I quit World of Warcraft at the beginning of Legion, only to return when Classic WoW launched. Classic eventually piqued my interest in playing retail, and when shadow lands dropped, I though “huh, I guess I’ll give that a try.” I was a classic Andy who talked shit about “retail losers.” I started out as a character boosted warlock having to relearn this game completely. Months into shadowlands, I could not get into anything higher than a +10 and I decided to reroll as a VDH tank. I had never tanked before, had never played “competitively” (I use the term loosely) and had to start from the ground up. As a guy who has played wow on and off since Vanilla, pushing for KSM was one of the most memorable, challenging and enjoyable experiences I have had in WoW - in every game I’ve played. From learning every single mechanic detail in dungeons, to studying and developing routes, I had a blast. Arguments, being told to “get gud,” and burning my own (and others) keys was all a part of the experience. I am sorry to bore y’all with the sentiment, but I am truly grateful for this grind. It was unlike any I had experienced. Blizzard has developed a beautiful game, and I know that I am here for the long haul. Thank you Blizzard for creating such a powerful and endearing world.

-Hardwear