A guide to shutting out the world of Warcraft

WoW is a very social game, and you might think that there is no getting around it. Fortunately for those who relish their alone time, there are several ways to minimize contact with other players and have some quiet time.

While some people will argue that you should stop playing social games like MMORPGs, there are plenty of solo activities, and if that is what you want to do, more power to you.

Today, I will be answering some reader mail from Heidi who desperately wants some peace and quiet.


Hello, I was wondering if you could give me some help/advise. I'm not the greatest wow player and I'm constantly getting my butt kicked by the opposing faction. I am a level 74 and have only done two instances and I doubt I'll ever do more. I'm a loner when I play so I was wondering if I transferred my character to a PvE realm would I be safer. I've read everything that I can find about this topic but I'm still not sure of the answer. I want to go out by myself and do my quests with out the fear of death from the other side. Also, if I were to transfer how would I know which realm is "quiet". I'm sick and tired of being abused by 12 year old's with nasty attitudes. I just want peace and quiet while I do my thing. So with that said, thank you in advance and hope to hear from someone soon. Take care, Heid lvl 74 troll hunter :)

While Heidi would certainly learn more about the game, advance further, and do things faster if she partnered up with friends and a guild, began running instances and started raiding, it obviously isn't her cup of tea.

Choosing a Realm
If you don't want to be hassled, choose a PvE realm. The opposing faction can't attack you, so you can quest in peace.

You will also want to avoid RP, or roleplaying, servers, because they are quite social. They have strict naming conventions, and all of your conversations must be conducted in character. This might seem bothersome if what you really want is to be left alone.

Next, you will need to choose the specific realm. Look for realms with a low population, but beware that if you are looking at a realm during its off-hours, it may say "low" because relatively few people are on. New servers are a safe bet, although the economy will be a bit out of whack (think about an ultimate Baby Boomer phenomenon).

You might also want to consider the timezone of the realm. If you aren't sure, create a level one character and then look up at your Mini-Map. At the bottom, it will tell you the time. You might want to choose a realm that will be in a timezone where everyone is sleeping (or in school!) when you usually log on.

Adjust your Chat Channels
Now that we've banished the other faction, you'll want to adjust your chat channels so that the "12 year olds with nasty attitudes" can be ignored. Above your chat window you will see a tab named General. Right click on it, then click on Settings.

Simply uncheck the channels that you don't want to experience. I highly recommend turning off General, and many people also turn off Trade and Localdefense, which can be found in the Global Channels section. You can also type "/leave #" to exit a channel. For example, if you're questing and General chat [1. General] is bothering you, type /leave 1.

You will also see a colored box next to channel names. Click these to change the font color of each message. For example, the default text for a guild message is green, but you can change it to whatever you like. I personally like to have Trade and General, but I find them very distracting and annoying. I have both heavily greyed out so that they do not catch my eye. I can refer to them when I need to, but I no longer feel pulled into the conversations.

Make Alts
Alts are alternative characters. They usually aren't your highest level character, and are played sporadically. Create and level them into different zones or even on different servers. This way, if you log on to your main and find yourself overcrowded, perhaps your warlock on another server, or your warrior in the Searing Gorge, will have better luck.