Monday 10 September 2007

Sad, aimless thoughts



Unlike family, one can choose which guild you belong to. That's what I've always been told. When the guild can no longer help you, it is time to move on. I should talk. I left my country because I felt it wasn't taking care of me. Did I leave my country because it can "no longer help me"? It didn't seem like that. Or, at least, it didn't feel like that. It's true that I have a better job here in Australia than I would in the Philippines. So much better I can afford the monthly subscription of World of WarCraft.

But for some reason I feel (yes, just a feeling... isn't it?) that when two friends (were they friends? or just people I got used to questing with) left the guild. I cannot leave. Immunity was the "bad" guild... "The Scots/Vendetta" is the good guild. But people are leaving because they've become too powerful to help. And I feel bad. I understand why they left. There is no anger, just sadness.

And more sadness since more people are taking this as precedent, as an excuse to leave. Their right to leave. It was easier when the abrasive and loud members were the ones to leave for this reason. But when good, disciplined members do so, it just gives legitimacy to those loud members who are just waiting to reach a certain level, then leave.

All we have is Khildred, they say. Vendetta is a good guild... just not a powerful one. I am willing to wait... wait until Vendetta has enough powerful level 70s to actually make a difference. But they're all leaving. For more powerful guilds. Just like back home. All the best and brightest leaving our little schools to go to the better schools... so even when those of us who were bright enough but not rich enough to go to better schools graduate, our schools didn't have enough reputation enough to get us jobs.

Vendetta will never be a powerful, raiding guild. That much is certain. We'll have some very powerful members who will stay (I don't know for how long) but because the ones who could have made a difference leave and never come back, Vendetta will always only be an in-between point.

Unless nobody leaves.

I... I will not leave. Not unless Khildred, Miss and Koryo have left. The ones who first played this game didn't have any friendly powerful lvl 70s to help them do Molten Core and all the other dungeons now being passed over by those who are infatuated with the drops in Outland. At level cap 60, they had only themselves. Guilds had to slowly build their strength, members having no choice but to learn to get strong with the guild. These days, it is different. People have gotten used to having powerful "guildies" to help them out of a tight spot, and get mad at the guild when they can't help. They suddenly get frustrated at lvl 70 group quests, because all they've gotten used to is just having to level up and get the next best "gear" to defeat what could've been defeated with tactics and strategy... finesse, in other words.

Hunters no longer pull in dungeons. Why should they? Whereas before hunters' unique pulling talents were needed to pull and kite correctly those mobs that no one had any chance of "leveling up" to defeat, or terminate it in case of bad pull... now only tanks pull. Why not? Aggro is instantly theirs and they only die if not properly geared or if the healer is lousy (and healers are always lousy if the group wipes).

I will not leave. I do not see the point in hurrying to lvl 70, getting bored with inactivity because there are not enough high level members to help do the more dangerous dungeons and grind, grind, grind for more gear. I want to take my time.

But one of them has already called me wrong to my face (my avatar's face, anyway). Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I am misplaced. Maybe in the scheme of things where I am wrong I do not deserve to help or be helped. Maybe I am supposed to hurry to lvl 70 (or 80, when the expansion comes out) and get all the gear I can.

Maybe I am supposed to use Vendetta to get the stuff I want and leave when they no longer can. Maybe I'm just a silly sentimental fool to think that maybe, maybe guilds were more than gear vending machines.

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