Chapter I
Getting Started
This section will walk you through your first steps towards discovering World of Warcraft’s vast range of mystery and adventure. You will learn all you need to know to dive right into the game, from character creation basics to a handy class selection guide.
Your character is your avatar in World of Warcraft. You’re not limited to one character, though; you’re free to create dozens of characters if you want to experience all the different race and class combinations. Many players refer to their most frequently played character as their “main” and all other characters as their “alts.” Why create more than one character? Since each class plays differently, it’s fun to experiment with other styles of gameplay.
World of Warcraft has millions of active players. If all these players were in the same game world at the same time, things would get more than a little crowded (plus which, the computers running the game would probably form a workers’ union and go on strike). To keep the gameplay experience stable, smooth, and consistent, World of Warcraft’s population is divided into several different realms. Each realm is an identical copy of the game world, but generally, players from the same realm can only play and interact with each other*. Think of each realm like its own parallel universe or mirror dimension, each home to thousands and thousands of unique player characters.
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Realms come in four different flavors based on the kind of gameplay experience they offer:
- NormalPlayer Versus Enemies The standard. Role-play is optional, and all player-versus-player fights have to be consensual.
- PvPPlayer Versus Player For players who seek out a challenge. Role-play is still optional, but opposite faction players can attack you almost anywhere, and at all times. Be on your guard.
- Normal-RPPlayer Versus Enemies – Role Playing On this type of realm, role-play is practically mandatory, but player-versus-player combat still has to be agreed upon by both parties.
- PvP-RPPlayer Versus Player – Role Playing As with regular PvP realms, cross-faction combat is an ever-present threat, and role-play is the norm.
If you are planning to play with a friend, make sure to create characters on the same realm so you can adventure together. The Recruit-A-Friend referral system provides considerable in-game bonuses to linked friends and family members. Visit the Recruit-A-Friend page to learn more about this feature.
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- Gender selection
- Race selection
- Class selection
- More info
The original World of Warcraft has eight races to choose from and subsequent expansions increase this number to twelve. Your character’s race determines your overall visual appearance, grants special benefits in the form of racial abilities, and also locks you into one of two factions: Alliance or Horde.
Which faction you choose is important because only characters of the same faction can communicate with each other. So, for example, if you created a night elf, that character would only be able to chat and play with the other Alliance characters in the realm. A tauren, on the other hand, could only play with the realm’s other Horde characters.
Faction and race are mostly social choices: they determine what your character looks like and who you can interact with. Your choice of class is a gameplay decision: it determines what your character can and can’t do, and what kind of experience you will have playing that character.
Not all races can play as all classes; for example, dwarf characters cannot be druids. Generally speaking, your class has a much bigger impact on the way you will experience World of Warcraft, so if the choice comes down to either a specific race or a specific class, pick the class that you prefer.
Some classes are designed specifically for one role, while other classes can perform several. The best example for a “pure” healer, for example, is the priest class (although shadow priests are a notable exception), while druids are a good example of a “hybrid” class that can effortlessly fill the role of tank, healer, or damage dealer.
Tanks fight by outlasting their enemies. They are rugged, durable characters that can soak up a lot of damage before they go down. In groups, a tank’s role is to get the monsters to attack him instead of other, more vulnerable members of his group.
Healers have spells and abilities that allow them to quickly regenerate their own health and that of other players. They are especially useful in groups, because even though tanks are as tough as a brick wall, they need healers to keep them alive long enough for the damage dealers to finish the job.
Damage dealers excel at quickly inflicting a lot of damage. Where tanks are marathon runners, damage dealers are sprinters, trying to defeat their targets as quickly as possible while avoiding damage as best they can.
Once you’ve picked a race and a class, it’s time to make adjustments to your character’s appearance. Feel free to switch between male and female; the sexes are treated equally in every regard in World of Warcraft, so playing as a man or a woman is a purely cosmetic choice.
Each race has additional visual traits you can adjust, such as earrings, tattoos, hair style, and more. You can choose from several different ornate beard styles for a dwarf, for example, or choose between horns of varying lengths and shapes for a tauren character. If you’re in a hurry, you can use the “randomize” button to have the game generate a few random configurations until you see one you like, or you can fine-tune your character’s appearance yourself.
Lastly, you need to pick a name for your character. Keep in mind that offensive names are not allowed; as a matter of etiquette, please choose an appropriate name. Some names will have already been taken by other players, so explore different name options until you find one you’re happy with.
Congratulations, you’ve created your first character! Review your choices, and if you’re happy with them, click the button to set foot in a world of mighty heroes and high adventure. Your journey is about to begin….
Reported!
[Close]Comments (251)
Whisperwind
Ysondre
Ysera
Cenarius
Cenarius
Silver Hand
Antonidas
Shadow Council
Dragonblight
Hyjal
Burning Legion
Moon Guard
Shadow Council
Shu'halo
Darrowmere
Frostwolf
Well first thing is first. I am looking to recruit a new player for RaF. What is a new player? A new player is anyone who has never payed for any game time. By joining me in RaF we will both receive 3x exp making leveling a breeze. It would take a matter of a week at most to get to lvl 90.
Below you will find a Pro's and Con's list to letting me recruit you for RaF.
Pros:
-I have a flexible schedule and can play multiple hours a day.
-I have multiple high level's (85-90) making gold very easy to come by.
-I am friendly :3
-I am an adult meaning I will be mature and respectable (most of the time =P)
-I have been playing WoW off and on for multiple years meaning I know an awful lot about it(not everything mind you but a lot).
-I am knowledgeable of almost every class in WoW and races that go good with what class.
-I am willing to play on either horde or alliance (although on horde I would be able to supply gold more easily)
-I can help pay for crafting materials, mounts, gear, etc.
-I play both PvE(player versus environment) and PvP(player versus player)
-If there is something I didn't list that you are curious about you can ask me in e-mail which will be supplied at the end of this post.
Cons:
-There are a couple of classes that I haven't played yet such as the Monk(I am hoping to make a monk during the RaF)
-I am not swimming in gold, but I have plenty for all pre-80 training and mounts and make hundreds daily.
-My schedule is flexible but I can't play all day(but I can be on for most of it.)
-I am in school(college) so there will be time that I have to do a homework assignment rather than play.(Can take anywhere from 10 minutes to multiple hours, these assignments are usually every other week though)
Addition Notes:
-For our first character I would like to make a Pandaren. I would like this character to be Horde(as it is my main faction).
-I would like to use the 30 days of RaF 3x exp to get as many character to lvl 90 as we can.
-After the first character, race, and faction will be up to you.
I hope to see you in game soon!
If you would like to do RaF with me or you have any additional questions please contact me at: alexkerher@gmail.com (I check this e-mail multiple times a day so expect short reply times.)
It is not okay to contact me if with adds, or if you are trying to recruit me for RaF(I have an account why would I want to).
I created all of the information in this post making it my property, please do not copy my post.(Meant for you trolls that want to copy word for word and just erase bits and pieces...)
Aggramar
Eitrigg
Ravencrest
Muradin
Korgath
Cenarius
LOL totally Blizz.
Medivh
Good to see they fail to mention the abomination that is CRZ, on a current page - which includes pandaren. Deceitful of them? Just a tad
Lothar
Moon Guard
Vashj
Darrowmere
Dragonblight
Borean Tundra
Moon Guard
Cairne
Draenor
Khaz'goroth
Dawnbringer
Proudmoore
These are recommended:
A) Re-install your game
B) Run an anti-virus program
A little more drastic:
C) Get a new computer
D) Call the tech support number and explain to them your problem.
Good luck, and I'll hopefully see you in the World of Warcraft!
Kil'jaeden
Shadowsong
Scarlet Crusade
Turalyon
Khaz'goroth