Do people still play WoW with friends?

[Deleted]

I play Alliance on a heavily Alliance populated realm and joined back just a few days before WotlK was released.

Back in the day, the realm I play (Bronzebeard) was medium-high population, had a great community and a fairly steady raid progression. The realm was comfortably populated, not heaving all of the time but also never completely barren, but in recent months my realm has just become completely dead, gone from medium to low pop and the community is utterly worthless. The worst thing about this is that most of the friends I once had in WoW are now gone and I pretty much play and quest alone or LFR. It's impossible to find a fun, friendly and progressive guild, I mean IMPOSSIBLE.

My question for you guys to debate over is what the title says: Do you guys still play WoW with your friends, IRL or in-game-only friends?

Also a little bonus question if you're in a generous mood, but how am I now expected to make friends in game? Seems pretty impossible on such a shitty realm and no matter how nice I am to people and help them out, there is just no sense of community or friendship, it's just all cold "play for myself" mood. How do I make friends in WoW these days?

Cheers

[Cover25]

I play Alliance on a heavily Alliance populated realm and joined back just a few days before WotlK was released.

Back in the day, the realm I play (Bronzebeard) was medium-high population, had a great community and a fairly steady raid progression. The realm was comfortably populated, not heaving all of the time but also never completely barren, but in recent months my realm has just become completely dead, gone from medium to low pop and the community is utterly worthless. The worst thing about this is that most of the friends I once had in WoW are now gone and I pretty much play and quest alone or LFR. It's impossible to find a fun, friendly and progressive guild, I mean IMPOSSIBLE.

My question for you guys to debate over is what the title says: Do you guys still play WoW with your friends, IRL or in-game-only friends?

Also a little bonus question if you're in a generous mood, but how am I now expected to make friends in game? Seems pretty impossible on such a shitty realm and no matter how nice I am to people and help them out, there is just no sense of community or friendship, it's just all cold "play for myself" mood. How do I make friends in WoW these days?

Cheers

Go to a high pop realm, leave your nostalgia behind, find friends there, be happy, never queue for lfr again to find friends.

[Tech Priest Bojangles]

Cataclysm ran off all of my IRL friends and they never came back. Sure is lonely now.

Guilds might be your best bet, just gotta keep searching. Switching realms might help too.

[lMishka]

I played with my friends, I never played with any IRL friends though. I even played with the friends I've met in BC or Cata. Heck, I switch from realm to realm every expansion.

Anyway, join a guild. Start trying to have a conversation with them. Sooner or later you'll make friends. My way is by doing dungeons or scenarios with people, BGs/Arena or Flex if anything.

[thurizas]

The only reason I still play WoW, is that a majority of the friends I've made from vanilla onward still play wow (and on the same server). BTW, if I could get them to go to another game I'd be gone in a flash.

[jobiwon]

None of my IRL friends play wow, but I've met a a few people that I've been friends with for years now. I was on an extremely dead server with only 1 guild that had some respectable progression, but I met my friends by doing RBG's and talking in skype lol. Most of the new friends I have made are from talking about transmog in a random group in bg's or LFR/Flex.

[Thelxi]

Nope. I'm pretty ashamed of spending so much time playing video games, very few people know about my guilty pleasure let alone play with me. Come to think of it I don't know anybody who also plays WoW. I mean I know people that do, but they are not my friends. From my experience internet video gamers are not the most pleasant people IRL.

[Soulonoscopy]

To play with my RL friends its all CR for me being that they transferred off of the realm I'm on while I was on a fourteen month hiatus from WoW. While I'm contemplating doing the same I don't think we'll ever have the same community / camaraderie feel that WoW had back in Vanillia / BC / WotLK. Although I understand their reasoning I don't necessarily agree with Blizzards stance on cross realm, LFR and LFD being enabled and its my opinion that those three things have done more to damage the community atmosphere than anything else. Sure, prior to all of that, it used to take some time and effort into setting up a group to do a dungeon or raid but even a casual was able to get into a semi-respectable guild if they so chose to and utilize it to their advantage to put groups together. WoW has increasingly become a game more about personal agenda and personal gain rather than guild / realm progression. I'd really like for Blizzard to give us a few realms (or just one to run as a test) with CR / LFR / LFD turned off because I truly believe thats the only way we'll regain some of what was in the days of old... and yes, I'd transfer there the day it opened.

[Deleted]

I used to play with my IRL friends, but they all slowly began to focus on other games, sadly... We still meet every weekend, but never ingame anymore

Im playing on a RPPVP-server (Defias Brotherhood) and I seem to find nice people most places I go... Ofcouse LFR is full of people who enjoys ruining others experience by ninja-pulling bosses etc. but I have a big friends-list because of the pug-raids I´ve been in..

In Cataclysm I was in my IRL friends guild, but I have to say, I have more fun now in a guild I found on Blizzard forums.. Because the guild suited my playstyle more..

I play on a RPPVP server, but I mainly focus on PVE.. And I dont really care about RP, other than I like transmogs..
So I do believe it is possible to find ingame-friends, nomatter what server you play on.. You just need to find a guild/group of people, that enjoy the same stuff as you

2 Months ago, my raid-team all met up in Copenhagen.. There was 2 people from England, 4 people from Sweden and 4 people from Denmark - All people whom I´ve never seen before in real life.. And we had a great time, partying in my apartment (The Raid Leader puked all over my bathroom)

My advice is to be nice and outgoing in pug-raids.. If you enjoyed your stay, ask them to think of you next time they need a PUG
And if you see people you´ve raided with before, give them a /wave next time you see them at the reforger
And look around the forums, to find a guild that suits you.. Most servers have everything from casual pvp-guilds to HC-progression PVE guilds.

[cocoroaria]

Also a little bonus question if you're in a generous mood, but how am I now expected to make friends in game? Seems pretty impossible on such a shitty realm and no matter how nice I am to people and help them out, there is just no sense of community or friendship, it's just all cold "play for myself" mood. How do I make friends in WoW these days?

I suggest you come to a roleplaying realm. We tend to be very friendly and open, especially if you're interested in roleplaying. People are more laid back and easy going, less juvenile general sense of humor, and you can actually understand what we type!

As for your main question, I don't play with anyone I know IRL 'cause none of them care about WoW. u_u So it's just friends I've made online. And I love them all super duper ultra much ^^ Even though I'm on a break, I still talk to many of them every single day 'cause we've connected as more than just guildmates or servermates, which is awesome.

[alany]

it really depends my guild is basically family at this point(25man) met most at blizzcon last year had a great time killed H garrosh back in Jan and they are still going....yet ive pugged with a ton of "guild groups" that feel like they are incredibly disconnected from each other and argue a lot so i guess it just depends who you get stuck playing with and if you are willing to change to meet new people if you are in a bad situation

[Grumpy Old Man]

My question for you guys to debate over is what the title says: Do you guys still play WoW with your friends, IRL or in-game-only friends?

Both. Two of my IRL friends (co-workers) are still playing, although the majority of my crurrent friends list are made of in-game-only friends.

[Gimlix]

I met one of the best people in WoW, WoW community is great if you ignore the pvp "pro's" who think they are everything.

[Deleted]

This is how you can make online friends:
1)Play PvP.
2)Hook up with people, who seek partner to arena.
3)As you are forced to communicate, you will have some sort of friendship going on(and hopefully, you will like eachother).
4)Enjoy.

[schwank05]

Only reason I still play wow is that one of my best RL friends moved to KS after he got back from Military and we now skype and play video games together and use it to hand out basically.

[Bluesftw]

still? ingame friends are the only reason i still play wow

[Kaldriss]

ive had the same ingame friendgroup since the beginning of cata and i still play with them all the time

[Kavorka]

I have been playing with RL friends since the game was launched, but the numbers are dwindling. Hopefully a few more come back for WoD. My suggestion on the finding friends question would be to make an effort to run things like mog runs etc and chat to people while doing them. One of my best online friends is someone I randomly started talking to about pets/mounts/gear collecting while doing so.