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WoW's questing system was inspired by a playtest that didn't work out as planned, because the testers didn't play MMOs and had no idea what they were supposed to do: 'I ran out of quests right away!'
Former World of Warcraft quest designer Jeff Kaplan revealed that the game's questing system was inspired by a playtest where testers unfamiliar with MMOs expected a constant stream of quests. Initially, the team aimed to mirror Everquest's design, but feedback from internal testers highlighted the need for a more guided experience, leading to the quest-heavy system present in the final game.