Anyone who knows me knows that I’m generally pretty positive on World of Warcraft. I think the game has a lot going for it: solid gameplay, a fun atmosphere, a clearly defined visual style that holds up well even after 4 years, and lots of content that holds up well when taken in paced doses. I think Blizzard has consistently improved the game with every patch and expansion. I think Wrath of the Lich King was the best expansion pack I’ve ever bought for any game I’ve ever played.
But, like Tobold and so many other bloggers, I’m taking a break from WoW. This isn’t the first one I’ve taken – my last break was an exactly one year hiatus that started in August 2005, just after the release of Blackwing Lair, and ended in August 2006, when I brought Maggie on board.
This current break started about 2 months ago, after I came to the realization that the only viable content left for me was to grind out 25-Naxx and 10/25-Malygos for gear. Other than that, I was done. I’d kitted out my holy Priest main with more-or-less the best gear I could acquire from 10-Naxx, Heroics, Badge loot, and assorted 10/25-Sarth/Archavon PUGs. I had all the extra trappings I desired: epic flying skill and the epic flying carpet, maxxed crafting, a pile of gold. I’m not an achievement chaser or completionist (at least, not like Maggie is), and dailies no longer had any meaning for me (I’m sitting on a surplus of 10k gold).
I didn’t like the lifestyle raiding led me to. I was dedicating 3-4 hours a night on Friday and Saturday or Sunday to raiding Naxx with my guild, which wore me out and was really pulling me away from Maggie. I have little enough leisure time as it is – I can’t dedicate 8-10 hours a week to one activity (especially if it doesn’t include the missus).
So I put WoW on hold. Maggie and I both did, in fact. Neither of us are cancelling our subscriptions, for now; my Mum is still playing, and we’ve logged on once or twice since we started our break to help her out with a difficult quest or a dungeon run. But we haven’t played otherwise. 3.1 hit, and I still haven’t considered trying Ulduar or even bothered to respec any of my characters. Maggie even skipped the revamped Noblegarden! 
If Mum’s use tapers off, or if it turns out she doesn’t need us after all, we’ll pull the plug completely. I imagine we’ll return eventually, probably a few months before ExPak #3 hits, maybe in time for Icecrown in 3.3 (both of those are about a year from now).
But for now, WoW burnout has overcome my desire to play. I’ll be spending a lot more time on Torstein in Free Realms and I’m hoping to finish painting my Cygnar Battlebox as soon as this chest cold passes and I can hold a figure steady again. I’ve got a wedding to plan and plenty of work at the office. We’re heading into the summer, which is prime time for events for the missus and I. And WoW has 10.999999 million other players subscribed right now; I’m sure they won’t miss me one bit!
-a.
