When you get nearly 12 million people together playing the same game, chances are some of them are going to be pranksters. Check out some classic WoW pranks and how to avoid becoming a victim yourself.
In World of Warcraft, as in life, you’re bound to meet people who seem to derive pleasure only from tormenting other people. It’s no surprise, then, that these people have found a way to bring their grief-inducing behavior into the virtual world by developing several now-classic in-game pranks.
Some are simple, like tricking people into quitting their guild or shutting down their WoW client, while others are more sinister, taking on the form of undesired transportation or an unsolicited influx of communication.
Love them or hate them, the fact is that these pranks exist and are actually quite common. Learn about them and ensure that you don’t find yourself the victim of a practical joke.
The Alt+F4 Prank
This one is quite common, and usually takes place over global channels like trade chat.
Inevitably, some new player is going to have the audacity to actually expect to receive some kind of advice by asking the game’s general populace. This person may be having a technical issue of some kind, or simply be attempting to figure out which button combination to press for a particular feature.
It’s possible that someone may actually attempt to deliver a helpful response to the newb’s query, but it’s equally possible that someone will respond with a message telling them that their problem can be solved by pressing Alt+F4.
As most Windows-savvy computer users know, Alt+F4 is the command to close the current program. So, should the hapless newbie actually attempt the provided solution, they’ll find themselves staring at the desktop and wondering what the heck just happened.
This is one of the simplest and most common pranks in almost any online game. Don’t fall for it.
Guild Quit Command Prank
This one is also quite common in global channels. The premise is simple: trick an unsuspecting player into keying in the /gquit command and inadvertently quitting their guild. This prank can range from a minor inconvenience (simply ask an officer to reinvite you) to a huge ordeal (guild leader somehow takes offense and refuses to invite you back).
There are a couple different ways that this one goes. The simplest is by simply asking “what is the command to quit my guild?” over a global channel. Unsuspecting Samaritans may quickly type in the command in reply without realizing they are about to drop guild.
The original version is something WoW players have come to know, however, so several new ones have sprung up that can potentially catch you off guard. Someone may ask “/gquit and /gkick are both commands, but they removed /gkick, so what is left?” Again, a fast-typing know it all may simply type in the command without thinking and find themselves guildless.
Another creative variation that shows up on patch day is “sweet, they added a confirmation screen to the /gquit command!” Unsuspecting players, hoping to check out this purported new feature, may type /gquit and find out the hard way that they have just become the victim of a classic prank.
Check out page two for classic pranks pulled by Warlocks and Mages, and a common way to fill your enemy's screen with whisper spam.