Again, I'd recommend first-time players not sweat these details and pick a class that appeals to them. The good news is that any class can freely switch between specializations outside of combat, so even within a given class you can have up to four wildly different playstyles. This can be a daunting decision before you've even set foot in the game. Do you want to lead the party and soak enemy damage as a tank? Want to keep players alive as a healer? Or do you want to pull off insane damage as a damage-dealer (DPS)? World of Warcraft has 12 classes, each having between two and four specializations (called specs) that determine what abilities they have and what role they play in a group. Picking a class, however, is a much more intimidating problem. Above all else, pick a race of which you enjoy the fantasy and aesthetic-that'll be the one you're most likely to stick with. It's a lot to take in if you like theorycrafting, but don't sweat these differences too much. For example, in modern WoW, humans can break out of stun effects while blood elves can strip a positive buff off nearby mobs or players. Once you've decided your server and faction, you have to answer an even bigger question: What class and race are you going to play?Įach race in World of Warcraft comes with special bonuses towards certain crafting professions and a unique skill only they can use, but that skill varies between Classic and retail. It used to matter back when there were dedicated PvP servers, but nowadays, open-world PvP is an option you can toggle on and, along with an older feature called cross-realm play that lets you play alongside characters from other servers, a good balance of Horde and Alliance players isn't as important. Which faction you choose will determine the races you have to choose from for your charactersĭon't worry about the Alliance/Horde ratio of players on any given server if you're keen on PvPing.
If you're playing with any friends, just make a character on whatever server they're on or be sure to all agree on a server in advance, but be sure to make a character on the same faction they are: Alliance and Horde characters can’t speak or quest with each other in game. Avoid 'New Player' servers and those with 'Maximum' population You want a server with a healthy, established population, not stuck in login queues. With servers, pick one that has a medium or high population during the times you'll normally be playing each day. You can select them when you're first choosing a server. If you're creative and like the idea of taking your immersion in the world to the next level, RP servers are a great deal of fun. It's a very different experience, as you'll treat World of Warcraft more like a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. World of Warcraft also has some very popular roleplay servers where players are expected to speak and behave as their character would. Sadly, it can take dozens of hours before you realize one or the other isn't a good fit. Before you can do anything, you'll need to choose a server, faction, race, and class to play.
It's a bit cruel that most of World of Warcraft's toughest decisions are the first ones you'll have to make. Shadowlands will then take your character to level 60. Players who have already completed Battle for Azeroth on one character will instead get to choose between BfA and one of the previous seven expansions to level through to 50. This expansion will take your character from level 10 to level 50, where you'll then jump into Shadowlands. You start in Exile's Reach until level tem (or choose between the new leveling island and their race’s existing starting area, if you’re experienced) and then move onto the Battle for Azeroth expansion by default if you're new.