WoW...worth it?

[NavySEAL6]

I'd just like some opinions on if WoW is worth the monthly fee. What kinds of things do you do in the game? How long do you play a month?

[benthewraith]

I'd just like some opinions on if WoW is worth the monthly fee. What kinds of things do you do in the game? How long do you play a month?

$14.99 a month for unlimited access ain't that bad. ;) Mostly, about 3-8 hours a day. Depending on the day, server usage, etc.

[phungy]

Don't do it! Unless you don't have anything to do...I've never played but heard many withdrawals from friends who have and some who can't stop playing.

[NavySEAL6]

What do you actually do in the game though? It so hard for me to spend the money on it unless it is so worth it..i mean i pay less than that for xbox live and xbox live is such a better value

[benthewraith]

What do you actually do in the game though? It so hard for me to spend the money on it unless it is so worth it..i mean i pay less than that for xbox live and xbox live is such a better value

You go around, complete quests, duel other characters, take part in dungeon raids, participate in special events with quite literally thousands of other players (and depending on what server you connect to) from your area (NE America, Europe, Asia, whatever), there is some amount of geolocation involved, and go around and just have fun leveling up characters (current lvl cap is 70). You may want to read up on Azeroth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azeroth_%28world%29), Kalimdor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimdor), Lordaeron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordaeron), and Outland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outland_%28Warcraft%29) if you wish to know the backstory of the WoW.

Basically, you play a person in a virtual online world full of magic and divinity. If you're alliance, you're at war with the Horde, if you're Horde, you're warring with the Alliance.

If you decide to play, research the races first and learn their pasts. Blood Elves, Night Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Humans, Orcs, Gnolls, Undead, and Tauren.

Fun game. But I can't play too much of it.

[Dagless]

I played a 10 day trial a while back and thought it wasn't worth what they were charging (forgot now). Not for me. Nice game but really let down with the running cost.

[benthewraith]

I played a 10 day trial a while back and thought it wasn't worth what they were charging (forgot now). Not for me. Nice game but really let down with the running cost.

It'd be cheaper if there weren't maintenance costs and the like...but you have to run a successful business.

To the OP, I'd find someone with the game with a 10 day trial and try it out.

[djdawson]

I played it for a while and got my toon up to level 50 or so and then got bored with it. Some of the quests were kind of fun, but when you start getting to the higher levels you have to start doing more group play in "instances" to get the good stuff. I didn't really enjoy that part of the game as much (I like solo play much more), especially since you often have to play the same instance over and over and over to get the one piece of gear you're after.

My stepson stopped playing after being a pretty high ranked 60 for a while, but now that the new expansion pack is out he's back playing again and seems to enjoy it still.

So, I'd suggest learning more about the game as other have already pointed out, and perhaps even hang out with someone you know who plays and see what it's like at the higher levels. You can play the demo for free for a while, but only up to level 10 so you're limited in what you can do. If you put in a lot of hours the monthly fee isn't that much per hour, but it's still about $15 each month. That's a brand new Xbox game every few months...

Good luck!

[phillipjfry]

stay away from the game!
its so addicting, if i'm not obsessing about my future imac, im sunk deep into my new blood elf pally
it was able to drag me away from my other obsession, counterstrike, and drag me in
but im not addicted
i can quit whenever i want :)

[Counterfit]

To the OP, I'd find someone with the game with a 10 day trial and try it out.

*ahem*



MEMEMEMEMEMEME!!!!



:D

[michaelsaxon]

I barely escaped WoW with my soul. It is hard to do in moderation if you click with it (which many do). The out of the box experience is amazing-- I'll never forget my first hippogryph ride. You have been warned.

[blaster_boy]

Why not buy Guild Wars - onetime fee, play as long or as much or as little as you like.

Works for me - I simply don't have the time to play enough hours to make a fixed monthly fee worth my while....

[Xeem]

Why not just download the free 10-day trail from www.worldofwarcraft.com and try it out. Be warned, though- it is a really big (3.5 GB!) download.

As for me, I renew my WoW subscription every so often depending on my school schedule. I am nearly incapable of grinding for experience or doing quests that involve much repetition (I get bored out of my mind), so I can only play for like a half hour at a time before I start to go insane. Still, it's a good way to kill time if I'm stuck at school with a couple hours between classes.

[Counterfit]

Why not just download the free 10-day trail from www.worldofwarcraft.com and try it out. Be warned, though- it is a really big (3.5 GB!) download.

But before you do that, send me a PM so I can give you an invite for it. Then, when you get hooked and buy the full version, I get a free month!

[Texas04]

World of Warcraft more than likely WILL TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE! Any online gaming will but this one especially is bad. It is very dangerous, be VERY CAREFUL!

My advice, get a girl, take her out, have a good time :). This game will do nothing but ruin your relationship with close friends unless they all play the game 24/7 and thats the fad between your friends. But if it isn't I recommend staying away!

Watch the South Park episode of WOW... its VERY real lol.

[miniConvert]

Some of the quests were kind of fun, but when you start getting to the higher levels you have to start doing more group play in "instances" to get the good stuff. I didn't really enjoy that part of the game as much (I like solo play much more), especially since you often have to play the same instance over and over and over to get the one piece of gear you're after.
See, I'm just reaching this stage after playing for over a year (yes, it's entirely possible to play WoW and enjoy it without getting 'addicted' and playing your life away). I *love* the instances! I tend to play with a friend who comes over so we can actually see each others screens and talk to each other, which makes it incredibly enjoyable IMHO, but even when we're not physically together the whole process of selecting good team members and taking on awesome enemies with the chance of a really cool reward to enhance your character is just great fun.

It's a very good game to play on your own, of course, but the potential of WoW is really unlocked when you find somebody you enjoy playing with. In my own experience it's even better if the person you enjoy playing with is somebody that you know IRL.

[ijimk]

I think WoW is a fun game if you have some RL friends to play with along with you. I found it not to be so fun when you know no one else in RL on your server. I play along with 4-5 of my RL friends and we do enjoy it. It is not a game for everyone. But if you like RPGs and have maybe one friend to play along with you then you may wan to give WoW a try.

I highly recommend getting the prepaid cards and not doing the Credit card on your account method. The reason is sometimes I get heavy at work and can't play for a period of time. If like most people you have the game on your Credit card most will nt call to cancel the account. If your account is on a game card you will only be charged for the remaining of the 2 month period. At most you will be out 30 bucks. I know some people that left it on for about 6 months which in turn will add up. Just some advice.

[Swarmlord]

What do you actually do in the game though? It so hard for me to spend the money on it unless it is so worth it..i mean i pay less than that for xbox live and xbox live is such a better value

Check out the worldofwarcraft.com website and get a taste of what there is to do. You can quest alone, with groups, join guilds, work on your professions, etc.

You will burn a lot of time though, especially if you join a guild and go on 40 man raids into Molten Core, Blackwing Lair or AQ40. My guild finally burnt out with all the time it took every week just to make the raids and then all other time had to be spent farming materials for potions you need to survive those instances.

We got to the point where we were farming all three instances and it would take 3.5 to 4.5 hours depending on breaks and how often we switched people out for loot drops. When we started then though we had to grind them for 5+ hours a day. We would do AQ40 on Wednesdays, BWL on Thursdays, MC on Fridays and then squeeze in Onyxia runs whenever they were available.

I like the new expansion though. Looks like there are a lot more options for how people play their characters and there's a lot of 5 man instances. I was getting sick of having to get 40-50 people in our guild to all log on time and fully prepared before our raids could start. Sometimes it was like herding cats.

[Veritas&Equitas]

Having graduated from college last year, I saw the WoW effect firsthand with my friends. Honestly, if you value your life/time, I wouldn't start. I've never played, but my friends were/are addicted, in the worst sort of way (As in staying up 'til 6 am the day of classes, then sleepily going to class, coming back, and playing more). Of the guys that I knew that played it, most played it a minimum of 6 hours a day. Hence, be warned...if you start, it could get ugly!

[barr08]

I just unsubscribed after half a year or so of playing on and off. I really like it, but I simply can't sit and play a game for hours on end, and that's exactly what you need to do if you want to compete at all in the game.

If I get some more free time, I'll renew and pick up where I left off (40 ish NE hunter).

Personally, I played obsessivley for about a month, but it didn't take away from my social life (maybe from my classes, but just a bit). The obsessiveness you hear about differs largely from person to person, depending on your personality.

If you have an obsessive personality, DON'T buy it. If you don't, give the trial a shot.

[cyberddot]

I played through from the WoW beta, then for a little over a year after the retail release and FINALLY got out to continue RL, with few lingering side effects. I went from soloing in my first ever MMORPG, to being an officer in a major guild on my server, had plenty of epic gear on my first lvl 60 and was blued out in my second lvl 60 when I finally broke out. I'm a recovering WoW nerd.

As tempting as it is to play, especially when I know there's an expansion pack, my Collector's Edition box reminds me that the $15/mo fee was justified many times over in the enjoyment I got from the game, but not worth the time I lost to do other things.

I've tried plenty of substances that are known to be addictive and I'd never developed a habit until I played WoW. :o
I'm currently working on getting monthly meetings going for our local chapter of WOWAA. ;)

[ijimk]

I like the new expansion though. Looks like there are a lot more options for how people play their characters and there's a lot of 5 man instances. I was getting sick of having to get 40-50 people in our guild to all log on time and fully prepared before our raids could start. Sometimes it was like herding cats.

I agree I am all for the smaller man raids. I believe the most you will need in Outland even for the epic dungeons is 25 ( i could be wrong but i know it is much smaller than 40). Getting 40 people together is hard getting them to work together is harder. I am a big fan of 5 man raids and look foward to exploring the new ones in outland very soon. :)

[huck500]

Don't be alarmed by all the addiction talk... very few people out of the 10 million or so players are actually addicted to the game. Most people in my experience (adults with jobs and such, anyway) play a couple of days a week, for a couple of hours.

The new expansion caters a bit to the casual player, since the new instances are 5 mans, and seem pretty short. I think the largest new instance is 25 man, which still isn't too bad. Also, I went into the first new instance with an unexperienced group of random strangers and we killed a couple of bosses pretty easily, so the frustration factor is pretty low so far. I'm sure it gets harder...

Try it out, I still like playing casually after a year or so, and the $15 per month is worth it to me.

[Chansey]

WoW...worth it?

NO:mad:

[huck500]

NO:mad:

Why be angry about it?;)

[jamesi]

dont do it man, all of my friends started playing last year all the time and now thats all they do. the monthly fee is nothing, that game is so addicting you wont care about paying after playing for a while. seriously tho, dont throw your life away

[Swarmlord]

dont do it man, all of my friends started playing last year all the time and now thats all they do. the monthly fee is nothing, that game is so addicting you wont care about paying after playing for a while. seriously tho, dont throw your life away

Nah, I just exchanged the time that I would have spent watching TV after work to playing the game - mostly with my son! Sure, there's times when I feel like I'm scrambling to get everything done ingame that I need to do (transmutes, mooncloth, etc. have 1-3 day cooldowns) if I want to maximize the income potential of my toons, but now that the pressure of grinding with my guild is over, I can relax and enjoy again.

I think that the most time consuming part of the game is getting everything farmed up to either raid or sell on the auction house over the weekend during the prime playing hours.

With the addition of the two new races I have the pleasure of starting a character and finally playing a paladin now. (I've always played horde.)

[Demon Hunter]

It's definitely worth it if you grew up playing the Warcraft series. Everything "makes sense" and the story is that much richer and enjoyable.

But, plenty of people are completely new to Warcraft, and still love it.

[Gasu E.]

I'd just like some opinions on if WoW is worth the monthly fee. What kinds of things do you do in the game? How long do you play a month?

You stare at this holographic conic thingie, and try to will a swirly disk into it. If you succeed, you get to see a picture of Ashley Judd, which stimulates the brain's pleasure center.

Oh sorry--different game.:o

[cyberddot]

Don't be alarmed by all the addiction talk... very few people out of the 10 million or so players are actually addicted to the game. Most people in my experience (adults with jobs and such, anyway) play a couple of days a week, for a couple of hours.

The new expansion caters a bit to the casual player, since the new instances are 5 mans, and seem pretty short. I think the largest new instance is 25 man, which still isn't too bad. Also, I went into the first new instance with an unexperienced group of random strangers and we killed a couple of bosses pretty easily, so the frustration factor is pretty low so far. I'm sure it gets harder...

Try it out, I still like playing casually after a year or so, and the $15 per month is worth it to me.

Is that Dr Huck? ;) I certainly didn't mean to make it sound evil.

I'm an adult, well into adulthood as a matter of fact, with a job, wife, pets, lots of outdoor hobbies and a busy social life, but I was addicted. No offense taken, just pointing out that weaving responsibility/life with WoW just meant less sleep, which is what I operate on normally anyway.

That said, I'm very happy to hear that there is a growth in 5 man instances. My major complaint in my Blizzard exit interview, as they tried to talk me out of dropping, was that I was tired of having to find my way back into a group of 20 or 40 players to continue playing with my 60's. It was more competitive and less personal...I didn't like beating out another hunter or rogue on some epic set drop because of tenure OR a good /roll of the dice. I actually gave away plenty of unbound gear or the materials to make the gear, just because that part of the game seemed so much more important to some folks. Much of my addiction centered around just trying to get high level play time in. Getting a group of 40 together for a MC run was bad enough, but if it was a non-guild pickup, OY!. Shezus, even getting a good 10 for Blackrock Spire was laborious at times.

5 man instances were hands down my absolute favorite, but we ex-guildy adults that banded together for more tightly run 5 player instances were basically through all of the content to that point, including the prep-quests for the much larger 20-40 player runs that we didn't really want to attend. It was lots more fun to work as a small group to get class drops for a friend, or farm an instance for rare drops to coble some good non-set gear together. These groups were also lots more practical for casual gaming and something I was hoping they would begin to emphasize before I left the game.

If they really are gearing more content toward the casual player, I may indeed have to consider getting the 60's out of the closet, or starting a toon from one of the new races. I mean hey, finally the horde gets a looker race with enough faith to rate a paladin!

[bobber205]

Elves of all sort are lookers. Especially Blood ones.

What is it with elves? :D