Although you can solo a lot of things in WoW, most people find the “multiplayer” part of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) to be the funnest part. Unfortunately, some people don’t know how to behave nicely online, regardless of their age or background. And even if you’ve played other MMOGs, WoW is still a sub-culture all its own. You need to know how to be a good WoW player if you want to be invited back to groups, get into a guild, and generally have a funner time in the game.

Here are some good social guidelines to follow whenever you play WoW:

Speak well

Use completely sentences and spell words correctly. Unless you’re with people you know well, don’t use “txt-speak” when you type. Most importantly: don’t use curse words. You never know if you’re playing against a 10-year-old whose mother is sitting beside him ready to report you to the Game Masters.

Learn WoW’s terminology

Start with our article on WoW abbreviations. Don’t be afraid to ask people what they mean; most people are quite nice and are flattered when they are asked for advice. (If someone calls you a noob/nub, just turn and walk away. They are not going to be nice to you.)

Don’t yell

If you type “/yell” in chat, whatever you type after that will be broadcast across the entire area where you are. It’s really annoying. People will even put you on Ignore if you continue to do it. Know that there are more appropriate ways to get your message to the right people. If you want to sell something, use Trade Chat. If you want to join a group, use /LFG. If you want to ask for quest help, just use “/say” near any town’s bank.

Don’t leave people in the lurch

If you join a group to run a dungeon, make sure you have 1 – 1.5 hours to devote to finishing it. Otherwise, at the very beginning, let the group know you need to leave early. It’s extremely rude to leave an instance in the middle. You leave everyone in the lurch and they will probably wipe (all die) without you.

Roll “Need” only on items that are upgrades

If you’re in a group, make sure you discuss how loot will be rolled on before you get to an instance boss. Typical rules are that everyone can roll on green items, but blue items should be “Needed” only by those who can benefit from them. (For example, a warrior should roll Greed on a blue-level cloth robe, but the Mage and Priest can roll Need.) Doing otherwise will get you branded as a “ninja” and it will be very hard to make friends that way.

If you need more help, sign up for our new eCourse! Of course, simply following the rules of everyday life are a good guideline, no matter where you are. Especially remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.