Top 15 World of Warcraft Player Tips

Tips For All World of Warcraft Players

Tip 1 - Read your Quest Journal

Now we hate to snipe here, people, but the "L" key on your keyboard opens up your Quest Journal. This handy-dandy little item contains literally all the information you need to solve whatever quest your given. Check it early and check it often because if you're cluttering up the "General" chat channel asking "Where's the Wailing Caverns?" 47 times not only will you learn all sort of new Azerothian insults, but when you eventually find the place, it's not going to win you any friends when you then start looking for a group to explore with. Your Quest Journal has directions so precise they make MapQuest look vague to avoid precisely this situation. Read your Quest Journal! Read your Quest Journal! Read your Quest Journal!

Tip 2 - The City Guards are your friends - use them well.

This is kind of an adjunct to the whole "Read your Quest Journal" thing, but the other thing that clogs up the general chat channels is people asking for directions in the hub cities. Fortunately Blizzard has come up with a simple solution - just ask a city guard! They'll give you directions to everything in the city and even provide you with a little flag in your mini-map! You know, the employment situation in Azeroth must be pretty bad when you consider that most of these guards are level 75 or so and can easily wipe out virtually every monster in the game and they're taking the time out of their busy schedule to help you. The least you can do is avail yourself of their services. I don't even think they get paid!

Tip 3 - Every trade skill in World of Warcraft has a complement.
Players can only learn two "professional" trade skills (Fishing, Cooking, First Aid and a few others don't count). Be aware that with the exception of Enchanting and Tailoring, every trade skill has a "gathering" skill and a "crafting" skill. Blacksmithing, for example, requires raw materials that can only be retrieved by Mining. Be sure you select the appropriate skill; otherwise you will end up buying raw materials at auction or trying to trade your raw materials for finished goods.

Tip 4 - The Num Lock key is your auto run.

This should be obvious, but you'd be surprised how many players forget to use their auto run. Auto run is your best friend, though. During long runs you can be checking your quest log, futzing with your inventory, or chatting with friends. Use it!

Tip 5 - Control your Pets.

This, of course, only applies to pet classes (Warlocks and Hunters), but if we had a gold piece for every Warlock and Hunter who left his pet on "Aggressive" we'd - well, we'd have a lot of gold pieces. Your pets are tools. They're used for very specific purposes. Putting them on Aggressive lets them attack indiscriminately and can draw a lot more monster attention than your group is ready to deal with. All too often a pet on the loose means death for the group and a long, boring corpse run.

World of Warcraft Alliance Player Tips

Tip 6 - Looking to solo? Get yourself a Night Elf Hunter or a Warlock.

While there isn't any one particular character template that works perfectly for soloing, this is about the best that there is on the Alliance side. First, there really isn't any equal level monster in the game that a properly tricked out Hunter can't tackle one-on-one without breaking a sweat. While Warlocks are a bit more fragile, they have an excellent complement of damage dealing spells that will let them survive - albeit while taking more damage. Unfortunately, many creatures will attack in groups if they notice one of their buddies getting pounded on (Elite creatures are particularly nasty with this).

That's where pets come in, Any "Pet" class can use their animal (or demonic) companion to do what's called "crowd control" - basically pulling one creature away from a group and a time and killing it. The Warlock's Void Walker is particularly good at this. Night Elves quest lines at low levels are also pretty self-contained within the geographically isolated Teldrassil, meaning you never have far to run to reach a quest destination or to retrieve your corpse.

Tip 7 - Gnomes have the best (worst) dancing emotes.

Trust us on this one. Simply typing /dance into the game while playing as a gnome will show you what we mean. Gnome dancing is the most offensive thing in Azeroth - rumor has it that the Horde offers 10 gold pieces to anyone who can actually manage to kill a Gnome in PvP during a dance. Therefore it makes Gnomes perfect for role-players who want to annoy other players and have a good laugh.

Tip 8 - Everyone loves a Human Priest.

This is the perfect class for players looking to group. Humans' racial talents help a Priest hold his or her own in combat and there isn't a group alive that isn't thrilled when a Priest shows up just before heading into an Elite dungeon or an instance. Priests are also pretty rare in the game, there aren't really all that many players who enjoy taking on the social/support roles, so your skills will always be in demand - and you'll level pretty fast.
Tip 9 - You don't have follow the quest lines for your own race!

One of the biggest misconceptions that new players have about World of Warcraft is that quests are restricted by race - in other words, that if you're playing a Human, you must take the "Human" quests in Elwynn Forest when you start out. That's simply not true. Players can take any level-appropriate quest regardless of their race. For Alliance players looking to level up a bit faster, there is a bit of a shortcut. Simply head to the hub cities of Ironforge or Stormwind as soon as you're strong enough to get out of the newbie zone (around level 5). From there, find the passage to Teldrassil, the Night Elf homeland and start collecting quests. Teldrassil is very small, contains the hub city of Darnassus that offers every service, and players rarely have to run far to complete quests. You'll find yourself at level 10 or even higher in no time!

Tip 10 - The Alliance means more content, but more people.

For whatever reason, the Alliance races as a whole (Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes) are more popular with players. This can often mean severe crowding in popular regions along with what we like to call "mass extinction events". That basically means that several quests in the area that require players to kill a particular animal may make it hard to find that animal for a while - and that you may be racing other players who are standing around waiting for them to spawn. The good news is that the Alliance has a lot more quest-based content than the Horde. While this isn't noticeable at the earlier levels, many Horde players often find themselves running low on quests around level 25-30 and being forced to just "farm" random creatures for experience.

World of Warcraft Horde Player Tips
Tip 11 - You will end up in the Barrens - accept it.

Throughout the beta process, the one zone that everybody complained about the most was the Barrens, a level 15-20 zone that is quite literally in the center of everything for the Horde. As a result, this zone has the dubious distinction of undergoing almost constant revisions. The good news is, it's much better than it was - the bad news is, it can still be long and tedious. The thing is, most Horde quest lines eventually send players to the Barrens and it contains access to one of the neutral towns where Horde and Alliance players can get together, so the place is absolutely crawling with players. While that can be good for making friends, it's also the place that's the most hunted and overcrowded on the Horde side. Unfortunately, the Barrens is just a fact of life for Horde players - better to go, do what needs to be done, and get out.
Tip 12 - Want to get to level 10 quickly? Visit dead people.

More accurately, visit Undead people. Since Quests aren't race specific, players can accept any level appropriate quest regardless of their race. That means that Horde players have access to a slight shortcut to level 10 similar to the one enjoyed by Alliance players. In the Horde's case it means hightailing it to the Orc hub city of Orgrimmar as soon as you can survive the trip and catching a zeppelin ride to Tirisfal Glades. Head south from the zeppelin tower to the Undead town of Brill and start looking for quests. Like Teldrassil for Night Elves, the quests in Brill are a bit easier and can usually be solved without a tremendous amount of traveling, significantly shortening your trip to level 10.
Tip 13 - The Horde has the best and worst hub cities in the game.

Both sides in World of Warcraft have three hub cities designed for players to congregate, buy and sell items, and deal with NPC vendors and trainers. The Horde is blessed with the best and cursed with one of the worst hub cities in the game. The best city to do business with NPCs in is the Undead Undercity. If you have a choice of heading to one hub city, this is the one to pick. It's the smallest major city, meaning you don't have to do a tremendous amount of running to get to the shops you want. The city is also basically a circle - meaning it's almost impossible to get lost. Orgrimmar, the Orc hub city, on the other hand, is incredibly confusing, with twisting paths that sometime loop back on themselves. Orgrimmar means a lot of running and it's all too easy to get lost. It's also kind of the center of the universe for Horde players, so you really do need to learn it if you hope to use the auction or make new friends.
Tip 14 - Tired of fighting for elbow room? Join the Horde!
For some odd reason, players seem to choose to play as Alliance characters far more often than as Horde characters. The good news for Horde players, though, is that fewer players mean fewer people jockeying for resources. Even the Barrens, probably the most crowded Horde region, never see the problems with "mass extinction events" that routinely plague the Alliance. If you're interested in questing and not interested in hanging around with ten other people (at peak hours) waiting for a monster spawn, why not join the Horde?
Tip 15 - The Undead are just psychotically cool!

While everyone has their own opinion, ours is that no World of Warcraft race gets as many "coolness points" as the Undead. First, the character models are just a riot with hairstyles that literally defy physics and a facial customization options straight out of the Velvet Dungeon. The designers also clearly had a ball putting the Undead lands together because every area and storyline within the Undead zones is filled with clever asides and subtle (and not so subtle) humor about the Forsaken's unusual situation. Role-players will also enjoy playing the Undead since they're as close as any World of Warcraft race comes to being "evil". True - they are an oppressed minority, but they're also planning universal genocide, so you make your own call.


LOL nothing about my dear BE cryyy

Determine Item Demand
Find out what items players will buy. You can do that by simply listing a bunch of items at the auction house. If an item does not sell, re-list the item at a cheaper price or try the same price again. If you are unable to sell the item after multiple auction house listings, you will need to either drop the price some more or just quit trying to sell it. Some items, such as grey-colored items, should be sold to the vendors. Some profession-made items are only meant to be used to raise your skill, and other players will not wish to purchase them. You'll have to determine which ones they are through experience.

Check Other Sales
Before selling an item, check the price other players are selling it for. That way you'll have a more realistic idea of what price to set for your item. You should set the item's minimum bid at a similar or cheaper price. If you set the item at a more expensive price, it will not sell unless someone else buys out the cheaper ones. If you price it lower, people will buy your items first. However, if you set the price too low, you might drive the cost of that item down and make less profit.

Suggested Price vs. Real Price
When you place an item in the auction tab for sale, the auction house lists a suggested selling price. This may or may not be close at all to what the item is really worth. Some items may have a very high price that players would never pay. Other items may have a really low price that is far below the items market value. You need to determine what the "real" price of the item should be.

What Determines Price?
There are many factors so it's difficult to nail down, but these are some general guidelines:

* Demand - How bad do players want or need it?
* Rarity of the item - Items that are more rare will typically sell for more. Be on the lookout for various items that are sought after by many professions, such as Heart of Fire, Wildvine, etc.
* Level of the item - Higher level items sell for more money
* Cost of sale to the vendor - If the vendor will pay a lot for the item, players will set the item price above the vendor cost.
* Auction house availability - If there are a lot of the items in the auction house, it may drive the price down.
* Trade items - If the item requires rare or expensive components, the item will typically be sold for more money.
* Level of the person who will be using the item (i.e., listing a level-10 item for 20 gold may not work as few level-10 players have 20 gold)

Buyout Price
Always have a buyout price. Many players want the items now and don't want to wait. Many players are willing to pay the higher buyout price just to get the item now. Try not to set a ridiculously high buyout price. This will cause buyers to say "what is that guy thinking?" and they might not even bid on your item based on that buyout price. Buyers are easily offended. It is better to not have a buyout price than to set one too high. The exception might be extremely powerful items such as purple items or items whose worth is completely unknown.

Timing
Timing can be very important for selling items. If the auction house already has a lot of the items you are trying to sell, you should wait until another time. You can also just lowball the current prices by setting your price below all of them. There are also good and bad times for auctions. A good time is when a lot of people are playing, such as during the evening or weekends. A bad time would be very late at night.

Enchanting
You can disenchant some items and then sell the resources to enchanters for a bigger profit in the auction house. You can also make more money by enchanting an item before selling it.

Create a Sales List
If you're selling profession items that you create, you can write a list of the ones that you will be selling. You can include what components are required to create those items as well. You should also include your current price list. This list will help you be more organized and let you spend less time selling your items. You'll need to continually update your list as you add new items for sale or remove items that do not sell. You'll also need to modify the prices as the market for those items changes. You may find spreadsheets are very useful for this purpose. You can also print them out easily.

When you sell an item, place a check on your list so you know to restock that item in your store.

Component Storage
Purchase the biggest bags you can for your bank slots. Buy as many extra bank slots as you are able to. Organize your bank with all of the profession components in their proper place. If you're a tailor, one bag can be for mageweave, one for runecloth, and another for thread, dye, and other special ingredients. If you keep everything organized, you can gather the components more quickly, create the items, and sell them in the auction house.

Reselling Items
Some players make a profit by buying items that are listed too low and reselling them at their "proper" price. Their profit is the difference between the price they paid for the item and the price they sold it at. This method is for experienced traders only, as you need to really know the prices before attempting this. Sometimes players place an item in the auction house and set a really low price because they don't realize what an item is worth to other players.

Search Options
Memorize a bunch of different search options so you can quickly check what is for sale. Examples:

* Select epic quality only and hit search (lists all epics)
* Select weapons, level 50-60, check usable items, and hit search (lists all weapons level 50-60 that you can use; you can change the levels)
* Repeat the above search with armor selected instead of weapons to list the wearable armor available for your level range
* Select recipes and check usable items (shows all available recipes that apply to your professions)
* Select recipes, select quality uncommon, and check usable items (shows recipes that are green or better for your profession, if any)
* Select trade goods and type in mageweave to list all of the mageweave cloth for sale.

Make a list of these searches and print them out. Then quickly type them in to check all of the items you wish to search for

Use the Number Pad
You can use the number pad on your keyboard to more quickly enter the prices of items as you list in them in the auction house. Make sure your "num lock" key is on. You can also press "tab" to scroll between the price boxes.

Gems
Gems now searchable in the Auction House under the heading of Gem with the gems then broken up by color so you can search for all gems of a specific color.

PDA
You might find a PDA (personal digital assistant) extremely helpful for running an auction house business. You can take notes, read lists, and so on. You can also alt-tab out of the game instead of using a PDA to update your lists. Then there is the classic piece of paper and pen!

Sound
You can hit control-s to disable the sound effects if someone is making really annoying sounds in the auction house. Don't forget to re-enable them after you leave.

Auction House Campers
Some players do nothing but sit at the auction house and buy and sell items. It can be a fun alternative to fighting.


If u do much selling bying on ah u could use some addon from curse i know few interesting to easier your job
auctioneer, auction master, auctionator...

* Pressing Shift + B opens up all of your packs. Makes selling easier. You can also shift-click any bag in the toolbar to open/close them all. Or, Bind your bag opening key to �Open all bags� instead.

* Holding down Alt causes you to select yourself as the target for spells, buffs, etc. F1 does this as well. F2-F5 selects your fellow party members. If they have a pet, hitting their F key twice will select the pet.

* Be sure to log out inside of an Inn or major town to build up your rest bonus. This bonus is determined by how long you are in the rest area (captial cities count in their enterity) and caps at approximately 1.5 levels worth of xp doubling which takes about 2 weeks in a rest area to hit.
This time accrues whether you are logged in or not so ALWAYS log in an inn or capital city.

* Shift + Right click to auto loot kills, crafting nodes, chests, and any world object that can be manipulated.

* Shift + Left Click either posts an item into the chat window as a link if you have chat open, or it splits a stack of items. This can also be used to select how many of a non-stacked item you want to buy from a vendor.

*Clicking on a name in the chat window sends that person a tell.

*Shift + Clicking on a name in chat performs a /who

* With a teammate targetted, typing /assist will fight what they target. In the default configuration, �F� will select their target. If you�re running a pet, F1-F1-F will select whatever your pet is aggro�d on.

* Not so much at trick, but faction discounts apply to the flyers and trainers as well, so don�t be so quick to throw away newbie quests that you forget to complete - they help out in the long run. Be aware that the reputation received from a quest drops off sharply when it goes grey, unless the quest is a high-profile one for that faction (i.e. Defias for Stormwind). Also, many quests give reputation bonuses in more than one faction; you see this a lot with Ironforge/Gnomeregan Exiles. Finally, if you hover over a quest-giving NPC, the game now tells you in the tooltiip which faction they�re aligned with.

* The command /random # # makes dice rolls between the two numbers specified (ex: /random 1 100 will roll randomly (1-100)). It�s useful for quests and such, as I always use it to roll for chests or veins of ore, etc.

* Go Swimming There are often chests at the bottom of lakes aswell as mineral nodes that won�t show up on radar until you are submerged. (the lake outside Loch Modan (sp) is Amazing for tier 1 and has 5 chest spawns that I have found so far)

* Increase the range of your �Target nearest� key. Go into your WTF folder and edit the Config.wtf file. Add the following line at the bottom:

SET TargetNearestDistance �40.000000″

* The Auction House will respond to you much quicker if you narrow your search range. If nothing else, use the level range boxes, and search by armor/weapon category. Also, using the text-string search box is the fastest way I�ve found to find consumables.

* of the : These are paired stat bonuses based on the animal type, and they will always have the same two stats paired. If you�re looking for stat buffing armor, and you know what stats you want, search Auction House for the following animals:

Bear: Strength, Stamina
Boar: Strength, Spirit
Eagle: Intellect, Stamina
Falcon: Intellect, Agility
Gorilla: Strength, Intellect
Monkey: Agility, Stamina
Owl: Intellect, Spirit
Tiger: Strength, Agility
Whale: Spirit, Stamina
Wolf: Agility, Spirit

* To make fast cash when you�re really bored, farm -5/-6 humanoid creatures. They drop Linen/Wool/Silk, all of which sell very well in AH if you put low buyouts. They also drop more copper/silver than comparable beasts, demons, dragonkin, or elementals.

* Cooked food stacks to higher amounts than raw food. By training cooking, you can double a single slot�s worth of storage, and get more benefit.

*While on autorun, hold down the right mouse button to steer. Easier to make small course corrections this way.

*To learn more about your guild (How many actual players there are, for instance) Type /ginfo

* Don�t want to use a mod to speed up that quest text? Use these scripts instead

Speedy Quest
/script QUEST_DESCRIPTION_GRADIENT_CPS = 600000
/script RegisterForSave("QUEST_DESCRIPTION_GRADIENT_CPS")
/script DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage("Quest�s are now SUPER SPEEDY!");

Regular Quest
/script QUEST_DESCRIPTION_GRADIENT_CPS = 40
/script RegisterForSave("QUEST_DESCRIPTION_GRADIENT_CPS")
/script DEFAULT_CHAT_FRAME:AddMessage("Quest�s are now regular speed!");

* Alt-Z will hide your UI and makes for better screenshots.

* V will bring up health bars under the names of everything you can see, and switch it off again.

* Hunters, If you and your pet get in over your head and you want to keep the pet alive, set the pet to �stay� and run away. If you can get out of range before the pet dies, the pet will unsummon itself. You can then instantly call it back to you once you have reached safety. It�s a lot quicker and less mana and food intensive than having to rezz and feed the pet.

* In the key bindings there�s a thing called camera flip. By default it�s not bound to anything. It flips the camera view so you�re looking at yourself from the front instead of the back. May be useful when running away and want to see if mobs are still chasing you.

* Mail is the great extra bank account. Create a level 1 alt. Mail it all your stuff you want to save. It can sit on that guy for 29 days. Then have it use the return option to send them back to your main for another 29 days.

* You can fish while waiting on a boat. Do not stand too close to the edge though, because the boat will knock you off the dock and into the water.

* Ask guards in town for directions. Now press m and you will see a red flag marking where you need to go.

* For high levels that want to level up skills. Head to Scarlet Monastery and attack the Scarlet Chaplans. They HoT themselves and heal for a decent amount. so long as you dont out damage you can basically attack them indefintely.

* Also for leveling up wands attack a caster. You resist 99% of there spells and so can easily skill up that way.

* To see what class/lvl/guild someone is on the chat hold shift and left click their name it basicly does a /who on them

Tips and strategies for World of Warcraft PVP noobs


There are some strategies that are used in just about every type of PvP encounter within the game. It's important to keep them in mind whether you consider them honorable or dishonorable in nature. It's up to you what your own internal rules are, but knowing the available tactics that can (and will) be used by other players is a key to victory.


Bait

Bait is when a lone enemy lures you into a trap in which either a higher-level player is waiting nearby or a group of players is waiting nearby. Baiting someone can be an easy way of getting a kill or splitting up a disorganized group.



Jump before being jumped

It's always better to do the jumping than be the one getting jumped. In this case, you pick the method of approach and the terrain in which to fight in as well as the timing of the fight. While it's not impossible to recover from being jumped by any means, it does tend to put a crimp in your usual fighting plan.



Corpse Camping

Corpse camping, while not generally perceived as an honorable strategy, may be a tool you end up having to use. It sends the message that it's time for your enemy to move on, provided you let them get back up at some point.



Jumping

Often this occurs when a player is engaged in some other activity and has no real chance of making a response. Some players use this when an enemy is killing mobs and at a disadvantage already. While this may be viewed as dishonorable, it may also be seen as the only necessary means for clearing a zone of the opposing faction. Besides, honor is defined differently by players and one may see it as a strategic advantage.



Buddy System

This simply can't be stressed enough. Having a buddy to watch your back may make an enemy think twice before attacking. Seeing more than one player easily visible may make them think twice. However, there's something be said for traveling with a stealthed Rogue and letting people think that you're the only one.



Use the Landscape

When taking rests between PvE or PvP activity, don't sit out in the open. The tag over your head is a big enough indicator for your location; don't add to the advertisement by sitting in plain view. Dense foliage and trees do a reasonably good job at obscuring your presence. For those with stealth, make sure you use it. Using the landscape also means, getting out of the line of sight of casters and range combat classes. They can't hit what they can't see.



Use Buildings

Use buildings both as line of sight obstructions and as places of rest. For two-story buildings, it's too easy to find you sitting on the first floor. If there is a second story, it may be best to go there so that someone just skimming through can't easily identify you're there.



Control and Escape

There are times when you know you have little hope of living through an encounter. These are the times when you know you have little hope of living through an encounter. These are the time you need to pull the stops and find a way of controlling the situation just enough to make you escape. If possible, Fear your attacker, root them stun them, whatever it takes. Use a speed enhancing technique whether natural Sprint, potions or engineered boots and run, don't walk, to the closest place of safety.



Dying Well

There is a right way and a wrong way to die. If you have to die, do it in a place you can get to easily and resurrect in relative safety. Keep in mind the distance you have to work with and find a spot that is obscured from sight of enemies. If they try to camp your corpse, it will give you a chance to utilize your surroundings to resurrect and get out. Being able to rez behind a tree is a beautiful thing.



Be Creative

Expand the boundaries of your imagination and think outside the box. (Just don't exploit.) There are are countless of different ways to approach a situation and catching your enemy by surprise may be the best possible way of achieving victory. Even when being jumped, you may suddenly be hit with a little inspiration that can get you out of a bind.



Be Prepared

Be prepared with potions, first aid and engineering for the times when you're encroaching on contested or opposite faction controlled areas. Having that extra mana or health could mean victory when it comes down to the wire on either nuking power or healing just enough to stay alive.

DOTs

Damage over Time spells, poisons or abilities should always be the first thing used against an enemy and the last thing you put on them should they try to flee. Watching a severely weakened foe run away while still taking DOT damage is feeling of pure joy.



Finish What you Start

Unless you're the type to be merciful to your enemy, don't stop attacking until you have killed your opponents. That may sound harsh, but by allowing them to escape, it gives them time to regroup and call in friends. Killing them gives them a trip to the graveyard and a little bit of a “time out” rather than running rampantly back into battle.



Know when to fight

Don't get lured into a fight you aren't ready for. It's easy to get caught up in the moment and try to bite off more than you can chew. Realize your own limitations and know when it's best to fight or run the other way. Running isn't cowardly when it means you can come back more prepared and ready to fight on better footing. It's definitely not cowardly when faced with an obviously overwhelming force.



Hearthstone

It may not be the fastest way to get out of a bad area, but using a hearthstone may be the only way to escape a sticky situation. These can only be used once an hour so be careful in your choice of timing. However, if a town that you're currently based at is overrun and the flight master has been taken down, one of the easiest ways out is to stone home.



Ready your Mounth/Sprint/Form

If you have a faster means of travel than running, give yourself enough time to use it. Save your Sprint or other speedy means for when you need it most, either for chasing someone down for the final kill or getting away when someone is about to get you. You can not mount while in active PvP so be sure to get far enough away to summon your mount and ride out—provided you have one. If you have a travel form, using it to get away from your enemy will be a big bonus to you. There are also Sprint portions available for those that do not have any means of getting an immediate speed burst.



Hit and Run

Be patient and use the Hit and Run method on opponents. This keeps them off balance and gives you a chance to recoup any lost health or mana. While the battle typically lasts longer, it will also be more enjoyable and the likelihood of your own survival goes up just a tad. Dash in, do some damage in range then back off a bit. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Use Short Guild and character names

While this may sound like an odd decision, your name/guild tag could easily be seen from both sides of a tree behind which you're trying to hide. Keeping your name and your guild tag short helps you remain hidden if that's your plan.