking(as I do from time to time) about the expansion and the reaction people have had to it and I began thinking of my guild and how some people have slowed the amount of time they spend in game. Some have taken a break until the expansion and some are just playing alts because they don't want to do anything on their mains. It's that time when people need a break to recharge their batteries.  Cataclysm has left many of our members feeling ready for something new. I started thinking about how my guild has weathered this expansion.


In September the Cataclysm expansion will have been out for a year and nine months. In that time we've seen 3 separate raid tiers, dozens of new dailies added, 5 new heroics added, and plenty of reputation grinds. I know this expansion has been rough on our raid team but in the end we finished the expansion as victors. We had roster issues plague us all during tier 11 because of the difficulty in running gearing people to raid and also because the raids required so much damn interrupting! Nothing was worse than wiping on a boss because someone didn't interrupt a spell on Cho'gall or Maloriak or any of the other million interruptible raid wiping spells. (We didn't really have people stop playing because of interrupts but it was super annoying.)


By the time tier 12 launched, we had cleared Bastion of Twilight and killed all but Nefarion in Blackwing Descent. We hadn't stepped foot inside Throne of the Four Winds but when we finally did, we cleared it just fine. We rode into Firelands feeling pretty happy about our progression. Unfortunately in Firelands we struggled. We had attendance issues, roster issues, and we even lost one of our oldest tanks who had enough fire and quit the game. (Tuna we miss you and hope you come back one day!). From what I've seen around the blogosphere, Firelands broke a lot of guilds. (I guess people had enough of fire and red zones) To overcome the Fireland blues, we did what we always do: we persevered and overcame our issues. We recruited and some people switch characters so we could have the right group makeup to continue. It was a tough time but we eventually bounced back and ended the tier 6/7. No Ragnaros kill but after everything we went through during the tier, I'm ok with it.


When tier 13 came around, we went into the LFR and twilight heroics for gear, fun times, and points and we killed Deathwing. It wasn't a first or second week kill but it was a kill and more importantly it was a kill before they nerfed DS into the ground. I think tier 13 was the best Cata tier for our guild. After the nightmare that was Firelands, it seemed that Dragon Soul was lighter and more fun for us. During this tier we achieved a lot: we were able to get the legendary daggers for one of our rogues, we pulled in all sorts of cool people from twitter into the guild, and I was able to get my Mage his legendary staff. I livestreamed some of our DS raids and some of the viewers were able to see what I was talking about when I say that we have a fun time raiding. A big surprise for me was the fact that we not only cleared the tier when it was current and relevant, we also killed a few heroic bosses in DS.

We ended the expansion on a high point and for that I am definitely proud of my guild and all our members. Go team! *air fist pump*

Although we are done raiding until the next expansion we are still doing fun run raids for achievements and silliness while we wait for the expansion. I look forward to battling my guild's pet teams and running scenarios with them for the first time. To the people who are not playing WoW anymore I say goodbye and have a good journey doing whatever it is that makes you happy. To those who are staying I say right on! And to those who are looking to join in on the fun, I say welcome to the fold.

*Obligatory Recruitment Link* We're totes recruiting fun people for the expansion. If you over the age of 18, alliance, and are looking to raid casually or would like a guild where you can just socialize with people in gchat while leveling an alt or profession farming, check us out at www.avengersofazeroth.com We can always use a few more fun lovers. #OccupyUrsin *Obligatory Recruitment Link*