conanator hits 60

tonight my main character reached level 60 in world of warcraft, the highest level in the game. i have been playing for a long time and nearly all of the people i started playing with have long since made it to this point of advancement.  i have had several friends so far who have quit the game because they were spending far too much time playing (as in addicted), and i have been determined to play at a measured pace so this doesn’t happen to me.

i really cranked in the hours though as 60 approached. i did very little this weekend other than play, lift weights, and ride my bike. i slugged down peet’s and ran a lot of PUG (pick up groups, people who are not in our guild) instances.

tonight i dinged. and now i am just another level 60 with crappy gear who needs to figure out what to specialize in. i have assigned talent points along the way with some regard for the advice i have gotten and the forums i have read, but mostly  i have played to suit my style and have fun. when you get to 60, you have to really think more as a guild team player, and the role you want to play. i have been soliciting advice and reading a lot about endgame considerations.

one problem with WoW is the lack of gameplay that involves both lower and higher level players. once my friends got ahead of me level-wise i was kind of isolated. they could help me out by sending equipment or occasionally running through a dungeon, but if you are more than 5 levels apart, you aren’t really playing the same game. i made other friends of course, but when i was only logging in every couple of weeks or so it was a little discouraging to discover that  playing with a more casual approach means you primarily group together with OTHER casual players, who on the whole are less informed and more apt to be poor players, so the gameplay is often more frustrating and less rewarding. not always that’s for sure, because i love playing.

i sort of wish i had leveled in a more auspicious manner, but here i am turning 60 alone, grinding (methodically killing monsters for experience points) skeletons and ghouls.