The Good old New Feeling

So, I've been playing WoW at night, when everyone goes to bed. It's the only time I get the chance to, so, I stay up far too late, but it's so worth it.

This game has done it, the thing that no other MMO since AC has done for me. It's recaptured the newb essence, the thrill of discovery and being a low level char.

Last night, Afe and I spent a good deal of time trying to get from the night elf island, Teldrassil, to the human/dwarven lands. It took two boats, (omg SHIPS!) and about a half hour worth of running through misty swamps, dank forest, changing into snowy, high mountain passes. It was a dangerous run. I must have died about six times, on the way. Generally in WoW, in lower level areas, if you stick to the road proper, monsters nearby will ignore you, and you can pass among them unmolested.

The devs, knowing that this would be a well traveled route, probably, left some suprises along the way, for unsuspecting tourists... Luckily, when you die, your corpse lands where you fell, and your spirit goes to the nearest graveyard. You have to run your ghosty ass (or in night elves case, wispy ass) back to your corpse, and ressurect. It's a damn good system. There were a good amount of graveyards along The Longest Run, so things weren't terribly inconvienient. But, it captured the "omg, see that thing up there...how are we gonna sneak by it!?" (yes, rogues can actually sneak, literally going partly invisible) feeling. The fear of the unknown.

I likened it to the noob run from Shoushi to Hebian To, in AC. When you're about level 4, and you have to get to Heb...some of you guys know what that's all about. Especially if you were mages... running along, slower than most people walk, seemingly, with crazy high level stuff at the edges of the narrow road, waiting for nothing more than to chase you, till you can't run anymore, then bite your face off. This was that exact feeling, only more intense, because there's all this dark gloomy music, the environment is infinitely more immersive, and the road was longer and even more perilous.

The feeling of arriving at Stormforge, and seeing that glorious mountain keep unfold itself in front of you...it was about as close to exhilirating as you can get, in a game. I'm hooked. It did what I never thought another MMO could do. It's Sucked Me In.

[Listening to: Feathery Wings - Voltaire - (5:05)]