Hey Spiral Knights! A few veterans may recognize me as the one guy who was active on the Gremlin Chatter ages ago. Ever since I began to play SK, I knew that there was something within this game, not just detailed spectacle or a bursting F2P MMO when first introduced to Steam. There was this sense of exploration, something new within every level, and waiting for those extra minutes to have exactly 10 mist points to go on one more level before logging off for the day. Of course, things changed. Updates slowed down, the mist system was removed, Radiant Crystals were more difficult to get... and Spiral Knights began to lose a little bit of its original luster. Of course, I chugged onward, and it was only a week before my birthday when I finally reached Vanguard rank, back when the mist tanks were still abused for 2* crafts. Eventually, I became used to grinding FSC for crowns, materials, orbs, etc. and was content.

However, when I looked back to when I had to leave early on my first run in the Jelly King's palace, the willpower I had when I slowly chipped away at nearby Roturrets using the ineffective Rigadoon, and the amazement I had when I got a 4* Owlite Shield from a box, I still could feel joy for the expectation for a new experience. But once I hit the endgame, it was nothing but a grindfest. I did trade in most of my CE for Steam games, which kept me motivated to play more, but I began to grow tired from not having an update for over a year. With all of the hype for the gunner update long gone, I decided to quit Spiral Knights. Not out of resentment, but just from disappointment of how the game could have evolved even more to have a greater sense of exploration, the very thing which the game's own plot revolves around: going to a NEW level on a NEW planet with a fresh, NEW experience. Of course, I did choose to grind Vanaduke instead of "exploring" the same Arcade levels over and over again.

New updates did come, although most were for cosmetics and prize boxes. There were the dust bunny levels, anniversary boss fights, the Halloween levels, the Apocrea mazes, the giant crafting overhaul... but they were short and didn't add much to exploration other than for the thirty minutes the new levels offered. I understood that levels couldn't be designed, created, and released at a hummingbird's flap, but I knew deep inside of me that Spiral Knights was dying. Even if I stayed long enough to experience the new batch of guns in the new update, I knew that it would not be worth staying for another month, three months, or what could have been another year. I didn't need to make an "I'm quitting SK" thread to prove it. I told my Guild Master, gave her a few things, and left. I had no regrets.

Two years (or however long since I last logged in to SK) later, I decided to look up my username (Usevnsevnsixfivfor, and I still use U77654 to this day) under the Spiral Knights forum just to see what I was like only three to four years ago. I could tell that I was quite different, and half the posts I made were ones that I could not imagine myself posting today. But it was fun to reminisce. Spiral Knights, before I hit the FSC grindstone, was fun. I enjoyed it.

Does this mean that I have interest in coming back? No. I don't have motivation at all. I do feel nostalgia listening to the memorable title screen music and going on YouTube to listen to the game's soundtrack and feeling all my previous adventures flow through me as I listened to the memories... But I know that I may have to forget about reminiscing over this game eventually. I have gained interest in other games too. I do Nuzlockes and am going through FFII and school (best game ever 10/10). I said goodbye without needing to have to tear myself away from this game.

Now, I know that there are many of you Spiral Knights out there who may be going through the game's grinding phase at the end, but if you feel that you don't have ANYMORE interest or motive in SK, then do yourself a favor and follow what your brain is really telling you. For those who are going through the missions right now: If you still enjoy Spiral Knights, grinding or not, then KEEP GOING. This game will be enjoyable, especially when there are missions to do. The grinding will definitely take some time, but you will feel the reward soon enough. To some, this comes out as a mixed message. Should I stay or should I go? The answer, I think, is to see how far you have come in this game and see what there is left to do. Do you feel like you have invested enough time into SK? Are there still missions that you are excited to complete? Have you already hit the endgame wall and grinded for a 5* set or two? I don't mean to sound teach-y, but ultimately, the choice is yours. If you haven't done the missions, keep going. If you have, and have done some/all of the endgame activities (guild building, PvP, OCH, etc.), then don't feel obligated to stay. I love this game as much as the rest of you, but SK has its playtime limits.

So why did I bother making this post after three years from an MMO in a dormant, slowly wilting state? Because I loved it. And for the rest of the Spiral Knights out there, it is okay to change interests or go to a different genre of games, or even a whole new form of media. This game... I wonder to this day how the servers are servers are still running after... somewhere around eight years? Maybe I will find out, maybe I won't. Maybe Nick left his credit card on his old desk before leaving the office. So, how are things going in Spiral Knights? Not just in terms of updates, but also changes within the community, events held by OOO, or even new projects SK related that have left a mark on Spiral Knights.

I do miss playing this game of course, but it would be impossible for me to properly go back without feeling regret. But I will do my best to keep the memories I have of this game with me. How I was confused at how elevators first worked, what the weird cyan bar was at the bottom-right of the screen, when 100CE was worth 3,000cr, how I would only have time to do one or two levels within a single Arcade run before missions were introduced, how I would make silly posts on the Gremlin Chatter and improve my typing speed on my phone, how surprised I was to become an Officer in the very active guild "Lionheart", how dumbfounded I was when Prismatic Vees were everywhere for free, how I still remembered to pull out my dusty and favored Rigadoon and upgrade it to 5* and actually use it, even post-Achreon buff. This game will create memories and bonds despite how obvious it is that this is a video game and not a vacation in... well, anywhere. Thank you, OOO, for making Spiral Knights a fun, enjoyable, and remarkable experience. I wish you the best luck in whatever you do next.