Join a guild.
It’s the first thing everyone tells someone entering an MMORPG, whether she’s a newbie or a returnee. I’ve even given the advice myself. Join a guild, we say, as if that will solve everything. Never mind that a lot of guilds suck and can drive people away from games rather than keep them. Never mind that a lot of the power of guilds to create stickiness comes from people who want to be in guilds, not just people who happen to be in guilds. Never mind that guilds add an extra layer of social effort and stress to people learning the ropes in the game.
Maybe it’s not the worst advice I was given as a newbie, but I was given it, and the guild I joined turned out to be as corrupt as they come. (Don’t worry; we saved it, and it still lives today.) Better advice might have been this: play a little, make sure you actually enjoy the game, then start poking around for a guild — just having a tag and insta-stranger-friends won’t make the game a home, even if you score some nice twink gear and a PL in the deal.
What’s the worst advice you were given as an MMORPG newbie?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
