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Many people think MMOs like World of Warcraft aren’t casual-friendly — that you have to no-life the game at all times, have to grind and grind, and always have the absolute most top-tier, BiS (Best in Slot) equipment. While it may have felt that way in the past, around the Classic/Burning Crusade eras, that has dramatically changed. The game has become alt-friendly and casual-friendly. While raiding used to feel like a chore — and still can, depending on how you play — there are better options.
Even if you’re brand-new to the game as of The War Within, World of Warcraft is incredibly casual-friendly. It’s not hard to turn into a hardcore WoW player, either. It really depends on how easily the game grips you. However, if you want to know how and why WoW is a casual-friendly game, I’m here to help.
NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.
World of Warcraft is an incredibly casual-friendly MMO
World of Warcraft is a very casual-friendly MMO — you can just play one character, occasionally log on, and play for a few hours and still have a load of fun. I have friends who log in every single day for hours and friends who pop on for a few hours here and there, a few times a week.
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Both types of people are having fun, but some just do it differently. For context, I’ve played WoW for 20 years, and went from raiding over four hours a night to maybe raiding once a week, if I feel like it. In earlier days, when I stopped playing on such a demanding schedule, it was hard.
Raiding and Dailies were the best way to gear up in the game. It stayed that way for many years. I'm so glad the days of being forced to do daily quests in order to stay relevant are long gone.
The shift in tone and attitude really adjusted in recent years of World of Warcraft, making it more casual-friendly. Things went from “Oh, well, you have Raid Finder”, to having tons of options to pick up better gear and grow. You don’t have to raid, or PVP, or run Mythic+ to have fun. It doesn’t matter if you’re picking the top-tier tanks or healers.
Are there things in World of Warcraft that aren’t casual-friendly? Of course, there are. Mythic+ dungeons can feel incredibly frustrating, and many of the players who actively dive into those harder dungeons aren’t always so friendly. There is still a weirdly pervasive toxicity in WoW, even in 2024, but it’s not half as bad as it used to be.
Some things in WoW remain mysterious and sometimes frustrating — knowing exactly how to build your profession, for example. It really depends on what you want to do with them, and you may not have a very clear idea. You could wind up wasting Knowledge Points if you don’t look into it first.
The overall leveling and powering-up experience is very casual-friendly in World of Warcraft, though. When making a character, you can tackle any of the game’s many stories as you level up. This is one way that World of Warcraft has become much better than Final Fantasy 14. You don’t have to beat every single expansion in order. In fact, you don’t have to really beat any of them to get started in the new expansion!
Just pick a storyline, go through it until you hit level 70, and then you can start The War Within. The game will even prompt you when it’s time. There’s no wrong race or class to pick, either. Find the one combination that works the best for you, and just go with it! You don’t have to run the most powerful set of talents, either.
There are plenty of things you should do - like your Weeklies, farm Renown, and upgrade your gear. The game will typically teach you most of this stuff, through other quests. The quests even have different markers to show you what’s important. The purple triangle quests teach you important game mechanics/activities. Blue quests are dailies/weeklies.
Even main scenario quest markers look a bit different, so you know to keep a focus on those to progress forward. Once you’ve reached a certain point in the game, you can even unlock Adventure Mode in WoW War Within — this lets you play as casually as you want through the new content. You don’t have to do the main quests anymore. Just travel the land and do what you want!
There are always going to be rude people on channels, but the same goes for those willing to help, and answer questions. Finding a positive, casual guild can make life a lot easier. There’s a whole section of the UI (default key “J”) to find Guilds and Communities.
World of Warcraft is easily one of the most casual-friendly MMOs out right now. There are lots of ways to improve your gear - raids, weeklies, dailies, Delves, crafting. There’s no real wrong way to play if you just want to log in and hang out. Then, if you decide you want to take it “more seriously” you can!
I don’t think WoW Classic or WoW Classic Hardcore are very casual-friendly, but those are more for players who love the way things used to be — or simply like challenging themselves. That said, World of Warcraft is a game where you can easily lose dozens, or hundreds of hours just looking around, taking in the lore, and the beauty of Azeroth and beyond.
