Thread Tools Display Modes
08-14-10, 03:45 AM   #1
Spectro
A Flamescale Wyrmkin
 
Spectro's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 142
Coming back after long inactivity

So, I finally subscribed to WoW again. I've been mostly inactive for over a year. I've actually wasted quite a bit of money trying to get back into the game during this time. I'd pay for a month and end up only playing two or three days worth of that time. I actually bought WotLK and barely played it.
I'll tell you why:

I feel overwhelmed and confused. All these new additions and features, along with my fading memory of how to actually play the game makes it very hard to jump back into. I am actually afraid of doing Utgarde (sp?) Keep because I feel like I honestly don't remember how to competently run in an instance group anymore. I am getting new gear from quests and I'm not sure what to swap.
ex. Stamina or Intellect? What was more important for PvE again?
I have NO idea what to put my talents into. I am going to ask a friend soon, and he can probably help me with that, but I want to understand the talents like I used to.
I seriously forgot there was a Stormwind Harbor. (I stopped playing shortly after it was implemented)

I feel like a new player again, and I don't like it at all. All I can think of is doing is rolling a new character and starting from the ground up again, and then I can go back to my main later. Does anyone have any suggestions? Have you experienced this before?

Sorry for my possibly incoherent rambling.
__________________
multiplayermaniacs.com
 
08-14-10, 10:40 AM   #2
Jzar
A Chromatic Dragonspawn
 
Jzar's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 158
I'd be happy to explain all the things you asked about, but it sounds like what you really need is a good guild you can count on to keep you grounded and help you get your feet back under you. If you were on Sen'jin Alliance, I'd tell you to come join my guild; everyone is very patient and non-critical and would be happy to help you get back into the swing of things. too bad your main isn't there, but you'd still be welcome to start an alt there if you pursue that option.
 
08-14-10, 11:00 AM   #3
Dawn
A Molten Giant
 
Dawn's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 918
Come on it's a G A M E. Period. Do you actually understand what that means? It's about having fun. It's not about being perfect at what you do, or trying to be something you aren't and more so it is NOT trying to be/do what you don't want to be/do.

You can actually have fun in WoW, ignore the elitist jerks behaviour and do your own thing. WoW is one (if not the only one to this extend) of the MMORPGs where you can even play SOLO all the time and still enjoy the game.

If I where you, I'd be happy about having forgot about everything, because it means you can explore a lot of things again. It's like a "new" game, eh?

Oh and don't care about messing up groups - that normally takes more than one player (not counting a really really really bad tank). Just try it.

After all WoW is pretty a pretty damn easy game.
__________________
Rock: "We're sub-standard DPS. Nerf Paper, Scissors are fine."
Paper: "OMG, WTF, Scissors!"
Scissors: "Rock is OP and Paper are QQers. We need PvP buffs."

"neeh the game wont be remembered as the game who made blizz the most money, it will be remembered as the game who had the most QQ'ers that just couldnt quit the game for some reason..."

 
08-14-10, 11:14 AM   #4
Jzar
A Chromatic Dragonspawn
 
Jzar's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 158
Originally Posted by Dawn View Post
After all WoW is pretty a pretty damn easy game.
Remember those elitist jerks you were referring to? You may want to go take a quick look in the mirror...

It's actually relatively hard to "just have fun" when everything around you makes you feel overwhelmed and confused.

Spectro, rolling a new alt may just be what you need to dive back into things, but I think you will quickly find most of your forgotten knowledge coming back to you. Good luck, man!
 
08-14-10, 11:32 AM   #5
Dawn
A Molten Giant
 
Dawn's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 918
You're kidding me right? I'm sorry for you, if you really feel overwhelmed by idiotic behavior of others without having an opinion on your own.

WoW is easy. It's stupid scripts "competing" with a human brain, come on...
__________________
Rock: "We're sub-standard DPS. Nerf Paper, Scissors are fine."
Paper: "OMG, WTF, Scissors!"
Scissors: "Rock is OP and Paper are QQers. We need PvP buffs."

"neeh the game wont be remembered as the game who made blizz the most money, it will be remembered as the game who had the most QQ'ers that just couldnt quit the game for some reason..."

 
08-14-10, 12:43 PM   #6
Jzar
A Chromatic Dragonspawn
 
Jzar's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 158
Thanks for proving my point about elitists.

I didn't say I'm overwhelmed, but I do understand feeling that way. My current guild master is 60 or so, and he gets overwhelmed if we do a boss fight that has too many phases to keep track of or if something goes wrong and I shout out "Quick, switch to frost presence and pick that add up!"

When I joined this guild, they had just finally succeeded killing the first boss in H UK. They didn't know how to create a successful 5-man party, and they didn't understand how to gear for specific roles. It's not a matter of whether scripts are smarter than real players, it's a matter of they didn't fully grasp the game and it was balanced for more geared and experienced players than they. With some time and some of my experience from raiding on a different server, they now all have 5-5.4k gearscores, and are comfortable with the first 4 bosses of ICC. That's a dramatic improvement. And like you pointed out, the game is about having fun. And all it took was a little learning to help them get the fun back into the game.
 
08-14-10, 03:48 PM   #7
Dawn
A Molten Giant
 
Dawn's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 918
My whole point was, that it's ok if you succeed in killing an heroic boss, or whatever you do ... if that's what makes you feel happy about the game.

It just seemed that the OP was getting WTF-Gearscored-Scared or something like that in LFG/Trade Chat... and I don't think that anyone should care about that, because it's bull****.

I just went on, saying that there is nothing to be afraid of in this game because it is easy, to the point where a little bit of understanding basic principles (tank, heal, spank, not die/stand in the fire) is all you need to know. Therefore, there's no need to start to worry about anything in WoW.

You made a point, however with your guild members. Though, I never met players like you mentioned in 5 years of WoW. But, you "proved" yourself that even "those" (not trying to insult anyone here) can raid ICC.
__________________
Rock: "We're sub-standard DPS. Nerf Paper, Scissors are fine."
Paper: "OMG, WTF, Scissors!"
Scissors: "Rock is OP and Paper are QQers. We need PvP buffs."

"neeh the game wont be remembered as the game who made blizz the most money, it will be remembered as the game who had the most QQ'ers that just couldnt quit the game for some reason..."

 
08-14-10, 04:46 PM   #8
Miralen
A Rage Talon Dragon Guard
 
Miralen's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 341
Well seriously I agree with Dawn on this one, it is a game and who cares what others think about how you play, I've played this game for five years now and after about the second year I came to the realization that I could care less about what others think of how I play, that isn't to say I am abnoxious and spam and annoy others when I play, I just do things at my own pace. If I don't want to participate with others I have no qualms about doing so, its my $14.99 (whatever it is) a month and until someone wants to pay my monthly charge, no one is going to tell me how to play.

Also, on the note of not remembering how to play, to be honest, again I 100% agree with Dawn on this one, it is definitely an easy game to (re)pick up and if you find yourself not quite understanding something it really isn't a problem to hop onto one of the many WoW sites out there and read up a little about what is confusing you.

As for feeling overwhelmed I know what you mean both expansions it took me about 6 months to start playing out in the new lands (Outlands and Northrend) when they were first released cause it seemed like a nightmare, but again take your time, do your thing, keep your head low and you'll be fine. I would also seriously recommend finding a smallish guild not a raiding guild at all or even a semi raiding guild and try and jump back into the game like that and once you feel ready look for another guild or group of people that can fulfill your gaming needs.

And most importantly, welcome back!
__________________
Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room.

- Winston Churchill
 
08-15-10, 08:55 AM   #9
Spectro
A Flamescale Wyrmkin
 
Spectro's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 142
Hey now. There's no need to start a pissing match in my thread.
You both have valid points. I am a little confused about this gear score thing. I suppose it's an easy way to see if people have good enough gear to do a certain instance, but it also seems like another stupid way to increase e-peen.

I only have two active friends left on the server I'm on, but I think they may be able to get me into one of their guilds and help me out.

I don't care what other people think about how I play, I care how I play. I worked hard to learn all the things I did to be a good player, and more importantly, and contributing part of my past guilds, and I feel like I've lost my touch. Some of the things I've heard and read have made it sound like Blizzard has indeed lowered the overall difficulty of the game, and that is quite disappointing. I don't want it to be too casual. Casual gaming is evil.

btw, Dawn, you should try to format your responses more politely. I can see why Jzar saw you coming off as somewhat elitist.
__________________
multiplayermaniacs.com
 
08-15-10, 10:09 AM   #10
Dawn
A Molten Giant
 
Dawn's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 918
it also seems like another stupid way to increase e-peen.
This.

Btw, being polite is not my strength, I'm straight forward. On top of this, English is not my native language, that might add up.
__________________
Rock: "We're sub-standard DPS. Nerf Paper, Scissors are fine."
Paper: "OMG, WTF, Scissors!"
Scissors: "Rock is OP and Paper are QQers. We need PvP buffs."

"neeh the game wont be remembered as the game who made blizz the most money, it will be remembered as the game who had the most QQ'ers that just couldnt quit the game for some reason..."

 
08-15-10, 03:06 PM   #11
Sythalin
Curse staff
 
Sythalin's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 680
Originally Posted by Dawn View Post
Btw, being polite is not my strength, I'm straight forward.
You have nothing on me, dear sir.

As far as the OP, I'd kill to be new to the game again. I remember when I logged in and made my undead for the first time. The intrigue and curiosity that came with it. So much to explore, so much to learn and so much to kill. I longed to reach a level where I could participate in the Southshore/Crossroads/Theramore raids (this was pre-BGs). It had that "fun" feel to it. Now, I don't even have to leave Dalaran if I don't want to (yeah, right) and play the rest of the game thanks to the lameass "Queue ANYWHERE" system.

Roll up an alt and get a feel for it again, as previously suggested. If you've done most everything at the time, it'll all come back to you. The game isn't close to the learning curve it once was; It's quite easy to re-familiarize yourself with things.

As far as "casual" gaming being evil, then I will be evil until the end. I won't have my life revolve around a game where I need to make sure my work schedule is done around my raiding times or that I need to be logged 8+ hours every day to be "good". Honestly, your views on "casual gaming" makes you seem elitist yourself. Truth hurts, I know.

Lastly, Gearscore is what the game is based on nowadays, so far as to that Blizzard has implemented it in such you cannot even enter instances unless you meet a "gear requirement". Complete bull**** if you ask me. But that's another rant to be had. Back to the point, gearscore is an addon that is highly misused and has become the global replacement for "skill". To many elitists, your gearscore is the only thing that matters. Your skill as a good player means dick these days. Your suggestion of it being an e-peen tool is spot on, to the point that even Blizzard pokes fun at it.

Despite my thoughts on the games current state, I'm not saying the game itself isn't fun so long as you take the steps to avoid the kids/1337ists/idiots/morons/social rejects/failures/nobodies. The community sucks worse than Hodge (inside joke), despite what anyone will tell you. Just turn off trade and LFG channels and have fun!
 
08-15-10, 03:52 PM   #12
Spectro
A Flamescale Wyrmkin
 
Spectro's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 142
Originally Posted by ChaosInc View Post
You have nothing on me, dear sir.

As far as the OP, I'd kill to be new to the game again. I remember when I logged in and made my undead for the first time. The intrigue and curiosity that came with it. So much to explore, so much to learn and so much to kill.
It's not like logging on for the first time. It's being clueless all over again. There is no intrigue or curiosity in that.
I longed to reach a level where I could participate in the Southshore/Crossroads/Theramore raids (this was pre-BGs). It had that "fun" feel to it. Now, I don't even have to leave Dalaran if I don't want to (yeah, right) and play the rest of the game thanks to the lameass "Queue ANYWHERE" system.
Heh, "LFM XROADS". Good times.

As far as "casual" gaming being evil, then I will be evil until the end. I won't have my life revolve around a game where I need to make sure my work schedule is done around my raiding times or that I need to be logged 8+ hours every day to be "good". Honestly, your views on "casual gaming" makes you seem elitist yourself. Truth hurts, I know.
Hardcore gamer =/= Elitist?
No. I just don't want idiots ruining my game just because they only want to play 2-3 hours a week and not have to put in any effort into the game. This game was meant to be an RPG, not some kind of interactive chat game.

Lastly, Gearscore is what the game is based on nowadays, so far as to that Blizzard has implemented it in such you cannot even enter instances unless you meet a "gear requirement". Complete bull**** if you ask me. But that's another rant to be had. Back to the point, gearscore is an addon that is highly misused and has become the global replacement for "skill". To many elitists, your gearscore is the only thing that matters. Your skill as a good player means dick these days. Your suggestion of it being an e-peen tool is spot on, to the point that even Blizzard pokes fun at it.
At least it keeps people who don't know what their doing out of the queue. If they haven't got the gear for an instance, why bother doing it? They're going to bring the group down. This is still a multiplayer game and you need to work together to make it fun.

Despite my thoughts on the games current state, I'm not saying the game itself isn't fun so long as you take the steps to avoid the kids/1337ists/idiots/morons/social rejects/failures/nobodies. The community sucks worse than Hodge (inside joke), despite what anyone will tell you. Just turn off trade and LFG channels and have fun!
Every online community has idiots. It's the anonymity that does it. It hasn't changed just because WoW has.
Who are you to say who is a social reject, a failure, or a nobody? Sounds pretty elitist to me.
Originally Posted by Jzar View Post
Remember those elitist jerks you were referring to? You may want to go take a quick look in the mirror...
__________________
multiplayermaniacs.com

Last edited by Spectro : 08-15-10 at 03:56 PM.
 
08-15-10, 04:52 PM   #13
Sythalin
Curse staff
 
Sythalin's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 680
Funny. Your first post lends the impression of a decent gamer who's just out of the loop and ends with elitist pukestains. Most interesting. Anyways....

Hardcore gamer =/= Elitist?
No. I just don't want idiots ruining my game just because they only want to play 2-3 hours a week and not have to put in any effort into the game. This game was meant to be an RPG, not some kind of interactive chat game.
YOUR game? I'm actually sitting here scanning the credits, I fail to see your name anywhere. Indeed, it is an RPG; You play a role in the game in which there is chat. Sounds like you need to go back on break and head on back to the consoles mate.

People play how they wish. If you choose to log in for 15 hours a day, more power to you. Some have other things in life (school, work, family, etc) going on. On behalf of all of those with real life obligations, we apologize that we've ruined "your" game.... Ok, I almost kept a straight face while typing that.

At least it keeps people who don't know what their doing out of the queue. If they haven't got the gear for an instance, why bother doing it? They're going to bring the group down. This is still a multiplayer game and you need to work together to make it fun.
Last I checked, you actually have to run instances to get gear. This whole "Sorry, you need the gear out of Heroics in order to do heroics" is just plain silly.

Every online community has idiots. It's the anonymity that does it. It hasn't changed just because WoW has.
Who are you to say who is a social reject, a failure, or a nobody? Sounds pretty elitist to me.
Did I point fingers? Did I name names? No, it's was a general statement. Way to try to turn that into a direct attack. I don't consider myself "elitist"; I don't go around going "L2P" or "YOU SUCKSORS!!11!!!1". An *******, yes. But I have yet to tell people they fail based on how they decide to play or because their gear isn't "good enough".
*turns the mirror back towards Spectro*


Obviously you have quite a biased viewpoint on things and plan to argue with anyone who doesn't share the same. All you seem to be really asking is "I've been gone for a while, how/where do I get my uber gears so I can be the most awesomeness that ever logged in again!"

However, if you wish to continue to follow your desire to try and belittle me on the matter, feel free to engage it to me in PMs. You asked for advice/opinions, we shared. Our apologies if they all don't coincide with yours. Next time, head on over to your home forums here (I even linked it for ya. I'm such a nice guy!) where there are plenty of like-minded "I used to wtfpwn the game and will again" people who'll help ya out. Let the door hit ya on the way out and drive that stick in a bit further.

Ciao.

Last edited by Sythalin : 08-15-10 at 04:54 PM. Reason: Spellcheck is my friend, really.
 
08-15-10, 06:23 PM   #14
voodoodad
Large, Friendly Letters!
 
voodoodad's Avatar
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,632
Dawn, your English is fine... Better than mine in fact, and I was raised in the mid-west. And I will take intelligently expressed honesty over "polite" fakery any day of the week.

Chaos, love ya, man! Question, though... If I use the term "elitist pukestains" will I have to pay you royalties? If so, how much?
__________________

~ no need to make the message completely obnoxious - Cairenn
 
08-15-10, 07:32 PM   #15
Spectro
A Flamescale Wyrmkin
 
Spectro's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 142
Hey, you're the one who decided to post in my thread with this bristly attitude. I'm not even going to respond to your unintelligent wise-ass post.
__________________
multiplayermaniacs.com
 
08-15-10, 08:12 PM   #16
Sythalin
Curse staff
 
Sythalin's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 680
Originally Posted by voodoodad View Post
Dawn, your English is fine... Better than mine in fact, and I was raised in the mid-west. And I will take intelligently expressed honesty over "polite" fakery any day of the week.

Chaos, love ya, man! Question, though... If I use the term "elitist pukestains" will I have to pay you royalties? If so, how much?
Credit will suffice.

Originally Posted by Spectro View Post
Hey, you're the one who decided to post in my thread with this bristly attitude. I'm not even going to respond to your unintelligent wise-ass post.
I answered your post, nothing more. The truth does tend to sting more when it's not sugar coated. Nonetheless, glad you're going quietly. Until next time....
 
08-15-10, 08:38 PM   #17
Seerah
Fishing Trainer
 
Seerah's Avatar
WoWInterface Super Mod
Featured
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 10,860
Ooooookay... First post I read after a couple days, and it turned into this? No thank you. Not on our forums. Check the rules again, if you must. (And I mean that as a generalized "you", directed at all of you. /glare)

OP: your best bet is to start fresh with a brand new character. Let the new in-game tutorials guide you. Blizz did a good job with those. Or the guild suggestion is a good one, too, so long as you look for a support group one rather than a raiding one.

With that, I'm closing the thread so that it doesn't degenerate further. /me glares again
__________________
"You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Things Are As They Are." -Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

 

WoWInterface » General Discussion » General WoW Chat » Coming back after long inactivity

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off