The Five Stages of Server Shutdown
Ever had an unexpected server restart? Unsure what to do on these occasions? Never fear, for WoW Insider's handy pocket guide to server shutdowns will help you through the process:
Disbelief.
[SERVER] Shutdown in 15:00 flashes on the screen. A murmur ripples through all the chat channels: did I just see what I think I saw? Did you see it too? Are we really being shut down? It's very important to check with your friends just in case someone's managed to play a dirty trick on you. If you don't have any friends, the LookingForGroup channel will welcome you with open arms.
Anger.
Once enough people have confirmed that the shutdown is happening, those involved in complicated tasks -- and even those just idling in cities -- get angry. Chances are the shutdown happened at the worst possible time -- you just encountered a boss in BWL, you're four hours into a four-hour-and-five-minutes BG queue, or you're this close to finishing a quest. Instead of finishing what you're doing, start expressing this rage via all chat channels available to you.
Acceptance.
Okay, it's gonna happen, and the timer flashing up reminds you it's gonna happen soon. So you start a little finishing up what you started, you tie up a couple of loose ends, hearth and then... well, there's a little time to kill before the event...
Silliness.
...so join the millions of others on the Ironforge AH bridge who are huddling together for warmth at this apocalyptic moment. (And, coincidentally, trying to force the server to crash before it actually shuts down.) But just standing there isn't good enough! It's time for phase 5!
SPAM!
Now the LookingForGroup channel comes into its own. Fill it up with as much spam as you can, /yell your little heart out, fire off your worst macros and AOE spells. When you're bored of that, if there's a little time to kill, start tearing into the other spammers -- if you're lucky you might get banned from LFG!
