Is it worth it?

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Well, Galuf's got a dilemma.

My younger brother plays this game, and I m constantly fascinated by it. I love to watch him gain use skills and professions (although he's rarely used his Tailoring).

The catches are:
1) The type of character I'd hope to play is different than his. He plays on the horde side, and I'd prefer to be on the Alliance, so another copy is really necessary.

2) I'm more of a casual player, so I'm not too keen on spending too much time playing this, especially with college and construction in my midst. This semester may be quite demanding, seeing as I may have 2 lab-oriented classes. Balancing work on weekends, college all week, and construction going on in my house may make things a little difficult (especially if my computer needs to be shifted around). Otherwise, I only spend up to 2 hours maximum gaming for the most part.

3) No offense (if any) intended, folks, but I'm not too keen on finding substitutes for this game, mainly because I don't really know what games (especially non-multi-player ones) really have stuff like this game AND are stronger in many respects. Besides, the Warcraft series has fascinated me for years.

4) I could afford to spend the money to get my own copy and the monthly fee. I'm just not sure how much I'd have left for finances. I'm not exactly living check-to-check, but there's still other big expenses to worry about; some unknown.

So, is it really worth it?

[GA_Havoc]

Reading that your constantly fascinated by the game leads me to believe it's worth it, exept when you feel the need to make overall progress.
Many instances in the game require multiple hours to complete and with your apparent lack of time that could really put a damper on things.
However there are also many features in the game that don't require alot of time per play, such are developing your tailoring skill which can get you real nice stuff like a cloth-armor belt with a sort of freedom of movement spell on it.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Originally Posted by GA_Havoc

Reading that your constantly fascinated by the game leads me to believe it's worth it, exept when you feel the need to make overall progress.
Many instances in the game require multiple hours to complete and with your apparent lack of time that could really put a damper on things.
However there are also many features in the game that don't require alot of time per play, such are developing your tailoring skill which can get you real nice stuff like a cloth-armor belt with a sort of freedom of movement spell on it.

Well, you're quicker to reply than I am.

Alright, I guess it may be worth it, then.

BTW, I said that my brother has the Tailoring skill. You got that, right? Me, I'll likely be a Dwarf Warrior, Hunter, or Paladin with Mining and (Is there more than one smithing profession?) or Cooking and Fishing.

Thanks. Much appreciated.

[Xandax]

This game is basically only casual friendly until you hit the level cap.
Then it shifts focus as you wish to either compeete in PvP or do the PvE raid dungeons which you'll never get to do in 2 hours. It usually takes just 1 getting people together even with a defined meeting time

Professions are fast to level compared to all other MMOGs I've played, however as normal - the crafted items are less usefull then the drops gotten from PvP or PvE (well they were when I played, dunno if they have beefed them up).

So with a 2hour timeframe, you can get a couple of months of fun out of this game for sure - but once you get neare to the level cap with your main/favorite character, you'll start to feel the limitations of time.
That was what made me quit the game.

[Brynn]

The problem is, at higher lvl you'll need a LOT of time to play, since high lvl instances sometimes require 40 ppl - organizing that takes a couple of hours Dungeons are huge and take a lot of time to complete, and you can't simply leave your group in the middle of the instance, right before fighting the main boss... So be prepared for that if you buy this game, weekends are gone

Battlegrounds may take hours, too, I don't even enter them on weekdays anymore.

At higher lvls you can't really do anything alone (it's not fun) so the time you spend with playing will be affected be other players'/friends' playing customs too.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Originally Posted by Brynn

The problem is, at higher lvl you'll need a LOT of time to play, since high lvl instances sometimes require 40 ppl - organizing that takes a couple of hours Dungeons are huge and take a lot of time to complete, and you can't simply leave your group in the middle of the instance, right before fighting the main boss... So be prepared for that if you buy this game, weekends are gone

Battlegrounds may take hours, too, I don't even enter them on weekdays anymore.

At higher lvls you can't really do anything alone (it's not fun) so the time you spend with playing will be affected be other players'/friends' playing customs too.

Well, weekends are gone anyways since those are the days I work.

I'd still prefer to be a pretty casual player. I'm just looking to have fun, not level up like mad or some-such. I'm looking to get more of a feel for the world (not just the actual players, mind you). Still sounds like it's worth a shot in that respect, no?

[Xandax]

Originally Posted by Galuf the Dwarf

Well, weekends are gone anyways since those are the days I work.

I'd still prefer to be a pretty casual player. I'm just looking to have fun, not level up like mad or some-such. I'm looking to get more of a feel for the world (not just the actual players, mind you). Still sounds like it's worth a shot in that respect, no?

As a casual player, you can still have months of fun, which makes it longer then many other games.
However - you should be aware of the fact that you'll not be able to join as much in at the higher level, and factor that into the equation.

[GA_Havoc]

Btw, you can have cooking, fishing and first aid in addition to two other proffesions.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Originally Posted by Xandax

As a casual player, you can still have months of fun, which makes it longer then many other games.
However - you should be aware of the fact that you'll not be able to join as much in at the higher level, and factor that into the equation.

Um, that part in bold's got me a bit confused.

GA (prefered shortening?): Really? I thought I could only have 2.

[Xandax]

Originally Posted by Galuf the Dwarf

Um, that part in bold's got me a bit confused.
<snip>

It is as I wrote earlier. You'll not be able to participate in the end-game to a greater extend if you are a casual player, because of the limited play time and the time it takes to go through the end-game dungeons.

So you'll not be able to join in on as many things when reaching the end-game, which - as I said - is something you deffinately need to factor into the equation before you get to hooked on the game

The time factor was the main reason for why I don't play anymore. After having spend time in Molten Core it was dull for me going back to leveling, and I couldn't really join in on Molten Core so often, and rarely on other dungeons, so my characters equipment was subpar. And while you can compensate with player skills (I was/am a damned good priest/healer in this game ), it is still hard to compare yourself with somebody with 20% better statistics gained from equipment.
So the time needed to play for me was larger then what I was able and willing to dedicate into this game, which is why I felt it was better to stop.

And if you can't play in the weekends, you'll be at a larger disadvantage, because that is the main time for raiding these end-game dungeons.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Oh, man, what am I going to do, then? I've run out of steam w/ all my computer games, and often get frustrated with my Game Boy Color games. Games are really the thing I have time for as of lately.

[Xandax]

Originally Posted by Galuf the Dwarf

Oh, man, what am I going to do, then? I've run out of steam w/ all my computer games, and often get frustrated with my Game Boy Color games. Games are really the thing I have time for as of lately.

Well - if you go into WoW with a casual attitude, then I'm sure - as said - that you can have some months of fun with it. (But again as mentioned, be aware of the end-games issues you'll possible face as a casual player)

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Originally Posted by Xandax

Well - if you go into WoW with a casual attitude, then I'm sure - as said - that you can have some months of fun with it. (But again as mentioned, be aware of the end-games issues you'll possible face as a casual player)

In addition, allow me to clarify my weekly college schedule.


Monday: 12:30 P.M. - 1:55 P.M.

Tuesday: 6:30 P.M. - 9:25 P.M.

Wednesday: 12:30 P.M. - 1:55 P.M.

Thursday: 6:30 P.M. - 9:25 P.M.

Friday: 9:00 A.M. - 11:55 A.M.

[Brynn]

Originally Posted by Galuf the Dwarf

Um, that part in bold's got me a bit confused.

The thing is, at lower lvls you're fine all by yourself or random gourps, but as you advance over 40 you'll need to keep up with others either in the Battlegrounds (to achieve PvP ranks) or in instances to get the gear your character will need at those lvls. Instances are great fun and adventure, you won't want to miss them, but they take a well organized group and a lot of time (say 2hrs) to complete. So basically over lvl 40 (roughly) you won't be able to do anything in half an hour (which is not a problem at all under 20).

[Brynn]

Originally Posted by Xandax

And if you can't play in the weekends, you'll be at a larger disadvantage, because that is the main time for raiding these end-game dungeons.

Also for buying/selling at the Auction House.