The Shrine

<div style='font: 11pt Dominion; text-align: left; '>I've played plenty of MMO's -- AC, AC2, E&B, SWG, and tested many others, but I've been MMO free for over a year now and I've enjoyed it. I can play other games as they come out and I'm more leisurely with my time online (spend more of it talking to friends online, etc).

However, WoW is really starting to peak my interest. I played the original stress test so I know the basic feel and all but I'm afraid of getting addicted to an MMO again. Hell my one friend here at college spend 20 hours playing straight. On the other hand I may end up pretty bored this break and I do love the whole universe and the ability to solo and group when I want.

What do you guys think? (both those who do and don't play it)</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Like anything, you can get addicted....but the funny thing about WoW is it really more about the quests, grouping/interaction and the world...not levels and grinding.

Really, 10 of my guildmates are level 50+ (I'm only 24, but I was in Paris for 10 days)...it's so easy to level, you can take your sweet time and not stress.

I like it and highly recommend it to casual players (which I am now...too old to be hardcore).

In my opinion of course.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>I've been up since 3AM Central time. lol.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>Go for it. WoW rules. I don't play much and I've been leveling fine. It is quite addicting though.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>I can vaguely recall having someone here at the Shrine with a similar name to yours once. Welcome to tows!</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>I played in the stress test and open beta and haven't felt any urge to buy retail, for what it's worth.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>I've been playing it about 2-3 hours a day on weekdays. I find instances which is supposed to be the highlight of the game to be even more boring versions of EQ raids that you happen to do with 4 other random people, though you can make up for the boring nature of instances by adding incompetence, which I do a lot, though not necessarily by choice. The latest one I have is people assist me, the rogue, on what I just sapped even though I told them repeatedly I'm going in to take one mob out of this fight. BTW, a Rogue is a far superior tank than a Warrior in the pickup group because there is nothing that you can't taunt off by just repeatedly using backstab. On the other hand a Warrior can and does fail to get aggro with the average-group-that-sucks but a rogue chain backstabbing is basically foolproof.

I find WoW's complexity to be utterly pointless. You're basically forced to hit 8 buttons in some predetermined sequence on every encounter to accomplish what autoattack does in EQ. As a rogue the only buttons I need to use is backstab and eviscerate 99% of the time (add Gouge if soloing, Kick if it's a caster, even though 99% of the time you take less damage by not interrupting spells), and anyone who thinks using more button makes you more powerful obviously doesn't understand how these games work.

I found the solo aspect of WoW to be the best since it's always fun to slaughter stuff. There is absolutely no incentive to group up unless you need a quest done, or you want to spice up a way-too-easy-game by making things harder on purpose.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt "Times New Roman"; text-align: left; '>Har dee har har.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>My problem is I made so many nooblers between the two stress tests that I got sick of doing the lowbie Horde quests, and I have zero interest in the Alliance.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt ; text-align: left; '>Why not? The Alliance quests are quite interesting.</div>

<div style='font: 9pt ; text-align: left; '>Alliance is as generic fantasy as it gets. Booooring. Plus I prefer the concept of shamans over paladins.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>I don't find the Horde any different since the questing structure is basically the same on both sides but at least their story kind of make sense, seeing the Horde are on the losing side (of course the Horde kind of allied with Alliance in W3 but who cares about that). I mean you look at the Tauren they almost got wiped out by the Centaurs, Trolls got kicked off their home island, and everyone hates the Undead. So only Orcs are doing remotely okay so it's believable you've to go around fixing all these random little problems.</div>