World of Warcraft is a double edged sword. On the one hand it is an excellent MMORPG, if not the best. It’s fun, easy to get into, and presents a great world for gamers to get involved in. However, WoW can steal one’s life away. Terribly. Marriages have been lost, opportunities broken, and lives completely torn away thanks to this addicting game. If there was ever a poster child for how games can destroy a life, WoW is it.

But there is a way to fight this, a way to survive WoW. Follow my simple list and you should be fine and still find World of Warcraft satisfying.

Realize Friends Will Progress Faster Than You
The ratio of those with a life versus those without is very slanted in WoW. As a result, many friends are going to surpass you in terms of level, items, mounts, and so on. Don’t let this get to you. Don’t make it a competition to see who is the most powerful. Do this and WoW will suck unnecessary hours out of your life. Give yourself, your own timeline of progression and stick with it.

Plan To Do Instances and Raids Ahead Of Time
Both of these take a long time to complete. Don’t randomly say “ok” to invites to either of these. Instead plan on doing one, once a week. Usually weekends are the best. This is when a majority of players are on and it is easy to find a group to get into.

Being Offline Isn’t Bad
Remember, the longer one is offline, the larger the double XP bar. Stay off long enough and gaining a level could take two to three times as fast as opposed to doing it the old fashioned way. WoW rewards those who stay offline.

Follow these three steps and World of Warcraft should be a much more fun experience.