Here are the different WoW classes. This blog post provides a brief description of each class. For a more in-depth consideration, click on the class name for each Warcraft class you're interested in learning about (all links will open in the same window):
Rogue: a sneaky thief who does high can make lots of gold picking pockets, and they top the damage charts. Downside: Because you're fighting up close and you wear leather, you can die a lot.
Hunter: a long-range fighter who does middle to high damage. Upside: Hunters are great survivalists and can have a pet to fight by their side. Downside: Everyone rolls a hunter and so the things you want have lots of competition.
Druid: a shapeshifter who can heal or do damage, depending on how you tailor the character. Upside: Druids are very versatile so they're fun to quest with. Downside: In the endgame, druids often get forced into healing roles.
Priest: speaking of healing roles... priests are healers. Upside: Priests are very popular and everyone wants them around. Downside: Healing is intense work and other players might blame you if the quest fails.
Warrior: Warriors do low damage while being able to take a lot of hits. Upside: You will also be very popular in group situations. Downside: Warriors with high armor do lower damage, which makes it harder to quest.
Mage: You deal heavy damage with ice, fire, and arcane spells. Upside: Mages do crazy damage and can polymorph other players during PVP. Downside: All that crazy damage and no way to mitigate it gets you killed...a lot.
Warlock: Warlocks channel dark magic spells like fear, seduction, and curses. Upside: You get a demon pet to help you level, and your character is pretty versatile and great for PVP. Downside: Warlocks do damage over the long term, so they don't top damage charts.
Paladin: A healer who wears plate mail. Upside: You are practically indestructible. Downside: You're a ˇ°hybridˇ± class, so many people don't know how to use you in a group setting.
Shaman: Uses totem spells to augment natural casting ability. Upside: Many consider this to be Blizzard's ˇ°favoriteˇ± class, and it is very versatile and strong. Downside: May also be forced into a healing role.
Now you just have to choose a name and away you go! The name you choose can't be already taken on your server, so try to think of something unusual. When you start, you should look for the non-player characters (NPCs) with the gold exclamation points over their heads. They send you on quests and when you complete them, you get experience (to go from level one to level two, etc.), money, and items to equip. All other people you see running around are player characters (PCs) and they are real people. Here are some simple social rules that you should know as someone who's just starting:
- Treat others the way you want to be treated.
- Don't ask for money.
- Do ask for help! Many other players are happy to help you find what you're looking for.
If you're shy and don't want to ask, there are two great WoW resources at Wowhead.com and Thottbot.com
You can use the ˇ°ignoreˇ± function for anyone who treats you badly: right-click on their name in the chat window and select ˇ°ignore.ˇ± Then you'll never have to hear from them again.
