Questions about quitting World of WarCraft

[Tek7]

My short time in Azeroth has been a lot of fun, but it ends in a few days.

Before the hourglass runs out, though, I have a few questions I'd like for our community WoW experts to answer before finalizing the decision.

Does Blizzard delete inactive accounts or delete characters from inactive accounts? The thought of having to pay $15 a month to keep virtual characters "alive" sounds too similar to a ransom demand for me to believe Blizzard would do something so evil. Characters take up a relatively small amount of hard drive space, being in reality small parcels of data on server hard drives with, I think I can safely assume, very large capacities.

If the answer to the first question is a resounding "Yes," how long does Blizzard wait until deleting inactive accounts? Are we talking 3-6 months, a year, or 3 years? WoW has been around for 5 years, so using any numbers higher than 3 seems a bit redundant.

What about characters under level 10? Will they be deleted if my account is inactive for a set period of time? Characters under level 10 don't show up on the armory, but are they safe from deletions based on inactivity? In other words, will my bank characters with stacks of gold be deleted because I didn't renew within 6-12 months?

Can anyone hook me up with a beta for Cataclysm? No, seriously. I beta tested the original game and the Burning Crusade expansion pack. (Blizzard's Family and Friends program ftw.) The decision to re-shape Azeroth with the upcoming expansion is what re-sparked my interested in WoW in the first place. Even though I plan on letting my account expire, I also plan on returning after the release of Cataclysm to see first-hand exactly how Azeroth has changed. With everything I've read about the expansion, from changes in the "old world" to simplifying character stats, I can't help but want a sneak peek at those changes. If I can only get into one Blizzard beta, then of course StarCraft II take priority. But if I can get into both, that would be sweet.

And that's all.

Thanks to everyone who's made this a fun trip. I've had a chance to experience the good and the bad again and remember why I have a love/hate relationship with WoW. But make no mistake, it's been more good than bad.

And if you want to ask, "Why aren't you going to subscribe?" please see my 30 days in Azeroth thread.

 

[Bowser]

Wow, you are a total noob. lol

Your characters will not be deleted. Case in point: I stopped playing for 2+ years, and when I came back I still had all of my characters, items, and quests. The only thing I lost on some of my characters were talents, but it was free to relearn all of them and not a hassle.

 

[Tek7]

Did that include characters under level 10?

EDIT: And if I did decide to play for one more month, is there any way to do so without setting up a recurring subscription? I looked at the time cards, but those only come in 60-day increments. If there were some way to split a time card or just pre-pay for 30 days, I'd be more likely to stick around for a little while longer.

 

[Plankeye]

Did that include characters under level 10?

EDIT: And if I did decide to play for one more month, is there any way to do so without setting up a recurring subscription? I looked at the time cards, but those only come in 60-day increments. If there were some way to split a time card or just pre-pay for 30 days, I'd be more likely to stick around for a little while longer.

Yes, it includes character under lvl 10.

For your second question, just pay for a monthly subscriptions. Your card will get charged once for the $15 at the point of setting it up (as long as you do not have free play time left). Once the subscription is setup, immediately cancel the subscription and you are good to go for 30 days.

 

[ewoksrule]

I think I read somewhere that Blizz has yet to ever delete a single character. Anyone else read that?

 

[shadetaker]

It's almost kind of eerie in a way. I came back to my character after two years off, and it was like that slice of my life had just been frozen in time. The talents get wiped because they reset them when they get a major update, but as has been said, nothing gets lost at all. In fact it can be a bit overwhelming dealing with over 200 items you haven't used in years.

That peculiarity aside, clearly Blizzard wishes for it to be as simple as possible for you to ease back into the addiction.

 

[Tek7]

That peculiarity aside, clearly Blizzard wishes for it to be as simple as possible for you to ease back into the addiction.

Or, conversely, they want players to be able to stop at any time if they feel they're becoming addicted to the game.

After playing the game again and especially after completing the quest The Reason For the Season, I'm starting to think that at least one or two members of Blizzard's WoW design team are Christians:





And don't forget that that the credits for Wrath of the Lich King includes at least one Blizzard employee unabashedly giving glory to God:

Thanks To Jehovah‑Jirah, Colossians 3:17 [...]

Colossians 3:17 reads:

17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

When you think about WoW's rest system and their subscription cancellation policy, it seems as though Blizzard employees have a genuine desire to protect people against addiction. Why would a Christian earnestly seeking to bring glory to God seek to create a stumbling block and an idol in others' lives?

I know I'm getting off-topic, I know I've had a love/hate relationship with WoW, and I'm not saying the threat of addiction can be dismissed because some of the employees at Blizzard are outspoken Christians.

But I wanted to present an opposing viewpoint, especially since I've probably claimed, at one point or another, that WoW is designed to foster addiction.

Creators can only create the product. It's up to the individual user to decide how time and energy that product will consume.

The fact that I can let my time expire and return later without anything missing tells me that the game designers are confident in their product. Granted, with over 9 million subscribers, I don't think Blizzard has any reason to lack for confidence.

I still have my gripes about WoW and MMOs in general, but I can recognize and appreciate that Blizzard at least tires to curtail addiction.

 

[Odale]

Accounts stay in whole pieces - therefore all characters stay.

 

[blackweb]

Or, conversely, they want players to be able to stop at any time if they feel they're becoming addicted to the game.

After playing the game again and especially after completing the quest The Reason For the Season, I'm starting to think that at least one or two members of Blizzard's WoW design team are Christians:

The site linked in "The Reason for the Season" attempted to download a malicious program to my computer. The attempt was blocked by Webroot Internet Security Essentials. I suggest anyone who has browsed that site scan their computer with a malware detection program and remove the malicious program. If you dont have any malware detection or removal, go to http://malwarebytes.org, download, install and run Malwarebytes free Malware scanner and removal. It is likely that the malicious program is a keylogger (I should have written the name of it down) and that your WoW account may have been compromised. I recommend that you change your WoW account password and your primary email account password.

 

[Dradow(MrFuzzy)]

Can anyone hook me up with a beta for Cataclysm? No, seriously. I beta tested the original game and the Burning Crusade expansion pack. (Blizzard's Family and Friends program ftw.) The decision to re-shape Azeroth with the upcoming expansion is what re-sparked my interested in WoW in the first place. Even though I plan on letting my account expire, I also plan on returning after the release of Cataclysm to see first-hand exactly how Azeroth has changed. With everything I've read about the expansion, from changes in the "old world" to simplifying character stats, I can't help but want a sneak peek at those changes. If I can only get into one Blizzard beta, then of course StarCraft II take priority. But if I can get into both, that would be sweet.

As for this question, Blizzard does have a Public Test Realm where you can try out its new content, but im not sure if that applys to expansions. The PTR is also cool because you can have premade lvl 80s with gear to try it out with but again im not so sure if this applys to Cataclysm. I'll let you know when i find out.

 

[XionTawa]

I remember reading somewhere on Blizz site (this was like 3 years ago) that characters under level 10 are not "safe" but there is not a big chance for them to be deleted...however, recently Blizz has said if a level 1 character has bought a bank slot, they will be considered an active, non alterable, character...

 

[XionTawa]

As for this question, Blizzard does have a Public Test Realm where you can try out its new content, but im not sure if that applys to expansions. The PTR is also cool because you can have premade lvl 80s with gear to try it out with but again im not so sure if this applys to Cataclysm. I'll let you know when i find out.

Nope, PTR only applies to patches...and if I got a beta for Cataclysm I would be bragging so bad, I know NO ONE who is in it...and I know a lot of people that play WoW...but the WORLD EVENT FOR CATACLYSM IS ALREADY STARTING!!!!

 

[Tek7]

The site linked in "The Reason for the Season" attempted to download a malicious program to my computer. The attempt was blocked by Webroot Internet Security Essentials. I suggest anyone who has browsed that site scan their computer with a malware detection program and remove the malicious program. If you dont have any malware detection or removal, go to http://malwarebytes.org, download, install and run Malwarebytes free Malware scanner and removal. It is likely that the malicious program is a keylogger (I should have written the name of it down) and that your WoW account may have been compromised. I recommend that you change your WoW account password and your primary email account password.

So sorry about that, blackweb.

I use Firefox with the NoScript and Adblock Plus addons and WoW Wiki seemed like a reputable site. It's possible it was was false positive, but better to err on the side of caution.

Thanks for Kidan for deleting the link in my original post.

As for this question, Blizzard does have a Public Test Realm where you can try out its new content, but im not sure if that applys to expansions. The PTR is also cool because you can have premade lvl 80s with gear to try it out with but again im not so sure if this applys to Cataclysm. I'll let you know when i find out.

If I had realized that Public Test Realm characters start at level 80, I would have rolled one the first day I started playing. I thought the PTR realm just copied an existing character over from a standard realm.

D'oh!

but the WORLD EVENT FOR CATACLYSM IS ALREADY STARTING!!!!

Eh? Please explain.

 

[Avesther]

The rumblings have been felt throughout Azeroth. Reports of Earthquakes in Desolace and other far of places have reached the ears of the heroes. Something is a foot, and it isn't pretty!

 

[Tek7]

If I had realized that Public Test Realm characters start at level 80, I would have rolled one the first day I started playing. I thought the PTR realm just copied an existing character over from a standard realm.

D'oh!

Nevermind. Turns out you have to have the Burning Crusade expansion to play on the PTR:

Note: Only World of Warcraft accounts which have been upgraded with The Burning Crusade expansion, and which have been active since a few weeks before this public test phase are currently eligible to participate on the public test realm. If your account was not active during this time, you will not be able to log in to the test realms. Please do not contact Blizzard about eligibility.

Source: Character Copy

 

[Goblit]

Last time I looked you can buy 30 day time cards at Best Buy in Canada....just a short drive away lol....I didn't ever find any when in the US though.

 

[grimsauce]

I know I'm getting off-topic, I know I've had a love/hate relationship with WoW, and I'm not saying the threat of addiction can be dismissed because some of the employees at Blizzard are outspoken Christians.

But I wanted to present an opposing viewpoint, especially since I've probably claimed, at one point or another, that WoW is designed to foster addiction.

Creators can only create the product. It's up to the individual user to decide how time and energy that product will consume.

The fact that I can let my time expire and return later without anything missing tells me that the game designers are confident in their product. Granted, with over 9 million subscribers, I don't think Blizzard has any reason to lack for confidence.

I still have my gripes about WoW and MMOs in general, but I can recognize and appreciate that Blizzard at least tires to curtail addiction.

Interesting thoughts..

I think I tend to look more pessimistically towards WoW's design. I think rest was implemented so that people could play WoW casually but still feel like they can compete with the hardcore players. Blizzard is seems to constantly make stuff that was hard to get for a while become much easier to get. (Badges of Heroism, honor points, etc) Hardcore gamers used to pvp all day and get their pvp rank up but you had to invest so much time to do so that they realized that a lot of the community was upset that they couldn't earn the gear.. so Blizzard made the points system and took out the ranks entirely so that with just a little pvp every now and then, and you can get your pvp gear. So, to me, rest just seems like another way for them to make the casual gamer happier, and earn more long run profit. (maybe not :\ ?)

 

[Tek7]

So, to me, rest just seems like another way for them to make the casual gamer happier, and earn more long run profit. (maybe not :\ ?)

The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Keeping casual gamers (the vast majority of WoW players) happy and helping set up roadblocks against addiction can go hand in hand.

I imagine it's a difficult balancing act to develop and maintain a quality service that draws people in, entertains both the casual and "core" players, and motivates a wide range of players to spend $15 a month for multiple years while still curbing addiction and avoiding exploiting your users for financial gain. I don't envy WoW's design team; they seem to have a real desire to walk that thin line as they continue building, re-shaping, and refining WoW.

While I still have my gripes (e.g. low quest item drop rates, boring herbalism/mining leveling, limited variety of quest types, dull combat), I recognize that WoW is the world's most popular MMO for good reasons.

 

[Bowser]

While I still have my gripes (e.g. low quest item drop rates, boring herbalism/mining leveling, limited variety of quest types, dull combat), I recognize that WoW is the world's most popular MMO for good reasons.

This coming from someone who hasn't seen past 50. lol

Unfortunately though, you're right on a lot of points. While I would argue that you don't have to have herbalism to play the game, professions should be a productive and fun skill to have. They just aren't.

As far as combat goes; combat can be a lot of fun in PvP or in end-game bosses/dungeons, but I don't think you've reached the level to appreciate the variety of abilities a character possesses nor the appropriate level to experience the really cool scripted boss encounters in the game (although they all do get dull eventually). Since you haven't been in an "end-cap" dungeon you're constantly partying with people of widely varying skill, level, and attitude. When you reach the more progression style dungeons things get a little bit more serious, and roles are defined a bit more and there are things that are expected of one's class that isn't as true for someone running older dungeons. Think of it as a curve, and since you're not at level 80 and haven't experienced the things everyone else has you're way behind and will remain so for a while.

And for questing; you're currently playing in a game that for the most part has not been changed in 5 (or more) years. The quests in TBC are a lot more engaging and fun, and they get even better in WotLK.

 

[Tek7]

And for questing; you're currently playing in a game that for the most part has not been changed in 5 (or more) years. The quests in TBC are a lot more engaging and fun, and they get even better in WotLK.

Which just confirms that letting the account time expire and returning after Cataclysm is released is the wisest course of action at this time.

And while combat may get more interested in later level (i.e. 50 and beyond), what would motivate a user to trudge through 49 levels of less exciting combat to get there?

It's been argued that WoW "starts" at the max level (currently 80). I would argue that a flaw in game design. A game should be an enjoyable experience at all stages of progression. Having to "work" to get to level X defeats the purpose of the game. Just because MMO players have become accustomed to the "grind to the next level" mindset doesn't mean it's good or even acceptable game design.