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New player; Need Advice
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Post by
425100
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Post by
361041
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Post by
Dralas
First things first: I have heard many people say the game is a major solofest, and that the days of low-level grouping are gone, but I would like to confirm for myself, is this true? Or is there actually low-level activity? How much are you expected to "know" everything? I kinda read some part of an article on a site called WoW.com (formerly WoWInsider.com, according to what I saw on the site) that certain key groups have a tendency to "shun" newcomers and only stick to their trusted veterans. Is there any truth to that article, or did they exaggerate any information?
Well, most low level dungeons are next to empty when looking for people. Not impossible, but it's a hell of a headache to get a group together. For people 'shunning', most people will try and help you if your nice and tell them you are new. The people who shun are very rare and are the "noobs" in the game. "Noobs" and "newbs" are very different, remember that.
Now, having played two MMOs before this one (FFXI and MapleStory being the two I've played), I'm well aware of the phrase "Pick which class you like best". After some fundamental reading, I've narrowed down my choices to Shaman, Warlock, and Hunter. My questions are as thus: What are the key differences between each of the classes as the level progression climbs? How difficult is it to learn the novice and intermediate strategies of those three classes? Do any of the three above-mentioned classes have a certain strength that could be more advantageous over another (in both leveling and PvP, I'm interested in both)?
Well, those three classes I have never played but I've seen well what they have done in end content. Shamans are having trouble in PvP, but are great for PvE. Warlocks are o-k in pvp, not the best though, PvE there fine. Hunters are about on par for both PvP and PvE. For learning, shaman I'd say is probaly the more complicated class out of those three. Hunters are kinda built towards new players for them to learn. The differences is just mainly their playstyles, shamans can heal, melee dps, and caster dps. The other two are stuck with ranged dps only, so that is the biggest difference. I won't go into details about the abilities of each one unless asked in more specific, and even then you might want someone who has played them.
Here's another tricky question: Do people get irritated when you pick a certain race for a class and that class doesn't have absolute optimal stats for said class? I remember running into a problem in FFXI where certain groups loved to min/max and were biased towards one race playing a certain class or type of role (for example, Tarutaru mages and Galka meatshields, won't go into too much detail here). Do endgame groups like to min/max based on race?
(Note: I'm well aware that endgame shouldn't be a concern for me, I was merely curious.)
Usually, it does not matter at all. Races give a advantage that is situational mostly. Out of the ones you picked, I can't think of a race that could really utilize any of those classes to a extreme extent. Once again, race can matter, but it depends on what class you choose, and even then it won't make a life-changing difference.
My final question for now is, how difficult is it to find a normal server with PST based Horde players? Are the Hordies mainly populating the PvP servers, or are there normal servers that have a somewhat-decent Horde population?
(Note: I say this because as I only own the Vanilla WoW package, I won't have access to the tBC races that unlock the cross-faction classes, AKA Blood Elf Paladins or Draenei Shaman. Also, it's just a rumor I heard, but I heard that Horde players seem somewhat more mature than Alliance players because of the so-called "kids" that seem to play Alliance.)
No, after reading through mountains of data, overall each server is about the same. For the mature horde thing and alliance kid thing, don't believe it. Each side has about the same amount of idiots and spammers. Once again, its about 50/50. Just if your going to roll as a certain faction, check out its battlegroup to see which side wins the most on said server.
I hope I anwsered you to the best of my abilities.
Post by
Rengarde
IFirst things first: I have heard many people say the game is a major solofest, and that the days of low-level grouping are gone, but I would like to confirm for myself, is this true? Or is there actually low-level activity? How much are you expected to "know" everything? I kinda read some part of an article on a site called WoW.com (formerly WoWInsider.com, according to what I saw on the site) that certain key groups have a tendency to "shun" newcomers and only stick to their trusted veterans. Is there any truth to that article, or did they exaggerate any information?
Until you hit 13 (as Horde), there is no dungeons or quests that require groups. If you want to group to do them, you can, but it's not necessary. As Alliance, you don't get your first dungeon until 17. Some of the WoW community aren't helpful and are mostly jackasses, but you can find someone who will help you and answer your questions. Just /who (your class name here) 80, and tell them that you're new and have a few questions about the game. You can find raiding guilds when you reach endgame content, as long as you do research and show that you are willing to do work to get gear (IE, running heroics).
Now, having played two MMOs before this one (FFXI and MapleStory being the two I've played), I'm well aware of the phrase "Pick which class you like best". After some fundamental reading, I've narrowed down my choices to Shaman, Warlock, and Hunter. My questions are as thus: What are the key differences between each of the classes as the level progression climbs? How difficult is it to learn the novice and intermediate strategies of those three classes? Do any of the three above-mentioned classes have a certain strength that could be more advantageous over another (in both leveling and PvP, I'm interested in both)?
Well, shamans are the only class that has the option of meleeing or healing out of your choices. If you decide you want to heal or try melee DPS and you roll an Elemental shaman, you won't have to roll another class and have to get to 80 on it. Shamans have the easiest rotation in the entire game, if you roll Elemental, and they have a lot of raid utility (IE, totems and BL/Heroism). Hunters do a lot of DPS, but bring little utility to the raid group, other than Misdirect (which gives their threat to the tank). Warlocks have a lot of utility, but from what I've heard, not stellar DPS. In PvP, locks and shamans are typically weak, and hunters aren't the best at it, either. If you want more information about the specifics of each class, check out the stickies in their section of the forum (mouse over class, and then select the class you want).
Here's another tricky question: Do people get irritated when you pick a certain race for a class and that class doesn't have absolute optimal stats for said class? I remember running into a problem in FFXI where certain groups loved to min/max and were biased towards one race playing a certain class or type of role (for example, Tarutaru mages and Galka meatshields, won't go into too much detail here). Do endgame groups like to min/max based on race?
(Note: I'm well aware that endgame shouldn't be a concern for me, I was merely curious.)
Racial abilities have little influence on how well you preform. People won't get annoyed at you for rolling a certain race. However, certain racials are better for certain roles. It never has a huge impact though.
My final question for now is, how difficult is it to find a normal server with PST based Horde players? Are the Hordies mainly populating the PvP servers, or are there normal servers that have a somewhat-decent Horde population?
(Note: I say this because as I only own the Vanilla WoW package, I won't have access to the tBC races that unlock the cross-faction classes, AKA Blood Elf Paladins or Draenei Shaman. Also, it's just a rumor I heard, but I heard that Horde players seem somewhat more mature than Alliance players because of the so-called "kids" that seem to play Alliance.)
Check out this site.
It has information on all the realms, such as time zone and population. However, you may want to ask around and see what the server is like.
Wall'o'text crits me for 22k, I die. :(
edit: spelling
Post by
425100
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Post by
Kratier
sounds like you need to read a little bit more if you cannot even tell the key differences between warlock and shaman
Post by
425100
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Post by
HoleofArt
Well, okay, I didn't read enough about Warlock, but maybe this isn't the right place to ask?
I'm not even aware of anything about Shaman and Warlock. All I know is they're caster classes, with the Shaman having some melee.
Perhaps you could enlighten me about the key differences?
(And no, that was not sarcasm, I was asking honestly).
The core-mechanics of a Warlock class is its ability to summon demons as "pets" and their impressive amount of DoTs (Stands for "Damage over Time" Spells. Spells that do "x" damage every 3 seconds for 15 seconds, stuff like that)
The Shaman is unique for its ability to summon 4 different totems at once, Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, you can have one of each up, and each element has multiple totems that you choose from for your respective situation.
No matter what spec you choose for the Shaman or Warlock, the things I listed will be included in both.
Shaman are basically the nature harnessing characters,
while Warlocks are the 'dark magicks' kind of guys.
I'd base your preferences off what I listed, OR go to
wowwiki.com
and type in Shaman or Warlock, and it'll provide a boatload of information.
Post by
166665
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Post by
425100
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Post by
Cross88
Shamans and warlocks are both in my top 3 favorite classes, with the death knight being the third.
If you're looking for more lore-based explanations on the classes, go back to WoW.com for explanations of
shamans
,
warlocks
, and
hunters.
It's a great site.
Post by
irishsnout
just my 2 cents. Good choice on shaman. If you like to group, shaman can heal or do damage while hunters and warlocks strictly do damage. This being said, a shaman can still be a little boring at times. I would recommend horde to a new player. alliance is: human, short human(dwarf) really short human(gnome) or tall blue human(elf). as opposed to a cow, troll, hulk looking thingy, or dead human. expect a wide variety of personalities. Most elitists dont give you a hard time till higher levels. Bad players will give you a hard time right out of the starting gate. Usually a guild that is helpful to new players is key. you will also see most players in the starting areas lvls 1-30. Its hard to find groups after that til outlands. all in all it is a very fun game. enjoy and good luck.
Post by
Zetrix
As many said, Shamans uses totems to protect and strengthen their allies and yourself. One of the downsides of the Shaman class, is that if you are silenced, by a player in PvP, or by an NPC while leveling, then you'll have one spell left, Flame Shock (And Lava Lash in higher levels as Enhancement, or Lava Burst in level 75).
In the start, the leveling can be a bit boring. Your best way of leveling is to use lightning spells to kill your enemies. It will continue like this until around 40, where (if you have picked the enhancement (melee) talent tree) you gain the ability to dual-wield weapons and you get more damaging abilities as a melee. This is where the "fun" in leveling starts. Using
Windfury Weapon
,
Stormstrike
and the occasional shock spell, you'll level way faster.
However, if like the casting style of the Shaman more, then you can still keep leveling as Elemental. They don't get as many new spells, but as you level up, you will gather more items with spell power, intellect and crit rating (Most of these drops in the dungeons, which you need a group for), your spells will hit like trucks.
As you're a new player, then I wouldn't recommend this, but you can also level as a Restoration Shaman. The healer, who can't do that much damage. It is very hard to do this as a new player, and it is mostly players who already have a high-level character who does this. A high-level player can buy all the best gear and maybe help in a dungeon or two (unless they are on the same account). The reason why people do this, is usually for a challenge, and to learn everything about the restoration sight of the Shaman. Still don't recommend this, as it is very hard.
I've recently leveled a Shaman to 80 on a new server, and I'll try to answer your questions if you have more.
Post by
425248
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406790
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300001
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Post by
Ganit
First things first: I have heard many people say the game is a major solofest, and that the days of low-level grouping are gone, but I would like to confirm for myself, is this true?
For the most part, it is true. Almost everyone grinds to Lv80 alone. You can get groups for some of the lower level dungeons, but you have to work at it and be a little lucky.
How much are you expected to "know" everything?
This isn't so bad. You've played MMO's so you'll have the basics down, and as you level your class, you should pick up enough to manage. After that, if you explain you're new and ask questions 'most' players will be willing to work with you and advise you.
Shaman, Warlock, and Hunter. My questions are as thus: What are the key differences between each of the classes as the level progression climbs? How difficult is it to learn the novice and intermediate strategies of those three classes? Do any of the three above-mentioned classes have a certain strength that could be more advantageous over another (in both leveling and PvP, I'm interested in both)?
All three are damage classes (DPS is the phrase in WoW, damage per second), however the warlock and the hunter are more similar whereas the shaman is off on its own some. The hunter and warlock send use their pets to do damage while they themselves do damage, thus to some degree you're managing two things at once. Shaman, for the most part, simply have to worry about themselves--other than totems, but once you drop a totem it's down until your group moves out of range. The totem moving is a pain, but that's being helped a lot in the next patch. Honestly, none of these classes are hard to learn. You're clearly an intelligent person. You'll be fine. For PvP, both hunters and warlocks 'kite' the enemy (keeping that at distance while doing damage). The warlock does this through fearing (makes your character run around like a crazy person, since I don't remember anything like that in FFXI) and hunters do it via slowing abilities and pets. Shaman either kite through slowing spells and totems or they work much like a melee fighter, depending on your talent spec. For leveling, the hunter and the lock will be much easier simply because they have pets that keep direct damage off of them.
Do endgame groups like to min/max based on race?
Luckily there are no Galka white-mages here, my friend. Certain races are only allowed certain classes and no one will care which you pick. People do get funny over stats in the end-game stuff, but those are only the stats that come from gear. Whether you choose an orc warlock or an undead warlock will have very little effect on your game in this regard.
My final question for now is, how difficult is it to find a normal server with PST based Horde players? Are the Hordies mainly populating the PvP servers, or are there normal servers that have a somewhat-decent Horde population? You should be fine to find a PvE (player versus environment/normal) server with a large enough horde population in the PST. When you're choosing a realm it will walk you through. Select 'Normal' and then 'US realms,' then find one in the PST and furthermore, if you want to check the balance of Horde and Alliance, go to
Warcraft Realms.
And, the thing about the Alliance being less mature... for the most part it depends on what server you end up on. There's good and bad on both sides of the war.
Lastly, on a personal note, I left FFXI for WoW in November of '04--best thing ever. The only way I can find that FFXI beats WoW is that "epic" feeling. WoW on the whole is so much better, but there a very few moments when you feel truly epic. Heh, I remember the first time I ran into Steelefleece in the highlands.
That's it! Welcome to Azeroth and good luck!
Post by
225539
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404908
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Post by
Eccentrica
As regards soloing / grouping, it depends on server population. With the onset of the summer holidays, the starting areas are crammed with new toons, so finding a group when you need one shouldn't be an issue.
You want to group for the "Kill x# mobs" quests, and solo for "Gather x# items" quests.
Regarding class, I found levelling a warlock to be fast. Your minion does all the heavy lifting. I love sending my minion off to do some killing while I loot/gather. Complexity matches the levelling curve. You gain new abilities and you learn how to use them to their best advantage in a progressive fashion. Thingsonly get really complex when you choose your second spec later on. In the beginning you only get a couple of abilities, and mostly they consist of one buff and one offensive capability.
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