Taking a different path

– by Wes/Sharvahn

Lately I’ve been feeling the call of burnout.

It happens to me at least once during each content patch, so it doesn’t come as a surprise, but it still leaves me looking for something more. I usually quit, go play EverQuest 2 for a month or so, then return fresh and prepared for the challenges of a new raid, but this time it’s not appealing to me. Could it be real life stress taking over? Spring is approaching, and with that comes hiking, basketball, frisbee, and other outdoor games I love to play, and that does take a toll on my play time. I still log in for raids, but when I log in any other time, I mostly sit in Orgrimmar and tab out to read or watch something on Netflix. I’m determined not to fully burn out this time though, and I have a plan.

Yes, go ahead and start panicking.

With every game I play, I’m a complete and utter altoholic. Nothing I do will ever change that, so I’ve given in to the inevitable fact that I will have 30+ lowbies scattered across realms and factions at any given time. However, I very rarely get these alts past 60; my highest toon other than Sharvahn and my neglected bear, Rhyaki, is a mage at level 72. Recently, I rolled two new characters, both rogues; one is a troll and is in Orgrimmar Brewing Co with the rest of my characters and the other is alone on the Alliance side of Argent Dawn as a worgen.

I’m finding that I really love the rogue class as a whole, but combat in particular. Oddly enough though, the worgen sees far more play time and more fun than my troll does. All of my friends are Horde side and the banter in guild chat keeps me entertained on Mahi the rogue, but there’s something about the worgen that I look forward to every day when I log in. There is no guild banter, no friends to level with, nothing. Yet for some reason, I love exploring the world through the view of an Alliance player on my own, meeting new folks, and earning gold by actually working rather than siphoning Sharvahn’s funds.

Don’t get me wrong, I still hate PuGs. Though on Kezule the worgen, I have no reputation to uphold as a guild officer and can snap at rude, childish, and immature players all I wish and have no reason to temper that anger. It’s wonderful. Now keep in mind, these are rude players, not new folks. As I mentioned in my last post, I have a new outlook on newbies and have developed patience with them. Kids and assholes? That’s Mr. Faggot to you.

So my worgen rogue has miraculously prevented me from approaching burnout this time around; how long it will last, who knows. I may end up having an 85 on the Alliance side one day. What do you do to combat burnout? Take breaks, roll alts, explore the world? The game is so vast, that I always have a hard time convincing myself I’ve seen everything in it, especially with the new areas brought on by the cataclysm. Tell me your burnout stories and what you did to solve it.

~ by Wes/Sharvahn on April 11, 2011.