#0 - April 23, 2009, 1:41 a.m.
I am a non-elite player. I enjoy taking my time to explore the artwork the designers put so much time into creating, and reading the storylines and the quest text slowly, savoring each moment. I don't PVP regularly, and dungeons are only an occasional activity. I am the type of player that won't run out of things to do in the game the first week after a release (not even the first YEAR after a release), so I won't stop playing or stop PAYing. Each day offers a new quest, adventure, opportunity, or treasure. Blizzard needs players like me, who still want this game long after power players get sick and bored of it, who won't ditch and move onto greener pastures if you don't come out with something new and different every month or two.
The Kalu'ak fishing pole was my very first (and only) purple caliber weapon, and the reputation/quest method allowed me to get an epic item in the way that I enjoy the game the best--playing alone, stress-free, PVE. In two years, this was my first chance at something amazing that I could do on my own. I didn't have to play in BGs and boringly grind endless dungeons to get it -- so many items get "ninja"ed by other people in dungeons that I am unlikely to ever get a purple item in any dungeon, much less a whole set, I am certain.
I worked hard for a month to earn the rep for this pole--did my dailies when I was too sick to get out of bed on many of those days. I handed over a LOT of gold to the vendor to buy the pole I had rightfuly earned. The result was my cool epic fishing pole, and it made me deliriously happy--hard work that was worth the prize. It was not really an excellent weapon--it had no stats to boost my paladin's healing powers (nor any to boost ANY class stats). I figured that was a fair trade-off for the water breathing. If I wanted to use a good weapon, I could switch to one with stats if I chose. The pole was well balanced--no stats, in trade for the water breathing. Power players laughed at my pole, but it was perfect for me.
Almost every quest that offers a weapon or armor has many options to choose from, yet almost none of them match my paladin's need for intellect and spell power. Either it is an item solely for another class (cloth, or staff, or wand) that I can not use, or it has tank or other stats I won't use. The fishing pole was like that, but it was purple; it made me happy; I had a fabulous prize worth owning, and I could feel less upset that Blizzard didn't care about my holy paladin.
Then, patch 3.1 changed all that. Suddenly, my epic purple fishing pole is a white or green caliber product. Yet it is still purple, and still claims to need to be exalted to use. I can't believe Blizzard did this to all of us who worked so hard to get this one prize. Whom did it benefit to kill this pole's DPS? Whom did the pole hurt? I can't understand the rationale behind this change.
How can I ever trust Blizzard again? Now, every time I do a rep quest, I think, "When will they steal this out from under me? What's the point?"
I never once considered quitting WoW. I've been playing for two years, and I have invited many family and friends to join. I pay for my daughter's account, even though she only plays an hour every two months. I promote WoW to whoever will listen. I presented it at a language club meeting and got two new people interested in playing just a couple of weeks ago. When my hard work and gold for my pole were completely wasted, on some unexplained whim of Blizzard, that makes me seriously consider whether my investment in WoW is really a good choice. Maybe it really is time for me to move on to greener pastures.
Today, a GM told me to post my concern in the forums. Well, I don't believe that these forums work; I don't believe that Blizzard is listening, nor that Blizzard cares. Please prove me wrong. Please fix the fishing pole--we all worked hard for that, and we spent hard-earned gold on it. It didn't harm anyone for it to be cool and powerful all at once. It made the game fun and interesting for casual PVE players like me. Please show me that Blizzard games are still worth playing. Please show me that Blizzard values players like me.
