Avoiding the Burn Out

For many of you, I'm sure the idea of getting burned out in World of Warcraft isn't a new one. The whole, "player finds new game, player loves new game, player plays the ever-loving daylights out of new game, player doesn't want to play new game anymore", formula has applied at least once in your gaming career (I know it has for me, I can count two such experiences right off the top of my head).

There are a few key ways that you can avoid this experience. I personally really dig WoW, and I don't plan on quitting it anytime soon. These tips have helped me prevent burning myself out on the game that I so graciously shell out $15 a month for:

1.) Don't treat WoW as work!
I know, this sounds like a no brainer to a lot of you, but you wouldn't believe how common this is. Being a member of an end game raiding guild I know all to well the perils of being online more than you sleep, and the outcome isn't pretty. If you're on WoW all day doing everything that you can to farm mats for haste pots for the next night's raid, you might not even have the energy to attend the next night's raid!

Here's the golden rule that's kept me on the WoW bandwagon for the past few years:
• Do daily quests: In a half-hour of daily quests you can make roughly 140g. That's enough to respec twice in one day, buy some pots for the raid, and still turn a profit!

2.) Start an alt!
I know that from time to time my Rogue gets a little dull. As fun as it is shadowstepping behind hunters in AV, there are those days where I just want to do something different. Starting an alt is a fun way to keep your game time involving and fun!

As for what class to roll as an alt? Well, that's entirely up to you. But personally, I would choose a hybrid class (my alt is a Shaman). That way you can switch between loads of roles and keep the game fresh, and only have to level one character (though getting the gear sets can prove a bit time consuming).

3.) Enjoy other games!
While logging into Azeroth has probably become a daily routine for many of you (I know it has for me), try jumping onto a game of a different genre. When I feel myself starting to hit my "WoW wall" I will generally crank up Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty 4 or Grand Theft Auto IV.

If, like me, you've become close friends with any of your guildies, you could always invite them to play with you!

4.) Instead of raiding, watch some TV
Raiding has become a staple of my evenings now. Generally after I'm done with my daily routine I'll get home, go start up my PC so that it can go through its motions while I get some dinner ready, and spend the rest of the night in front my machine.

But a couple nights ago I felt myself getting burnt out on raiding. I got home, started up my PC and got my dinner going, but instead of eating dinner in front of my PC I sat down in front of the TV and watched some reruns of The Simpsons. While this sounds pretty silly, it really let me relax from a night of spamming my 4 key and enjoy my dinner and enjoy a screen that's further than a couple feet from my face.

5.) Spend time with people (you know, irl)
Fridays and Saturday nights are often nights that my guild chooses to push new content. While I'm normally someone that's all for this (after all, we usually end around 9 or 10 at the latest, so there's still plenty of night left over to use once I'm done raiding), if I feel myself getting burnt out I'll just see what my friends are prior to the normal hang out time. Just go hang out at their houses, or grab a bite to eat! It's a nice change of pace that's saved my WoW career quite a few times.


I hope that these tips help you prevent yourself from feeling disillusioned from the game. If you feel yourself getting even close to your burn out, save yourself the agony and just take a short break! You'll be much happier because of it.