Endgame: For The Driven

Blizzard claims that World of Warcraft is casual-gamer friendly. And it is. It doesn't take a lot of time to play the game. You can log-in whenever you like, complete some quests, and log-out as you wish. For the first 59 levels of your career this is the game content. Of course there are differences between playing on an RP/PvE server versus a PvP server. Leveling on a PvP server is undoubtedly more difficult as one is constantly griefed by high level assholes wanting to take out their frustrations on lowbies.

But after a few weeks of being level sixty, it seems very apparent that this is the point at which casual gamers will start feeling dissatisfied with the game. There just isn't anything else to achieve. The cap has been hit and questing gives you no experience at all. This is what we call "end game content." And on a PvP server, end game means player-versus-player combat.

Just take a look at how the game's structure is set up for high levels. There are high-level instances like the Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Zul'Gurub, et al. Yes, there are quests and mini-storylines associated with these instances, but that's not the real reason people go through these instances.

Consider if it was storyline-based: a conventional RPG sends you through an area just once in order to progress the story, correct? Not so with WoW. You're able to go to these high-level instances over and over again. Why? For teh phat lewtz, of course. Epic items drop from Onyxia and from the Zul'Gurub bosses. You gain reputation with several factions in order to purchase high-end PvP gear. You want more damage, more stats, higher critical rates.

And for what? Certainly not to continue on experiencing more game content (though a lot of the high-level dungeons certainly do require a degree of advanced gear to survive).

End-game is all about PvP. You go through instances to get better gear so you can smash your opponent into pieces in PvP. That's all there is to it.

And if you're a casual gamer, this is the type of stuff that holds no type of interest for you. Because it's a jungle out there. I mean, it is a motherfucking bitch at end game.

This is where the assholes and egotistical bitches thrive: stomping opponents into the ground; declaring their supremacy in the virtual world of Azeroth.

And they're good.

There are elite Horde guilds that play Arathi Basin. There is no measure to how hard and how fast they decimate "casual" playing Alliance pick-up groups.

Take, for example, Wickedsix, elite level 60 Undead Rogue. I have been eviscerated by this guy more times than I care to remember. There is little I can do against him than sit back and grimace as my Hunter is torn to shreds by his poison-tipped daggers.

Now I've owned my share of noobs out in the wide world of Azeroth myself. But these guys don't PvP to the extent that others do. It really is a whole different world.

But I keep playing. Because I want teh phat lewtz. Because I want to motherfucking decimate little bitches like Wickedsix.

Why? Because that's what I'm looking to take from World of Warcraft. PvP.

And it's really crazy because when I first started playing WoW, I had no interest in PvP whatsoever. Just like I never had an interest in playing Battlegrounds when they came out. But I'm starting to strategerize how we can stand a chance against Horde opponents. And I want to punch my monitor when we get owned.

I'm getting more into this game than any other game I've ever played. It envelops me when I play. I dream about WoW, as pathetic as it sounds.

Software engineer by day. 60 Hunter by night.

My life is polarized.