My name is Josh, and I'm a WoWaholic.

I've always loved computer games. I have enjoyed many in passing, but few games have held my attention for long. Most of my early play was dominated by some (now classic) first person shooters. Among these were Quake III, Half-Life, Counter Strike, and Team Fortress Classic. From there, I started branching out, trying newer FPSs like Call of Duty and Battlefield 1942 and RTS like the Age of Empires series and Age of Mythology and Starcraft. None of these had the impact that RPGs had, though. I remember playing through and completing Morrowind, which I assure those of you who have not played that this is no small feat! I LOVED it. I didn't just feel like I was being entertained. A game so rich really takes you in, allowing a person to truly become a part of this second world. Next came Oblivion, which I also completed. This game, while I preferred Morrowind's setup more, was a huge leap in graphics and physics. It was startling how lifelike that game is. Having a giant world to explore, creatures to battle, a destiny to forge and fulfill.

Throughout these RPGs, however, I always had a feeling of in-game loneliness. There I was enjoying this giant world, completing brilliant quests, being clever and strong and fast, but I was the only one there. Everyone around me was a computer generation. I often thought how awesome it would be if this were an online game that I could play with others. How much more fun would it be with actual friends?!

Okay, now that I sound totally pathetic, let me get to the point. I love the social aspect of multiplayer games. Not only does a multiplayer atmosphere contribute a sense of motivation and pride, but cooperation can make game play much more enjoyable. When I saw an offer for a free 10-day trial of World of Warcraft, I figured I'd take advantage of it. I had just wrecked my motorcycle and was facing several weeks on the couch. Might as well check it out, right?

Stacking it Up
One thing I immediately noticed was that the world was less rich than, say, Oblivion. This is due, of course, to hardware constraints. Most things in the environment can not be manipulated. NPCs (nonplayer characters) are always at the same place, so a vendor will be selling good at 3:00am. An online game has certain game play restrictions. Would you really want to log back on at a particular time just so you can take care of some business in the game? I'm not faulting WoW for these, but the realism of the game isn't the greatest. Playing the game, though, has shown itself more enjoyable than any other RPG I've played.

With slightly toonier graphics, the world still maintains a really nice feel. Some of the areas have actually made me say "Wow, honey! Check this out. This area is beautiful!" Regions have their own unique look and feel, with creatures appropriate to the terrain. The sound is good, too, but I usually keep it off because I'm playing in the room with the TV. The came can be played sound-off very easily, but you'll probably want both hands for playing. Not strictly necessary for basic play, but it definitely helps.


What it is
WoW is in the MMORPG genre. This stands for Massively (not massive) Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. The fact that it is a role playing game means that you have a character or characters that you control one at a time. You play and progress with this character throughout the game. Massively Multiplayer Online refers to the fact that the game is played online, where a large number of players share your world and with whom you may choose to interact.

Basic Game Theory
When you create a character (apparently you can create up to 100 on a single account), they exist within a given server, which is called a realm. When you enter the game, you'll find yourself controlling the character you created. You'll look around and check out the nearby scenery. You'll see players running around all over the place, as well as NPCs standing, waitng for you to talk to them. If you examine your character, you'll find that you are a level 1, and outfitted in some rather shabby looking gear. You'll also have various stats about your strength, stamina, agility, and so forth... all of which impacting your character in a unique way. You'll also have a book of spells that contains some of your starting abilities.

While most games might have a final level or boss that effectively finishes the game, there is no such finality in WoW. The goal of this game is not to finish. It is to develop. You'll run around and find yourself a low level creature or two. Kill them, and you'll see you have gained some experience. Gain enough, and you'll go up to level 2. There are quests available throughout the world. Completing them will earn you xp (experience) and often some sweet loot. Maybe you can replace that old wornout dagger of yours! As you start play, you'll move up levels. You'll find new gear, you'll make money and buy some cool stuff, you'll go to your trainer and learn new spells and abilities, you'll earn talent points and customize your character with your own unique profile. You'll travel the world, meet new players, battle epic monsters, and battle other players.

That Special Someone
Creating your first (or fifth) character can be a lot of fun. The two major considerations are race and class. World of Warcraft, much like it's legacy of RTS games, is consumed with a battle between the Alliance and the Horde. Humans, gnomes, night elves, dwarfs, and dranie are all Alliance characters, while orcs, trolls, tauren, the undead, and blood elves are Horde. The Alliance and the Horde will ever be in conflict, so expect no cooperation from the enemy! What this really means is that you should make sure any friends playing are on the same side as you, or else you'll never be able to work with them. Each race has a little something special about it, but the differences are pretty minor. Most people go with what looks coolest unless there's an ability they just can't live without. Race also determines where you start out in the world, as different races have different starting zones.

The second major consideration (and I'd say the decision that will most impact your game) is your class. There is an array of classes, each with different abilities and focuses. Here's a basic description of each. I'm writing these myself, based on what I've seen. I haven't played some of these, so you could get more detail looking elsewhere.

Warriors - The big tanks. Warriors are built for melee. With huge amounts of armor and health, few can go head to head with a warrior in close combat and survive.
Paladin - Solid choice. Paladins were designed to be well-rounded. They also have high armor and health, but they also have the ability to heal themselves and others, making them a valued commodity.
Shaman - Magical Paladins? Shaman don't have the armor of a Paladin or Warrior, but they have some cool abilities, including the creation of totems that can provide health and mana.
Hunter - My choice! Hunters are built for long-range combat. They also get a pet companion that develops with them. A smart hunter will have his pet keep the attention of an enemy so the hunter can attack from a distance.
Druids - Shapeshifters. Druids are balanced like Paladins. They can't match them in armor, but they can take on the form of many different creatures, giving them bonuses for combat or travel.
Rogues - Stalkers. The rogue uses stealth and fast attacks to incapacitate would-be attackers. By hitting hard and fast, a rogue can take you down before you even know what's happening.
Warlocks - These are another example of a long-range combatant. They also get a minion, which willl serve them. They have the weakest armor.
Mages - A third long-range attacker, mages can really pour on the damage fast. Having the same armor as a warlock, they have to be careful not to let anyone get too close.
Priests - Dedicated Healers. Priests have a lot of healing abilities which are invaluable in a group. Priests are probably the most sought-after group member in the game, because everyone likes to not die.

Other character customization is possible through changing your characters skin and hair color and some basic body attributes. Once you've got it all set up, you'll pick (or be assigned to) a server. Again, be sure this is the same server as your friends are on, or else you'll never see them.

Networking
Very few people will play the game alone. Many quests are geared towards groups. It is usually pretty easy to find people doing the same quest as yourself. You can form parties with up to 5 members or raid groups with up to 40. Cooperation is really what makes this game awesome. There's nothing like having a warrior attack a guy up close, while a hunter pours damage on from a distance and a priest keeps the warrior alive. You'll find that a group of 3 can take down 3 enemies even if no one could take down even one alone. By working together, you'll find you have more fun and that you progress faster.

Another opportunity for networking is the guild. A guild is a group of players that have decided to group up in a semi-permanent group. Guilds often have websites and plan missions together. They usually help newer guilmates with quests, too. Being in a guild has really enhanced my game play. I'm not tied to them, so I can work on whatever I want and volunteer to receive or give help whenever I choose. In game chat features make communication with your group, your guild, or passers-by easy.

Economy
There is an interesting economy in WoW. Players often find items they can not use. Vendors are always available to sell items to, but sometimes other players value them a lot. To promote the exchange, there is an ingame auction house. Players can sell and buy items on there whenever they want. A priest might not be able to use those cool leather boots he just found, but someone might buy them off him. Money can be used to buy other gear from vendors or the auction house, to learn new abilities, or to get themselves a riding mount to decrease travel time. Some people even play the auction house, buying cheap goods to put back on at a higher price or by announcing that they'll buy things for a certain price for the sole purpose of putting it on auction after. Also, many players venture into certain areas just so they can collect goods to sell or use, called farming.

Professions
Each character is allowed to primary professions and unlimited secondary ones. There are two basic types of primary profession:

Gathering - Characters of the mining, herbalism, or skinning professions have the ability to gather ore and gems, plants, or skins respectively. These can be sold in the AH or to vendors, or they can be used in manufacturing proessions.

Manufacturing - There are several professions that takes materials and turns them into something useful. Leatherworking can create kits to reinforce armor, pieces of leather armor, or even mail armor. Blacksmithing can create weapons, mail, and plate armor. Alchemy can transmute some precious metals into better ones and create potions using herbs. Enchanting allows the character to break down good items for their raw magical elements and then use those to add enchantments to players' weapons or armor. Tailoring allows the creation of cloth armor. Engineering allows the creation of an eccentric array of toys, from bombs to cables for shocking friends back to life to exploding sheep. New from the Burning Crusade, Jewel Crafting allows the creation of rings and necklaces to bolster stats.

Secondary professions are cooking, fishing, and first aid. These carry many benefits. Professions can be a great way to earn money. The general consensus among players is that the best way to earn money is by doing to gathering professions and selling the materials on the auction house. I am a skinner and leatherworker, however, and really enjoy being able to make my own armor. It has helped me out quite a bit. Find a set of professions appropriate to your character and playing style.

Questing and Dungeons
Although running out into the woods and killing grizzled thistle bears for hours is an option, most players prefer some more focused work. Quests are tasks given to players. There are many different kinds of quests, requiring travel, killing, and/or trading. These can often be done in groups so that everyone will have a better experience with it. Quests are associated with character levels, so you won't be able to do a quest that is intended for players much higher than you. Quests bring rewards such as money or items, and usually a generous amount of xp (assuming you didn't wait to do the mission until it was way below your level).

Dungeons are designed to give groups a great work out. When you enter a dungeon (called an instance), only your party will be there. Anyone else attempting to enter that area will enter in a sort of parallel universe (instance!). This means that the game can limit participants to a particular number. It also means no one will get in your way as you work through the dungeon. Dungeons are designed to be challenging. The monsters there are powerful and they drop great loot. There are also various "bosses" for the killing, which may drop very rare items that will be better than you can find elsewhere. While rewarding, a dungeon can take many hours of focused group work to finish, so they are sometimes organized aheat of time. Personally, I only do dungeons on weekend nights because of how long they take, but questing is much faster and I can do that almost any time.

PvP and Battlegrounds
PvP is short for player versus player and refers to players battling other players. In early game, this can be done by challenging a nearby friend to a duel. You both fight until someone is almost "dead" and the other is declared winner. You can also enter battlegrounds to battle members of the opposing faction. This is a great place to get some cool action, and there are some great rewards associated with battleground participation. On a PvE server (player versus environment), you can not attack a member of the opposing faction unless you both "consent", which means marking yourself as someone interested in fighting opposing faction members and/or entering an enemy area that automatically flags you as such. On a PvP server, consent is assumed. This brings up the possibility of being suddenly attacked while out doing missions, but many feel this element enhances the environment. There are a few other special instances where battling other players is allowed. In general, I enjoy the pvp stuff. What's the point of a brilliant short sword of the owl if there isn't a little orc blood dripping of it?

I don't wanna die!
In WoW, dying isn't a big deal. You don't lose all your items to some passer-by. You don't lose half your money. Really, you just lose a couple minutes to respawn and your armor and weapons take a 10% hit in "durability", so you'll have to get those repaired periodically. I've died hundreds of times I'm sure, and it's really not a problem.

One complaint about the Stats
It's often hard to figure out how a stat actually affects you. Say, for example, that you get a sword that says "increases defense rating by 5" and another sword that says "increases armor by 40". Which is better? Well, it's kinda hard to tell immediately becaue they scale differently and do different things. I have yet to find a good system that can tell me how much everything is actually helping. The game isn't clear about this, so it can often be hard to decide between 14 more agility or 24 more attack power. Geez...

Technical Notes
It's hard to keep such a large online game running smoothly. Blizzard produces patches nearly every week just to keep it together. This can take some time to download and install, so you can't expect to play 100% of the time. System requirements are moderate and can be found at www.worldofwarcraft.com. Sometimes there are glitches with this system, and there are always people on the WoW forums complainng about some technical issue. They seem to respond remarkably fast for the volume, however.

Payment for world of warcraft is done monthly. Because we started with a free 10-day trial, we already had the game downloaded from the internet. Though we didn't get a book, we never had to actually buy a copy in the store, which saved us some money. Addons are very popular for the game and can greatly enhance the environment. Everyone has their favorites and they are availble all over the internet.

Why I love it
I love the game for two basic reasons. First, I love the advancement. I love learning new skills, finding new weapons and armor, honing my leatherworking, customizing my character with talents, and making smart trades at the auction house. I am at the point now where it takes several days of play to level up, and it is very gratifying when I do. As a hunter, I also enjoy my pet. In fact, I just picked up a second pet (you can only have one with you at a time), and I enjoyed getting use to him and watching him grow in devotion and level .

The other part is the social aspect. I joined a guild early on and so happy I did. The other players are awesome. They are generous and helpful, and just interesting people. Our guild master is apparently "ancient", semi-retired, and the owner of an adult entertainment website! :) Another guy moved to Florida, but grew up in France and speaks 3 languages. Many are in Australia. Some will be talking about how they have to go because it's bed time. Others will say that they can't play long because their kids will wake up soon. It's such a diverse group, everyone logging on to have some fun and escape from some real-life frustrations.

***Note: after the expiration of the 10-day trial, my wife and I decided to open our paid account. We currently both enjoy playing on a daily basis.

I'm currently a lvl 49 hunter. If you want to look me up, I'm Borrodir of Dath'Remar, Chief Commander of The Ancients. I look forward to meeting you. Happy questing!