Unlike previous games in the Warcraft series, World of Warcraft within a persistent game world, exploring the landscape, fighting monsters, performing quests, building is a MMORPG, not a real-time strategy game. As with other MMORPGs, people control a character avatarskills, and interacting with NPCs as well as other players. The game rewards success with money, items, and experience, which in turn allow players to improve their skill and power. Players can level up their characters from level one to level 60, level 70 if they have The Burning Crusade expansion (released on January 16, 2007), or level 80 if they have the yet to be released Wrath of the Lich King expansion. In addition, players may opt to take part in battles against other players of an enemy faction, in PvP battlegrounds or in normal world zones subject to the rules in place on the particular server. Duels can also be fought between members of the same or opposing factions, although these do not provide tangible rewards. Many players also choose to join guilds in order to conduct raids against enemy territories and instances.

Content borrowed from wikipedia.org