One player managed to turn what was initially a very negative experience into a positive friendship. While the original encounter described below was not the most friendly, it eventually blossomed into a friendship that still sticks in the player's mind today.
Much in the same way a student might reaction to a professor's bad grade, the player also felt very hurt at first. But instead of giving up, he used that as a learning experience to motivate himself to become a better player. The lasting impression left on this player is not diminished to him because it happened online; it feels just as real as any other encounter in a similar vein might feel.
There’s a bit of a back story here. Feel free to skip the following and start at the next single line.
I was 16 or so at the time I started playing in 2006. I had an Undead Rogue on a friend’s account (of course I did) before I finally got my own. Rolled on Bleeding Hollow horde and joined a very small family guild. I can’t remember specifically when I started but I broke level 50 during the Naxx patch event. I was 60 a few weeks after it ended.
I won’t lie, I was garbage. I was completely and utterly terrible at playing a Rogue. This was the case for a long time, months even. The family guild I was in wasn’t doing anything worthwhile so I decided to leave them and join another guild after doing UD Strath [a 5-person dungeon] with one of the officers. I started getting into ZG/AQ20/Public MC [20 and 40-person raids] groups, nothing amazing but you know it was tougher to gear up then.
Somehow we began to work with one of the top guilds on the server. If my memory serves correctly they were pretty deep into Naxx at this point. Our officers and their officers got to be pretty friendly so one in particular decided to come with us on one of our ZG runs.
He was a Rogue and he went by Vipersvnk.
He called out every terrible thing I did and told me that I was probably one of the worst Rogues he’d ever seen. In fact I was one of the worst players he’d ever seen. He may have told me I should’ve quit the game, I don’t recall. I felt terrible.
Luckily, I’m stubborn and I wasn’t gonna let some asshole over the internet get me to quit this game I loved. So I asked him if he’d teach me or help me learn to be better. He was reluctant at first but he agreed.
Fast forward a month or two, we had just finished ZG again where both Viper and I were present. At this point he was practically an officer in our guild so he pulled me into his Vent Channel and I’ll never forget what he told me.
“Lucinth, I was wrong and I want to tell you I’m sorry. You’re not a terrible Rogue and in fact you have the potential to be one of the best. I’m impressed at all of the progress you’ve made in the last few months and I’m honored that I was the one bring this out of you.”
After that I would go as far to say he was one of my closest friends. We lost him for a time during BC and when he came back I quit the game. I know he played as recently as August of last year and I hope that one day I’ll be able to show him just how far I’ve come since that day.
I am the owner of the Amani War Bear. I got to raid Sunwell when it was still current content. I got to be one of the best geared Paladins on the server.
And it’s all because of you. I miss you buddy and if you’re out there somewhere I hope you’ll get in contact with me.
I felt terrible.
It was a jerk move to be sure but after the raid he tore me apart.
I miss you buddy
I got to be in a cutting edge raiding guild. I was the raid leader for my little group of idiots. I got to see and kill Mythic Garrosh (after 6.0 but before WoD). I’ve completed CM Gold in both Mists and Warlords. I have every class at 90+ and I have the ability to play every single one of them in every single spec at a level enough to push content.
