So I am installing World of Warcraft...

[C95J]

I have literally heard nothing, or seen anything about this game prior to now. I am only installing the free version, but are there any World of Warcraft veterans out there who could give me some starting tips? Maybe some guidance to creating a character, what to do etc.

EDIT: Just for clarification, I have heard of World of Warcraft before, just never seen any footage of it, or information about what to do in-game (I have never been interested in the slightest before tonight).

 

[Dagnius]

Once you get through with the tutorial, depending on the server, pick up Mining or Herbalism along with skinning. They allow you to gather materials from the environment and animals that you can sell on the Auction House to get a little bit of coin in your pocket. I haven't played the game since Cataclysm came out. I can say now is a good time to start playing, since Cataclysm revamped the entire 1-60 experience with really fun quests.

 

[jumjalalabash]

Don't join low population servers. Start on PVE realm so you don't have to worry about assholes murdering you from their dragons. Be able to walk away if you find yourself gaining weight and bedsores. Don't play blood elf or draenei their starting areas are old. Paladins and warlocks are pretty fun.

 

[USSR]

Roll something easy.
Try a hunter, or a warrior.

Basic ranged and melee.
Good for starting out.

 

[Worgen]

DONT DO IT, its a trap, it seeks to eat up your free time, go for a game thats easier to break away from, like cocane

 

[the27thvoice]

Have you said goodbye to your friends? You won't be seeing them for a while now...

Seriously, I spent 4 years on that game, only in hindsight do I see what I missed IRL.

Anyways, pick a mid-population server, Normal will reduce your chances of being killed by dickwads to almost 0%, I recommend going with a paladin or druid if you have no idea which roles you wish to play on a team. Those two classes are full hybrids, so you can tank, heal and dps with them once you get a clue which of these roles you want.

For money, pick Mining, Skinning or Herbalism as trade skills, and the first thing you should spend your money on when you get money is big bags. Never buy gear while you're levelling. Actually, never buy gear, period.

 

[C95J]

Don't join low population servers. Start on PVE realm so you don't have to worry about assholes murdering you from their dragons.

Correct me if I am wrong, but does PVE stand for Player vs. Environment (as opposed to PVP), if so, I will be impressed with myself.

DONT DO IT, its a trap, it seeks to eat up your free time, go for a game thats easier to break away from, like cocane

haha I'm not too worried, this is just something to try out, I'm confident it won't really be my type of game anyway

 

[Nuuu]

Basic MMO Lessons:
Don't buy TOO much from vendors, as they are usually overpriced. Raw materials you don't need like linen should be sold in the auction house, you wont get much from the vendors. Also, pick up everything you can, it might not seem much, but seeling the junk to vendors could make you nice cash in the end.

The experience people have with WoW is varied, most likely, you will either love it, or completely despise it.

Later tips if you get interested:
Don't get discouraged if if you get to the outlands (Burning crusade: Level 58/60 - 68/70), dont get discouraged with the quests, as the Outlands are probably the most ignored area by Blizzard, and thus have pretty dull quests.

Races:
The Factions vary, many people choose Alliance because of their human looks, which is common in Faction MMOs, but on many servers, the Alliance is filled with kids. I have heard that they are also slightly more PvP buffed, but im not too sure of this. The Horde is a slightly less advanced (as in buildings) area, having buildings made of wood and spikes log fences, but the player base is slightly more mature, although the server i played on had the horde greatly outnumbered in battlefields.
If you go Horde and get the Burning Crusade expansion pack, dont go blood elf, because as someone else said, their leveling area is from the same time as the Outlands, so leveling is going to be dull.

Also yes, PvE does stand for Player verses Environment.

 

[TitanAtlas]

You have made 3.527 posts, on escapist, a place where WoW is talked about every single day.... Sorry i don't belive you have never heard or known WoW prior to the moment you wrote and began this thread...

If for some reason it is true... Welcome to the internets...

And if for some reason you are serious: WoW is a good MMORPG, that continues the story of the old Warcraft RTS games. In it you will have great adventures with hundreds of players, and with a huge world to explore and evolve.

In it you can choose either Allience, that consists in a bunch of ingrats that even though they call themselfs pure and righteous, they have unleashed some of the most terrible monsters upon the world... In it you have the meatbags, the purple meatbags (elves), the blue caddle (draenei), the steroid abusing midgets (dwarfs), the garden gnomes and the awesome werewolfs (worgen).

Then you have the Horde, a union of races that is trying to make a living on a new world. With them you have the talentless goblins (everything they make, breaks), the "drug" abusing Blood Elves, the original Caddle (Tauren), the "second chance" folks (forsaken), the misfortunate Orcs (The Orc story is very sad, filled with bad luck and misfortunes), and the epic, chilling, unwielding, charismatic, and saber tooth Trolls...


Pro-tip: Both allience and Horde are great, and have many interesting places to visit and know about, i myself prefer Horde way better. Try and pick professions like Mining or Herbalism. The Druid class is awesome (transformations and such), and the shaman class if well played, can be a great, powerfull start. Try to visit has many places has you can (cuz it gives good experience and you get to see great things), and save money up to get a mount by lvl 40 or so.... this is if you want to get the game later on...

Have fun...

 

[Ranorak]

Don't get bugged down with wrong choices.
You know, that feeling when you made a choice and regret it.
Almost everything is either fool proof, or correctable.

There are no bad Class/Race combo's
When you get your first talent point at level 10, you can pay a small fee (a few silver) to reset your talents.

There are no wrongs that cannot be righted. Destroyed that quest item? Abandon and retake the quest.

Destroyed that super special sword? Better items come along fast.

So, just enjoy.

Don't be afraid to join random instances when you unlock the dungeon finder tool at level 15, just be sure what is expected of your class.

Send me a message if you got some questions, while I might not be a member of Elitestjerks, I can provide enough help for any beginner. What with the years of experience.

 

[the27thvoice]

Don't join low population servers. Start on PVE realm so you don't have to worry about assholes murdering you from their dragons.

Correct me if I am wrong, but does PVE stand for Player vs. Environment (as opposed to PVP), if so, I will be impressed with myself.

Yes, PvE servers are flagged as "Normal" servers. The difference is that even outside of starting zones and major cities, Normal servers will prevent the opposite faction from murdering you. On PvP servers you will be fair game for anyone.

 

[USSR]

Correct me if I am wrong, but does PVE stand for Player vs. Environment (as opposed to PVP), if so, I will be impressed with myself.

Player vs enemy actually and I don't even play WoW.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Player_vs_Environment

For WoW, and basically every other MMO, it's environment.
Perhaps not DnD (not sure,) but for these, yes.

 

[Zyst]

Correct me if I am wrong, but does PVE stand for Player vs. Environment (as opposed to PVP), if so, I will be impressed with myself.

Player vs enemy actually and I don't even play WoW.

It is Player versus Environment, don't correct if you aren't sure.

 

[Worgen]

Don't join low population servers. Start on PVE realm so you don't have to worry about assholes murdering you from their dragons.

Correct me if I am wrong, but does PVE stand for Player vs. Environment (as opposed to PVP), if so, I will be impressed with myself.

DONT DO IT, its a trap, it seeks to eat up your free time, go for a game thats easier to break away from, like cocane

haha I'm not too worried, this is just something to try out, I'm confident it won't really be my type of game anyway

I was also, and then boom, 3 years of my life are gone
play champions online instead, its free to play and much easier to break away from

 

[C95J]

You have made 3.527 posts, on escapist, a place where WoW is talked about every single day.... Sorry i don't belive you have never heard or known WoW prior to the moment you wrote and began this thread...

If for some reason it is true... Welcome to the internets...

oops, I didn't mean it like that, just that I have never seen any footage/looked at any info about the game. I haven't really been interested in it before today, so have never looked at any topics either. Edited my first post, and thanks for the info

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

The game is pretty straightforward these days. Make sure you turn on Auto Loot and Fast Quest Text in the options menu, and quest away. The game holds your hand all the way up to max level basically.

 

[C95J]

Don't join low population servers. Start on PVE realm so you don't have to worry about assholes murdering you from their dragons.

Correct me if I am wrong, but does PVE stand for Player vs. Environment (as opposed to PVP), if so, I will be impressed with myself.

Yes, PvE servers are flagged as "Normal" servers. The difference is that even outside of starting zones and major cities, Normal servers will prevent the opposite faction from murdering you. On PvP servers you will be fair game for anyone.

ah okay, sounds bad for new players then. What are the consequences of dying in World of Warcraft, just out of interest?