The latest entry into the crowded MMO market, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft (WoW), has only been on the shelves for two months, and is already receiving praise as one of the least time consuming MMO games. Blizzard has perfected gameplay techniques that reward the individual who may not have much time to invest on a daily basis; however it is up to the player to take advantage of game mechanics to maximize his playtime in the most efficient manner possible. It is the goal of this document to help explain these systems within WoW to help individuals use their time effectively.

The Grind
For the MMO beginner, “grinding” is the term used to refer to the process of killing non-playable character monsters repeatedly, earning experience per kill. This process is repeated numerous times until the player has earned enough experience to level up. To the genre veterans out there, you will be pleased to know that one can still level effectively in WoW through grinding. With the introduction of “rest experience,” Blizzard has made this process even easier. When the player quits the game in specialized “rest areas” or an Inn, their character is slowly acquiring rest experience. When the player returns to the game, dependent on how long the absence, the game rewards him with a period of bonus experience per kill equal to the amount of rest experience acquired. The goal is to help the casual player who cannot play daily to continue leveling quickly regardless. In summary, grinding is still possible; however, the rest of the document is going to be dedicated to the other method of leveling in WoW.

Collection Quests – These quests involve slaying monsters to collect specific items. Only particular monsters will drop the quest items randomly. Essentially, these quests require the player to grind with a purpose – killing monsters repetitively until a short-term goal is accomplished- the collection of the required items. Since the required items are potentially rare, collection quests are not conducive to group participation. If, for example, a monster drops the item, it can only be collected by one member of the party. If the quest requires collecting 10 feathers, and two individuals in the group need to complete the quest, the players would have to collect 20 feathers combined (10 for each person). While it has been argued that multiple individuals speed up the process of killing each monster, the low probability for each drop allows conventional wisdom to believe this increased “kill speed” does not justify the extra items to collect.

Kill Tasks – A kill task is a quest to slay particular monsters. While similar to collection quests, kill tasks do not require obtaining any items in the process. This small difference means that kill tasks are typically accomplished much faster than collections. Also, without requiring any items from the slain monsters, these quests are much friendlier for group play, as each individual in the party will receive equal credit. Oftentimes, kill tasks will require killing very difficult monsters, necessitating friends to help regardless.

Courier / Escort Quests – Other quests require the player to travel from location to location to find specific NPCs. It is common for courier quests to involve a significant amount of traveling between locations; however these are designed to introduce the player to new areas previously unexplored. The game is essentially showing the player where to travel to next when he has conquered his current surroundings. Escort quests, similarly, require players to help move an NPC between locations, protecting it from harm. Escort quests generally require more than one person to successfully complete, as it is common that a large amount of enemies will attack you during these quests.

Elite Quests – Some quests throughout the game will be labeled as “Elite.” This suggests that the quest requires killing elite monsters in the game world, or in Instanced Dungeons. Elite means the monster has many more hit points, deals more damage, and is a lot more dangerous than a normal monster. Even if an elite level monster is five levels below the player, some classes may find it difficult to slay. Elite level monsters do not follow the same level scale as the players, therefore any assumptions players make in terms of what level monsters can be killed in relation to their level do NOT apply here. Only a select few classes in the game can kill elite level monsters time effectively; it is clear the game suggests group play for these quests. Large parties of 4 or 5, preferably a few levels above the level of the quest, is necessary to make a successful run through these areas, which is normally why these specific quests are collected for an area and are done simultaneously with the group.

Knowing when to play solo, and when to group with fellow players is also essential. For example, collection quests are designed to be completed by one individual, as they require significant amount of time to collect the required amount. They are also catered to a particular player level, ensuring that these quests can be accomplished solo. Furthermore, the game expects the player to gain experience by killing the monsters during this process, and since collection quest monsters are generally equal or slightly lower level, group activity will hinder experience gain greatly. Kill tasks, however, do encourage group play by allowing every individual in the group to receive credit for each kill. The game also encourages kill tasks through group play by generally asking players to slay monsters that are higher level than the quest itself. Escort quests also require more than one player in most cases simply because the game will send multiple monsters after the player protected target at the same time. It is very helpful to have multiple people kill each monster separately, so that no monster is attacking (and killing) the escort NPC. Courier quests can be done in groups or solo at the discretion of the player, as this simply involves traveling from “Point A to Point B.”In each zone, there will typically be one or two quests that will be very difficult to complete, either because it is elite, or the requirements are extraordinarily difficult. For these quests, it is suggested to recruit the help of a higher level player, whether it is a friend, guild member, or even a stranger. Have them assist in completing these tough quests. If help cannot be found, continue doing other quests until someone volunteers. Trying to accomplish very difficult quests may be possible, but chances are it will take a lot of time to do, when you could be doing easier quests to level faster.

The player should also take advantage of free online resources such as Thottbot (http://www.thottbot.com) that offer tips and suggestions on how to complete quests within the game. If a particular quest is not detailed enough on these resources, feel free to visit message boards allowing players to discuss quests (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.aspx?fn=wow-quests – Official Blizzard Quest Discussion). In order to reduce wasted time, it is encouraged that the player know exactly what must be done to complete any given quest, including where to go, what items if any must be collected, what monsters must be killed and also where to turn in the quest upon completion.