How will I feel, when the end comes..

I am feeling melancholy today as I almost reach a pinnacle for only the second time in MMO gaming...reaching max level in any MMO.

The only other game to keep me long enough to feel any type of completion was Guild Wars. But, this game proved that level 20 was never the end, with the multitude of story and missions. PvP was plentiful, and to actually have a reason to go on, even when you reached max, to have your own Cutscene ending...was just a marvel in this genre.

Some argue Guild Wars is NOT an MMO, and I still beg to differ. And if it is not? Then more MMO's should be like Guild Wars.

So many of these games in this genre have proven to be tedious and mind numbingly boring once you reach a certain level. With constant grind, same ole, same ole quests, boring combat, and more.

Do not get me started on crafting for example.

GW took away all of this.

I thought after playing WoW, EQ2, Tabula Rasa, DDO, LOTRO, Lineage 2, Silkroad, etc, etc...that I could never find that magic again.

Then, Age of Conan appeared.

I felt it. I had a story. The combat was fast and furious. The massive mobs attacking you, and you always feeling victorious (or lost and dead, even though you took another crack at it, as you learned how to handle it). This game was it.

But, the bugs at launch, and a team of developers who seemed to not care. Little content at higher level. It was horrible.

I left after 3 months.

The game was taken over though, and changes were made, and I returned. It was good. And then I saw it. I could actually do this. A long term MMO like AoC could keep me til the bitter end. I was actually getting to max level!!

And it may be bitter. As I see some issues with how content for endgame is being handled, and there are concerns of course that thanks to the game not having a large population (even though I could be fooled into thinking this, as when I look around, it seems busy, but the numbers say it is failing...), and a massive patch that some are calling an NGE (Star Wars fans lament us and our games pitiful developers), it could be over.

But, thanks to Age of Conan, I can experience some things I have not done before (Raids, Engame PvP, SIEGES!!), I think I will be here until I know for sure if this is what I want or not.

I am now halfway through level 78 thanks to another DMC grind group (fun as hell!!) and this mornings raid. I may not even have to wait much longer until that 80 DINGS!

Let us just hope that this does not mean "Game Over, man!" (shout out to the Hudson!)