I'm thinking of getting into World of Warcraft
- Thread starter WarmasterCain55
- Start date
First off, find someone here on the forums or in real life that you like well enough to play with them a lot.
Then do the recruit-a-friend program with them. It'll make you level super fast (up to level 60), gives the other guy a free mount, and i think your first month or two are free.
Wow is a game that, while not 'hard' as it could be, is pretty damn complex. Theres a LOT to it, and a lot of it you just need to learn as time goes by. The game will look completely different at lvl 20 on your first character then it will at 80 on your 2n3/3rd, simply because you understand so much more of it.
However, its a good idea to read up (wowwiki is a good place for this) on the various classes in advance to figure out what you want to do. Making a bunch of characters and leveling them up a bit works too, to see what playstyle of character you want. Doing it that way will reinforce the low-level viewpoint that you'll get, though, and will DEFINITELY slow your progress in understanding the game fully.
While I don't have as much time to play all day as I used to, I'd be more then willing to do recruit-a-friend with you and help ya headfirst into the game. However, most of the shit I could help you with would be meaningless unless you take the game 'seriously'... Casual players are a very different breed then raiders : ).
But yeah. Wow is fun, and addicting. However, the way I've found the most fun is by endgame raiding, which is time consuming. If you don't have the time to put in for srs raiding, then it wont be fun, because you wont get anywhere. If you just want to be a casual player, I'd recommend getting a free-to-play game instead or something.
edit: What does one usually do in the game?
At low levels, quest. Go out and see the whole damn world of the game. With Recruit-A-Friend, it goes by VERY fast. There are instances (dungeons, whatever) that are areas that are 'instanced' (as in, when you walk into it, an instance is created for you and your group alone, and theres a very large amount of instances able to be open at once. Mobs (groups of bad guys) are in preassigned places, there are 'boss' mobs that drop 'rare quality' loot, and quests linked to the place. You generally need a 5man group of a tank, 3 dps, and a healer to clear one) that you can do for exp, as well.
There are battlegrounds that are large team based pvp areas with specific goals, and whichever team manages the specific goals faster/first wins, giving you 'marks' (one form of currency) and 'honor' (another form of currency) that would let you buy gear.
And there are raids, of course. Think larger instances with better loot.
Then do the recruit-a-friend program with them. It'll make you level super fast (up to level 60), gives the other guy a free mount, and i think your first month or two are free.
Wow is a game that, while not 'hard' as it could be, is pretty damn complex. Theres a LOT to it, and a lot of it you just need to learn as time goes by. The game will look completely different at lvl 20 on your first character then it will at 80 on your 2n3/3rd, simply because you understand so much more of it.
However, its a good idea to read up (wowwiki is a good place for this) on the various classes in advance to figure out what you want to do. Making a bunch of characters and leveling them up a bit works too, to see what playstyle of character you want. Doing it that way will reinforce the low-level viewpoint that you'll get, though, and will DEFINITELY slow your progress in understanding the game fully.
While I don't have as much time to play all day as I used to, I'd be more then willing to do recruit-a-friend with you and help ya headfirst into the game. However, most of the shit I could help you with would be meaningless unless you take the game 'seriously'... Casual players are a very different breed then raiders : ).
But yeah. Wow is fun, and addicting. However, the way I've found the most fun is by endgame raiding, which is time consuming. If you don't have the time to put in for srs raiding, then it wont be fun, because you wont get anywhere. If you just want to be a casual player, I'd recommend getting a free-to-play game instead or something.
edit: What does one usually do in the game?
At low levels, quest. Go out and see the whole damn world of the game. With Recruit-A-Friend, it goes by VERY fast. There are instances (dungeons, whatever) that are areas that are 'instanced' (as in, when you walk into it, an instance is created for you and your group alone, and theres a very large amount of instances able to be open at once. Mobs (groups of bad guys) are in preassigned places, there are 'boss' mobs that drop 'rare quality' loot, and quests linked to the place. You generally need a 5man group of a tank, 3 dps, and a healer to clear one) that you can do for exp, as well.
There are battlegrounds that are large team based pvp areas with specific goals, and whichever team manages the specific goals faster/first wins, giving you 'marks' (one form of currency) and 'honor' (another form of currency) that would let you buy gear.
And there are raids, of course. Think larger instances with better loot.
Ike, don't say so much. You'll scare the poor kid.
But yeah. Try it out on trial for 2 weeks, see if you like it, and then play more. The first character you make will most likely not become your main character, because you'll make more, just to see what they are like.
If you want, I have several trial keys that you can use. PM me and I'll give you one.
If you _do_ make an account and a character, do it on the server Bloodscalp as Horde. We have a guild that's about half TFF members called [Band of the Hawks].
But yeah. Try it out on trial for 2 weeks, see if you like it, and then play more. The first character you make will most likely not become your main character, because you'll make more, just to see what they are like.
If you want, I have several trial keys that you can use. PM me and I'll give you one.
If you _do_ make an account and a character, do it on the server Bloodscalp as Horde. We have a guild that's about half TFF members called [Band of the Hawks].
Just as a side note, if you're new to MMORPG (or WoW, for that matter), start off on a PVE server. It'll allow you to get used to the game without getting ganked by a bored level 80 from the opposite faction.
Also, don't be taken in by the whole "ALLY/HORDIEZ PLYRS R JERKS! LOLOLOL!!!!" Play a race you find aesthetically pleasing, intriguing or which you find familiar from previous gaming experiences.
Also, don't be taken in by the whole "ALLY/HORDIEZ PLYRS R JERKS! LOLOLOL!!!!" Play a race you find aesthetically pleasing, intriguing or which you find familiar from previous gaming experiences.
Regarding pve vs pvp servers, being ganked is not really a problem from lvs 1-20, unless you do something very risky like trying to run instances that are in enemy territory (at that level, for Alliance that's Wailing Caverns, Shadowfang Keep, and Ragefire Chasm; for Horde it's Deadmines and the Stockades.) Even after that, it's just a matter of bad luck if you get camped, and of avoiding or being very careful in ganking hotspots (Darkshire and Redridge are often stalked by Horde players, for example, if you play Alliance on Bloodscalp, and Stranglethorn Vale is perilous to both sides.) It's just a matter of learning how to avoid confrontations you can't escape from.
And yeah, the whole allies vs horde having more jerks is blown way out of proportion. Both sides have them, it's just a matter of finding a server where they're not in evidence on the side you want to play on... or of learning to tune it out. I haven't played Alliance on Bloodscalp, but we have a guild KoS list for anyone who wants to involve themselves in "world pvp" (aka ganking, random fights, etc.) that includes an entire Ally guild who has been nothing but bad news since we first encountered them. I'm fairly sure there are Horde guilds in the same situation as that Alliance guild.
As to what race to pick... well, like the man said, find one that you think you'll like to play, and play it. Don't worry too much about min/maxing, for the most part the racials don't translate into such tremendous numbers that one race necessarily dominates or fails... except for trolls, their racials are all fairly "meh", so they tend to be underplayed. Pick a side, pick a class, and then pick a race that can be that class on that side. Or pick a race first, if you're looking for eye candy ^_^ Though I would definitely think about starting with a hunter or a warlock, the pets are very nice bonuses, and the play style tends to be very forgiving on both, at the beginning.
And yeah, the whole allies vs horde having more jerks is blown way out of proportion. Both sides have them, it's just a matter of finding a server where they're not in evidence on the side you want to play on... or of learning to tune it out. I haven't played Alliance on Bloodscalp, but we have a guild KoS list for anyone who wants to involve themselves in "world pvp" (aka ganking, random fights, etc.) that includes an entire Ally guild who has been nothing but bad news since we first encountered them. I'm fairly sure there are Horde guilds in the same situation as that Alliance guild.
As to what race to pick... well, like the man said, find one that you think you'll like to play, and play it. Don't worry too much about min/maxing, for the most part the racials don't translate into such tremendous numbers that one race necessarily dominates or fails... except for trolls, their racials are all fairly "meh", so they tend to be underplayed. Pick a side, pick a class, and then pick a race that can be that class on that side. Or pick a race first, if you're looking for eye candy ^_^ Though I would definitely think about starting with a hunter or a warlock, the pets are very nice bonuses, and the play style tends to be very forgiving on both, at the beginning.
It's also not a bad idea to think about what professions you want to do for your charater when are picking classes. Some professions make sense for a class, Leatherworking for shamans, engineering for hunters, Alchemy for Warriors...... what? it works. There is also enchanting, Blacksmithing, inscriptions, and Tailoring. These are all paird with a gathering Profession, mining, skinning, and herbilisem. Its not a bad idea to do two Gathering Professions acturally, you can sell the stuff you find at the auction house's to make a log of gold.
I'll be happy to give you an idea of what playing WoW is like, as well as some advice for your fist character in the game.
First is obviously what kind of realm to select. For a first time player I'd recommend a PvE server; this kind of server is focused on the player fighting and defeating the monsters of the game world itself, with Player vs. Player (PvP) happening either in special areas (Battlegrounds) or when a player 'flags' for PvP by attacking a PvP flagged player (or healing/buffing one) or by attacking a PvP flagged NPC. By playing on a PvE server, you'll have the option of PvP, rather than being forced into due to the nature of the server. This will let you get the widest range of play-types without having to commit to one right from the start. Another advantage to a PvE server is that you can have characters for both major factions (Alliance and Horde) on the same account and the same server; PvP servers are restricted to one or the other per server.
Next is race/faction and class selection. There are many possible combinations, some better than others; but for a newbie I'd recommend just picking the combination you find the most interesting. I'll also add that the Ally/Horde jerk levels are pretty much the same on either side. Alliance has more players on most of the servers, thus there is both more competition for mobs and more readily available help for quests; with the Horde's lower player population, the opposite is true. Picking what faction you want is pretty much purely aesthetic. Also, don't worry too much about racials, but you might want to at least check the WoWwiki site to get at least a basic understanding of them.
As for class, I would recommend Hunter for your very first WoW character. I often joke with my friends that "Hunter is WoW on easy-mode" :snigger: ; and it is. This class is the easiest to learn (but has enough depth) to be fun to play. You can tame Beast-type mobs for a combat pet (which means you'll not be killed as often as most classes) and will be able to track all but one type of mob on your mini-map (the exception is Mechanical mobs) eventually. This is a surprisingly useful ability since you'll be able to 'see' where mobs are in relation to you and thus avoid them, or move to attack them when you want; it also makes the 'kill-quests' much, much easier (it'll even display whether mobs are friendly, neutral, or hostile to you).
The talent trees for Hunter are also the easiest to learn and decide on. It basically comes down to what you want from your pet. Do you just want a meat-shield that's there to get hit and hold the mobs attention, or do you want a pet that's capable of taking a mob down all on it's own and with realitive ease? If you want the first one, which will put the vast majority of damage into your characters hands, you'll probably want to put the vast majority of points into the Marksman tree or Survival tree; if you want the later, go for Beastmaster. All this makes Hunter a very easy to learn class and will let you get right into the 'meat' of the game without needing a whole lot of skull-sweat
.
Other classes I'd recommend are Druid (gives you a nice idea of just what it'll be like to play just about all of the classes without having to make more characters); Paladin due to it's toughness; Warlock for it's pet; and Rogue for it's sneakiness. All of these classes are fairly easy to learn (though the talent trees might make for some frustration as you try to figure out what you want).
As for professions, I'd suggest picking a gathering/crafting combination that will immediately offer a major advantage to your character in terms of gear or consumable items. For example: Hunter/Shaman skinning/leatherworking combination offers easy gathering of most raw materials (you'll be killing a lot of beast-type mobs, thus having an on-demand supply of leather without needing to worry about the nodes that other gathering skills use to get raw material [mining and herbalism]). It'll also allow you to craft gear that your character can use, thus lessening you're dependence on quests and drops for new gear. Leatherworking does allow for the crafting of mail items as well, meaning classes that switch to mail at level 40 will still find it very useful.
Another example is Paladin/Warrior with mining/blacksmithing, with pretty much the same advantages as the previous example (with the exception of mining needing nodes to gather from [you can select to display any nodes near-by from your gathering profession on your mini-map]). Herbalism/Alchemy, or skinning/leather, are good for Druids; both work very well. I'd avoid Tailoring (this is one of two professions without a gathering skill, it relies on drops by Humanoid mobs for the main raw material) and Enchanting (also has no gathering skill and is a pain to work on, even for those with multiple characters since you need enhancing gear to make raw materials).
Now on to what's really important: Is WoW fun? The answer is: Yes, yes it is fun! Very fun, both for the casual players and the hard-core raiders. Whether you can only play for a few hours at a time, or can play for 6 or more at a time, you'll find that you can make measurable progress in the game. When I first started playing, most MMOs chained your progress to groups, meaning that you couldn't really advance without other players. WoW changed that by making the game so that you can get to max level without ever having to group with other players (you won't be able to complete all the quests, but you will be able to complete most of them). This means the amount of time you stand around looking for a group is reduced to a minimum and there is almost always something to do that you can do alone.
WoW has the broadest possible appeal to the different play-styles and player-types of any MMO I've ever played. It's easy to learn (but a fun challenge to master), it's easy and fairly quick to advance, and offers a large selection of things to do.
First is obviously what kind of realm to select. For a first time player I'd recommend a PvE server; this kind of server is focused on the player fighting and defeating the monsters of the game world itself, with Player vs. Player (PvP) happening either in special areas (Battlegrounds) or when a player 'flags' for PvP by attacking a PvP flagged player (or healing/buffing one) or by attacking a PvP flagged NPC. By playing on a PvE server, you'll have the option of PvP, rather than being forced into due to the nature of the server. This will let you get the widest range of play-types without having to commit to one right from the start. Another advantage to a PvE server is that you can have characters for both major factions (Alliance and Horde) on the same account and the same server; PvP servers are restricted to one or the other per server.
Next is race/faction and class selection. There are many possible combinations, some better than others; but for a newbie I'd recommend just picking the combination you find the most interesting. I'll also add that the Ally/Horde jerk levels are pretty much the same on either side. Alliance has more players on most of the servers, thus there is both more competition for mobs and more readily available help for quests; with the Horde's lower player population, the opposite is true. Picking what faction you want is pretty much purely aesthetic. Also, don't worry too much about racials, but you might want to at least check the WoWwiki site to get at least a basic understanding of them.
As for class, I would recommend Hunter for your very first WoW character. I often joke with my friends that "Hunter is WoW on easy-mode" :snigger: ; and it is. This class is the easiest to learn (but has enough depth) to be fun to play. You can tame Beast-type mobs for a combat pet (which means you'll not be killed as often as most classes) and will be able to track all but one type of mob on your mini-map (the exception is Mechanical mobs) eventually. This is a surprisingly useful ability since you'll be able to 'see' where mobs are in relation to you and thus avoid them, or move to attack them when you want; it also makes the 'kill-quests' much, much easier (it'll even display whether mobs are friendly, neutral, or hostile to you).
The talent trees for Hunter are also the easiest to learn and decide on. It basically comes down to what you want from your pet. Do you just want a meat-shield that's there to get hit and hold the mobs attention, or do you want a pet that's capable of taking a mob down all on it's own and with realitive ease? If you want the first one, which will put the vast majority of damage into your characters hands, you'll probably want to put the vast majority of points into the Marksman tree or Survival tree; if you want the later, go for Beastmaster. All this makes Hunter a very easy to learn class and will let you get right into the 'meat' of the game without needing a whole lot of skull-sweat
.Other classes I'd recommend are Druid (gives you a nice idea of just what it'll be like to play just about all of the classes without having to make more characters); Paladin due to it's toughness; Warlock for it's pet; and Rogue for it's sneakiness. All of these classes are fairly easy to learn (though the talent trees might make for some frustration as you try to figure out what you want).
As for professions, I'd suggest picking a gathering/crafting combination that will immediately offer a major advantage to your character in terms of gear or consumable items. For example: Hunter/Shaman skinning/leatherworking combination offers easy gathering of most raw materials (you'll be killing a lot of beast-type mobs, thus having an on-demand supply of leather without needing to worry about the nodes that other gathering skills use to get raw material [mining and herbalism]). It'll also allow you to craft gear that your character can use, thus lessening you're dependence on quests and drops for new gear. Leatherworking does allow for the crafting of mail items as well, meaning classes that switch to mail at level 40 will still find it very useful.
Another example is Paladin/Warrior with mining/blacksmithing, with pretty much the same advantages as the previous example (with the exception of mining needing nodes to gather from [you can select to display any nodes near-by from your gathering profession on your mini-map]). Herbalism/Alchemy, or skinning/leather, are good for Druids; both work very well. I'd avoid Tailoring (this is one of two professions without a gathering skill, it relies on drops by Humanoid mobs for the main raw material) and Enchanting (also has no gathering skill and is a pain to work on, even for those with multiple characters since you need enhancing gear to make raw materials).
Now on to what's really important: Is WoW fun? The answer is: Yes, yes it is fun! Very fun, both for the casual players and the hard-core raiders. Whether you can only play for a few hours at a time, or can play for 6 or more at a time, you'll find that you can make measurable progress in the game. When I first started playing, most MMOs chained your progress to groups, meaning that you couldn't really advance without other players. WoW changed that by making the game so that you can get to max level without ever having to group with other players (you won't be able to complete all the quests, but you will be able to complete most of them). This means the amount of time you stand around looking for a group is reduced to a minimum and there is almost always something to do that you can do alone.
WoW has the broadest possible appeal to the different play-styles and player-types of any MMO I've ever played. It's easy to learn (but a fun challenge to master), it's easy and fairly quick to advance, and offers a large selection of things to do.