New Player Tips: Welcome to the Machine

New Player Tips: Welcome to the Machine

With the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, new adventurers are joining the ranks of the Horde and the Alliance almost every day. Though these players are able to find a lot of helpful information through our in-game tutorials and community guides, when you're learning the ropes, nothing really beats the wisdom of an experienced player. That's why each week we'll be reaching out to all of our veterans for tips, tricks, and trade secrets about a variety of different topics to help put new recruits on the path to success.

To kick things off, this week's inaugural topic is: questing. While questing might be second nature to you by now, we know you've got plenty of advice on how to navigate that big sparkly sea of exclamation points, kill targets, and quest text. After all, when you're questing, you have to consider who to kill, who to save, where to go, what to collect, what to avoid, when to group up with other players, how to manage all that stuff in your inventory, and when to head back to the quest givers -- that's quite a lot to keep up with, even if you're already familiar with the ebb and flow of Azeroth.

If you could provide any advice to new players on how to make the questing experience more enjoyable, what would you say? There's no wrong answer, so share your thoughts in the comments!

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Superchamu
Quel'Thalas
Superchamu
12/8/2012
if someone are looking for enter to wow only send me an e mail to s_hinshan@hotmail.com i can help u in quest,pvp,money,guild , and many thing apart only send me the e-mail with the following info.
*saying i want a TO BE RECRUITED
*the e-mail wheer u play in starter edition or the e mail what u want to play wow
*if u whant to know more about the offerts and the x3 exp what give this event just write it at the end of the info
thanks
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Superchamu
Quel'Thalas
Superchamu
9/29/2012
Recruit characters and also to control SoR or you want to start playing again and lvl up fast just send me an email at This Address: s_hinshan@hotmail.com
This data must bring:
Reclut a friend
- Name of friend
- Email address of friend (with which you play wow)
SoR
- Realm Friend
- Character Name of friend (United Kingdom must Self service you put into your friend)
      or
-Name of your friend
Email address of friend (with which you play wow)
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Superchamu
Quel'Thalas
Superchamu
9/28/2012
Recluto personas y tambien mando SoR al que quiera iniciar o volver a jugar y subir lvl rapido solo mandenme un correo a esta direccion: s_hinshan@hotmail.com
debe traer estos datos :
Reclut a friend
* Friend’s Name
* Friend’s Email Address (con el que juegas wow)
SoR
*Friend’s Realm
*Friend’s Character Name (tiene que ser del mismo realm que pusiste en Friend’s Realm )
or
*Friend’s Name
*Friend’s Email Address (con el que juegas wow)
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only works if your a NOOB
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Mondolikesu
Kael'thas
Mondolikesu
8/15/2012
First, don't be afraid to die. Read ALL the quest text, as others have advised.
Get thee to Curse.net and install quest helper or equivalent.
When in doubt, GOOGLE.
Leveling fast will get two results. 1. You won't know how to play your 'toon adequately for higher levels and 2. You won't know the game or instances well. The purpose of leveling is to develop a skill set and explore the game. Even if you use an add-on like Healbot, you MUST know what your role is in a given situation or instance and what you are supposed to do in that role. There is no "bot" to prioritize for you when things don't go as planned.
It's a small world. You aren't as anonymous as some would like to think. Your rep will follow you from questing to dungeons to raids and even servers. So, while it is possible to cheat and lie and scam and generally be mean and inconsiderate of others, karma is compulsory. WoW!
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Shebites
Gnomeregan
Shebites
7/31/2012
Enjoy the game for what it is, and savor everything as you go along. Far too often I have found myself skipping areas and striving for that next level as quickly as possible, and by doing so, missing out on the essence of the game itself. Take your time. Learn the background story for each faction, race, quest chain, etc. Read the quest text completely and enjoy the game for what it is, a complex world of inter-related races, grudges, revenge, politics, etc.
Try for some of the harder achievements such as "Loremaster", or "Explorer", and totally disregard those continually strive to level the fastest. After all, in the end, it really is all about the journey, and not the destination.
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Proderic
Farstriders
Proderic
7/25/2012
Advice would be: Read the quest text, don't skim it. Open your map often to see what else is in your area to be done. If you want to level fast, get a leveling addon that can help you streamline the questing.
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Norwedianer
Hyjal
Norwedianer
7/16/2012
I have just recently come back and am learning the ways again in doing things around here,the money gathering takes time but working the prof. right can be profitable.
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Rockaway
Tichondrius
Rockaway
7/11/2012
When I'm rolling a new character and all set to start questing nothing slows me down more than gathering profs. I've found it better, and easier to stay on course with as few distractions as possible. Any money missed along the way while leveling can easily be made up later when you have a fast flying mount.
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Nutmêg
Earthen Ring
Nutmêg
6/12/2012
First and best piece of advice i can offer to a new player is choose a supportive guild. Some guilds are very much new player unfriendly, while others will bend over backwards to help you. I'd avoid the larger guilds, and focus on new guilds or guilds in the growing phase. You're bound to get more interaction with experienced players that way. Also, don't ever be afraid to ask for help. While some people may be hostile to it, others (like me) are more than often happy to help share the knowledge we have. Just don't beg me for gold or gear ;)
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Cathroes
Cenarius
Cathroes
5/16/2012
Do not bug or harass or beg higher levels, treat them with respect, listen to them. You can ask for help, no means no, if they say yes then listen and learn, "Respect your Elders" the higher the level the more experience, personally the ones that you really want to listen to are those that have played for years, WoW vets have the most stories, have experienced more and far more difficult situations. I myself have been playing for almost 5 years. Now learn to work with others, if you need help ask in general or whisper somebody you know, ask nicely for help and invite them to a party if they agree. You will want to join a guild, a friendly guild make sure they are looking for and willing to help newer players, some players are dedicated to helping those who need it most. Avoid "Trolls" and elitest players whom take the game to seriously, which on a side note; Remember this is just a game and dont take it too seriously, get steamed over something go do something else in-game or simply stop playing for a short time period. Money is key in this game, it can get you far, so set your options to "Auto-loot" loot everything you can, even junk is valuable to vendors, sell everything you dont need to NPC vendors, it may seem like not much but trust me it builds! On professions; do not bother to much on crafting early on, unless you have the time. If you are determined to level do not bother, BUT if you are like me and enjoy the little things that keep you busy in your off times, get a good gathering profession such as mining or herbalism, it is a great stress reliever. Above all, have fun and enjoy the game!
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Adesia
Muradin
Adesia
5/13/2012
dont bug high lvl for gold , gear or freebies tick us off more than anything intelligent questions or advice if free . we had to grind our way up too why should it be any diffent for you ? look for a friendly social lvl guild on your server dont think to join a lvl 25 guild and be handed freebies sell off junk unequipible drops and reward to make gold dont be a packrat u should swap out get very few lvls blue titled gear every 5 lvl.
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Rodysniper
Mannoroth
Rodysniper
5/11/2012
All of this info is very helpful, but i cant help but notice or perhaps i did not look close enough no one cared to explain about the quest helper that is built into the game. If it has been explained I apologize but i will give it a quick nutshelling.
When you do get into a quest hub and have taken all the quest their are to get what i like to do is make my map smaller by using the arrow in the upper right corner which will situate it in the upper left hand of your screen. On the map you will see red circles with numbers in the middle thes show spots where quest can be complete. now depending on the quest type (collection, kill or whatever) different things happen when you get to the area marked on the map. If its a KIll or Kill and collect quest any mob that is relevant will have its name displayed over his head in red or in the case the mob is passive yellow, this makes it pretty easy to know what to do, as usual pick up items have a sparkle effect to them as well as items that need to be interacted with in some way, also be aware when a quest giver gives you an item to be used and if your not sure how or when to use it just read the quest it will tell you. Also in the case you are killing some sort of named or special mob it will be marked as a skull on your minimap. as a last thought when you see question marks and exclamation points on the mini map and the are dim it means that the NPC is in a building or underground this is annoying in certain places but when you are not in a town and run across this look for caves, and keep in mind the cave entrance could be a good distance from where you are.
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Kæbler
Dragonmaw
Kæbler
5/11/2012
If your new to WOW, you won't have access to the Bind to Account (BOA) gear. All this means is you'll earn less experience and generally be weaker then someone else who's on an alternate (alt) character. Don't let that sway you any, you'll have to go deeper into the zone quest line and rely on drops and quest rewards more, no "biggy" that's why there there. This also means you won't have the cash flow an alt has access to either, again not a big deal.

My advice to overcome some of these limitations. Don't take a crafting profession leveling your 1st character (toon). Instead get mining and herbalism (herbing) gathering professions. They provide extra experience (XP) per node and they will provide you with a viable income when selling them on the action house (AH). These two professions usually provide enough cash flow to allow you to purchase anything you might need through out the leveling process. Skinning is also a profession you can pick up but it doesn't provide external XP separate or in addition to / from questing.

Also grab fishing and cooking professions, these two professions provide 2 extra quest each day and you won't normally have to venture too far from the major city to complete them if you leave at all. That will allow you to keep earning rested XP while also gaining XP from the quest.

The last profession you want is first aide, it does nothing xp wise but it keeps you rolling in your adventuring reducing down time by giving you a self heal out of combat option. Also after you've amassed enough bandages to sustain you most clothes used to make make them will sell for a reasonable amount on the AH.

As stated many times before when questing from a quest hub, take them all and don't go back till there complete, get the next set, rinse and repeat. Keep relevant skills up to date via trainers. Limit travel time as much as possible. Use guild finder if your not in a friends guild already, look for one that openly states they support leveling this will provide you with some "perks" you otherwise wouldn't have.

Mind you all this is just my personal preference (IMHO) so find your groove, find what you like and run with it. Ask people you see, yes some will be dirt bags and make fun of you and some will just ignore you, but many more will take the time to throw you some words of wisdom based on where you are at that point.

TY, and Have Fun out there, in the end that's the whole point anyway.
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Evolseed
Dawnbringer
Evolseed
5/11/2012
Someone who just hit 85 asked me the fastest way to get their gear up and I did them a grave disservice telling them to skip the Cataclysm quests and just don pvp gear made from blacksmithing, leatherworking or skinning so the item level would be high enough to go straight into Twilight dungeons and DS LFR.

The quests in WoW tell the entire story of how everything came about. A lot of thought and detail went into the quests to give everyone insight to why there are two factions, an Outland, a Lich King in Northrend and an insane dragon named Deathwing. Most players I encounter who have played x years of WoW still don't know the whole story.

Sure you can go on the internet or buy a WoW compendium but the quests tell you everything from what happened in Warcraft I, II, III to the present. For example, why would blood elves side with the Horde over the Alliance? Or why was Cairne Bloodhoof leader of the Taurens murdered by Warchief Garrosh. Better yet who is the boy king Varian Wrynn of Stormwind and why is there an unsteady relation between humans and night elves?

It's all in the quests. Many experienced players don't bother to read the quests at all, instead going for a quick dash to level 10 to start BG then level 15 to do Dungeons until they hit 85. I don't recommend this. Sure the title "Kingslayer" is cool but not as cool as "Ambassador" or "World Explorer" which require real effort.

When questing, pick up all the quests in the area first. You'll find many quests rely on each other for completion. It does become a grind if you only do one single quest at a time. Also play both factions. You will easily learn how the Alliance is always trying to maintain the peace in the area while the poor misunderstood Horde is constantly plotting murder and mayhem against the Alliance. One toon you fight with the forces of Greymane against the invading Forsaken and another toon you murder dwarves turning them into the Forsaken. Play both sides--its more insightful.
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Bleda
Quel'dorei
Bleda
6/19/2012
@Evolseed: I wouldn't say ambassador is all that difficult to acquire any more, not with the dungeon tabards at any rate. I miss the cloth dailies.
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Shanndorn
Rexxar
Shanndorn
5/10/2012
Everyone has their own "pace".

When you see ALOT of Quest Givers in an area, remember:
NOTHING says you have to take them ALL at the SAME TIME,
and run around like a fool trying to jam them all in at the same time,
...to "save time".

Take the time to talk to all the Quest givers, then see which ones
are more or less similar or complimentary to each other and pick those.
Complete them.
Find the next grouping that make sense and are related, and so on.

I find the game much more enjoyable this way, at this pace.
Take the time to read the FULL Quest dialogue.
It's an unfolding adventure for you, but only if you respect it as such.

If you are frustrated, maybe you should slowdown?
Faster is not always better.
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Allielina
Saurfang
Allielina
6/13/2012
@Shanndorn: after the first time u lvl a toon u should read all the quest but after that it is just a repeat of the same quests over and over
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Havïk
Cairne
Havïk
5/10/2012
Get all the quests you can get in a particular area before doing any one quest.If you are a dps try to dot up up to 4 kill targets at a time, if you are a tank then collect as many as possible, pop a survival cooldown and then use aoe abilities to kill them all at once. do not turn in quests until they are all completed, instead wait until all quest objectives are done for all the quests available in that area then turn in the quests en mass. Be sure to sell off excess equipment and useless items if possible while turning in finished quests. Refer to you're map for information regarding which area are appropriate for you're level and frequently check the hero's call board as it will tell you exactly where to quest for your current level and make getting there a quest in and of itself for extra xp. For those feeling brave or who want to level even faster, it is possible to begin questing in expansion areas before reaching max level for the current area. 57 to go to burning crusade content and as low as 66 for lich king content. Leaving you're current expac area early for the next one is an excellent way to knock off those levels fast and get better gear faster. Be aware that Cata quests are not available until 80 but cata level enchanted gear is available for purchase from the auction house at around level 77. The cata gear is cheap and has somewhere around 8 times the stats of the wrath gear which is concurrently available, which makes the killing of undead for those last 3 level insanely easy. Avoid questing with friends or helping other people with their quets as it will slow you down. Experience for downing monsters is shared among all in a party, since enemy kill exp adds up you will want to capitalize on every chance to kill an exp yielding enemy and avoid sharing the rewards. Finally when it is time to turn off WoW be sure to log out in an inn or main city so you have the well rested buff when you log back on, well rested grants double XP for monster kills for the length of its duration.
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Dæd
Mannoroth
Dæd
5/9/2012
Pink Floyd :)
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Fairbeam
Draenor
Fairbeam
5/9/2012
Read the quests, possibly look into getting the QuestHelper mod (it isn't really necessary anymore but provides additional assistance as to locating where to go for the quests and makes you more efficient at doing so).

Lastly, quest in an area a level or two BELOW your current level. Quests should be yellow or green. You may get less experience per kill but the quest XP should be the same and you'll kill MUCH faster because you'll crit more often because their defense is lower.
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Bwanaeffendi
Kael'thas
Bwanaeffendi
5/8/2012
Read the descriptions of quests and listen to the npcs. It makes the quests more engaging and you can pick up on story details that you would otherwise miss.
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Halborde
Uldum
Halborde
4/26/2012
If your spec is DPS, put yourself in que for a dungeon while you quest. You can get pretty good gear in the dungeons in comparison to quests. And doing a dungeon may shake things up a bit.
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Fizzyfinn
Arthas
Fizzyfinn
5/1/2012
@Halborde: That's what I do. It saves a whole lot of time.
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Bleda
Quel'dorei
Bleda
6/19/2012
That's how I levelled my crafting. DPS ques are quite long at the Vanilla level. I'll have to remember this advice for my mage alt. I didn't quest on this toon because I wanted to reach end game content quickly with decent gear and craft levels. Now that Im here, I can slow down with my alts and take the time to figure out what exactly is going on. I like your idea.
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Polisci
Scarlet Crusade
Polisci
4/25/2012
Intellect, Hit, Haste and later on (Level84-85) Mastery.
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Tauvjkelley
Muradin
Tauvjkelley
4/16/2012
Get and COMPLETE ALL quests at the quest hub before turning them in.
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Braydon
Arygos
Braydon
4/4/2012
loop the backround music/ create a playlist on somekind of music player while quest this will make questing feel more fresh and quests will be finished before you know it
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Zinkerz
Blade's Edge
Zinkerz
4/2/2012
Yay i can post again. (.can you while quit) my tip.
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Lucith
Haomarush
Lucith
4/2/2012
wtf?
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Darkhorizon
Argent Dawn
Darkhorizon
4/1/2012
If at all possible run with people you know ( Preferably a Tank, Healer, and dps combo of some sort). Try to stay around the same level if possible, easy way to this is to dual or triple level different characters taking on different roles, what I mean by that is don't always play a dps, Healer, or a Tank. Try something different you never know you may like it.
Que for Dungeons as a group while Questing there are new Quests in dungeons as well as quests that have been moved inside to expedite finding them like we used to have to in the old days (Wailing caverns anyone), Not to mention the loot bags with "helpful goods" that some of us would have given eye-teeth for back in the day. Remember to take a break every once in awhile, my friends and I like to PvP to relax from questing / dungeon crawling for a bit and have a little fun ( You can also learn quite a bit about your class PvPing ). To the new people I have met I've always given this bit of advice, Explore, there are so many easter eggs in this game from the beginning til now that your going to be hardpressed to find and visit everyone of them.
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Whieb
Caelestrasz
Whieb
3/29/2012
USE THE QUEST HELPER! Blizz supplied their own, it is 1000x times easier then what wow was before it, and before they had it, we had to figure it out ourselves -_-. Grab all quests as possible, find whatever object, collect souls, pick up poop (or whatever there is), etc, THEN! kill monsters, bandits, general badguys last that way you aren't killing 30 guys when you were suppose to kill 8. Kind of related to quests, but do a dunguen if it has quests in it in the dunguen finder, and if it doesn't, it's proably not worth your time!
PS-Alli till I die! (or get really bored) and Please excuse any spelling and grammar errors as this is a forum for a game and not an essay assignment.
and Kirby says, "HI!" <(^_^)^
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Lanyx
Kul Tiras
Lanyx
3/29/2012
Go into questing with the intent to have fun. Pick up every quest you see, they're often grouped so you can do a few at the same time. Loot everything, it's worth money which means you must also remember to sell it when you get back to town as well as repair your gear whenever possible. Generally whenever ever you go back to hand in quests. At every five levels or so, you should go back to a main city to learn new abilities, skill up your professions, sell stuff on the Auction House or drop stuff off in the bank. If you get lost, open your map, it will tell you where you need to be and if you REALLY have no idea, reread the quest. Every quest gives directions. Quest objectives sparkle. Check your bags if you can't seem to complete a quest, as you might have something in your bags you have to use on something else. Bring some Health Potions and Mana Potions(if you use mana) to heal yourself because you never know when you'll need it. Even bringing some Food and Drink to heal after battle helps.
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Matholden
Skywall
Matholden
3/29/2012
@Radyor
I'm not at all suprised by this, it's far more efficient to move on to a higher level zone than to keep plugging away at green or even grey quests. This is even more true today that ever with the features such as Dungeon finder and Battle Grounds granting decent chunks of xp and gear that far exceeds that obtained by quests at the same level, these can and will rapidily leave you with a log full of grey/green quests for which the rewards aren'tworth getting. 1) If you get a quest taking you to a new zone it's a good cue that you should be moving on
2)If you are checking back in at major cities check the boards, they will also advise you to move on (Heroes call). I'd advise doing this somewhat regularly as the AH is much more profitable than vendors! (Alternatively have a lvl 1 AH mule to mail stuff to).
3)Since Cata the "Vanilla" areas are much more steamlined and linear, however Outlands(BC) has a tendancy still to seen you all over the map, sometimes to get something from killing xx number of mobs only to come back and find another quest to farm xx objects from the same mobs you just killed 20 of! So a little research goes a long way to making sure you have all those quests at the same time if possible.
4)TRAVEL TIME IS YOUR ENEMY. So try to knock out the quests close to the quest givers while queing for dungeons etc. Hopefully by the time you are done with those it's time to move to a new hub as a result of dungeon xp rather than spend 30mins flying from point A to B to C to D on some quest chain
final note: Disregard the above if you don't care how long it takes to level, want to enjoy the scenery and lore, and get the most out of the leveling process. For some it's not a race!
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Radyor
Garona
Radyor
3/10/2012
Wow I am surprised about all the advice to drop quests and move on. In my experience its far too easy and far too lucrative to do every quest in a zone before moving on. The only trick is save the quests that take you out of the zone for last. Doing all the quests in a zone = more money, more gear, more achievements and more XP, all at the same time.
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@Radyor: yes, but the idea is when a quest turns green or gray you dont get as much xp so why do a quest that gives crap when you can do a better quest which gives you better gear and better xp
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@Soxa: On my characters, I always do quests that turn green. If it turns grey, forget it. But green is still good.
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Nessitha
Gilneas
Nessitha
1/12/2012
Thanks all for the tips here - but I just wish I knew half of what you're talking about. I have to look up abbreviations & meanings to some of the things. We're noobs here!
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My advice would be not to go into questing expecting to complete every quest. Many quests are time consuming, difficult , or out of the way, and there are many more quests available than you need to make each level. Many quests are optional.. if they seem too difficult or too out of the way, don't be afraid to drop them out of your quest log and keep going. Also, quests that are green/grey aren't worth as much as yellow/orange quests too, so really consider dropping them too. Of course, if a long quest or a grey quest really interests you, then enjoy it! Just realize.. it's easy to get sidetracked by these quests when you would have enjoyed an easier/more current quest just as much, and been rewarded more by doing it.
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Smalblu
Stonemaul
Smalblu
11/21/2011
If i had to make one comment, and one comment only, i would say that the most important one is that pacing yourself, and being well prepared to quest is very important. Questing while your bags are full, your armor is broken, or in a zone that is too high or low for you (the Command Boards in your Capital Cities will always tell you where to go next) will diminish the experience for you, and may make it boring, annoying, or even frustrating. So pace yourself, and have fun while you play.