While it's entirely possible to level a World of Warcraft toon from 1 to 70 without ever partying up with another individual ever, that's not the strategy that most people tend to employ in their gaming time. "Not soloing to 70%26#8243; is one of main reasons that people join guilds.
However, just joining a guild doesn't guarantee you'll be able to reliably find groups in order to tackle the tougher content in the game. For this reason, it's a good idea - no matter how big and helpful and friendly your guild is - to take the time to build a quality list of players who can be relied upon to exchange favors on occasion.
Once you've got a solid Friends list in place, you will find yourself having less difficulty finding dungeon groups or questing groups, and as a bonus you may have access to other professions that your toons don't.
Beware, however, as building a Friends list takes more than just adding names to your list and having others add you as well - relationships are fickle online... one day you may run a few dungeons with a person and think you've got a new friend, but then the next few weeks every time you ask if they'd join your dungeon team, you get responses of "I'm busy", "I'm in the middle of something", or worse... no response at all!
Things To Remember Regarding Building Online Friendships
Nurturing friendships both online and offline is a challenge, but here are some things to think about in terms of game-based friendships:
Remember - every toon has a human behind it, and every human is playing their toons for their own pleasure, and not for anyone else's (even if they're an Officer)
Remember - you get what you give. Plan to give first and receive second.
Remember - people who know each other In Real Life will be more likely party together than with strangers they only know as pixels on a screen
Remember - players who perform well in parties are generally POPULAR, and popular people are difficult to get into a party with because they're, well, popular
Building a Friends list takes time and effort on your part. Some basic strategies I've employed effectively and that I've recommended to others include:
Small Gifts Mean A Lot: Think about others on occasion when you've got something of value. Low-level guildmates might appreciate a few 10-slot Small Silk Pack
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Trade Goods
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Trade Goods
Item display is courtesy world of warcraft.allakhazam.com. ',VAUTO,HAUTO,FULLHTML);" onmouseout="return nd();">Wool Cloth to help them level up First Aid or Tailoring. Don't just send them out randomly - take the time to chat a little bit with some lower-level guildmates to see if they're in need, and then after you give it to them, continue the conversation at a later time. Casual conversation helps build rapport. Rapport is a basic part of building friendships.
Offer Help Before Asking For help: Look for some guildies who are 3-5 levels lower than yourself and who seem to be questing in an area you're familiar with. Send them a whisper and offer your assistance in going through the quests, or offer to join them to form a dungeon party for a dungeon they're the right level for but you may be slightly overpowered for. Often, lower level guildmates can out-level you given a few weeks of time, and if you've taken the time to help them out as they grow, they're more likely to continue to party up with you to accomplish mutual goals.
Similar Level Quest Grinding: Regularly look at the Guild Roster (/groster) and pay attention to where guildmates close to your level are playing. If you have quests in that same region, send a whisper to your guildmate and let them know, asking whether they have those quests and would be interested in tackling them together.
Take Part In Other Parties: Even if they're not accomplishing a goal that you are seeking to accomplish with your toon, join as many guildie parties as you can for the sheer value of building relationships with guildmates. The more you help others accomplish their goals, the more readily they'll help you accomplish yours.
Avoid Sabotaging Your Friends List
Of course, there are things some you as a player can do which will directly sabotage your ability to put together an effective Friends list, because while there are names on your Friends list, those "friends" don't consider YOU a Friend. Here are some things to think about and hopefully, avoid:
Whining/Complaining - If you ask someone to party and they can't do it, or if you go through a dungeon and don't get many loot drops, whining or complaining about it is going to make them NOT want to party with you next time you ask
Constantly Looking For A Dungeon Group - if you are constantly looking for dungeon parties before you have a quality Friends list to work from, you'll appear needy and guildmates may be reluctant to team with you for fear you'll consider them a "friend for life" and will constantly be turning to them to do dungeons. Work on building your toon and his/her professions while building your Friends list, and realize that WoW isn't all about dungeons.
Being Picky About Group Destinations - Sometimes, guildies want to go somewhere you don't "need" to go to. Since initially your goal should be to build friendships before building your toons, don't shoot yourself in the foot by being overly picky about the groups you choose. When you've got more party offers than you can handle, then turning down some runs makes more sense.
Being Afraid To Take The Lead - there are an endless number of players who are too lazy or afraid to make a mistake in parties, and who therefore are only looking for "friends" who are able to take the lead to get parties put together, quests finished, mobs found, things done. Don't be that leech.
Mistaking "Leader" for "Boss" - effective leaders are able to bring a team together and keep everything flowing smoothly with the full co-operation of teammates. Bossy leaders are able to create drama and high blood pressure. If you're not the leader of the party, be a good, supportive teammate. If you are the leader but you can't convince others to follow your lead, bossing them around isn't going to improve the situation on the long term either.
Summary
Like in Real Life, reliable friends don't automatically come with the game when you install it, and thus building your Friends list is an important step in the development and advancement of your gaming toons.
Folks who take the time to nurture a variety of online relationships will find themselves less often "unable to find a party" because they'll have taken the time to build relationships with a variety of other players and classes and professions.
Folks who think the game revolves around them and that they're the best of their class (and thus everyone would benefit from befriending them), on the other hand, will likely continue to complain about the fact that other people are able to make friends while they aren't.
Of course, they'll label it "elitism" instead, because that doesn't hurt their ego quite as much.
Take your choice as to which person you'd like to be.