World of WarcraftBeginner’s Guide

Chapter IV
The Late Game

In World of Warcraft, the next adventure is always just around the corner. Together, you and your friends will take on and overcome challenges far beyond your wildest dreams and become the heroes Azeroth has been waiting for.

In this chapter, we will explore some of the more advanced gameplay elements that await you in World of Warcraft: dungeons, end-game raids, and player-vs.-player content.

Dungeon Finder
You can rally your friends to fight monsters together, or you can use World of Warcraft’s built-in Dungeon Finder to let the game automatically match you with other players. The Dungeon Finder will find a group for you based on whatever parameters you choose, and you can use it to fill out the last remaining slots in your group if you already have a few people together. The dungeon finder is useful when you’re just starting out and maybe don’t have that many in-game friends yet, and it remains an incredibly powerful tool throughout your career as it allows you to find a group for any dungeon easily and quickly. The Dungeon Finder is your friend!
Instancing
All dungeons are instanced, which means that anytime you step through the dungeon’s entrance, World of Warcraft creates a new copy of the dungeon specifically for you and the members of your group. Think of it like a private adventure where you won’t be interrupted by other players.
Elite and Boss Monsters
You will find the monsters that inhabit the dungeons of World of Warcraft to be much more dangerous than the ones you encounter out in the world. They hit harder, can soak up more damage, and may also have some additional tricks up their sleeves. In short, they’re out to ruin your day. But if you keep your wits about you, stay calm, and pay attention to their behavior, you will eventually see patterns that you and your friends can use to your advantage.
In Case Of Fire
Sooner or later, even the most formidable heroes will meet their match and be defeated. If the entire group perishes, this is called a ’wipe.’ Wipes are a setback, but they are not the end of the world. You can return to the dungeon and try again, but beware: some of the minor monsters you and your group cleared earlier may have been replaced with fresh reinforcements, so watch your back.
Glittering Prizes
Slaying dragons can be its own reward, but it’s always nice to walk away from your vanquished foes with a souvenir. Whether it’s a better weapon, a powerful new piece of armor, or a magical trinket pried off the cooling corpse of a boss monster, the loot you find in dungeons is of higher quality than what you normally encounter in the world. Boss monsters drop a variety of different treasures, giving you a good reason to re-visit dungeons even after you’ve already cleared them.
Dungeons
World of Warcraft dungeons are home to some of the game’s toughest monsters, but they also guard great treasures. In a nutshell, dungeons are special challenges designed specifically for small groups of five players working together as a team. You progress through a dungeon by methodically eliminating the monsters within, gradually working your way up to the boss monsters  – your group will have to fight as one if you want to overcome the dungeon’s most dangerous challenges.
Raids
World of Warcraft’s raid dungeons are even more challenging than its normal dungeons. You will likely visit many normal dungeons while your character is leveling up, but raid dungeons are the exclusive domain of high-level characters. Just like dungeons, raids come in various degrees of difficulty and different level ranges. You will need bigger groups of ten or even twenty-five players to bring down the monsters guarding these lairs.
The Ultimate
Challenge
Max-level, endgame raids put your skills to the test like nothing else in World of Warcraft. Knowing how to play your class well is crucial, but being a good team player is even more important. Downing a raid boss takes skill, coordination, and perseverance. More often than not, raid bosses will throw your group a curveball with an unexpected twist; be on your guard!
The Ultimate
Experience
While you are adventuring in Azeroth and beyond, you will become embroiled in epic storylines that tie into the overarching plot of World of Warcraft. Whether you are defending the kingdom of Stormwind against a terrible threat from within or fighting to contain an ancient and unspeakable horror deep within an ancient Titan stronghold, these stories will lead you to the raid dungeons of World of Warcraft where you will be able to see them through to their ultimate conclusion.
The Ultimate
Reward
Raids are where you will earn World of Warcraft’s greatest treasures: powerful magical armor, the mightiest weapons, and mystical artifacts of unfathomable origin. If you want to get your hands on these items, you will have to defeat the most powerful beings in all of World of Warcraft. Wear them proudly to let everyone know that you have proved your worth.
Player-vs-Player Combat
With tensions between the Alliance and the Horde at an all-time high, skirmishes between members of both factions are taking place everywhere. You can jump into the fray at any given time and fight for your faction, for fame and fortune, or for the simple thrill of battle.
Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds offer a structured PvP experience. Battlegrounds are PvP instances where two teams of players meet on the field of battle and have to complete mission objectives to achieve victory. These objectives can be as simple as grabbing the enemy flag and taking it to your base, or they can be as complex as setting demolition charges, breaching the other team’s defenses, and capturing the defending team’s artifact. Each Battleground has a different objective, and they also vary by number of players per team. You can join Battlegrounds by yourself, in which case you will be on a team with other random players of your faction, or you can queue up as a group together with your friends.
The Arena
Some say the Arena is the ultimate test of a player’s PvP prowess; others simply enjoy its straightforward deathmatch-style PvP and its team-based, competitive organization. In the Arena, two small teams fight each other until one team is eliminated. The team with the last player or players standing wins. Arena teams share one similarity with guilds in that they are persistent groups that exist for as long as there are players on the team’s roster. Winning Arena matches will improve your team’s rating and potentially your ranking on the Arena ladder, where the top teams across several realms compete for the top position. Successful gladiators also gain access to powerful weapons and armor specifically tailored to PvP combat.
World Objectives
Beyond instanced Battlegrounds and the Arena, world objectives offer yet another spin on objective-based PvP in World of Warcraft. Some locations throughout the world can be conquered by players of either faction, and holding these strategic locations offers unique benefits to whichever faction is currently in control. These benefits can range from simple, zone-wide buffs to special item rewards and even exclusive access to new areas.
Duels
Whether you want to defend your honor, settle a score, or simply see who is the better fighter, you can challenge players of your faction to a friendly duel. Duels are not fought to the death, and only the two players involved in the duel can harm each other. The duel ends when one player’s health drops close to zero, or if one of the players flees the duelling area.
World PvP
The simplest form of Player-vs.-Player (PvP) combat in World of Warcraft is free-form, open world PvP. Anytime you run into another player of the opposite faction and you’re both flagged for PvP, either one of you can attack the other. Some areas are PvP hotbeds where players clash frequently, while other places are relatively quiet. On PvP realms, you will automatically be flagged for PvP almost everywhere you go, but on Normal realms you are safe from attacks by other players unless you willingly flag yourself for PvP.
What’s Next?
We’ve barely scratched the surface of what World of Warcraft has to offer. From the sun-baked shores of Tanaris to the snow-capped mountains of Dun Morogh, from the shattered realm of Outland to the Light-forsaken depth of Icecrown glacier, there’s a whole universe out there for you to explore. Gather your allies. Hone your skills. Dive into a fantasy universe unlike any other.

The World of Warcraft awaits!
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Comments (603)

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Iromdaicall
Skullcrusher
Iromdaicall
4/24/2013
yea they are as effective HAHA
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Dwaren
Dragonblight
Dwaren
4/4/2013
i have a question to get the achievement to complete a dungeon do you have to do the quests?
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Thormn
Shadowsong
Thormn
4/7/2013
@Dwaren: No, for obtaining a dungeon completion achievement you only have to defeat the last boss (in most cases). If you haven't received the achievement but you killed the last boss, then your best bet is to complete the other encounters in the dungeon.
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@Dwaren: No
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Cellas
Gnomeregan
Cellas
4/16/2013
@Dwaren: yes u do
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Canniibal
Moon Guard
Canniibal
5/8/2013
@Cellas: No you don't. Most achievements in Dungeons are simply killing the final boss or completing a relatively difficult task within the Dungeon. The quests are simply there for extra money and/or items.
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Cheezypuffs
Duskwood
Cheezypuffs
3/25/2013
Question: why should the Worgen in the top right picture need clawed fist weapons? I mean, look at his claws, they're as effective as the weapon he's holding.
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Gorillamunch
Area 52
Gorillamunch
3/26/2013
@Cheezypuffs: Haha your post made me chuckle, because at the beginning of the "Cataclysm" expansion when I first saw the worgen race I thought the same thing! I always thought a fun racial ability would have been a claw attack!
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Dejanow
Zuluhed
Dejanow
4/6/2013
@Gorillamunch: its claws would break off
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Canniibal
Moon Guard
Canniibal
5/8/2013
@Cheezypuffs: That's like saying your fist hurts someone more than hitting them with a baseball bat. The claws are rather weak, but those steel fist weapons will hurt much more.
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Calithios
Norgannon
Calithios
3/16/2013
Once you reach a certain level and dungeon finder no longer is availablr for certain lower level quests it deems, Are you sill anle to access those dungeons otherwise if not through the dungeon finder??
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Sylvyr
Vek'nilash
Sylvyr
3/18/2013
@Calithios: Yes you have to find the entrance to the dungeon.
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Aurowene
Shu'halo
Aurowene
3/10/2013
How do you go from one continent to another?
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Sylvyr
Vek'nilash
Sylvyr
3/18/2013
@Aurowene: There are Ships and portals that will take you to other continents. for instance, in Stormwind, you can catch a ship to Kalimdor (lvl 1-60) or Northrend (lvl 68-80). Visit the Harbor there or the one near Darnassus.
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Andiana
Arathor
Andiana
3/6/2013
press x to go down space to go up use your arrows to move it just like flying
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Aisperwind
Exodar
Aisperwind
3/2/2013
This might be a dumb question, but I'm a newb. How do you swim underwater?
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Déstrúctión
Earthen Ring
Déstrúctión
3/4/2013
@Aisperwind: just use the walking controlls, they work the same underwater.
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Jaiann
Grizzly Hills
Jaiann
2/3/2013
how do i get to pandaria
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Ninjelf
Darrowmere
Ninjelf
12/15/2012
I have a question. On some of my other characters I like to level up at a good pace but is really important that I do raids along the way? I always try to find people for old raids but it's hard to find people.
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Weebliz
Wyrmrest Accord
Weebliz
12/19/2012
@Ninjelf: At the old level caps you'll find it is nearly impossible to find groups running old raids. Not completely impossible, mind you - there are exceptions. Those exceptions are 1) Established guilds that do "fun runs" of old content that might be willing to take a lowbie or two along (that is how I got to do Black Temple and Sunwell on my hunter at level 70; the guild I was in at the time took me - they were all level 80). 2) So-called "twink" players, who lock their experience at 60, 70 or 80 for the purpose of running old content. These players generally expect you to to really know your stuff as far as getting geared as best as possible and knowing the fights really well going in.
Short answer: no, it is not important to do the old raids as you level. If you can find someone to take you in them, it's fun. But not necessary.
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Bunii
Darkspear
Bunii
9/6/2012
im running the battle chest pack.... classic - cataclysm... 50 being the highest level i have. at what point do i battle the final boss of classic, burning crusade, and the lich king? i understand deathwing wont be for quite sometime.
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Omnus
Antonidas
Omnus
9/20/2012
@Bunii: Classic World of Warcraft went from levels 1-60, Burning Crusade 61-70, Wrath of the Lich King 71-80, Cataclysm 81-85. There are raid dungeons at the end of each of those brackets (levels 60, 70, 80, 85) which contain the "final bosses" so to speak of each expansion.
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Jerious
Skywall
Jerious
8/30/2012
Too bad Jerious no longer exists(or is simply erased) by the #5 patch.
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Ezzkalktraz
Vashj
Ezzkalktraz
8/28/2012
You can take places like Goldshire that's amazing! I would like to get a group of Hord players to take Goldshire.
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Oldirty
Borean Tundra
Oldirty
8/28/2012
iits taking to ****ing long
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Shadowslapp
Ner'zhul
Shadowslapp
8/14/2012
Too bad world PvP is dead
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Ezzkalktraz
Vashj
Ezzkalktraz
8/28/2012
@Shadowslapp: W.O.W. PVP is dead that's terrible, are you shore?
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Canniibal
Moon Guard
Canniibal
5/8/2013
@Ezzkalktraz: It's really not. He's talking about world PvP on PvP servers. In those, you are always able to attack enemy players, and they are always able to attack you. But PvP battlegrounds are still widely used.
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Dathune
Aerie Peak
Dathune
8/9/2012
if anyone is new they should get the battle chest bcuz it comes wit burning crusade the game itself and a very helpful gamegiude
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Pieceofcrud
Illidan
Pieceofcrud
9/3/2012
@Dathune: Burning Crusade comes with the game by default now.
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Vaedoriyeth
Bleeding Hollow
Vaedoriyeth
8/7/2012
i got a level 70 i dont to nexts
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Chillbro
Twisting Nether
Chillbro
8/7/2012
I'm level 84 going on 85. Where should i start getting gear and stuff? I mean, what raids/dungeons etc. should i do first?
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Thekinglock
Uldaman
Thekinglock
8/29/2012
@Chillbro: for what class/specs?
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Edelstein
Baelgun
Edelstein
7/31/2012
i do not understand the remaping of the key board concet I have been using the mouse and numbers. But admit to lots of frustration in combat esp being slow. How does the remapping work please give examplesI can barley type without looking will remapping slow me down even futher? 2nd question: how do I get past level 70?
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Pabstina
Emerald Dream
Pabstina
9/25/2012
@Edelstein: its in the menu that pops when you hit escape - Key Bindings. Also, in the Interface menu you can add extra action bars and key bindings can be assigned to those.
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Teamgreen
Azjol-Nerub
Teamgreen
7/16/2012
What rank is closer to leadership in a guild. Rank 2 or 3?
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Teamgreen
Azjol-Nerub
Teamgreen
7/16/2012
I remap almost my entire keyboard. Since using A,S,D,W is simply out of the question for experienced players, you basically have to at least remap enough keys to cover whatever you use in combat.
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Cecilous
Elune
Cecilous
7/16/2012
what i am looking for is a tutorial on how to best use the in game controls. i know mouse turning but then i cant click on my action bars quickly, and i know number maping for the action bars but then i am confused as to what ones do what and it slows me down even more so if anyone has a link of some sort that will bring me past the basics that would be great and i will thank you in advance for it, or even some pointers or useful addons or something. (i have done multipule serches on the subject and found nothing and need something direct) thanks again.
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Stonesoul
Jubei'Thos
Stonesoul
7/16/2012
@Cecilous: use the A,S,D,W keys for movement, then click the esc key and center your favorite spells around those movement keys. These are called keybindings. So I'm an Arms Warrior, so my best move is Mortal Strike, so I have it keybound to F so i can click it with ease. now after that is done, use you mouse to turn the camara, along with your character. This has helped me alot with PvP and even increased my DPS because i could reach my moves quicker.
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Teamgreen
Azjol-Nerub
Teamgreen
7/16/2012
@Cecilous: also, I don't know if its automatically on or not, but in the interface is an option to display the key the hotbar spot is hotkeyed too.