When play World of Warcraft, will you play with friends or alone? WoW is categorized as a MASSIVELY Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) – so it only makes sense that you should aim to connect with (relatively) massive numbers of other players when you're playing.
If you are an new hand, do you know you should join the guild? It's true that you can successfully fumble about in the relatively unpopulated leveling zones on your own, you'll enjoy a richer, more complete game experience if you play with other players, as intended. A guild that fits your needs will sweep your enjoyment to a whole new level. They are teams of players who share similar goals or play styles. It's like gaining a pool of automatic friends. Your guildmates are the folks who can group with you, craft items for you, lend directions and advice to you, loan you a few gold when things are tight, and keep you company in guild chat or Vent as you quest your way through the levels.
But guilds are formed, evolve, break up and reform for all sorts of different reasons. It's up to you to find a group that matches your play style, personality and needs. Being part of the coolest, most uber raiding guild on the server is utterly worthless if you're the only, lonely level 32 casual among its ranks. Joining a level 80 progression raiding guild or a competitive PvP team can be a tricky endeavor, and it's most assuredly not what we're covering here today. It's not the end of the world to join the guild of the guy who spammed you with a random guild invite in Stormwind or the group of rag-tag beginners that somehow fell together in The Barrens. You may meet folks who'll remain fast friends for years to come.
