The art of going to bed

Have you got any habit when you're logging out from the game for the night? Where is you're character going to bed? The question was put from one of the blogging colleagues at WOW Insider and it made me start thinking. How am I doing myself?

I think it's varied during the year that I've been playing. While levelling up, of course I was careful always logging out in an inn. Sometimes it could be in a major town, being a mage I've got the privilege being able to teleport, but mostly I stayed in the faraway corner of the world where I was for the time being. If you've once dragged yourself the whole way to Tanaris you're not very keen on doing the journey again if you don't need to. In those days I also used to give Larisa a nice bed to sleep in. If sleeping is what you're going to do, well do it. She went up to the second floor, putting her body into the oversized bed like a little Goldie lock on visit to the bears. Close your eyes, start snoring - log out.

It took me quite a while before I could accept that Larisa actually wasn't visible to any other player when I wasn't online. Suddenly a huge muscle package, a dwarf or - oh horrible thought - a human warrior - could come and just throw himself out on the bed, half and half suffocating my little gnome, sleeping every so innocently, though invisible. Sometimes I happened to log in exactly in the same time as another player and had a terrible wakeup, squeezed under a big heap of meat. Yak.

As time has passed, after dinging 70, another pattern has developped, which I probably share with many other players. I usually log out in Stormwind. For a long time I kept the habit of logging out in an Inn, so I always went to the closest one, by the fountain, sitting down on a chair. Nowadays I care less and less and usually desert Larisa somewhere in the street, strategically placed between the places I usually visit - the bank, AH, the reagents shop and the repair place. She's standing up, she doesn't get any sleep emote, I even don't let her sit down, the poor little creature.

Why Stormwind and not in the middle of the terrain? Now as rested XP doesn't matter anymore, I could as well leave Azeroth standing on a stone in Netherstorm, as being in the capital. It's a relevant question to ask. And I have to admit that Stormwind is the worst place to be in when it comes to beggars, spammers and people who are crazy and disturbing in general, but nevertheless, I like keeping everything necessary in such a close distance. And I happen to find my way there pretty well, in contrast to Ironforge and Darnassus, where I on this very day have to ask guardians for the way to different places. Standing in Stormwind I can easily make the errands I need to do next time I log in. Maybe I have to bring some special thing from AH to the adventures of the day, maybe I need something in the bank. Everything is there, in the distance of an arm length.

Another habit of mine is to always, always get Larisa back to shape after the adventures of the night. You just can't go asleep without being 100 percent repaired imo. It's just like brushing your teeth. It will disturb your night sleep unless you do something about it. Reagents have to be replaced as well. It doesn't matter how many hours the raid is overdue or how fast the time is ticking down before it's time to go to work. I simply have to keep ten runes of each sort for teleport and portals and 40 arcane powder for int buff and food. If possible I want to replace what I've used by healing and mana potions as well, so they're safe in the bag next time I'll log on.

If I know I'm about to raid Karazhan the very next day I'll let go of the Stormwind concept and head for Dead Wing Pass. Just to be sure in case I'll be late.

Be ready. Always. That's my motto when it comes to logging out. I never know what pleasures will be waiting for me next time Larisa logs on. Maybe there'll come a whisper from someone who's up for some fun. And then I prefer if I don't have to say: "OK, I only need to....". I want to call out: Yes, of course! OMW!".

The hardest thing about going to bed is of course to tear yourself away from the game, realizing it's really time to leave it. To let go of that funny conversation in the guild chat, to stop window shopping at AH, to understand that midnight and the hours after hardly is the right time of the day to arrange your bags in a new way or to move around the spells on the action bars.

Maybe the best way to let go is to see the logging out as the first step on the road to the adventures that are lying ahead. When I log out I don't only end the game night - I'm also building the ground, appointing the starting point for my visit in Azeroth.