The five steps of retirement: Denial — As the reality of level loss is hard to face, one of the first reactions to follow the retirement is Denial. The player is trying to shut out the reality or magnitude of his/her situation, and begins to develop a false, preferable reality.
Anger — Once in the second gen, the player recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the player is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. The player in question can be angry with himself, or with other players, or at the admins, and especially those who are on the item balance team. Certain psychological responses of a player undergoing this gen would be: "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; '"Who is to blame?"; "Why would chadz let this happen?"
Bargaining — The third stage involves the hope that the player can somehow undo or avoid a cause of grief. Usually, the negotiation for a free respec is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed playstyle. Other times, they will use anything valuable as a bargaining chip against another player to extend or prolong their previous gen. In essence, the individual cannot totally move into acceptance yet acknowledges the fact that what has happened cannot be undone. Players facing less serious trauma can bargain or seek to negotiate a compromise. For example, one may say "Can I still sign up for strat battles?" when facing a full roster. Bargaining rarely provides a sustainable solution, especially if it is a matter of gold or looms.
Depression — "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"; "I'm going to die soon so what's the point?"; "I miss my old clanmates, why go on?" During the fourth gen, the grieving player begins to understand the certainty of retirement. Much like the existential concept of The Void, the idea of grinding to a high level becomes pointless. Things begin to lose meaning to the player. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse Steam messages and spend much of the time crying and playing other games. This process allows the grieving player to disconnect from things of love and affection, possibly in an attempt to avoid further trauma. Depression could be referred to as the dress rehearsal for the 'aftermath'. It is a kind of acceptance with emotional attachment. It is natural to feel sadness, regret, fear, and uncertainty when going through character retirement. Feeling those emotions shows that the player has begun to accept the situation. Oftentimes, this is the ideal path to take, to find closure and make their ways to the fifth step, Acceptance.
Acceptance — "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it." In this last stage, players begin to come to terms with their new build or inevitable future patches, or losing a strat battle, or other tragic event. This stage varies according to the player's situation. People retiring can enter this stage a long time before the character they play is ready to retire again. The character must pass through their own individual stages of dealing with getting reset to level 1. This typically comes with a calm, retrospective view for the character, and a stable mindset.
