So I am installing World of Warcraft...

[Seanfall]

Don't play blood elf, not just cause of their old starting area. But also cause their pansy's. The only 'badass' BE i've ever seen was fan art of a scared pally.

Each race has different benefits and this makes some better for certain classes then others. I tend to ignore that though and just make what ever makes me happy. ^^ it's worked so far. I can't really say how good the Alliance side quests are cause...I mostly play horde. Best class for starters I would say is a toss up of Hunter (the pet helps) Warrior (lots of health and staying power) or Pally (lots of health, but with spells that add to the staying power, lay on hands, divine shield etc). I played on Ravenholdt an RPPVP server for 3 years. If you don't like getting murdered just cause your low level do not roll on a PVP server. RP or normal trust me it will make you a lot less likely to eat your mouse in rage.

Oh...and...as someone who does PVP in BG's: ROGUES SUCK! *hour long incoherent rage about rogues*

Oh quick edit: Say your question on leveling. Getting to 20 nowadays is actually easy, the quests tend to flow into one another, have interesting storylines which makes you want to see what happens next etc. For instance in the Plaguelands I jumped about 10-15 levels threw the two areas in about 3 days. But I had the benefit of an heirloom. An Heirloom is a bound to account item you can get at level 80 or 85. They get stronger with the character who has them equipped usually around a top teir item for that level, plus many grant a + to experience from quests and killing mobs. And a couple of Guild Bonuses give a similar boost making leveling easier. My heirlooms only go up to 80 though I don't have the ones that go up to 85...oh wait there was point...: Leveling goes faster then it used too...thank god.

 

[Nuuu]

Abrreviations you should know:
WoW: World of Warcraft
BC: Burning Crusade
WotLK: Wrath of the Lich King
Cata: Catacalysm
BG: Battleground
BoE: Bind on Equip (Binding means it is stuck to your character, no trading)
BoP: Bind on Pick-up (These bind to you when you loot it, make sure you need it the most)
BoA: Bind on Account (You can trade this with your account characters via mail)
LFG: Looking for Group
WTB: Want to buy
WTS: Want to sell
CC: Crowd Control (Stopping certain monsters from attacking while you focus on another)
DPS: Damage Per Second (self explanatory, also the name for damage dealer classes)
Aggro: Aggression (Threat level, the higher the aggro, the more likely you will be attacked)
Tank: ...Tank... (Their job in a party to focus the aggro on them and take all the damage)
These are the main abbreviations, there are abbreviations to dungeons too, but you will find those out on your own.

 

[C95J]

Speaking of which; I invite people to check out the NEStalgia trailer and give the game a shot if they want seeing as how we seem to have some mature people in this thread that I wouldn't mind playing a social game with.

Trailer link: Go! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX8dd13IovU

I've got to admit, it looks interesting, and I am always up for playing new games. Might give it a go sometime, thanks for the link.

 

[acosn]

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).

Your mileage will vary depending on whether you actually find a community within the game you mesh well with.

After sticking with the game for almost five years (basically since it's release) once the guild I was in lost it's luster and my steady group of friends in the game moved on I did as well.

 

[Chris Barber]

Speaking of which; I invite people to check out the NEStalgia trailer and give the game a shot if they want seeing as how we seem to have some mature people in this thread that I wouldn't mind playing a social game with.

Trailer link: Go! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX8dd13IovU

I've got to admit, it looks interesting, and I am always up for playing new games. Might give it a go sometime, thanks for the link.

The game isn't going anywhere. So if you decide to give it a trial run someday send me a PM or something and let me know. It's currently undergoing some pretty massive revamps so that the game can grow into something bigger than it is now.

Being modeled after things like early 90's Dragon Warrior titles, it's very much a niche game and isn't for everyone. But I think it will someday grow into something epic. Or at least I hope so.

 

[Seanfall]

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).

Your mileage will vary depending on whether you actually find a community within the game you mesh well with.

After sticking with the game for almost five years (basically since it's release) once the guild I was in lost it's luster and my steady group of friends in the game moved on I did as well.

Agreed I stopped playing for a while when my friends in game dissappered. It may not seem like much but just having people to chat with makes a BIG difference.

 

[Chris Barber]

Also; I'm in the same boat with the people who played WoW for years and eventually left due to friends leaving. I don't regret playing the game at all. But it doesn't hold up well when all you can do is play with strangers. Especially with the average stranger has no desire to do anything but belittle everyone else in the group at any given opportunity for literally no reason.

 

[Nuuu]

Now im going to explain classes:

Rogue: Main damage dealer, they rely on fast and sneaky attacks, and can be deadly in PvP with their stunlock attacks.

Mage: High damage dealers but weak defense due to only cloth armor, at later levels they can CC by turning enemies into sheep, or create food and City Portals for others. People will pay you to make City Portals for them.

Paladin: One of the two classes able to go Tank, Heal, and DPS. The role you play depends on your talent tree build. They can wear the strongest armor, plate, and have the ability to protect themselves with damage absorbing bubbles and can heal themselves.

Shaman: They wear leather at first, upgrading to mail at 40. They can either be ranged DPS (Elemental), Melee DPS (Enhancement), or Healers (Restoration). Ranged DPS is slower but can hit very high, Melee DPS focuses more on fast attacks and dual wielding. But the main thing about shamans are their totems. They get totems, giving them and their party members buffs when they stand near them. The buff given depends on the totem. Only 4 totems, one of each element, can be down at a time.

Druid: The second class able to go Tank, DPS, and Heal. They focus on using spells and transformations they get at later levels. Tanks get a Bear form, increasing their health. DPS get a cat form, increasing damage and speed. Healers get a tree form, increasing healing.

Warrior: A basic class, focusing on either tanking or DPS. they focus on heavy weapons and blades to keep them alive and killing. Very simple class.

Priests: The main healing class, but they can also go DPS (shadow) and Crowd Control. Their attacking style involves summoning minions to help fight. But they are arguably the best healing class.

Hunter: Using their mighty gun, these guys a DPS class, using their pets to help attack. They can tame certain monsters they find in the field and keep them to help fight.

Death Knight: Once you reach lvl 55 on one class and you own the Wrath of the Lich King Expansion, you can create a Deathknight. These guys start out a lvl 55, and use Death type attacks to kill their enemy. They can either Tank or DPS, and focus on plate armor.

Not the best guide, but it gives you the run-down.

 

[Whoatemysupper]

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.

Bad idea. Free users can't use the AH.

 

[Talydia]

Ignore anyone who says one faction is more mature than the other. if the faction you choose has a high population, you're going to run into more morons simply because there's more of them around and they tend to be vocal.

 

[Dragunai]

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).

I've been playing it on and off for 6yrs going on 7 now.
Easiest class to play is the paladin. It has high armour, decent dmg if you choose the retribution tree or insane survival if you choose Protection. You get self healing options and if you get comfortable enough you can even try tanking.

Its a diverse class and very easy to play if you're new to the game with a fair number of choices endgame.

If you need help with it dude, send me a message here and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[Merkavar]

play a class that can tank. paladin warrior deathknight druid. you will be grateful for it later. if you dont like tanking play a class that cn heal. avoid pure dps classes.

 

[an874]

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

Pretty much this, for love all that you care about, don't do it, man (or woman)!

 

[mew4ever23]

For your first foray into World of Warcraft, don't go PvP. Go PvE and stay there until you've gained some mastery of the mechanics. After that, you can PvP on the server, all you need to do is flag yourself for it. Only make the move after you know what you're doing and enjoy Pvp. Some players just stay on PvE servers and hardly PvP at all.

Also, word of advice - if you get ?? in level when mousing over something, or a skull in place of a level in targeting, it is at least 10 levels above you, and you should not attempt to kill it (at least on your own).

 

[Dagnius]

--

Bad idea. Free users can't use the AH.

Yeah that's right, huh. Well, If he does decides to pay and play for real he'd have things to sell. I guess with a free trial there's not too much planning you can do as everything is pretty limited.

 

[bootz]

My advice from someone that plays
Try the differnt classes you might find one your really good at.
Make friends. Explore. Wow doesn't take itself too seriously.
Get addons
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/default.aspx
they improve the ui and help tremendously
If you're very cynical go horde.
If you're a very righteous go alliance.

Dungeon Queses can be long for a dps if you won't want to wait long roll a tank or a healer.

Don't stand in fire!

 

[mstieler]

In case it hasn't been said:

The Auction House stuff doesn't apply to trial accounts, as you can't use auction any items (nor bid or buyout any).

But, of the classes available, a Warrior (if you like to be up in something's face to damage or tank it) or Hunter (ranged DPS pet class, pick up a nice bear, turtle or crab and go to town) would be good choices, though if you plan on changing from melee dps to ranged dps to healing to tanking, a Druid is where it's at.

Paladins are also a good choice, since Retribution (the DPS specialization) is pretty fun to play, and you can heal yourself easily.

There's quite a few options (10 classes, each with 3 specializations), and while you're limited to 10 characters on any given realm, you can have a total of 50 across all realms, so you're definitely free to try everything, and see how it fits you. Each class has it's own quirks, bonuses and drawbacks, as well as professions, and your race has an effect as well, with racial bonuses benefiting some classes or specializations more than others.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Oh I just thought, if you have a friend who already plays, then ask them to 'recruit you', that way they'll get some bonuses for bringing you in, including a 2 man mount, making it easier to help you, and bonus xp, and time limited teleportation between the two of you.

The recruiter gets a free month once you've paid for your first two, as well.

I'm not trying to get a freebie myself, but it seems a shame to waste it if you're considering joining WOW anyway, you may as well give a mate a few bonuses

(and if not, what the hell, find someone on here who'll give you some starter help in exchange for you being their recruit )

 

[Shoggoth2588]

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

It can't be that bad. I think I'm that 1% but after two weeks on a free account and 4 days on a paid, I'm pretty much done with the game. I feel like an idiot for getting that battle chest e.e Still, the books it came with are pretty awesome.