So what is there to do in World of Warcraft?

What is there to do in World of Warcraft? Well, it depends on you! One of the most interesting aspects of World of Warcraft, is that a player can do whatever they want. Traditional games have a story that is intended to be completed in a specific order, or in certain stages. World of Warcraft allows players to experience the story in any order that they please. Don’t like the story? No problem, the game can be played without any involvement with quests or lore whatsoever.

To illustrate what you can do in World of Warcraft, picture this scenario: There is a game show where people who want to be involved are picked up, and dropped off in a city far away. What would those people do? Well, some might start a business, or start working for one, some might try to make friends, or find social groups that they fit well in, some people may go sight-seeing, and others may just hang around and not do anything. This is similar to what a player can do in Warcraft.

A picture of the auction house

Starting a business… There is a truly free market system in World of Warcraft. There is an auction house that allows players to place items up for auction for any price they choose, and they auction can last anywhere from 12-48 hours. The auction house has an enormous range of goods, ranging from useless to hard-to-find. The amount of items on the auction house varies from server to server, but there are typically 10,000 to 11,000 auctions going on at any given time each day. In the end, all of the prices are set by individuals just like you and I, playing at home. Some people use the auction house to buy an item put up at a cheap price from other players, and resell it at a higher price. Some people also take over markets, buying every single item (usually crafting materials) on the auction house, and reposting those for a price of their choosing as a way to make profits.

Mining a saronite node

Working for one… There are a few gathering professions in World of Warcraft. These include, skinning, herbalism, and mining. All of these are considered “gathering professions” because they require the player to gather some form of raw material. Skinners gather the leather of slain animal-type creatures and can use them to create leather items, and sometimes other items as well. Herbalists can pick rare herbs found throughout the game, they range in size and appearance and typically look like a very colorful and unique flower. Each plant yields a different herb. Herbs are used to create potions, and also used as ink for inscriptionists, which make scrolls and other items. Miners harvest nodes that range in size and appearance as well, ranging from the lowly copper ore, to the highly coveted titanium ore. These items are all typically found on the auction house, and prices are set by the player. People also pay (in-game gold) for labor as well for services such as, creating various types of armor, creating potions, or people will even pay for help with a quest or dungeon. There is no set price for any of these as well, if people want to rush they can pay more gold for a person who is there immediately, or they can search around and look for someone to help them for less.

Saying hi to the the locals

Making friends… Some folks take issue calling people over the internet, and that you will never meet in person “friend.” I have come to just call them “online friends” because they are really in a different social realm. However, just because you will never meet these people, does not mean that you cannot talk to them, learn a little bit about them, share interests, and have fun playing the game with them. How might someone meet these online friends? It can happen anywhere. People tend to make friends by helping each other with a quest, or crafting an item, or just standing around in one of the major cities. If someone finds someone they would like to talk to again, or may need their help in the future, they can add them to their “friends list.” This list is very similar to a World of Warcraft version of AIM or MSN messenger. You simply add their name, and talk to them whenever they are online.

Social groups… There is an array of social groups that players can make themselves a part of if they choose. There are guilds, arena teams, friends’ list, and places where people hang out regularly. If they don’t find a group to play the game with, there is no penalty for that either. Typically the people that players communicate with the most are their guild members or people on their friends list.

Icecrown Citadel

For a sense of scale... here is another picture with my character in it this time.


Sight-seeing… The map and geography in World of Warcraft is absolutely humongous. There are four continents, and each span a huge distance. To truly discover the entire map, to cover one area in detail, and ride (on horseback, the fastest way to travel on foot) from one end of the continents to the other would take at least 12 hours. The landscapes vary from dry deserts, to dense jungles, snowy plains, to brutal mountains, and even areas that are infected with plagues and undead.

Doing nothing

Doing nothing… There are many people on World of Warcraft who don’t do anything. People aren’t forced to do anything, or play a certain way, if they want to log onto the game to do nothing, that’s fine.

Perhaps the best part to all of this is that no one is forcing anyone to play a certain way. People can do whatever they find pleasure in, which could be all, none, or any variation of these. So, what do (or would) you do in World of Warcraft?