Man, I can’t believe it’s been 5 whole years since World of Warcraft launched to the world, and even longer than that since I started playing it in beta! Say what you will about the game, it has been a major impact on the MMO game industry since it exploded onto computers everywhere. It has inspired many clones, has pulled in over 10 million subscribers (a feat that no other MMO has accomplished), and has been the only MMO to keep me subscribed since DAY ONE of launch.
I’ll never forget November 2004, the year when the launches of both Everquest 2 and World of Warcraft were vying for my attention. Both games I played heavily during beta, and when it came down to it – I couldn’t choose one. I ended up buying both boxes and trying to level up in both games. I started EQ2 on the Permafrost server with a guild called Beyond the Pale, and played part time in WoW as a Night Elf Priest named Zodiak on the Medivh server with my then-boyfriend and some ex-EQ guildies. I gave both games a fair shake, but in the end – WoW stole my soul.
Teldrassil - Night Elf Starting Area
I’ll never forget the beautiful mystical ambiance of the Night Elf starting area. Despite early reviews and some friends completely bashing the cartoony graphics, I found Teldrassil visually stunning. The art style was something new to me, and it inspired me to explore like no other game before. I thought the music matched the zone perfectly, and the purple and blue colors with glowing blue pale lamp posts felt like home. I loved my Night Elf’s long ears that bounced when I jumped up and down. I thought the emotes were silly and hilarious. And I felt that drive to level up and see the game that I hadn’t felt since I started playing Everquest 1 in 1999. I never really looked back to Everquest II aside from tourism now and then. World of Warcraft owned me.
I played that Priest until level 40, until friends of mine wanted to re-roll on the Horde side. I made an Undead Priest named Cuppycake, because I couldn’t think of any more ironic of a name for a ugly skeleton with half of a jaw and ribs sticking out of her cloak. She stuck, and in January 2005 I joined the guild Vanguard (who are still around and kickin’ btw!). I raided with them hardcore through Blackwing Lair before eventually retiring to casualville for the next few years. I’ve experienced almost all of the game but the current high end game. I have a level 80, several 70s, and many many alts.
I remember the epic battles between Southshore and Tarren Mill. I remember falling through the bottom of zeppelins out into the ocean to drown. I remember getting my first level 40 mount in 2005 and being SO ecstatic about it. I remember getting my priest’s awesome Anathema/Benediction, and looting my first purple. I remember striving to get full Devout and thought I looked so beautiful with it. I remember all of the hours I’ve spent fishing, alone with my thoughts. I can still feel the excitement of sneaking into Ironforge by camping out Warlocks there in a room and summoning our ENTIRE GUILD inside. I remember flying for the first time, hearing Sylvanas sing for the first time, watching our server open the Dark Portal, stepping into Molten Core for the first time after working so hard to get in there. Killing Onyxia for the first time and watching her drop a Transcendence helm for my Priest. Stealth running through dungeons, spending hundreds of hours PvPing and killing the dirty Alliance. Dying dozens of times in Stranglethorn Vale…I loved it all.
The game still gets me excited when I think about it.
WoW isn’t quite as fun now as it was for me, the original entrancement has subsided. But I am still eager for news and I don’t have any plans of unsubscribing. I log in at least monthly to see my Pawtopsy character (who became my main a couple years ago) and I know I’ll be back with a vengeance when the expansion comes out.
This game has made some astounding accomplishments in our favorite genre. 5 years later, and its still going strong and still the titan ruling the rest of the MMORPGs. As long as you can find a good group of either RL friends or a friendly guild, World of Warcraft is arguably still the best MMO on the market in terms of polish, features, population, expansiveness, and depth of lore. It’s still a fantastic game, and I still love playing it when I get the time to do so.
Here’s to another 5 years, World of Warcraft!
Tami Baribeau is the Associate Producer for Metaplace, Inc, currently working on Island Life. She is also the Lead Editor of feminist gaming blog The Border House, and the National Facebook Games Examiner for Examiner.com. She can be reached on Twitter or by email.
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Nice post, you bring my experience back on my first step in azeroth. I think I’m playing for more than 3 years now and now I’m still hook and inlove with it. And now i kept help my self to continue farming for wow gold for gold cap and support for my alt.