Quote:
Don't you dare presume to tell me what I want to do. To be clear, my goal in the game is to clear content and to be competitive with a group of close friends who also happen to be my very skilled guildies. That's my priority number one, and priority number two is to see the leveling content and enjoy the solo game. If I have to sacrifice priority number two to help priority number one, then that's not something I "don't want to do." That's something I will do gladly. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you know what I enjoy in the game.
There is nothing about wanting a later start date that says that I don't want to play the endgame. I just want a less frantic rush in order to be prepared for the endgame race once it starts, and that's what Blizzard is giving us. My early experience is going to be way better because I can have the time to stop and smell the roses on the way to where I want to go. I don't really see why you think wanting to take my time to get there means I don't want to do endgame content at all.
I'm sorry, but the reality here is really freaking obvious. It's
basic logic.
The EXACT order of events here has always been possible.
Expansion start -> rush endgame -> endgame.
Expansions start -> level steadily to endgame -> endgame.
For every previous expansion, those were both options. And they were options for every player. And the hardcore raider could just as easily see all the content the expansion offered, and fully gear before the next tier, by choosing a steady leveling pace instead of bumrushing the raid in the first week.
If you are happy about the state of affairs when the first option isn't available, because it means you will be enjoying the second option, it's because the second option
is the one you wanted to be doing.
I'm sorry you felt forced to bumrush cap. But literally the only value of being in the raid the first week
is because you wanted in the raid the first week. If you didn't, and you're there, that's your own damned fault. I'm sorry you felt obligated or whatever to be there, either because that's where your friends were or out of some elitist sentiment to be "competitive," but that's
your choice.
There are reasons why delaying the raid is good - and easily the most important of them is core game stability - but the removal of options isn't one of them. That's the biggest con.
If you're happy about it, because it "fixes" something about your experience... Well, I'm sorry you put yourself in a position where you couldn't be happy. But I really don't care, because you're celebrating a "fix" that demands everyone conform to a system that YOU want because it takes away a choice YOU didn't want to make. And that's ********* because all it does is take away options from everyone else.
And if hardcore raiders as a whole, according to your anecdote, never actually wanted to be in the raid first week anyway, then the whole group is ****** in the head. It's a freaking game. Play it in the way that'll actually give you pleasure. I always assumed having first-week attempts at a raid gave them pleasure, so I never judged.
But if it's actually them
doing something they didn't want to do because they felt some obligation to do it, in a freaking game... Well, then I am definitely judging now.