In other MMORPGs players are usually left with monster slaying, the level treadmill, endless item collection and socialization as their modus operandi; not so with WoW. For starters, players will obtain experience points not only from monster killing, but from successful completion of quests. Adventurers will notice that they progress much faster through the current level 60 limit by questing, instead of mindlessly killing monsters. Since most quests involve a degree of monster slaying, they actually go hand-in-hand.

  There are also additional rewards to this system - many quests will reward players with money, rare equipment and reputation. Reputation is a statistic that is familiar to the genre, but never quite as well utilized as it is in WoW. As they complete quests, players will progress through various levels of reputation with many different factions. From "Hated" to "Exalted," reputation rating determines several aspects of NPC behavior. Firstly, it determines if members of a specific faction are openly hostile or friendly to the player. Even prices at vendors, both discounts on items and profits on reselling, are also influenced by your standing. Next, certain key quests are tied to standings with certain groups. In fact, many of the high-end crafting recipes and items cannot be purchased at vendors without the right level of fame with the corresponding sect. How many to be exact? Currently, there are over two dozen factions implemented in-game, but new additions are commonplace as new areas are added.