I’ve found the IC and OOC toggle very important for putting myself in the right state of mind.
I always act VERY differently when I’m IC and OOC. When I’m OOC, just doing regular game things, I jump around frantically with the goblin rocket jump + disengage and in general move in a hurry from place to place. Always on a flying mount. Never stopping.
That is for regular gameplay, that is.
When I switch my character to IC, I feel like it’s time to immerse myself in RP. I don’t always even do it for RP with other people and just turn it on by myself. Often I’ll just log on and wander around Bilgewater Harbor, doing menial tasks. Aaaaall inside my head. I’ll pop on some audiobook or stream and wander around, just being a goblin mechanic. Then, if another RPer happens by, I’m completely in character when they ask what I’m up to.
“What I’m up to?! Part of the pipeline on the south side of town sprung a leak and was pissing oil ALL OVER THE STREET the WHOLE MORNING! Aaaaand guess who had to patch it up. I swear, I feel like this whole island would fall apart without me sometimes.”
I don’t know if other people just… Hang out, partly IC like this, but that’s definitely a thing the IC/OOC toggle comes in handy for me. It gives me a clear separation between two different sides of the game.
Many RPers create story for their characters that is vastly different from in-game story. Someone might RP simple peasant, student of magic, soldier, researcher, tailor, all kinds of concepts for which flying around on a giant dragon, killing naga in Nazjatar doesn´t make sense.
Gameplay and roleplay are simply two completely different things for lots of us and I wouldn´t call it sad.
Why’d I flag myself as IC when I am questing in a zone my character would never realistically go to or do arenas my character wouldn’t participate in?
Should I also kill my character IC when I die while doing content?
I personally keep OOC toggled as I frankly don’t RP in-game, if they added more animations I prob would but having to write half a novel just tp describe what my character does is off-putting to say the least.
Obviously I overexagurate on the emote writing, but I’m honest in not RPing in-game :^)
Disturbing a character when questing can be a bit of an oof though, depending on what they’re doing.
Killing wolves to help peasants? Yeah most probably have a story for that.
Disturbing one who has just slain an elite mindbender and retinue of naga? Bit more complex. Not everyone has an IC reason to be there and you may put someone in a wierd position if you bypass their OOC. It depends.
My hunter is a humble Mushan breeder. He’s done a stint as a pikeman, but he has no IC reason to be at nazjatar.
My warrior however is an achillean parody who fancies himself as the greatest warrior ever so he throws himself into these situations to live out his own hype and try and force his “legendary” reputation into being.
