How to Play MMORPG's Effectively

If you don't have time then there is no real point to start playing an MMORPG. You don't need 16 hours a day to dedicate to it, but with the continual progression of the games (in the forms of expansions, new quests, patches etc) it's very easy to get incredibly far behind if you aren't an active gamer. Also, playing for a single hour will rarely get you anywhere in an MMORPG. Quests can take hours themselves, and that doesn't include the time taken to find the quest, find a group, get the required gear, and organize your skill-set. This is a reason you find many adolescents and students in MMORPG's, they don't have to worry about a 9-5 job, and have plenty of time playing a virtual version of whoever they want to be.

Playing an MMORPG with a friend isn't only incredibly fun, it's also much easier to play through the game as you understand the skill-level of your friend and are more comfortable talking with them over Vent or Teamspeak. Even then, "real life" friends aren't necessary. Just finding a group of people to regularly play with (not necessarily a guild) is sufficient enough to play MMORPG's effectively. It's very helpful to have a group of reliable and dedicated people to run through new quests with and ask for advice on various topics pertaining to playing the game.

Download an RSS reader and start subscribing to the RSS feeds of the official games website and any major fansite. This way you'll always be in the loop about upcoming bug fixes, patches, and balancing. Having this knowledge will allow you to plan ahead to change your character if they're affected by these things. Also, fansites will often post effective strategies for PvE and PvP content which you can usually expand upon to create your own unique build in the game.

Whilst it can be enticing to start fifty characters of different races and classes and all give them funny names, it's probably not the best thing to do. Focusing on a singular character will give you the knowledge (and advantage) of every single facet of that character. It's definitely better to know a lot about a little in this case. You want to know your characters advantages, disadvantages, strengths, and weaknesses. With this information it's significantly easier to strategize in both PvE and PvP combat.