With Lich King looming large, and the school year (and thus teaching) fast approaching, it’s time to make some decisions. How much time do I want to commit to WoW, and how much time do I want to commit to raiding?

Recently, we have continued to make progress. We’ve continued to clear 5/6 in SSC, and we made some quality (but still futile) attempts at Vashj. I also climbed up the DSK list and managed to snag both Crystalforge Handguards and Crystalforge Legguards. This allowed me to replace my T4 gloves and shoulders with T5 gloves and shoulders for regular tanking. The T5 leggings are reserved for AoE tanking/block value, where I prefer to use the T4 shoulders.

The 2 piece set bonus is great for Hyjal tanking, though.

We’re heading back into TK this week, and we anticipate clearing 3/4 bosses there. In our weekly Hyjal attempts, we managed to grind through the Kazrogal trash, and took him down after a couple attempts - bringing our progression to 3/5 in MH.

How Long Do You Keep Going?

Most raiders are probably considering this same question. How long do you keep raiding until WotLK comes out?

By most estimates, WotLK will be released in the next 3 months or so. The gear you gather raiding may or may not be useful - for Tankadins, it almost definitely is not. The main reason to continue raiding, then, is to progress and see new bosses.

On that front, I think I’ve hit a bit of a wall. Our runs are relatively low on DPS, and I doubt we’ll be able to down Vashj. We also have trouble with perfect execution, so even if we get through Azgalor (who’s trash will be a challenge in its own right), I don’t think we’d be able to get Archimonde. The only avenue left is BT, and unless we cut TK and SSC out, we simply don’t have time in our raid schedule to continue on.

Decision Time

This put me in a tough spot. Continue raiding, killing the same bosses, and perhaps gathering some loot for Lich King. Ret loot would be moderately useful, but most tanking gear will be junk. On the other hand, I could stop raiding and devote my play time to something… else.

After a bit of deliberation, I opted for “something else.”

I gave my raid leader a heads up that I would be “retiring” from raiding until Lich King. I gave her two weeks notice, and this weekend will be my last official weekend of raiding - although I’m sure I’ll get drug in from time to time as an alternate.

That leaves one more item on the agenda - determine the goals I’d like to accomplish before Lich King is released. One thing is for sure. I’m re-speccing Ret and focusing on PVP with my Paladin. I’ve spent the last two weeks grinding honor, and I love it.

But there have to be other goals… so more on that later.