Is it worth getting into World of Warcraft just now?

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

My girlfriend has been bugging me to play the game with her for years now. I understand why, playing games with friends is fun and playing them with your significant other can be even more so. We already play Overwatch tons together, and she was really excited when I told her I downloaded the free trial, but I didn't do anything with it and kind of forgot about it.

I'm actually kind of intimidated by the idea of the game. First of all, I'm not a big fan of MMO's. RPGs I enjoy, even some grindy ones, but I've always seen WoW as a slog.

I'm also afraid of trying to play catch up, not only with her, but everyone else. I know nothing about the lore, gameplay, story, mechanics, etc. Would there even be anything for me to do with her if I go in with a fresh character and she continued using hers? (She's been playing for years as far as I know)

I mean, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[chrissx2]

You can get through old concent very easly (you can even officialy get/buy high lvl char - but i recommend playing from the start). Your girlfriend can create new char and play with you, or help you on Her main char. Starting from the scratch will help you learn all the mechanics and learn a bit about the lore.

My advice? Pick a hybrid class like Druid or Paladin. They can fill all the roles (tank, dps, healer) and you'll be able to find the one that you like the most without starting from the scratch again. You will be also able to survive longer .

The game can be a hit or miss. It might bore(early content is easy as hell now),annoy you or suck you in with it's story/lore, feel of getting stronger/better, fun bosses or beautiful world.

 

[Xeorm]

MMO's in general have iffy gameplay, but makeup for it with the social interactions. Should be entertaining enough, especially if your girlfriend is excited to have you around

As for catching up, yes. You should be mostly ok. I'd take the initial boost they offer with a new game and get rolling with that. Lorewise they're typically fairly good about introducing specific things in each expansion as you get to that expansion. You don't need to know much about what's happening before you get to it.

If you have any questions though, I'd ask the gf for sure. Nice bonding time.

 

[Neverhoodian]

I stopped playing around the Cataclysm expansion and never got close to the endgame, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt;

Yes, WoW can be very grind-heavy...at least that's the impression I got. If MMO's aren't your thing then I doubt this game will change your stance. Personally, I found the lore to be a jumbled mess; I played for a good year and a half and I can hardly tell you anything about the storyline.

If you're only going to play with your girlfriend, you might want to make sure you're both willing to go in for the long haul together. I made the mistake of playing WoW just because a friend of mine wouldn't stop pestering me about it. The problem was he played it far more than I did (like, unhealthy amounts) and he would always skyrocket ahead of me. Even when he made new alts to play on my level he couldn't resist the urge to powerlevel them anyway. Eventually he burned through all the endgame content and stopped playing when my main was still level 43. I tried soldiering on for a bit longer, but playing WoW solo is a cold and lonely affair. It didn't take long before I abandoned it as well.

The way I see it, you have one of three options:

1. Try to powerlevel quickly to reach her level (apparently you can buy your way there now, not sure if you want to do that).
2. Your g/f could create an alt and play with you through the low level content.
3. Stick to Overwatch instead.

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

MMO's in general have iffy gameplay, but makeup for it with the social interactions. Should be entertaining enough, especially if your girlfriend is excited to have you around

As for catching up, yes. You should be mostly ok. I'd take the initial boost they offer with a new game and get rolling with that. Lorewise they're typically fairly good about introducing specific things in each expansion as you get to that expansion. You don't need to know much about what's happening before you get to it.

If you have any questions though, I'd ask the gf for sure. Nice bonding time.

My only experience with MMOs were the original Guild Wars, but I was like 13 and had no attention span, and Elder Scrolls Online which I actually played for 80 hours, but seemed more interactive in its combat so that might have helped.

What's the payment model like though? I mean, I know they have a monthly subscription, but do I just download the "Free Trial", play to level 20 and then pay the fee from then on, or do I have to buy the game up front and pay the fee?

 

[Saelune]

I detest WoW and sub MMOs, but I do like gaming with people I care about. Since it is your gf asking, I'd say do it. She can make a new character, can't she? And she plays it, so she should be your guide.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Just play it, the world and classes and races and the Music will grab you by the balls to keep playing and seeing what the World has to offer.

But I recommend you start as a Human Warrior/Paladin because they have it easier. Human because their starting zone is the smoothest leveling experiance so far and because Warriors and Paladins are tanky.

But if you want to be different I recommend playing a Goblin or Worgan.

Also there is the Level 100 trial to see how your class is like near max level and to see the artifact weapon of your choice.

 

[gorfias]

Just play it, the world and classes and races and the Music will grab you by the balls to keep playing and seeing what the World has to offer.

But I recommend you start as a Human Warrior/Paladin because they have it easier. Human because their starting zone is the smoothest leveling experiance so far and because Warriors and Paladins are tanky.

But if you want to be different I recommend playing a Goblin or Worgan.

Also there is the Level 100 trial to see how your class is like near max level and to see the artifact weapon of your choice.

Is it still $60 to buy the game and another $17 a month to play? I'm wondering if once I'm spending that kind of money, would it be worth it to be playing any other game in the meantime.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Just play it, the world and classes and races and the Music will grab you by the balls to keep playing and seeing what the World has to offer.

But I recommend you start as a Human Warrior/Paladin because they have it easier. Human because their starting zone is the smoothest leveling experiance so far and because Warriors and Paladins are tanky.

But if you want to be different I recommend playing a Goblin or Worgan.

Also there is the Level 100 trial to see how your class is like near max level and to see the artifact weapon of your choice.

Is it still $60 to buy the game and another $17 a month to play? I'm wondering if once I'm spending that kind of money, would it be worth it to be playing any other game in the meantime.

40-60 bucks to buy the Latest Expansion All the expansion content prior to the current are free. $15 for subs or more for longer subs.

Right now they are offering level boosts to 100 for $60. But that is for people that have already played the game a lot.

 

[meiam]

Well don't worry about playing catch up at all, leveling can be done very quickly if you know what you're doing, which your gf should (I'm assuming she's max level and everything). Even gear once you reach max level can be gotten to a decent level pretty quick once a new patch comes out, which generally introduce a bunch of catch up mechanic. It's been awhile since I played but I used to be able to get to max level in about 2 week while still playing my other character (give or take 20-30 hours)

But here's how I'd put it, the only interesting aspect of an mmo is the massively portion, everything else (questing, crafting, combat and so on) is very sub par compared to most RPG and if the only things you're interested is to play together there are many many many better options. The massive content comes in PvP (where you fight against other player, either in small arena or larger battle ground) or PvE content (where you go into dungeon and raid and fight against large foe that usually require coordination). You can play those aspect without a regular group, but that's usually not very satisfying. So this means to get the best experience you'll need to get into a guild of people (usually they specialize in either PvP or PvE content), so ask your gf if she has one and what kind it is. They've introduce some easier variety of massive content over the years, but you can usually do the easy version of stuff a week or two after they're introduced and then you got nothing new to do for a couple a month, so at that point you either quit, level another character (which again is not all that great) or you attempt the harder version, which require a lot of work (think spending 10 hours on the same boss encounter) and usually stress social relationship if you're not in a good group (if it's always the same person who screw up think can get a bit heated up).

As for the lore, well it's kinda of a cluster fuck, mmo usually wreck lore by there nature (every body come back to life and some downright weird reasoning happen, oh and lots and lots of retconning happen all the time). If you're really worried, play warcraft 3 and it's expansion and you'll learn everything you really need to know.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

As for the lore, well it's kinda of a cluster fuck, mmo usually wreck lore by there nature (every body come back to life and some downright weird reasoning happen, oh and lots and lots of retconning happen all the time). If you're really worried, play warcraft 3 and it's expansion and you'll learn everything you really need to know.

But the lore is a lot more engaging and forefront than other MMORPGs. Its like learning the Lore of Warhammer games.

You have Warcraft 3 to thank and alot of Books are worth a read.

If you want to catch up the lore at its most up to date Read the 2 Chronicles Books which is sort of Warcraft's version of the Silmarillion:

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Chronicle-BLIZZARD-ENTERTAINMENT/dp/1616558458/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1616558458&pd_rd_r=NAG5SX5SG9Z4CDW2339S&pd_rd_w=IsdV9&pd_rd_wg=afOFR&psc=1&refRID=NAG5SX5SG9Z4CDW2339S

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616558466/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

And watch the videos by the Youtuber Nobbel87:

 

[RJ 17]

I'm also afraid of trying to play catch up, not only with her, but everyone else. I know nothing about the lore, gameplay, story, mechanics, etc. Would there even be anything for me to do with her if I go in with a fresh character and she continued using hers? (She's been playing for years as far as I know)

If you do end up deciding to pick up the game, look into having her send you a Recruit A Friend invite, that will help greatly as you get bonus experience when doing dungeons/quests with the person who recruited you. This is really nice for leveling up alts. Another thing that helps is the Heirloom system. If your significant other is willing to give you some gold then you can buy special items that increase your over-all exp gain. These are like "personally crafted" items...that is, once you've bought them, you can make them on any character - regardless of what server you're playing on - that is the proper class to equip them. For example, buying an heirloom robe means that from now on you'll be able to make (for free, no materials are required) for any robe-wearing character you create.

Beyond that, just for buying the full version of the game you get a free LVL 100 character boost, so you'll be able to bump any character you like to lvl 100 and start doing current content immediately.

As for the story: eh...it's really not that great. Some people love it, but I am not one of them. I used to be huge into WarCraft lore, but the writing has gone downhill quite a bit if you ask me...particularly with this new expansion. And if the popular opinion about who the final boss of this expansion is going to be turns out to be true, I'll say that they've officially jumped the shark and lose what little remaining interest in the lore that I have.

In terms of gameplay: it's really pretty simplistic. Most classes have been streamlined down to only requiring 3-5 key abilities, with a couple classes even only having 2-3. So there's no need to worry about things being too complicated or anything.

As for whether or not it's worth it. Ehhhhh, really that depends on whether or not you like the gameplay loop. Some people enjoy it and can literally play it all day every day if given the chance, other's get burnt out on it pretty quickly. Having people - particularly a girlfriend - to play with would help, but in the end it could be that you end up just not liking the game.

 

[Xeorm]

My only experience with MMOs were the original Guild Wars, but I was like 13 and had no attention span, and Elder Scrolls Online which I actually played for 80 hours, but seemed more interactive in its combat so that might have helped.

What's the payment model like though? I mean, I know they have a monthly subscription, but do I just download the "Free Trial", play to level 20 and then pay the fee from then on, or do I have to buy the game up front and pay the fee?

I'd rate both those MMOs as fairly different from how wow works. Generally speaking your personal rotation is relatively easy, and most of the challenge comes from any interesting abilities that the enemies have and the complicated interactions with the group you have to do to get past them. Which generally means that solo play is often fairly boring, but can be interesting in terms of optimization.

Payment model is a straightforward subscription. If you don't stay subscribed, you can't play anything of note. The trial version is very limited. You also have to buy the game and expansions in order. Though the game+old expansions is stupidly cheap, and the newer expansion can go on sale occasionally, it's all not too expensive. It may seem bad, but at worst it's $15 per month. If you play it much you'll get your money's worth. In addition, there's an option in game to trade game currency for monthly subscriptions. If you're at all decent at playing the game you can generally scrape together the money no problem. If you're good at playing the market you'll be more than fine.

If you ever want to take a break, there's catchup mechanics too for later. So no pressure to keep a subscription going even if you don't want to play that month.

 

[09philj]

My girlfriend has been bugging me to play the game with her for years now. I understand why, playing games with friends is fun and playing them with your significant other can be even more so. We already play Overwatch tons together, and she was really excited when I told her I downloaded the free trial, but I didn't do anything with it and kind of forgot about it.

I'm actually kind of intimidated by the idea of the game. First of all, I'm not a big fan of MMO's. RPGs I enjoy, even some grindy ones, but I've always seen WoW as a slog.

I'm also afraid of trying to play catch up, not only with her, but everyone else. I know nothing about the lore, gameplay, story, mechanics, etc. Would there even be anything for me to do with her if I go in with a fresh character and she continued using hers? (She's been playing for years as far as I know)

I mean, any advice would be appreciated.

You can play up until level 20 for free. That will let you go through some basic quests and one raid dungeon, if I recall correctly. It's not bad, but I don't have the time to start playing an MMORPG at the moment, and I'd like to try FFXIV before I commit to a particular one.

 

[sanquin]

I'd say go for it. Especially now the game is worth it to at least play through once to max level. Just don't constantly just do dungeons. Doing quests will tell you a ton more about the story/lore and will make the experience overall less of a grind compared to doing the same dungeons again and again and seeing nothing of the world. (which is huge.)

WoW is probably the easiest MMORPG out there to get in to if you're new. Everything you need to know is explained and easily understandable. Plus you have your GF with you to help you through.

Catching up won't be a problem. It doesn't matter until max level anyway, which can be pretty fast to get to. And after that just doing some weekly raiding and daily dungeons/world quests will get you far enough to see pretty much all the content there is. Thing'll only be more of a grind/slog if you plan to join the forefront of the pvp or pve scene, which I doubt you will do immediately as someone that's new to the genre.

 

[Leemaster777]

I would say that WoW is absolutely worth getting into now. The game has never been more newbie/casual friendly, and while leveling up to 110 SOUNDS like a daunting task, it only really feels that way the first time you do it.

However, I have some suggestions that might improve your initial experience.

1. As far as which class to choose, I wouldn't so much say which one, but which ROLE. Healing and tanking might be better served after you've seasoned yourself a bit with the mechanics. DPS (damage per second) would probably be a much more exciting (and easier to learn) idea. Fortunately, EVERY class is capable of being a DPS. Really, I would just go with whichever one has the most appealing lore to you (although, I would avoid picking either a Demon Hunter or a Death Knight to start with, both classes are considered "Hero" classes, and are intended for more advanced players).

If I HAD to suggest a class, the Hunter is probably the easiest class to learn, and the easiest to solo content with.

2. Join a social guild as soon as you're able. Having people to talk to and bond with are essential to getting the most out of WoW. Plus, having people nearby who can answer your questions is always a plus. If your girlfriend's guild is sociable enough, that step is already checked for you.

3.Take your time. There's no rush to get to max level. Even as the current expansion's endgame content goes on, there are always catch up mechanics to make sure that even if you join late, you'll be able to (sooner or later) catch up to the other max level players in whatever you decide to do, either raiding or PVP.

Moreover, while you CAN spam dungeons at lower levels to level up faster than questing, I wouldn't really recommend doing this your first time around. Do some on occasion, sure, but do some normal questing, explore new zones as you level up, maybe even some low level PVP battlegrounds. Just try to keep shaking up your experience. There's alot to do in Warcraft, no need to burn yourself out sprinting to endgame.

4. Save your level 100 boost. If you do end up getting the Legion expansion before you reach level 100, you'll be given a level 100 boost to use on any character. I'd say, save this boost. Boosting up to the new stuff sounds like a good idea, but really, it'll put you in control of a near-max level character, with no idea how to use them. Spending time leveling up the old-fashioned way will help you learn how to play your class, and learn the game's mechanics without as much pressure to perform that comes from doing current content. Plus, you can use the boost on another character later, if you decide to reroll to a new class later on.

5. Don't level up with someone else. I know you may be tempted to partner up with someone (probably your girlfriend), and reach max level together, but personally, I'd refer back to point 3. Go at your own pace, whether that be faster or slower than someone else. Again, there's no reason to rush, and conversely, you shouldn't feel pressured to wait for someone else to catch up if you're going faster than them.

Just my tips on getting the most out of your first character.

 

[jademunky]

Oh WOW, how mixed my feelings are for you. On one hand, exploring that game world was so much fun, on the other hand, all online gaming communities are toxic as fuck.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Oh WOW, how mixed my feelings are for you. On one hand, exploring that game world was so much fun, on the other hand, all online gaming communities are toxic as fuck.

Depends on who you meet. I met some egotisical fuckfaces, but I have got friends in my friends and we raid and dungeon and PVP together.

 

[jademunky]

Oh WOW, how mixed my feelings are for you. On one hand, exploring that game world was so much fun, on the other hand, all online gaming communities are toxic as fuck.

Depends on who you meet. I met some egotisical fuckfaces, but I have got friends in my friends and we raid and dungeon and PVP together.

Probably why I could never get into raiding. All my friends played Everquest and I don't think I could ever consider someone whom I know only online to be a real friend. Don't get me wrong, I've met plenty of decent people on the internet, I just find myself unable to ever truly connect with someone unless I have seen them face-to-face at least once.

 

[BoogieManFL]

As someone who has had an active account since launch day, if you were going in with no one else you knew to play with I would say no unless you're very social and eager to get into raiding. If you have someone to play with, especially a significant other, then very much yes regardless. More things to share together is always a good thing.

The only reason my girl and I still play (casually now though) is because of the friends we made playing it.