The World Of Warcraft Classic Guide For Noobs: Part 1

As the release date for World of Warcraft Classic nears, the excitement from players is going up as well. If you didn't play WoW at launch you're probably wondering what this fuss is all about. Well for starters, the nostalgia factor for this game is rather high. World of Warcraft was released sometime in 2006 and since then a lot of changes have happened. If you're one of those still asking why the game remains popular, then World of Warcraft Classic could be a good jumping in point for you.

Since there is a lot to cover, we will limit ourselves for now to what the game is all about and discuss the realm types as well as the characters you can play in the game.

So let's answer the question first of what World of Warcraft Classic, or WoW Classic even is. In essence, it’s a faithful recreation of the original WoW experience, the same as it was back in 2006. As mentioned, there have been a lot of changes implemented in the game. This resulted into some players longing for the "good old days." Fortunately Blizzard answered the call and the result is this game.

A lot of features of the classic version has been recreated, including the combat mechanics, talent trees, zone layouts, and even character models.

Now before you even begin to make your own character, you first need to know the realm types. This is important as each realm comes with its own unique play style. There are four realm types, which are:

• Normal
  • This realm type is best for those who don’t want to take part in open world PvP. All zones are considered contested except for enemy faction cities, in which players are automatically flagged for PvP. Players won’t be able to attack each other in contested areas unless they flag themselves for PvP with the command /PvP.
• PvP (Player vs. Player)
  • This realm type allows for open world PvP in all areas except for designated “safe” or sanctuary areas, such as the starting zones where new players begin.
• RP (Role-Play)
  • This realm type is best for those who wish to take part in role-play with others. This realm type uses the Normal ruleset and does not have open world PvP.
• RP PvP (Role-play Player vs. Player)
  • RP PvP realms are for role-players who prefer the ruleset of PvP realms—expect open combat in contested areas.

For most new players, they can go for the Normal realm. However if you're the type who want to challenge yourself then go ahead and give PvP a shot.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's proceed with creating your character. Like with most MMORPG, WoW Classic gives players aesthetic options like face or hairstyle choices, among others. However we won't go too deep into that since this is more of a subjective choice and focused on customization. You can also give your character a name when creating it.

We go instead to the type of characters you can make in the game. This is important since it locks in your gameplay and starting location. If you choose a different character later on, you start all over back at level one.

The game divides players into the Alliance and the Horde. Each faction gives you access to four races and nine classes. However like the original version, the Paladin class is limited to the Alliance while the Shaman is restricted to the Horde.

Each race comes with specific abilities, so you need to choose wisely since it affects your gameplay. You are given the chance to create a maximum of 10 characters and can choose from different factions. However in PvP realms you are limited to one faction.

The races and classes for each faction are;

• Alliance
  • Dwarves
    • Hunter
    • Paladin
    • Priest
    • Rogue
    • Warrior
  • Gnomes
    • Mage
    • Rogue
    • Warlock
    • Warrior
  • Humans
    • Mage
    • Paladin
    • Priest
    • Rogue
    • Warlock
    • Warrior
  • Night Elves
    • Druid
    • Hunter
    • Priest
    • Rogue
    • Warrior
• Horde
  • Orcs
    • Hunter
    • Rogue
    • Shaman
    • Warrior
    • Warlock
  • Tauren
    • Druids
    • Hunter
    • Shaman
    • Warrior
  • Trolls
    • Hunter
    • Mage
    • Priest
    • Rogue
    • Shaman
    • Warrior
  • Undead
    • Mage
    • Priest
    • Rogue
    • Warlock
    • Warrior

As we mentioned, the choice of race affects your gameplay. This is not only due to the unique abilities, but also because each race typically has different starting zones.

• Alliance
  • Night Elves
    • Starting Zone: Teldrassil
    • Capital City: Darnassus
  • Dwarves
    • Starting Zone: Dun Morogh
    • Capital City: Ironforge
  • Gnomes
    • Starting Zone: Dun Morogh
    • Capital City: Ironforge
  • Humans
    • Starting Zone: Ewynn Forest
    • Capital City: Stormwind
• Horde
  • Orcs
    • Starting Zone: Durotar
    • Capital City: Orgrimmar
  • Tauren
    • Starting Zone: Mulgore
    • Capital City: Thunder Bluff
  • Trolls
    • Starting Zone: Durotar
    • Capital City: Orgrimmar
  • Undead
    • Starting Zone: Tirisfal Glades
    • Capital City: Undercity

That’s it for now. Hopefully that gives you a pretty good overview of what to expect when creating a character in WoW Classic. We will discuss more about the game in our next guide.