I’ve been playing MMOs of one form or another for almost seven years now, and they’ve ranged from good old text MUDs to high-end graphic masterpieces. I’ve stayed the longest with FFXI, with LOTRO and EVE Online in second and third places respectively. I had quit EVE before starting FFXI, because well… it’s EVE. Excel in Space! I started playing LOTRO once I got a PC that could handle it graphically, and I played it and FFXI concurrently, since my husband played, and couldn’t get into FFXI. When I decided to take a break from FFXI last fall, I played LOTRO full-time and enjoyed it greatly. I should add here that I’m a huge Tolkien geek, so I’m sure that had something to do with it as well.

That’s not to say that it didn’t have its problems. My main character there is a Minstrel, a healing class. I play a Hunter as well, and took them both to max level, but Minstrel was always my first love. I was excited to play through the Mines of Moria (LOTRO’s first paid expansion) when it was released last November, and because the release coincided with my getting bored and frustrated with FFXI, it was a happy fix. Then, problems started showing up once I had completed just about everything there was to offer in LOTRO on my Minstrel. I did the trait grind, I did the rep grind, I did the instance grind. The only thing I didn’t do was raid or partake in PvMP (PvP in LOTRO), since neither of those activities are any fun for me. That left me with a tough choice:

Keep logging in, working on low level characters and doing the same content I’ve already done, or something else…

My husband was talking about going back to EVE, which sounded interesting, so I resubbed there and have messed around with it for a bit. It doesn’t really fill my “fantasy MMO” craving though, so I turned back to my old friend FFXI. I’ve been back for a few weeks now, and it feels great. I don’t feel the need to grind all the time, or bust my butt to get a specific piece of eq. Some nights, I’ve just sat in my Mog House (oh, how I missed my MH) and chatted with my KnightsBrigade friends. It’s been a wonderful experience to come back and just enjoy the game for what it is, and the people that make it special instead of viewing it as a constant grindfest, which is unfortunately what my mindset was when I decided to take a break.

The additions that Squenix has made to the game have certainly helped in that regard. I am a HUGE fan of Fields of Valor, and the recent WHM update. WHM now has even more tools to do what they do best, which is keep people alive. I haven’t tried MMM yet, and I’m not sure if I’m going to. I’ve also only done the first few missions of ACP, and that seems pretty decent so far as well. (Yes, I’ve read all of the negativity towards it on the forums, but I’m not really interested in busting it out in a few hours… I’ll take my time with it.)

I’m going to take SMN to 75 next, if I’m able. SMN is one of my favorite Final Fantasy jobs, and I’ve been having more fun playing it solo for the last little while than I ever have before. Now though, I’m to the point where I really need to get Fenrir, so while I’m waiting for that to happen, I decided that I’m going to level some of the melee jobs that have looked appealing to me. So far, I’ve started on DNC and I’m really enjoying it. I’m thinking of taking it to 18 for now to use as a sub to solo NIN or other jobs with. If I like it, I may take it higher, who knows!?

Anyways… it’s good to be back. It’s good to take a break every now and then, I think. Stepping away gives you some perspective, and allows you to clarify what your goals and intentions are. It allows you to see what’s really important to you, and lets you figure out why it is that you play whatever game it is you play. Sometimes we can get blinded by the next shiny piece of gear, or the accumulation of gil/money, and we forget that we’re playing this game, taking part in this persistent world that has been created by Squenix, because we want to have fun. That’s what it all comes down to in my opinion, at least.