Voicy's Epic WoW starter guide

[Voicy]

The Starter Guide...

This Thread will cover topics mostly catering for the newlings, I'll jump into more advanced issues if we need it at a later stage.

Since I've only left 3 slots for my posting, a vast majority of it will be links to pages instead of long boring paragraphs. You'll notice most of my links are to wowhead, which I believe, will give you enough info to go pretty far in the game, but it's not the only site to follow.

NOTE: This is a subscription based game, costing rougly R150-180 per month. There are two different versions of the game, the US version and the European Version. Before ordering the game, make sure you are purchasing the correct version. EU accounts don't work on US games.

Right ... so you've bought the game, now what?

STEP 1: Getting an Account!

To register, click here: http://www.wow-europe.com/en/index.xml (Notice I have selected Europe, since they fall under the same time zone as us, making it easier to find people to play at the same time as you.)

STEP 2: Choosing a realm...

There are 3 different types of servers in WoW:

- PvE :
Person vs Environment ... in this realm naughty people cannot attack you willy nilly and you have to accept their challenge in order to fight. This realm is ideal for people who enjoy classic RPG's where you concentrate on questing.

- PvP :
Person vs Person ... in this realm as soon as you step out of "safe zones" anyone can attack you at any time from anywhere! This can be frustrating when you are trying to complete quests etc, but also adds an uncontested thrill to the game, never knowing when the next attack will take place!

- RP(PvP or PvE): (EDITED - Thanks Endev)
Role Playing is exactly the same as a PvP or PvE server, with the only addition that people on here enjoy portraying their characters in a fantasy world. If you enjoy this, great, if not - either try not to interfere with them or rather roll on a pure PvP/PvE server. It is worth mentioning that some of the RP'ers are very amusing to watch at times.

Step 3: Choosing a character

This is the most important choice you'll make in any game ever. Simply because the type of character you choose will cause your WoW experience to be vastly different depending on the class you play. Take your time, read up and choose carefully.

There are 2 major factions: Alliance & Horde

Alliance = humans, dwarves, gnomes, night elves and Draenai
Horde = Trolls, orcs, Taurens, Blood elves and the undead

As part of a faction i.e. horde, you can access any horde city and group together with any horde player. You can only be killed by alliance players and vice versa.

So, what race do I choose?

There are 2 answers here really:

1) Which ever one you think looks the coolest.
2) Which ever one benefits your class the most. Say what?

You can customize just about everything about your character's looks to make him/her/it look really scary/cute. I simply made mine look cool since I was going to spend the next 1000hrs+ staring at him. (Also a valid reason why many players choose female characters)

Also take a good look at the racial benefits each race has. I.e. every night elf, regardless of their class, can turn invisible. Every undead player can breathe under water, that sort of thing. Also, the type of race you choose has benefits on your professions, more on that later.

Please take note that certain races can only be certain classes. I.e. only night elves and Taurens can be druids etc.

Here is an excellent breakdown of the races along with the classes they can play as well as their racial attributes:

http://www.wowwiki.com/Race

Classes:

There are 9 basic classes - I won't be going into detail about the classes, but rather refer you to the WoWhead beginners forum discussion to read up.

There are 3 major roles to play in WoW - and certain classes favour different roles:

Tanking: These guys are responsible for keeping the bosses busy while everyone else do the damage.

DPS (Damage per second): Their role is to do as much damage as quick as possible. They hit hard, but generally don't survive well on their own if they're hit back.

EDIT: DPS can be sub-divided into Melee DPS (hand-to-hand combat) where you are in the thick of things or Ranged DPS (Casters or projectiles) where you stand on the sideline. Both with their remarkable pro's & cons. - Thanks Endev

Healing: The healer is the life force of the group, you will ALWAYS be in high demand, since nobody wants to die.

So Voicy, which character is the ultimate killer? Well, fortunately WoW is a glorified game of Rock/Paper/Scissors. You can beat anyone with enough skill, but generally no matter which class you take, you will have the easy kills and the ones to avoid.


Druid (Healer/Tank/DPS) - A druid is a very fun character to play with a few different sub-classes. You can be a nature caster, using natural spells etc. to kill your foes, you can also take on animal forms such as a panther/lion to do damage or turn into a bear to dish out damage but sustain very little. Lastly you can also be the life force of a team, by providing them with necessary healing.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Druid
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=7506


Hunter (DPS) - For those of you who choose to have an animal companion to do the dirty work, while you stand at a distance with a bow/crossbow/gun. You also lay traps and can track various types of animals/humans.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Hunter
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=71409


Mage (DPS) - The mage is best defined as a direct damage ranged class. Most of your fighting will be done at range with powerful elemental spells. The potential for damage is great, however the price is relatively low stamina and armor compared to other classes. (taken from wowhead)

http://www.wowwiki.com/Mage
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=7521


Paladin (Tank/Healer/DPS) - They are the holy warriors, they are excellent tanks, very good damagers and amazing healers - depending on their sub-class. Paladins are formiddable characters and can stand their ground, they are valued in groups due to the buffs they supply.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Paladin
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=4833#p46546


Priest (Healer/DPS) - Don't be fooled into thinking this one's a softy who only heals, the correctly specced priest can do insane amounts of damage!

http://www.wowwiki.com/Priest
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=36690


Rogue (DPS) - The ninja, the character who operates under stealth, he has one role and one role only - to do as much damage as possible! Rogues are hated by everyone - often even his own guild. They live in the shadows and can creep up behind you and take you down without you getting a single shot in. Rogues are excellent melee damagers, but often need to start a fight if they want to win it.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Rogue
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=47096


Shaman (Healer/DPS) - They are sacred guardians using the elements of the earth to both heal or attack players, they are very good melee fighters as well, but be warned that it often takes quite a bit of skill (and reading) to master this class.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Shaman
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=15336


Warlock (DPS) - This is one feisty little fellow, using evil spells to conquer his/her enemies by placing the most horrible curses/plagues/spells on them from a far, while his minion takes all the knocking.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Warlock
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=56632


Warrior (Tank/DPS) - The ultimate plate wearing fighter. Warriors make excellent protectors (tanks) and also dish out damage with the grandest of weapons!

http://www.wowwiki.com/Warropr
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=63541


Death Knights (DPS/Tank) - They can only be made once you have a character above lvl 55 and will be discussed later.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Death_Knight_(Hero_Class)

[Voicy]

PROFESSIONS:

All the professions below have different levels of skill usually in the following order:
Beginner
Expert
Artisan
Master
Grandmaster


Primary professions:

You have 2 primary professions to choose out of the 11 available professions. These are split into 2 categories. If you are unhappy with a profession you can always drop it and acquire a new one, but be warned you lose ALL experience that you gained for the dropped one. It costs thousands of gold to level a crafting profession to its maximum level.

Gathering:

It is my personal advice to select 2 gathering skills if you are not familiar with the game - at least until you reach level 80. This is due to the simple reason that gathering skills are great money makers and cost you nothing - and crafters need raw materials in order to make their items.
Gathering also gives you a statistic buff if you reach certain levels, i.e. mining gives you more stamina etc.


Mining - You take your pick and mine mineral veins all over the world. Your material you acquire will be valuable to blacksmiths, jewelcrafters, enchanters and engineers.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Mining


Skinning - Just about every animal you kill, you can skin. Leatherworkers require copious amounts of leather to craft their items.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Skinning


Herbalism - Picking flowers in the forest is highly profitable, especially with ingredient hungry customers such as alchemists and inscriptors.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Herbalism


Crafting:

Crafting skills can become bankruptingly expensive to persue and can either make or break the game for you. My suggestion is to wait until you're lvl 80 and then take up one of these when you have the cash to bankroll it. Make no mistake, crafting skills are much more fun than gathering ones, since you can make a range of items - the best of which only YOU can use, so anyone who doesnt have your crafting profession cannot own such an item. It's a way of rewarding the hard work and money spent on getting that profession to the top.

Take note of your character's racial ability. I.e. gnomes are favoured engineers and draenai are excellent jewelcrafters.

Alchemy - Making potions and transumting minerals is your game. If you take this profession, you'll want to take Herbalism in order to acquire most of your own ingredients.
Class favour: This skill favours anyone and everyone, but is particularly useful to rogues due to the poisons.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Alchemy


Blacksmithing - As a blacksmith you can specialize in making armor or weapons. Your items will be of top quality, often only useable by yourselves. If you become a blacksmith, you really want to take on Mining to get your own material.
Class favour: All plate wearers i.e. Warriors/Paladins, perhaps hunters and shamans.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Blacksmithing


Enchanting - You can attach special attributes and powers to existing armor and weaponry. This is a very expensive, but highly valued profession to level. As a bonus you can enchant your own rings, which non enchants cannot have done. You can also disenchant unwanted items - producing more material to use. Enchanting requires a lot of mining minerals.
Class favour: Everyone.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Enchanting


Engineering - Probably the most fun profession, due to all the weird and wonderful toys and gimmicks you can create, it also comes at a price. Being a miner will help curb some of the costs.
Class favour: Everyone.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Engineering


Leatherworking - Leather workers make leather and mail armor for lighter classes and can specialize in dragonscale, elemental and tribal styles. Any leatherworker that does not take skinning as a profession is being silly.
Class favour: Druids, Rogues, Hunters, Shaman

http://www.wowwiki.com/Leatherworking


Tailoring - Tailors specialize in making cloth armor and also have 3 catagories in which to specialize. Tailors usually make their money by crafting bigger bags for everyone to equip. Anyone can pick up cloth so there's no real gathering profession for it. Some argue that Tailoring favours enchanting since tailored items can then be disenchanted for material. I'd still go with skinning.
Class favour: All cloth wearers i.e. warlocks, mages, priests.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Tailoring


Jewelcrafting - JC's can craft rings, amulets and trinkets of the highest quality. They can also cut raw gems to produce very high stat gems, which are used to socket certain gear. They also have the ability to prospect ore for more valuable gems, therefore they should always take mining as a co-profession
Class favour: Everyone.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Jewelcrafting


Inscription - Scribes create glyphs (scrolls that boost your character's stats) used to modify spells and abilities. They are mostly dependent on herbalism.
Class favour: Open to discussion.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Inscription



Secondary professions:

You are able (and highly recommended) to take on ALL 3 these professions.

Cooking - This allows you to make your own food that replenishes your health and at higher levels adds wonderful buffs to your performance. There are also tons of recipes to acquire for this one.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Cooking


First Aid - Being able to strap on a bandage during battles is something every non-healer cannot do without.

http://www.wowwiki.com/First_Aid


Fishing - If anything, fishing can be quite a lot of fun. There's even a fishing competition on in Booty Bay every Sunday. Fishing is the "gathering" profession for your alchemy or cooking skill. But take note, fish isn't the only thing you can catch. There are many treasures beneath the waters.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Fishing

[Voicy]

The WoW resource guide:

(Full credit of all info and opinion in here is given to my good mate, and the one who introduced me to this game, SenorBlinky. He was kind enough to give a rating to each one as well.)

I thought it would make sense to have a thread dedicated to our favourite WoW resources. We need to look up a lot of things when playing, for instance;
1. Who drops Junglevine Wine?
2. Where can i buy a recipe for Barbequed Buzzard Wings?
3. I need an upgrade for my weapon - what items are available to me? And where can i find them?

So here follows a list of some of the resources I've found, and some that I use on a regular basis.

Databases: About

1. www.WoWWiki.com
The Mother of All Wiki's. And if it doesn't have it, it will provide a link to it. It has a comprehensive search function, not to mention a comprehensive list of articles on the front page, which include amongst others a newbie guide to WoW, UI beginner's guide, game terms and more links to community sites and other wikis.

This was my first resource for WoW, and i still use it if i need to read up about anything, from non-combat pets, to the difference between Crit rating and Hit rating and tons of other stuff.

I give it a friendly 4 star rating.

2. www.WoWHead.com
Probably the resource I use the most, it's a quest database and to an extent an item and NPC database, but should rather just be used for quests. I find it a bit more helpful, with clearer delineation than Thottbot.com, and is uber awesome if you use it for Quests, but you might find it a bit lacking when trying to locate something else on it.
It's simple menu's make it easy to navigate the site, with user created and submitted commentary to most quests ensure you have the most updated version of everything at all time. I myself have made a few submissions, commentary can vary from whether it's easily soloable, with what character the player managed to complete it and at what level, and how long an item takes to drop for instance.

Don't sell it short though, works very well in conjunction with lootables - it will have the item, where or from who it drops and the drop percentage. Also has a nifty discipline calculator handy and forums that cover critical stuff, like classes, PvP vs PvE and that kinda thing. WoWWiki is still better for that kind of thing though.

As a quest database i give it a 4,5 star rating
As for an overall database i give it a measly 2,5 star rating.
[edit]
Overall database rating moved to a 3,5, now that i have more experience with this tool.
[/edit]

3. www.ThottBot.com
An all-encompassing database, which is easy to browse, with screenshots and user descriptors to make your questing life easier. It's like a WoWWiki and a WoWHead all in one, however, it confuses me sometimes, purely because i don't use it enough. It's a fantastic database, but the could've added a bit of PAZZAZ! Also, on the odd occasion i've used it, it has steered me wrong, or did not have the info, but the same has happened with WoWHead.com, so it's good to mix it up a little bit.

ThottBot scores a 4 star rating for overall database.
[edit]
I'm sorry to the usual thottbotters, but you know, i've used it and used it and used it, and i STILL prefer a combination of the two above. Thottbot is just so ANGRY!
[/edit]

4. www.WoWGuru.com
Blech. They try to do so much and can convey the data in much better ways than this. And Data is limited in certain instances. It has a nice forum section, which can answer a lot of questions, provided you know what you're looking for. As a database, i find it nice and glitzy on the outside, but sadly lacking on the inside. Your time would be better spent using Thottbot and WoWhead in conjunction

I'll give it a 3. Reluctantly.

5. www.Allakhazam.com
What a magical happy place. Feel free to register and spend twenty minutes to get to know Allakhazam. They have a fantastic database at your disposal, not only for questing but for mob/item/profession descriptors.
I'm sure you'll all like this one, scores a shiny 4,5 star rating from me.

Databases: Other

6. Lootables.com
I like to visit this website at level 10, 20, 35 and 50. Not only does it have a list of every item (weapon/armor) available in the game, it has a fantastic profession leveling guide (check the navigation bar on the left, at the bottom)
It will show you the fastest, most cost and mats effective way to level any profession. Lekker!

As an overall database, it scores a 2.
Though it lists all the items available in the game, it still doesn't have a local descriptor as to where it drops, or for which quest is it a reward, you still have to go look it up on another database (even WoWHead will have answers), so in this respect, i give it a 3,5 - maybe a 4 if you consider it to be very useful just to have a list of every last item.

As a profession leveling database, i give it a 4. It would've scored a perfect 5 if the information was updated a bit more regularly, but in my profession levelling, i've ound it to be a bit off, here and there, but not enough to be annoying. it is, after all, a very useful tool.

7. www.WoWArmory.com
Yes, the armory, the one place where you can check up on your character offline, find gear upgrades, and inspect other players of the Horde persuasion.
Since the patch i find it a bit wonky though. I mean, i can't find myself on it anymore.
Not really a database as much as it is a useful tool to check for item upgrades. But at time of writing i could use it for that purpose (though i did in the past) so i cannot rate it yet.

8. be.imba.hu
Work out PVE gear ratings, and what high-end instances you should be able to run in your current gear.

Ok, so that is it for my lists of databases.
The point of this thread is not to add every database in existence, but rather to share the databases that have been most useful to you.
Please feel free to add any if you find the list lacking.

[Voicy]

The Addons corner:

WoW is FULL of player written addons that make the game a lot easier and is approved by Blizzard. Please be careful not to install auto-farming addons etc. as this goes against Blizzard's policy and your account may be banned.

It is highly recommended that you play the game to at least level 30 without any addons as to get a proper feel for the game. Only then will you be able to decide what is lacking or what would benefit you MORE.

List your most useful addons <both class specific and general> here and I'll add them to the list.

The addon managers:

There are two main addon managers that you can use to install, update and remove addons...

In order to install an addon, you simply type it's name in the search bar in your manager and install it from there.

WoWMatrix - I personally use this one, but it is said to be quite a bit slower than Curse.

Curse - Curse offers a wide range of addons, but I just don't like the way it operates. Nothing wrong with it though.


The Addons:

General:

Cartographer - This is an absolute must. It adds a great deal more information to your WoW map, such as flight point positions, available instances, fishing levels, etc. It can also be greatly customized to indicate a range of other information. I use mine to plot positions of important places / record positions of mining veins etc.

VanasKOS - This is a tool used to indicate all the players in your vicinity, even though you may not see them yourself. You can also record info on a player i.e. someone who is known to kill lower level players repeatedly. This info can be sent to the rest of your guild so when he's encountered again, justice can be dealt swiftly.

GroupCalendar - When you're in a guild, this tool becomes very valuable for sheduling events.

Auctioneer - When you are buying/selling items on the auction house, this tool is invaluable as it records a history of all the prices and allows you to make educated decisions on what to buy/sell and at what price. It also breaks everything down into percentages for easier decision making.

Xloot - This tool is an visual improvement on the current gear loot screen.

BankItems - This allows me to see what I have in my bank from anywhere. It also lets me know what I have in stock across all the characters on my account.

Questhelper - This is a VERY useful addon that shows you where to go, who to kill, what to loot etc. It has an arrow that you can move to the top of your screen which makes questing MUCH quicker.

Doublewide - This improves the layout of WoW's current quest log.

EQCompare - I use this addon extensively, as it compares my current gear to any other gear that I'm looking at. This allows me to decide whether to roll for it / do the quest that gives it as reward / or spend my hard earned money to buy it on auction.

RatingBuster - This goes along well with EQCompare as it lists an item rating next to each piece of equipment, that way I know which is of higher quality.

Omen - When you start on instances in groups, Omen will save your life. It is an aggro meter, which you use to make sure that you NEVER draw more aggro than the tank. The Omen champion is normally the dead guy.

Prat 3.0 - This is a much better chat application than the default WoW chat.

Recount - This is a meter that records statistics such as DPS, healing,damage done, deaths etc. for when you are in a group - it's even useful for you to check how awesome your damage per second is when fighting alone.

JasonsQuest - This shares your quest information with your entire party so everyone can see who needs to do what on which quests. Very useful. Quasi annoying.

Titan Panel - Gives a list of what bosses drop,tiers,yadda yadda yadda ( you can check curse for a full break down) EDIT: Similar to AtlasLoot - By Magnarmalok

Spartanui - Now with my wide screen I find this addon a nice way to get some extra space in. It makes your UI look really AWESOME,plus on the right settings you can probably fit all your raid addons in and you'll still be able to see your character! - By Magnarmalok

PreformAvenabler - An addon for PVP. "It helps you join premades,set up your own premades etc - - By Magnarmalok"


Class Specific:
Healbot - This is used by most healers to make life a little easier for them.

Grid - "So this thing here is a great gem for healers its so lightweight fits nicely into that corner of the screen that not packed full with raid addons. All it does is show your party/raid with a few simple blocks,if turns green if the target is poisoned red if he has aggro and blue if he has some magic debuff,it also has a nice way of depicting how much hp a party/raid member has lost. So all you have to do is click on the respective block and cast the appropriate spell. - By Magnarmalok

Druid:

Hunter:

Mage:

Paladin:

By Magnarmalok:

Paladin:
Pally Power-Its a addon that basicly manages your buffs,you can set it to buff a specific class with wisdom,might,etc (forgot the rest soz been a long time that ive been on wow [the wording at least stil know the function] ) Then you just click on it to cast the buff on everyone that's playing that class

Priest:

Rogue:
Sapper - As a rogue, this one is very useful to indicate to everyone which target has been sapped and announces to them not to attack it.

Cutup - Mutilate rogues can not live without this addon. It monitors the uptime of your rage, slice & dice and rupture timers.

Shaman:

Warlock:

Warrior:

Death Knight:

By Magnarmalok:

Runewatch-It's basically a simple interface that displays your current runic power,runes and also how much diseases you have on the target.(that helps a ****load)It comes in a full and compact skin,movable over the screen.

Profession Specific:

As a gatherer, I only use cartographer to point out mining nodes to me, so please list your crafting skill as well as the addon & descripton and I'll include it in this list.

By Magnarmalok:

Proffessions:
Gatherer-Records your gathering locations (im sure you know it aswell as I do)

Ackisrecipe list-Scans your proffessions and tells you what recipe's you need and also where to get them

[The Joker]

LOL ok so i'd like to start playing soon...still need the info...I know Mr staal bal has been playing for over 2 years so any input would be greatly appreciated guys..im a total noob..lol

[Voicy]

Glad to see you're eager (even though you're going to sign away your life ) I've reserved a few post slots in here so I can add more info in the 1st 4 posts as it grows - making it easier for guys like yourself to find useful info... I just need to steal a few mins from work time to get it done >_<

[The Joker]

LOL thanx mate

[Method]

(even though you're going to sign away your life )

What life?

[Nictron]

This might be helpful.

[The Joker]

Yeah but im still waiting for him to start the guide...