Legendary WoW guild quits hardcore raiding for good

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There are always some constants we can rely on in WoW, even with the MMO's constant updates—max-level night elf rogues stalking poor low-leveled suckers in Horde starter zones, perpetual bargains at Stormwind's cheese shop, Exodus reigning at the top of the raiding charts... oh, wait. That last one is no more, signalling the end of an era in the hardcore raiding scene.

He insists it's not the game's fault—rather, it's that of the raiding community. "It's certainly becoming a more difficult breed to be a part of," he explains. "What I mean by this is of course the time commitment and the level of shear dedication and determination it takes and costs to be at the very top... Unfortunately we (hardcore raiders) pushed too hard. Tier after tier we just keep adding to the insanity in both farming preparations and actual progressing. It's almost as if progression itself never really ends after a end tier boss dies. Combine this with Blizzard actually putting new content out faster, alts playing a big role, PTR/BETA, dailys, coins, BMAH, well... you just get lost in it all."

Oh, no—whose armory pages are we going to look at for gearing guidance now? But seriously, having a top guild acknowledge the insane amount of time and energy that raiding eats up is a fairly big deal, and I wonder if it'll signal the departure of several more hardcore guilds in the near future. As a former progression raider myself, I know how difficult balancing raiding commitments and the real world can be. Will this acknowledgement inspire Blizzard to provide more options for casual players, maybe? Will Exodus retire to a life of farming oversized melons in the Valley of the Four Winds?