Post Partum Eighty Blues
Whoa! I didn’t expect this! To have confusion and sadness come crashing down on me. Not to know what to do next. To feel disoriented because there was no more XP at the end of a quest.. No more straining to reach the next level. Where did this what’s the use? feeling come from? Where did this what do I do next? feeling come from? No more feeling as if I am behind the eight ball and trying to catch up. Instead I feel as if I have had the eighty ball dropped on my head.
I started playing WoW when the highest level was 60. This wasn’t too long before Burning Crusade was launched so before I could even get to 60 the goal post was moved to 70. Wrath of the Lich King came out and upped the ante to 80. It seemed I was always straining towards some impossible goal. I thought I would die in RL before I ever made 80 in WoW.
Don’t get me wrong ~ I am thrilled to be 80. In fact, I insisted my guild have a celebration party. We met at Tidus Stairway and had dancing, fireworks, all sorts of good things to eat, and went water skipping.
But three months later I am still in a quandary as to what to do next. I did save up the 5000 gold and now have rapid flight. I next started replacing my pitiful gear. I am trying to get everything to at least a Superior rating. I am too embarrassed to go into battlegrounds or dungeons. I hate getting killed with just one shot. Demoralizing. I explored Outland. Raised three weapons to 400 and have the Knuckle Sandwich Achievement. I gave up my 400 level skinning and took up engineering. With not having to pay for training and all the other ancillary costs of leveling I can use money for the profession I think is absolutely the most fun. I thought about going for Exalted rep with five different factions and thought it would be cool to be Exalted with Steamwheedle Cartel but was laughed out of that idea and firmly instructed to get exalted with the capital cities. So now have to look into that. Thought I would like to get that purple dragon mount that you have to work for in Shadowmoon. Went out there to mine for nethercrystals with a shadow priest ~ a good stalwart fellow~ but he got killed by a wandering 72 elite partly because I was too cocky and was whacking things melee style in order to level swords. I have this ambition to level all my weapons to 400. So we are arguing in chat and I am using my Snicker Snack Blade on this Jabberwock. So the priest died and I ended up feigning. Not sure why he died as he is level 80 but there you are. It never pays to have a personal agenda when you are playing with others.
And, btw, I didn’t have the flight path to Sanctum of the Stars so had to go back to Shattrath and take the tour of the city, do a few things to prove I am a loyal Scryite so now I can get to S of S. I had sort of skipped over all that whilst leveling to 80. Am now mousing about in Shadowmoon getting ready for another foray to get crystals.
To sum up, I still haven’t settled down with a firm focus. I love battlefields and dungeons but am intimidated by them because at this level it seems to be all about gear. I thought I would be more involved in them at this level but I’m not. In lieu of that I am searching for a new direction, a new path but not a new character.
