How to get started playing WoW

Since this is the first advice post of my blog, I figure a good way to start is to focus on the beginnings of any World of Warcraft player's career. I will not be covering the technical aspects of setting up an account and things like that, since those are surely adequately covered elsewhere. Instead, I'll be focusing on the subjective aspects of the experience. Since this is such a long post, I'll put a table to contents down bellow. Just use control-F or command-F (PC or Mac, respectively) to find what you are looking for.

Should I play World of Warcraft?
What realm should I play on?
Should I be a member of the Alliance or the Horde?
What class should I play?

Should I play World of Warcraft?

This is the first question you should ask yourself before you begin to play WoW: should I be playing in the first place? It's a simple question, but one you should carefully consider before playing. I feel there are certain specific questions you need to ask yourself as a way to figure out whether or not you should play.

-Do I have enough time to play? I like the way one of my friends put it: WoW is not addicting so much as it eats up all of your free time. If you don't have the necessary free time in the first place, you will probably end up pushing your obligations and responsibilities off to the side in order to make time for WoW, or you just won't play, and you'll pay for that time spent not playing. Neither alternative is very attractive, so if you don't have the time to play, don't play.

-Can I afford to play? Aside from the $20 cost for the game, there is also the $15 monthly cost (or $13 monthly if you buy six months at a time, which I do). If you can't afford to pay that, you definitely shouldn't play WoW. I doubt this would be a problem for most adults, but teens and kids would probably need to get a part-time job to pay for WoW. Of course, WoW could be the excuse you need to get a part-time job, which can help you life in so many ways. Of course, if you won't take the job seriously or can't handle a part time job, don't get one just to play WoW. If you take this path, be sure to get the job first so you don't set up a WoW account without the means to pay for it.

-Will I enjoy playing? In my opinion, WoW is a very accessible game from a genre standpoint. There's something here for many gamers, but some people won't enjoy it. If you absolutely hate playing with other people, WoW is not for you. You can have a good time on your own in the game (as I do, frequently), but the beauty of the game is in its social interaction. Grouping with four other people to bring down a monster too powerful for you to bring down is an incredible experience, and you will miss a lot of what the game has to offer if you refuse to play with other people.

-From a similar point of view, if you dislike micromanaging, you may not like WoW. There are plenty of console games out there for people who simply want to pick up the game and play, and though WoW isn't as bad as I'm sure other games are, you do still need to manage things like your armor, what's in your bags, which quests you are going do, and other such things. You'll also encounter more micromanaging as you progress through the game and more features are opened up to you, such as talents, which allow you to specialize your character's fighting style. Don't let the prospect of such micromanaging scare you; the game introduces its many features to you at a gradual pace. If you have played any sort of RPG or action-RPG game, then you'll be able to handle it, but if that really isn't your thing, then go play a game without RPG elements.

There is also the issue of whether your system will run WoW, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. To give you an idea of what you really need to run the game, my old eMac ran WoW on the lowest graphics settings without too many problems once I upgraded it to one gigabyte of RAM, which was an easy process. But then again, WoW isn't about graphics; it's about the experience. And that's where the next question comes in: what will WoW give me?

-A LOT of play time. I have spent no less than 55 days on my current main character, and considering my altoholism, I have probably spent about a hundred days in total playing WoW. And that's not actual days; that's days of time spent in the World of Warcraft. That's almost 2500 hours. Granted, I have been playing for almost four years, but that gives you an idea of how expansive WoW is. That's also a pretty good deal from a money perspective: I've spent about $725 on playtime, the game itself, and expansion packs, which means WoW has given me more than three hours of playtime for each dollar I have spent on it. I have rarely gotten such a deal from a console game. Granted, this kind of ratio is highly dependent on how much you play, but it's a good deal none the less.

-A social experience. At it's heart, WoW is about your interactions with other players. I doubt you could play WoW without being influenced by someone else in some way. The in-game economy is based completely on the Auction House, which is the portal for many of your in-game monetary transactions*. The Auction House allows players to sell items to each other without needing to be on at the same time, and thus is how you will probably make and/or spend a lot of your money later in the game. There are also a good deal of quests that require you to group up with someone to finish them, or else level well beyond the intended level of the quest. And lets not forget instances, in which you and four other players (it increases to nine more and twenty four more at the highest level, but don't worry about that yet) get together to defeat the enemies in an area which none of you could survive on your own, and are thus awarded with better-quality equipment and the confidence of working together with other players to achieve something. If you prefer competition to cooperation, then you'll probably spend your time in battlegrounds, the game's main areas for player vs. player action. These are also cooperative in nature, as they are team vs. team style. Anyways, the point of this wall of text is that, where ever you go in WoW, other players will impact you in some way, and that's what makes it fun. You can even just use WoW as a portal to socialize with other people.

-You get to be part of the WoW community. I'd argue that it's just as fun to be a WoW player as it is to play WoW. We have our own in-jokes, on-line communities, clothing, and even web-comics. When you start playing, don't try to take it all in too quickly. Like any sort of cultural assimilation, you'll learn slowly what makes the WoW community tick. Once you become a full-fledged member of that community, you will realize how great it is. I can tell you from personal experience that talking with another WoW player in real life is an experience that cannot be described; it's a closer bond than most people expect it can be.

So let's say you've decided to play. Now for the next issue.

What realm should I play on?

Because there are too many WoW players to fit on one server, Blizzard splits them up so that we don't all crash their computers by overcrowding the game. Picking which server you plan on does not affect the game itself to a great extent; you'll see the same content, but each server as has different players on it. I'd say that if you have any friends that play WoW, play on their server. Make sure you also play their faction as well. (More on that later) Of course, if they are merely acquaintances, you may wish to choose a realm from scratch. This is also your only course of action if you have no friends who play WoW. In that case, you have three issues to worry about: realm type, time zone, and population.

Realm type: There are four kinds of realms: PvE (player vs. environment, your basic normal realms), PvP (player vs. player, in which members of opposite factions can attack each other whenever they want to except in starting areas), RP (role playing, where you pretend to actually be your character. The real world is not mentioned on these realms.), and RP-PvP (role playing realms with the attack caveat of PvP realms). I'd say you are best off starting on a PvE realm. That way you don't need to worry about high level characters coming to kill you for their own personal enjoyment. (it's called griefing, and it happens frequently on PvP realms) If you feel like that you would enjoy the rush of playing in a risky area,, then be my guest and try it, but if you regret your decision, don't be afraid to make a different character on a different server. I'd also avoid RP unless you are actually into that kind of thing. You can move your character to a different realm if you regret your decision, but it costs $25, so don't take such a decision lightly.

Population: Realms with a low population have the issue of a weak economy (less money moving around) and a lack of players to help you. High-pop realms sometimes get too full, and you basically need to wait in line (it's called a queue) to get in. Medium population realms seem like the best fit, but they suffer from empty starting zones, like all well-established realms. On well-established realms, people frequently are already at the highest level or well on their way there, so there won't be many people to help you when you need it in your low level areas. If you are recommended to a new realm when you start, I'd say make your first character there; new realms are more likely to have characters your level, so you won't be alone and you'll be able to find people to help you.

Time Zone: This is probably the least pressing issue, but it helps to have the in-game clock be in sync with your clock. Check the list of realms here for all the realms in your time zone. If your sleep schedule is radically different from other people's, it may be in your best interests to join a realm that is not aligned with your time zone, so that more people will be on when you play.

Now for the tougher issues: Alliance or Horde, and what class?

Should I be a member of the Alliance or the Horde?

The ten races in the game are split between two warring factions: the Alliance and the Horde. It would be far too simplistic to say the Alliance are the good guys and the Horde are the bad guys; if you look up the lore on the subject, members of the Alliance have done some really bad things to others for no good reason, and many members of the Horde are just victims. Players on opposite factions can't communicate with each other other than through macros such as /hug and /hi.

Anyways, factions are a touchy issue. Many players have a lot of faction pride, especially Hordies, so I'll just go from my own experiences. The easy answer is that if your friends play, play which ever faction they play. Otherwise, you won't be able to communicate with them or play with them very much, and that won't make the game very fun, will it? If that isn't a factor, then keep reading.

Though everyone will rush to tell you otherwise, the communities of Alliance players and Horde players aren't that different. Everyone likes to say that Alliance players are little kids who just play Alliance because the Alliance races look pretty and that Horde players are more mature. While this may be true, I have generally found that it didn't impact my gaming experience noticeably. Besides, both sides have their jerks and grieffers. If you prefer to play with people who are proud of their faction choice, then go with horde, but if that's really your main motivation, it's a pretty weak one in my opinion.

If you plan on being a role-player, then your choice should be based on which race you wish to role-play as. Each race has their own history and dominant personality, and though you can break from that in sculpting your character, it's frowned upon to deviate from the standard conventions too much. The game's manual has a nice guide to the history of each race in the Races in Conflict section (page 168), so refer to that when choosing which race you will roleplay as.

If neither of those are issues for you, then just pick based on which class you want to play and which race's built-in strengths and abilities you prefer. It is my opinion that the Alliance has better racial abilities than the horde, but this point could be debated forever, so I won't go into it too much. Unfortunately, not all classes are available to each race, so you will need to pick a class before picking a race. If that seems like too much, just go by which race you like to look at the most. You will be looking at your character a lot, so it helps to not have one you find ugly, at least until you can cover him in armor.

What class should I play?

Now for the truly difficult question. Class is not a decision to be taken lightly. Which class you pick impacts your gameplay more than any other decision you make. Each class has its own unique fighting style, so you will want to pick a class based on your preferences in that area. Your choice of race is limited by your choice of class, so pick your class before setting your heart on one particular race.

Warriors: defensive melee fighters. Warriors can take damage very well, but not necessarily dish it out as well as other classes. They fight in close range combat and tend to take longer to kill enemies than other classes. This gives you a lot of room for error when playing. Warriors are good if you want a melee class with a lot of survivability and hardiness.

Rogues: offensive melee fighter. Rogues can't take too much damage before they die, but they can dish it out really well. They can also use stealth, allowing them to sneak around. If you prefer to end battles quickly and like to sneak around, rogues are a good choice.

Hunters: eclectic ranged fighters with pets. Hunter fight mostly from afar and can train beasts to fight for them, making them popular with newer players. The have a wide range of tools at their disposal, including melee abilities, traps, and the ability to track enemies. They are the only class that specializes in ranged weapons like bows and guns, making them not as dependent on their mana as other magic using classes. If you want a class that fights from afar with a wide range of tools and with the assistance of a constant companion, hunter are a good pick for you.

Mages: potent ranged fighters. Mages are perhaps the weakest class in the game in terms of being able to take damage, but they specialize in doing a lot of damage from afar and keeping their enemies at bay. They also have a wide variety of spells available to them, including the ability to summon food and water to restore their health and mana. If you want to play a class that fights from afar and is delicate but potent, mages are for you.

Priests: defensive ranged fighters. The prototypical healer, priests specialize in helping out their allies. They can fight for themselves and do it quite well when played right, but even then, their focus is on helping others as they kill their enemies. If you want to play a defensive magic class, help others in their combat, or play an assitive role, the priest is a good class for you.

Warlocks: demonic ranged fighters. Warlocks specialize in weakening their enemies more than hurting them, with various curses than affect their enemies in different ways and spells that do damage over time rather than instantly. They can also summon a variety of demonic minions to help them. If you want to play as a caster who is slow and exacting, rather than fast and swift, and you like to have minions doing your bidding, the warlock is a good class for you.

Paladins: defensive magic melee fighters. Paladins are like priests if priests were strong melee fighters rather than delicate casters. They aren't as offensively gifted as other classes, but they can still hold their own. They, like priests, shine most in groups. They can also take a wide variety of roles, from defensive to assistive to offensive. They have arguably the highest survivability in the game, being able to heal themselves and shield themselves from damage. If you like the idea of playing a defensive melee fighter with many options available to you, paladins are a good choice. Just know that if you want to play horde and play a paladin, you will need to purchase the Burning Crusade expansion pack; paladins only became available to the horde with the addition of the Blood Elf race, which was part of the expansion. And be warned that the first 20 levels of leveling your paladin will be the most boring experience of your WoW career; just trust me on that.

Shamans: Shamans are the proverbial jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, though that last part doesn't apply to them as much as it used to. Their fighting style is a mix of ranged magic fighting, melee fighting, healing, and using special totems they can drop to give themselves and their allies unique benefits. They are also a very fun class to play. If you want an eclectic class with many tools at your disposal, and you want to be able to "do it all" without needing to do any of it particularly well, shamans are the class for you. Just know that if you want to play alliance and play a shaman, you will need to purchase the Burning Crusade expansion pack; shamans only became available to the alliance with the addition of the Draenei race, which was part of the expansion.

Druids: The master-of-all class. Druids are my favorite class. They start out as casters, mixing offensive and defensive styles, and then branch out into melee with the addition of shapeshifting into a bear or a cat. By playing a druid, any role in the game will be open to you, be it defensive or offensive, melee or ranged. They do take a while to get interesting, but if you focus on your melee shapeshifting abilities, you will be guaranteed new experiences all the time while leveling and will be rewarded with a class with very high survivability and a wide variety of fighting styles. If you want to be able to choose between different fighting styles and have a lot of options available to you, pick a druid.

Death Knights: Hybrid defensive-offensive melee fighters. Death Knights are only available to people to have a level 55 character of a different class and have purchased the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack, so if you don't satisfy both of those criteria, then don't worry about trying to play one. Death Knights are very efficient melee fighters, using both defensive and offensive tactics and being able to specialize in either. They have very high survivability and can do many things on their own that other classes need assistance to do, such as killing powerful enemies. Playing a Death Knight feels like a mix of playing a Paladin and a Rogue. If you enjoy being a melee powerhouse with high offensive and defensive prowess, the Death Knight is for you.

Finally, don't be afraid to try new things; I had to try all the classes in the game before I realized that druids were the class for me. I'd say you should try each class at least once, but not all at once. Being able to compare them will help you stick to one that you enjoy the most.

Fin.



*If you already play, you might think that I should say "the vast majority", but don't forget about repairing your armor and buying trade items from vendors. Those count as transactions too.