Nobody likes a nubcake. People who don't know how to play the game make it harder for those who do. For the most part, I think this is a true statement. That is why most veterans try hard to stop being a nub and get to know the game. However, I feel many of the players on wowrage are
not veterans, but rather super-casual players. Many of these players have never even played retail WoW! So, since the amount of noobs to WoW is overwhelming, I figured I'd put together a guide to help those who want to enjoy the game more and play with the vets.
So I'll start this guide with the optional steps: Play Retail WoW!: Having played a character to 60 or beyond on retail WoW since its launch means you've probably played about a month of WoW. Since retail WoW takes so much longer than WowRage to level and get items, players can usually rest assured that they probably know their class by the time they hit lvl 60. Because it takes so long to do anything compared to WowRage, a player gets much more familiar with the WoW world. So, having experience and knowing beforehand where NPCs, quests and items are will immediately give you an edge over the other players, and other vets will often recognize and acknowledge your experience. Experience
can be obtained on WowRage, but I think it is a slightly uphill battle.
Use Add-Ons!: Add-ons aren't cheating, and are designed to make playing WoW an easier experience.
www.curse.com has a great many add-ons that you can look at and download. Various uses range from
TitanBar (I use it) which puts much of your information at the borders of the screen so you don't have to open tabs to look at how much gold or honor you have; and
Omen or
KLH Threat Meter (I use when raiding) which tells you where you are in relation to threat so that you don't rip aggro off a boss - doing this repeatedly will quickly get you kicked from a group and never asked back; to
AtlasLoot (I love it) which tells you what drops off every instance in the game and then some. These are but three of the many add-ons available, and I know another WowRage member promoted one that eases quests for those who hate alt+tab'ing. I really suggest using these add-ons to reduce the number of "where'd you get that?" requests vets so often receive.
Then we have the steps that I believe are mandatory: Don't ask stupid questions!: Nothing makes you look dumber than broadcasting to every high-level player on WowRage that you have no idea what a Primal Earth is or what it's for. No matter what the reason, it is never a smart idea to say this in the LFG channel (or any channel, for that matter) because people don't want to group with others that don't seem to know what's going on. I will cover who and where to ask said questions in the following step...
Consult the websites!: For all our sakes, please consult the plethora of WoW websites designed to aid players!!
www.thottbot.com,
www.wowwiki.com,
www.wowhead.com, and more are all available at the push of a button. WowWiki, for example, has talent builds for every class, summaries of basic class strategies, all the strategies in instances, where what drops and from who, details of all the talents, and so much more. I really suggest to every player on WowRage to use the exact same procedure I use when I have a question regarding WoW: 1) ask a guild member or known friend. These people are not the random other players of WowRage, and they will not make you feel like shit for asking, thus making them the fastest way to inquiry about something. If they don't know, 2) immediately alt+tab and consult WowWiki or WowHead. This will actually take
less time than trying to ask the many players of WowRage and will prevent you from looking like a complete dumbass.
Follow directions!: When in a raid, listen to the raid leader! I heard reports of a horrific Karazhan run where many members of the raid blatantly ignored the directions given, which resulted in multiple unnecessary wipes. On top of that, each of said members Needed on everything the instant a boss was downed on Group Loot, despite never being able to wear such items. This kind of behavior is an excellent way of
never getting invited back to a raid. Whoever is raid leader is such for a reason, and there's a reason their chat color is different from the rest of the raid. They know what to do, and their job is to make the raid a success. You will have a chance for items that you
need if you play by the rules. So stop being so concerned about yourself, and listen to what the leader is saying.
These are very easy steps that will go a LOOONG way to turning you from a nub to a vet. I've played WoW for over three years now, and this is my advice to all new players.
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