Lessons from The World of Warcraft

All I really Need To Know I learned from Fighting Orcs.

1. Join a Guild.
Commit to a team of people banded together toward a common goal. A group with diverse backgrounds, talents, and skills can help solve problems, complete quests, share knowledge, equipment, and support. A great guild can help you advance player levels as quickly as possible.

2. Share your Magic.
Have a power, skill, or talent that someone else does not? Would you normally share this skill is asked to do so?

Then, why wait to be asked?
Nothing can give a person’s day a positive spin like a little bit of magic or unexpected assistance thrown their way.

‘Cast a spell’ over someone as you pass them by. In WoW they are called “buffs’ — little power bonuses to increase another player’s armor or strength for a limited amount of time. What sort of buffs can you bestow upon a friend, coworker, family member, (or complete stranger!) as you interact with them today?

3. Dragons are more easily slain when someone’s got your back.
The quest/tasks in WoW are designed to be challenging, and some are specifically designed to be completed in groups. You need trusted allies (see ‘Join a Guild’ above) in order to survive these threats.

But, what if you’re of a level high enough to sweep in and grab the prize without harm? Or perhaps you’ve successfully completed a task that another player is just now facing? How about watching the back of someone else who is just now encountering a trial you’ve already faced? You both get to gain experience from it, and the lower level player gets to benefit a bit from your wisdom.

4. Expand your Network.
There are dozens of unique villages and towns throughout the World of Warcraft. Within each town are specific characters that can help you along the way. These shop owners and skill trainers can help you grow stronger by sharing knowledge and selling you tools and weapons to accomplish your quests.

Just knowing the right people in the right towns can prove valuable knowledge in the game. The most frequently asked questions in the game chat window are usually about finding specific characters within the individual towns.

Don’t be so focused on completing a single task that you miss interacting with the people and surroundings you encounter along the — the extra time spent building your network of people can make completing the next task much easier.

5. Do all your Trogg hunting at once.
Already have a trip planned to Old Town or the Dwarven city of Iron Forge? Why not see if any quests need completed along the way and in the surrounding area? Nothing can slow you down more than realizing while you were busy killing Troggs who were terrorizing the town, another quest in the same area was going to ask you to collect their teeth or bandanas — requiring to go out Trogg hunting a second time.

Combine your tasks and share your quests with others. Completing multiple goals will help all members of the adventuring party advance more quickly.

6. Enjoy the Scenery
There is a lot of beauty in the details of this game. Don’t get so wrapped up in checking quests off your to-do list, that you miss your surroundings.

Look up and enjoy the sunny sky. Climb the mountains and gaze upon lush forests and cool streams. Stare up at the stars in the night sky and don’t forget to keep an eye on the horizon — you just never know when you’ll see a gryphon flying by.

If you see Falchion the human warrior adventuring on the Gilneas server, be sure to say “Hi” to the Idea Guy!