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An Epic Conclusion to Weekend Four, A.K.A. "How the WoW addict broke his addiction"
ashterror
Member Posts: 11 Arc User
I purchased my founders pack right before beta weekend 3, and last night proved to me that it was the best investment I've ever made in a video game pre-release.
A little backstory; I've been playing MMOs since the mid 90s. My longest runs have been with EQ and WoW. So far, WoW's had most of my time, but both were 8+ years. But beyond those, I've graced the fields of dozens of others. I've had fun with them, to be sure, and thoroughly enjoyed my time with them. However, as most of you who have done the dance of new MMOs understand, they can lose their flavor or suffer from player loss, sometimes even being pushed out too soon can ruin the entire game because of a loss of an aspect that would have otherwise brought the game together perfectly.
I've also been a tabletop gamer since I was little little. 1989 my big brother taught me all about Dungeons & Dragons and I was immediately hooked. It was my 8th birthday when he handed me my first PHB and I still have it. It's my first "love" (dwarfed only by my love of Star Wars) and I'm pleased to say, I've started indoctrinating my children into it's immense and amazing rulesets.
Anyway, I'm babbling, and apologize but I wanted to set the stage. I'm a WoW Addict. I've tried and tried and tried to quit, but I can't. Most of the reason I still play is because of my great friends whom I've known for a number of years, some friendships going all the way back to EQ. But the other reason is, even though the content is just bleached, washed, pressed, recolored and plastered back in our faces, I'm good at it and I enjoy that feeling.
...you know. That feeling where everything comes together perfectly, you feel that "click" and win the day. Be it PvP or PvE, you all know it. I live for that moment, regardless of how often it's occurred. To me, it defines my ability to impress upon others my understanding and make things work. But the one thing I really miss, that....that one truly defining moment of why MMORPGs are the best games in the world...is that panicked moment when you set foot in a bosses room for the first time on a new toon you just leveled, and you're a little unsure of yourself. You anticipate failure but reach for success, and you're so anxious with the thought of diving right in, you find that your hands shake just a bit as you grip the mouse and keypad. You become hyper aware for fear of making a mistake. You become so intensely focused that you could be robbed blind just sitting there and not care. And then, in that clutch moment, it comes together. The "click" and the apprehension...oooh. It gives me chills.
I haven't felt that feeling in a long, long time. But last night, I had the pleasure and the privilege to experience that for the first time since I killed Ragnaros back in Vanilla. At level 35, my rogue helped slay a dragon.
And it was the best dragon fight I've ever been in.
I'm sure some of you have done the Lair of the Mad Dragon, and for those who haven't, I won't ruin it all...but I couldn't hold in my excitement from doing this encounter. But five of us entered and experienced a depth of hellish fun that I have never, in all my years of video gaming, have ever experienced ever! The fight lasted so long, and the dragon..oh my giddy Aunt Betty...the dragon! It was a dragon! Not just some dragon mob with weird and unusual mechanics; an honest dragon! Green! And it breathed the right breath weapon! It buffeted it's wings to keep us from it's flanks! It cleaved with it's claws and bit with it's head! It hopped and slammed down to clear us away! It swept it's tail to keep it's backside free! It called in adds! TONS OF ADDS! Not easily managed adds; casters, juggernauts, fodder of all shapes and sizes!
It was controlled chaos beyond anything I've ever experienced! There was no pre-strat! There was no plan! We had a dragon to kill and that is what we did! All thirteen minutes of crazy, constantly moving, constantly going "ohmygodI'mgonnaDIE!" but never quite making it to death's door.
But we killed it! And not a single person bit the dust...well, except for the companions. But it was the single greatest dragon fight I have ever took part in and with an hour left until beta weekend 4 was to come to an end...I could have been logged out, right then in there in that cave...and I wouldn't have cared on bit. Because I killed that dragon, with a group of strangers who reacted and wove magic in the finest way.
So, I want to thank that party, from the bottom of my heart and in the sincerest way I know how. And, I'd like to thank the developers too, with the same level of sincerity and awe. Thank you all so much for helping me break my addiction to WoW and for showing me the greatest battle I have ever taken place in. Know that I faithfully, patiently wait for the Open Beta and release dates for the chance to play again.
TL;DR - Salut!
A little backstory; I've been playing MMOs since the mid 90s. My longest runs have been with EQ and WoW. So far, WoW's had most of my time, but both were 8+ years. But beyond those, I've graced the fields of dozens of others. I've had fun with them, to be sure, and thoroughly enjoyed my time with them. However, as most of you who have done the dance of new MMOs understand, they can lose their flavor or suffer from player loss, sometimes even being pushed out too soon can ruin the entire game because of a loss of an aspect that would have otherwise brought the game together perfectly.
I've also been a tabletop gamer since I was little little. 1989 my big brother taught me all about Dungeons & Dragons and I was immediately hooked. It was my 8th birthday when he handed me my first PHB and I still have it. It's my first "love" (dwarfed only by my love of Star Wars) and I'm pleased to say, I've started indoctrinating my children into it's immense and amazing rulesets.
Anyway, I'm babbling, and apologize but I wanted to set the stage. I'm a WoW Addict. I've tried and tried and tried to quit, but I can't. Most of the reason I still play is because of my great friends whom I've known for a number of years, some friendships going all the way back to EQ. But the other reason is, even though the content is just bleached, washed, pressed, recolored and plastered back in our faces, I'm good at it and I enjoy that feeling.
...you know. That feeling where everything comes together perfectly, you feel that "click" and win the day. Be it PvP or PvE, you all know it. I live for that moment, regardless of how often it's occurred. To me, it defines my ability to impress upon others my understanding and make things work. But the one thing I really miss, that....that one truly defining moment of why MMORPGs are the best games in the world...is that panicked moment when you set foot in a bosses room for the first time on a new toon you just leveled, and you're a little unsure of yourself. You anticipate failure but reach for success, and you're so anxious with the thought of diving right in, you find that your hands shake just a bit as you grip the mouse and keypad. You become hyper aware for fear of making a mistake. You become so intensely focused that you could be robbed blind just sitting there and not care. And then, in that clutch moment, it comes together. The "click" and the apprehension...oooh. It gives me chills.
I haven't felt that feeling in a long, long time. But last night, I had the pleasure and the privilege to experience that for the first time since I killed Ragnaros back in Vanilla. At level 35, my rogue helped slay a dragon.
And it was the best dragon fight I've ever been in.
I'm sure some of you have done the Lair of the Mad Dragon, and for those who haven't, I won't ruin it all...but I couldn't hold in my excitement from doing this encounter. But five of us entered and experienced a depth of hellish fun that I have never, in all my years of video gaming, have ever experienced ever! The fight lasted so long, and the dragon..oh my giddy Aunt Betty...the dragon! It was a dragon! Not just some dragon mob with weird and unusual mechanics; an honest dragon! Green! And it breathed the right breath weapon! It buffeted it's wings to keep us from it's flanks! It cleaved with it's claws and bit with it's head! It hopped and slammed down to clear us away! It swept it's tail to keep it's backside free! It called in adds! TONS OF ADDS! Not easily managed adds; casters, juggernauts, fodder of all shapes and sizes!
It was controlled chaos beyond anything I've ever experienced! There was no pre-strat! There was no plan! We had a dragon to kill and that is what we did! All thirteen minutes of crazy, constantly moving, constantly going "ohmygodI'mgonnaDIE!" but never quite making it to death's door.
But we killed it! And not a single person bit the dust...well, except for the companions. But it was the single greatest dragon fight I have ever took part in and with an hour left until beta weekend 4 was to come to an end...I could have been logged out, right then in there in that cave...and I wouldn't have cared on bit. Because I killed that dragon, with a group of strangers who reacted and wove magic in the finest way.
So, I want to thank that party, from the bottom of my heart and in the sincerest way I know how. And, I'd like to thank the developers too, with the same level of sincerity and awe. Thank you all so much for helping me break my addiction to WoW and for showing me the greatest battle I have ever taken place in. Know that I faithfully, patiently wait for the Open Beta and release dates for the chance to play again.
TL;DR - Salut!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Post edited by ashterror on
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Comments
This post brought a smile to my face... Thank you for sharing your story
As a dev it's been great to play the game with all of you filling the servers with so much life. Very excited for open beta!
As long time follower of this game, like before the Atari sell long it did the same thing. I was so glad to see it.
Anyone still searching for guilds you can check out HCG Hardcore Christian Gamers.
NW FAQ | HCG NW Host Site
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
You Sir, are a Gentleman and a scholar. This single post got me more Amped up to play this game then anything else. I want to be in that dungeon I want to slay that dragon.
I wouldn't know. By the time we had a group together, I was one level too high to get in.
But I'm not bitter....
Great post OP. To the above, I totally agree. The group dungeons in this game are insanely fun. I have also been massively impressed with the foundry content that I have experienced as well. So far the content in this game is just outright awesome!
Cheers!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
What Class Are You?
I look forward to a little payback come launch.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, ashterror. There are so many that felt the same way, myself included
The action combat with it's active dodge and block puts the player back in control of his character and what someone might not bring in stats or armor he can make up with good timing, positioning, dodging etc...5 players fighting a dragon certainly feels a lot more heroic than 24 players zerging a boss to death because they don't cut it on their own.
I tried Lair of the Mad Dragon 3 times and we wiped all 3 times, also due to having 2 clerics in our party who had aggro issues during weekend 3. However, one time a GWF was the only survivor with the rest of us down and the dragon at half health. And he managed to get him down to 10% SOLO, before the dragon finally called in his demon lord buddies and made a snack out of him.
But this is what the game is about: Heroism. And in Neverwinter it works, thanks to the ability to control your character in more meaningful ways than just being a walking spreadsheet.
Fantastic post, mentioned in my blog to show your feelings about the game, to show it to people and developers. Thank you very much.
That was one heck of a story! If I wasn't sold from my own personal experience I am sold on yours.
I'm truly glad you enjoyed the game so much. You sounds like a kid who experienced ice cream for the first time...
And that is no small compliment to the quality of the game!
Spoiler!!! For those who want to see the dragon. Do not click if you want to be surprised! Spoiler!!!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Yes! Exactly that! I may have weaved a good one, but it doesn't even begin to fully describe just how fantastically awesome it was or the sensations I felt! I caught myself holding my breath more than once!
If any of you have friends who play WoW and languish in it's stagnancy, or anyone who loves good old fashion D&D kick-buttery -- get them to play this game! It will shake their very foundations and reawaken that spark to go out and adventure! I say this without a shred of doubt; and I wasn't even at end game! So just based on all the story arcs and quest chains that connect them all that I've done, and the dungeons that I've had the pleasure of doing, it means that this game only gets better and better!
Get them to play! Get them on the Open Beta! Get them into the community, my Giddy Aunt is this community great! But most importantly, get them away from WoW!
Just reading your description reminds me of that feeling; the first time I raided in WoW, the first PvP i did in SWTOR, being thrown the flag in Tribes when I was surrounded by the other team!
It's an awesome feeling and I am so looking forward to open beta!
I never ever think you can buy the feeling of goosebumps
Thanks for the great post, it reminded me the memories, glad to have these kind of players to play with!
If you go to the entrance of the dungeon with your group, you can still run it, even if you are to high to use the 'queue' system.
zWolf / Wesgar
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
zWolf / Wesgar
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I have a similar gaming background. I actually played a PONG home console way back in the day. Atari 2600, etc. Table top D&D learned in Middle School(no older siblings). Wolfenstein(iirc) on the old Apple IIe in high school. Yes, i am a Gen X gamer. After school it was on to table top wargaming. Warhammer 40k, three fully painted large armies. Awesome. Once i bought my own pc i was an AC addict for 2.5 years.
For me however, things got stale. Quit AC for DAoC. Then went to Wow for a year. Made a few trips back but i could never hang on to the magic, it always got too blah. Those first experiences in a mmo are pretty special and awesome. I will always remember my very first mmo dungeon crawl. So awesome.
Good for you that you have been able to hang on to the interest for so long. I like what i have seen in NW and hopefully i can play it a good long while. I am especially hopeful for great foundry content.
Wait... who let Avery on the forums?