If someone was born the same day World of Warcraft was released – November 23, 2004 – they would almost be able to legally drink in the United States. While it wasn’t the first MMO, it codified much of what players have come to expect from the genre in substantial ways. With over 20 years of content available, there is a lot of stuff World of Warcraft fans can do.
However, this also means there are plenty of things that players shouldn’t do. World of Warcraft is an MMORPG and, like every online game, social interaction is more or less unavoidable. Between encounters with other people, mechanics that have developed within the game over two decades, and trends in the genre as a whole, there are several “cardinal sins” fans should be sure to avoid in World of Warcraft.
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What Not to Do in World of Warcraft
Don’t Play Only One Character
Some MMORPGs incentivize players to focus on a single character. World of Warcraft, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Between faction stories, Heritage Armor questlines, and class-specific content, it is literally impossible to experience everything on a single toon. With two factions, 25 races, and 38 specializations spread across 13 classes, there are plenty of combinations that altoholics in World of Warcraft can fill their whopping 65 character slots with.
A great deal of content has been shareable across characters for a long time, including mounts, pets, and transmogs. This was further expanded with the Warbands system in WoW: The War Within. Marketed as “account-wide everything,” these features made many currencies and reputations shared as well. Needless to say, not having any alts is actually limiting, as content like Timewalking can be completed on multiple characters to benefit their whole account.
Don’t Pull Ahead of the Tank
World of Warcraft subscribes to the “Holy Trinity” of the RPG genre – tank, healer, and DPS. In group content, the tank’s responsibility is to keep the attention of enemies while the DPS defeat them. This means tanks usually set the pace of the dungeon, not the rest of the party.
Though Leeroy Jenkins is an iconic World of Warcraft meme, he is not an example DPS or healers should aspire to. Pulling ahead of the tank is a quick way to earn their ire; at best, it could start an argument, and at worst, it could get the offending person kicked from the party.
Spreading Oneself Too Thin
WoW has so much content, and Blizzard is constantly announcing more. Mythic+ dungeons, Delves, raids, world activities, world quests, reputation and Renown farming, limited-time events, achievement hunting, transmog runs, Pet Battles, and countless other activities all constantly vie for the attention of fans. There is always more to do, and only so much time to do it, which can easily overwhelm players and create executive dysfunction where nothing gets done at all.
The best way to approach World of Warcraft is in moderation. Trying to do everything at once, or allowing FOMO to force one to do something they don’t want to do, will breed resentment and lead to burnout. Fans should set realistic goals, pace themselves, and use their time wisely.
If an activity provides extra rewards or chances the first time players clear it each day or week on an account, they shouldn’t waste time grinding it on other characters if it only brings them misery.
Don’t Stand In the Fire
Though this phrase is a well-known meme, it didn’t come from thin air. Ever since the first raids from Vanilla, bosses in World of Warcraft have covered the ground in dangerous AoEs, persistent damage zones, and other hazards. It can be easy to ignore this while focusing on dealing damage, but unless one seeks to anger their healer, it is imperative that they avoid these danger zones, be it fire or otherwise. After all, a dead raider won’t be topping any DPS charts.