As I Sit Here, Surveying My Domain…

… I think, wow, this is what it feels like to be 80. Oh yes, my main after nearly six months of play time has hit the big eight-oh. It was almost anti-climatic as I misfigured the EXP I was going to get from turning in a quest and it put me over when I thought I would still have to make a couple of kills. DING! Golden ring of light and the sparkle of an achievement! So though I didn’t get a screenshot, I can happily say that Lhian is now a grown woman making her way in Scourge-infected Icecrown, valiantly trying to save Bridenbrad from a fate worse than death! 

Someone hand me a tissue.

Some of you might say, “Pfft, you’re only just NOW hitting 80?” I know, six months, right? And I actually feel that I went quickly (had the RAF going from 1-60) though the last couple of levels seemed to take an excruitatingly long time. I bought a couple of epics to help get myself started on my way to heroics and did a a few BGs (is it just me or do they become a lot more fun at 80?).

I also did Wintergrasp for the first time. Hoo boy. Probably should have read something about it before ducking in to the place, but whatever, I’m 80, I’ll be fine.

Riiiight.

I swear at one point I looked down at the field and saw a veritable sea of red nameplates and had a moment of unbridled fear. Oh, sweet mother of pearl, they’re tearing down the walls! They’re inside!

All in all, it was great fun, though the Horde did sadly lose the Keep that round. I suppose the bitter taste of defeat will keep me coming back for more.

Mostly, though, what I brought away from all this is that everything is before me. Hitting 80 was a big achievement for me. WoW is the first MMO I’ve ever played and Lhian is my first character. I’m proud of myself that I finally made it and excited about all the things I can do now. I’m going to take my time and explore the game and just generally have fun, something that I really need right now as I hit 80 right in the middle of my guild falling apart.

Yes, the amazing guild I’ve loved and cherished exploded this last week. It’s a situation I think many a guild has faced – a leveling/social guild with a great bunch of 80s that now want to raid, forcing the guild to come to some kind of conclusion about just what type of guild it is – leveling or raiding? Apparently there was some behind-the-scenes drama as well and our GM announced that he was leaving. He didn’t like the direction the guild was going in and had pulled the officers together to vote on a replacement. They chose our other “MT”, a player I had previously thought to be honest and mature.

Immediately after he was given GM rights, he kicked our previous GM out of the guild.

Now, there may be reasons for this that I’m not aware of, but to me I could not fathom why you would need to kick someone who has already stepped down. I understand he was going to leave anyway, but the kicking of the GM started a huge exodus, with the guild bleeding members right and left. Starting at about 280+ members, we now have 218. That’s a loss of at least 62 members in the last five or six days. The guild has now become a raiding guild – except, guess what! a lot of those people who left were 80s, I doubt we have the team for a full guild raid. More and more people keep leaving because of the drama and gchat is a dead horse, repeatedly kicked and still showing no life. I remain simply because I have no idea where I should go. Should I go guildless and hope to eventually find a new home? Or wait until I have something lined up? I’m torn and sad and angry over the whole thing, especially now that I here I am, 80 finally, and everyone who was waiting for me at the finish line has left.

/wrists

Oh the emo, I know, but there’s something terrifically sad about the break up of your first guild, almost like that first boyfriend from high school you told “it’s not your fault, it’s mine” when it was really his fault.

Not that I ever did that or anything.

Oh, to be sixteen.

Anyway, so a lot has happened over the last couple of days, some good, some bad, some just plain ugly. I’m trying not to let the mess with the guild overshadow my happiness at finally being free of my EXP bar. Purple gear! BGs where I don’t get killed a bagillion times! Wintergrasp! Dailies! Getting my butt kicked at jousting! (And some of you might be questioning my inclusion of “Dailies” there, but how can you resist all that gold?)

In with the good, out with the bad, I always say.

Or at least I would if I was clever and wise.

Instead I say, “Screw it, I’m going to go raid Southshore!” and leave with a flounce.