So I am installing World of Warcraft...

[LunaSocks]

I heard from a friend before I started a free account on WoW that Draenai are really good classes, I also picked Paladin for them, but you're mainly doing physical damage. Also, ALWAYS look at equipment stats. Your DPS is very important, but you also have to take into account whether a weapon is one or two handed, if it's fast or not, and whether you like using that specific type of weapon. Also, always get the best armor. While it doesn't always have to necessarily have better defense than the stuff you're wearing, look at the buffs and resistances it comes with. Those are mega crucial to success in this game.

 

[Blights]

Make sure you're actually choosing a class you're interested in playing, if ranged destruction is your thing, go mage, etc.

The lore is nice, and though most players breeze through quests, there is some interesting story in the quest text, so if you're into that, take a look at it, rather than skipping it,

And finally, If you're not planning on joining friends or something, if you want, you can choose shattered hand as your realm, and you can message my profile name anytime I'm online if you need help with anything.

Enjoy the game, and I hope you have fun with it.

 

[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.

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

At low levels, the minor inconvenience of walking back your the place you died in ghost form. Later in the game, it's gonna cost you in-game currency as your gear gets damaged. It's pretty forgiving all things considered, you'll never actually lose gear.

If it was another player who dealt the killing blow to you, there is no equipment damage penalty.

 

[hyzaku]

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

Death is a hit to your gear's durability and a walk back to your corpse as a ghost. The walk is really the most inconvenient part at most levels of play really, unless you are down and out broke.

As for general tips, don't be a prick. That really sums it up honestly. The game holds your hand quite a bit from 1 - 20 these days. Unless you get serious about playing past the trial there isn't much you need to know other than manners.

 

[LostAlone]

Oh sweet... Awesome work dude!

Hang on.... That says installing, not insulting. *sigh*

Honestly, unless you go batshit nuts for WoW during the trial, I wouldn't take it into the paid version. Some people really click with it and stay for years, but unless you are that into it immediately, its a pretty mediocre game.

Try all the classes and get a feel for everything. Get a feel for the quests, and remember that they will stay exactly the same for the whole game. I am not a wow fan, never got why people give any kind of a damn.

Tbh, I would say hold back on paying until you've played a few other MMOs trials. All the fantasy MMOs are crazy similar, so try them out and see if any of them grab you. The only differentiation is in the settings and graphics style anyway, so give them all a taste. Once you start you'll pretty much be stuck forever, so make an informed decision and know that what your getting into you actually like and enjoy.

 

[Domehammer]

Avoid PvP servers like the plague and don't go on a rp server unless your going to rp. If you want better experience avoid the horde as well. From experience 90% of horde I have encountered are just jerks. Alliance is generally I have found to have less jerks then horde but some servers are just bad places to go. Don't listen to random whispers about power leveling, gold buying etc as there just bots trying to get your money and your account will get banned. If graphics of WoW bother you there is always rift which from my experience in beta is almost identical to WoW.

 

[C95J]

That sure put me in my place, well you learn something new every day.

ah well, easy mistake to make I guess, I mean it is pretty much player vs. enemy, because whatever tries to kill me out there, is an enemy in my eyes

Make sure you're actually choosing a class you're interested in playing, if ranged destruction is your thing, go mage, etc.

The lore is nice, and though most players breeze through quests, there is some interesting story in the quest text, so if you're into that, take a look at it, rather than skipping it,

And finally, If you're not planning on joining friends or something, if you want, you can choose shattered hand as your realm, and you can message my profile name anytime I'm online if you need help with anything.

Enjoy the game, and I hope you have fun with it.

Thanks, I'm actually pretty happy that there is a story worth getting into, I quite like looking into the history of a game. I'm also not sure whether any of my friends play, but if they don't, your realm is just as good as any really.

 

[C95J]

If you want better experience avoid the horde as well. From experience 90% of horde I have encountered are just jerks. Alliance is generally I have found to have less jerks then horde but some servers are just bad places to go.

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.

Hmmm, two sides of the coin. I guess I will just decide in game, whichever one seems right at the time I guess

 

[the27thvoice]

On the horde vs. alliance maturity discussion, my experience is that both sides are right about equal on that part, the main difference being that horde players often believe themselves more mature.

 

[Zydrate]

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).

You know, it's really hard to imagine a consistent internet-goer who has not seen even a screenshot of the game. Just seems... very unlikely.

Anyway, welcome to the game.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

If you choose a PVE server, you can create horde and alliance characters on the same server.

If not, and you want to try the other side, you can always start on a new server

Top sites if you get stuck:

wowwiki.com
wowhead.com

stpwow.com

Ok, the last one was blatant advertising, but there are some basic newbie guides on my guild site, and I'd be happy to get you some starter gear if you want to try EU Aggramar and Horde, just type /who pilots in game, and you'll get a list of guildies , then /w any name on the list for a guild invite

As in /w dave Hi, I'm new, can I get an invite to guild please?

I'm Karmageddon on there and the guild leader

Unfortunately I'm off to bed, but if you find a mailbox, send me a mail in game, letting me know you're from the escapist, and I'll send you some starter gear and a bit of gold

 

[C95J]

You know, it's really hard to imagine a consistent internet-goer who has not seen even a screenshot of the game. Just seems... very unlikely.

Anyway, welcome to the game.

haha, it does seem unlikely doesn't it. I guess the post is exaggerated a bit, I have seen a few screenshots here and there, and the only video I have seen is the Leroy Jenkins one (yeah, I know). Apart from that, I stayed away from the whole MMO crowd, until now.

 

[C95J]

snip

Thanks, if I end up getting the full game (I don't think it allows you to join guilds in the free version, I will be sure to hit you up, also, thanks for the link to your site, it's got some helpful stuff to read about in the new players section.

 

[Blights]

That sure put me in my place, well you learn something new every day.

ah well, easy mistake to make I guess, I mean it is pretty much player vs. enemy, because whatever tries to kill me out there, is an enemy in my eyes

Make sure you're actually choosing a class you're interested in playing, if ranged destruction is your thing, go mage, etc.

The lore is nice, and though most players breeze through quests, there is some interesting story in the quest text, so if you're into that, take a look at it, rather than skipping it,

And finally, If you're not planning on joining friends or something, if you want, you can choose shattered hand as your realm, and you can message my profile name anytime I'm online if you need help with anything.

Enjoy the game, and I hope you have fun with it.

Thanks, I'm actually pretty happy that there is a story worth getting into, I quite like looking into the history of a game. I'm also not sure whether any of my friends play, but if they don't, your realm is just as good as any really.

It's a PvP realm, so I don't know if you really want to devote to that, but yeah, as I said, feel free to. You probably won't encounter any world PvP in the trial though, if that's what might concern you, stuff like that only really happens in contested areas, which you can stay away from until later into the game.

Oh, and btw, Horde is totally better than Alliance.

 

[C95J]

snip

Sweet, thanks for the info, do you have any recommendations of other MMO's to try out?

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Druids or shaman are a good place to start. Their classes have so many options presented to that it will give you a good feel for everything. If there's one particular thing you like from them, there's another class which mirrors it. They're presented slowly though, so you aren't overwhelmed. Paladins are easy mode. Warriors have it hardest leveling up, but, at they're best, they tear people apart. The problem is they're so gear dependent. It sucks.

Get bags. Check the auction house for them. They're very, very useful.

Pick up two gathering profession for now. I'd suggest mining and skinning. You'll be killing lots of boars, anyway. And copper is worth more than the early herbs. I've made lots of gold on the auction house buying and selling copper.

Don't leave the starting area until you're level 6. If you hit five at the last quest, go back and grind a bit. Trust me. It's worth the new spells you'll learn before leaving.

Explore. The best part about WoW, in my opinion, is the gorgeous world. Just screw around. You can get to the max level when you feel like it. Until that time, just make your own fun. While a lot of people will tell you to avoid PvP servers, I say go for it. RPPvP is good too. Sure, getting ganked sucks, but you lose out on a huge part of the experience. Plus, once you're big, you get to pay people back in kind.

 

[Hiphophippo]

Im going to play WoW till levle 20 on any character i feel like it
and just make them twinks(exp capped low levels with the best gear they can find for their levels)

You're going to want to cap at 19 if you're twinking. Also, tat 10g gold cap is going to make it awfully difficult to obtain any reasonable twinking gear.