You may have felt burn out in embarking your epical journey in Northrend. Burnout is common to most MMO players. The Wrath of the Lich King contains legions of goals and battles conquered by guilds which it makes even more apparent to develop a case of burn out.
Some of the major symptoms of the “burn out syndrome” is when you find yourself logging in then putting Dalaran for a few precious minutes and logging off. Another sign is you dread seeing the green chat when you log in or easily get irritated over small things that doesn’t go right. Chances are you may be suffering from burnout. Here are ways to combat burn out.
1. Take a Break
WotLK is a hobby as a time to have fun and usually a sense of community. It should be something you look forward to. By taking a break, you can breath a new life into the game when you get back. Go out to hang out with your friends, go to the bar or go on a movie date. Whatever floats your boat. If you find that you dislike football, do you keep watching it? Of couse not so just move along and come back when you feel refreshed and ready.
2. Moderation is everything.
Devoting too much of your time to reach that goal in the game often leads to burn out. If you find yourself playing every single day for extended periods of time, here are two words for you: STOP IT! This warning applies only to those who got burnout. Just think of not leaving enough time to other things when you log in to raid for 5 straight days a week lasting for several hours, not to mention farming time. Take it casual for a bit. Schedule your playtime on specific days including some lazy days that you can pursue your hobby. Decreasing the time of playing makes you actually enjoy the time you do get to play.
3. Roll an Alt.
Rolling an alt can be very relaxing. You are low level, doing it on your own with little or no complications. I would advise not bringing this alt into your main guild. You can either keep him unguilded, or put him in a friendly leveling type guild. Whichever way, it is almost stress-free and lets you focus on the part of the game you enjoy or technically actually playing. WoW is not a real-life job so don’t feel like it is. Who have heard of somebody who has gone to watch a movie then only to be stressed about it. It is a form of entertainment thus the for the purpose of entertaining you. Having an Alt outside of your guild gives you an opportunity to play minus the hassle.
4. Respec
When Dual Spec comes out, this will be easier than ever. The players who gets burn outs are those who raid tank and healers. If you think that you are tired of it, switch to your pew-pew lazer beams spec. You will never know how fun and relaxing a DPS can be. Watching those big numbers fly can make you enjoy the game again. I used to respec quite often in BC just to do something different.
5. Reroll
This one is more or less a different take on rolling an alt. In this case, you completely switch to the dark side. If you are Alliance, try out a Horde toon. If you are Horde, do the opposite. Doing this on another server helps as well. You get to see a side of the game you may not have seen. You will get to know an entire new community. This may restore your zest for the game and make you realize that you should have been Horde/Alliance all along.
6. Try Something Different
If you play on this sequence: Raid, Raid, Raid, Raid, Farm, Farm, Raid, Raid is not for everyone. If you are tired of repeating the same thing over and over, STOP DOING IT. Every once in a while try something new that doesn’t taste like a stale cheese. Hit Wintergrasp, do a battleground, chase some achievements, play the auctionhouse, or roleplay. It is voluntary. The time is yours and YOU, nobody else, choose what to do with it.
7. Dont be afraid to say NO.
There is nothing wrong with saying no. Many people feel obligated to help when somebody asks. If you feel like doing, just don’t do it. The act of saying no can be an ordeal for some but you will feel better in in the end. This is a game so you do not have an obligation to become a 24/7 game player. You should not feel like you do. If you want to help, then do it. If you do not want to help, just say NO. If you say yes to every request, you will find yourself not doing anything you like and everything that person X,Y, and Z like.
Don’t take this game as a job, a boring grind, or a stressful past time. Let WotLK be a game as something you enjoy and look forward to. You might fit in the signs of burn out as mentioned in the preceding paragraphs. If you are truly burn out, perhaps it is the right time to follow the steps to beat burning out.
