WoW newbie looking for advice

[Lissa]

Yeah, but if I'm not mistaken, they've cheapened those, too. My new hunter paid like 10s for one slot, the other was avail for just 5g. Didn't they used to cost more?

Not that I recall, I seem to remember that being the normal prices. I think Hunters want more slots now though (I know I do).

[Artega]

Cows aren't all that bad. Go into your Interface options menu, and look down towards the bottom of the basics area to something that says something like "Camera Distance" or something like that. Move it all the way to maximum distance and then zoom out as far as you can and you'll find it works just fine.

Druids are probably a nice choice to start out with, but playing one late-game effectively (though this goes for nearly every class) can be moderately complex, especially in PvP. I would not recommend a Warrior, Druid, or Paladin as a first class unless you enjoy tanking; you'll be expected to tank for instance groups in most cases because there are very few occasions where there are many tank-specced tanks available for an instance.

Shammies are, in my opinion, horribly boring until at least 30. You get Windfury Weapon at 30, and that's when the fun starts, and it kicks into high gear around 40-42. From 42 to about 52, you're unstoppable. After that, it slows down a bit, but picks back up around 62 when you get access to Water Shield. I've never tried leveling with Elemental, and would definitely recommend against it until you can gain access to at least Lightning Mastery (which lowers Lightning Bolt's cast time to a more acceptable 2.00s.)

Pallies are a mixed bag. Compared to my Shammy, I find my Pally somewhat boring (mostly because the playstyle is almost entirely reactive instead of proactive), but there's fun to be had here and there. If you level as Retribution, you'll dominate from 1-40, and then it'll slow down to a more normal pace after that. If you decide to level as Protection, you'll be doing lots and lots of AE grinding instead of questing; I wouldn't recommend it for a first-timer, since it requires a decent knowledge of zones and mob types. Strongly recommend against leveling as Holy until at least 60 or beyond; I leveled as Holy from 62 to 70, and mostly by healbotting instances.

One of the hybrid classes might be a good choice for a starting character since they can all do several different things; all three are capable healers, two are capable tanks, and all three are capable DPSers (lolretardins.)

[Monkey]

Um, so after getting my Voidwalker at level 10 and playing until 11, I got kinda bored and at the same time curious about the other classes and races. So I went on an experimentation spree. I now have a bunch of level 5-8 characters for all the classes and most races.

The warlock was my first love and it was a challenge to level a WoW 1.0 warlock on a PvP server. Likewise with a warrior when they were weak and a feral druid in the days before the buffs. When BC came, I had the choice to play warlock, warrior, or druid with my friends from 60-70, and I chose druid.

If you go druid, get the largest bags possible and install itemrack or outfitter (an wardrobe mod) so that you can swap roles easily. And understand up front that your druid really won't feel like a druid until level 20 or even 30. You need a range of forms before you can have druidic flexibility.

However, a druid with decent gear and a hybrid build can easily swap between tanking, healing, and DPS all the way to 70. You'll also get flight form at 68, which will let you into the endgame a little sooner if you want that. Of course, eventually (after 70) you'll need to specialize, but druids who specialize can still shine in their chosen role.

[Bun-Bun]

Druids are probably a nice choice to start out with, but playing one late-game effectively (though this goes for nearly every class) can be moderately complex, especially in PvP. I would not recommend a Warrior, Druid, or Paladin as a first class unless you enjoy tanking; you'll be expected to tank for instance groups in most cases because there are very few occasions where there are many tank-specced tanks available for an instance.

Conversely, having a tank-type (druid/warrior/paladin) or a healer-type (priest/druid/shaman/paladin) means you'll never lack for friends when you want an instance group. It's essential to have one of each for any instance group, and the mass of players in the game just wanna do damage. There's always a shortage of tanks and healers.

If you do go druid, I second Monkey's recommendation to get Itemrack. I couldn't live without it.

[Mavfin]

If you do go druid, I second Monkey's recommendation to get Itemrack. I couldn't live without it.

Lots of classes can use Itemrack/ClosetGnome/Wardrobe. (different versions of the same thing: a gear set manager) Druids and warriors come to mind as two who can benefit the most, but, any class that switches heal and DPS sets, or tank and DPS sets will find such a mod helpful. (i.e. shaman/priest/druid/warrior/paladin, mainly)

[VoiceMan]

I'm sort of jumping in here mid-stream, as I didn't take the time needed to read each and every post, but I thought I'd share my thoughts at this point, as I have a level 70 Undead warlock myself. I also have a level 70 rogue, a level 70 druid, and a level 61 hunter, so I've messed around with those classes quite a bit. My biggest mage is 41, my pally is 41, and my biggest warrior is only 22, so my experience with those classes is not very big.

I'm sure by now, you've figured out alot about warlock pets on your own. Everyone will have their own opinion on how it is best used, etc. Alot of how you use your pet, as well as which pet you use depends on what level you are, and how you enjoy playing. My lock is 70, and I drain tank with him. I do too much damage for the Voidwalker to hold threat against me, so I don't bother with having my pet tank anymore. I solo things via fear and DoT's...as I'm an affliction warlock. Warlocks start off pretty weak. I didn't feel my warlock was getting dangerous til about level 30 or so. Now he's quite powerful, and I don't use the pet for anything other than stealing mana from it unless I'm PvPing. At level 11, if that's where your lock is now, won't feel very strong to you, but later, the warlock will have alot of neat abilities, such as the ability to drain life to stay alive, you will do huge amounts of damage, as well as have good kiting abilities. Each class has it's own strengths, and each can do some great damage, etc. but I really enjoy my warlock, especially in PvP.

Speaking of PvPing...battlegrounds are fun. You probably won't want to PvP in a battleground with any of your toons til 18....once you hit 20 you probably want to stay out of battlegrounds til 28 or so, 38 etc, etc. The best way to learn PvP is to just jump in and do it. I use my felhunter pet in battlegrounds, which I use to stop healers from healing, or casters like mages from blasting me to smithereens. Some people enjoy using their succubus for CC purposes, which I've also done and it is effective as well. Those pets you wont' get til higher levels, so it takes some patience to see the warlock achieve his full potential.

I know you mentioned you didn't like how big Taurens are. As a druid, the only way you'll fight in melee range for very long is if you spec Feral, and at level 20, druids get cat form, which reduces your size a great deal. If you continue as a melee druid (feral), you'll be in cat form, or perhaps bear form, both of which aren't as tall as caster form. I wouldn't let the size turn you away from a Tauren druid. You actually get used to the size. My very first character was an orc hunter, and then I switched to the Tauren druid, and he seemed huge and slow, but I adjusted quickly, and ended up having my druid be my favorite toon for nearly two years.

I'm not sure that servers have been addressed in this thread, as again, I haven't read each post, but Terenas has (I think) the largest Lurkers guild horde-side. That will allow you the opportunity to see some of the content that is hard to see effectively without some help. We're not huge, nor are we "raid or die" fanatics, but we're working through the content steadily. If you haven't really settled on a server yet, and are interested in playing Horde, I would recommend Terenas.

[TriggerHappy]

I'm suffering from a severe case of restart-itis.

In yet another attempt at seeing how yet another class works, I've now gotten a Rogue to level 13. And it's been pretty hard from about 11. It's just nearly impossible to solo more than one or two targets at a time, and many quests don't give you any choice. You can't exactly get in behind a target and sap it, so you can handle his buddy, if said buddy is watching the entrance to the house and the other guy has his back right next to a wall. Hello Rogue, come on in, get diced.
Oh and of course right as you start the desperate fight, a patrol you killed a few minutes ago has respawned, resumed his route and walks right by. He joins the fight ... and hello again graveyard. Quest failed for the 7th time.
It probably would be so bad if they didn't send me on quests into areas where all the targets are 1-3 levels higher than me.

The Rogue is ridiculously good one on one, but that isn't possible a good deal of the time.

So I tried the Tauren again, and right you are folks, I didn't have my camera zoom out option at max. Zooming out all the way helps, but it also has the side effect of making it seem like the character is really slow. This isn't my imagination, is it? Tauren aren't any slower than regular characters?

Which leads me to a couple more questions. Before I go with a Tauren Druid, it would help to know:

1. Does equipment matter for a Druid that shapeshifts? As in, do armor, weapon damage or enhancements carry over into the bear/cat form?
2. Is the Druid solo-able? Does he have crowd control?

I ask the second one because so far the little grouping I've done has been more frustrating than enjoyable. People seem to be clueless about the roles of other characters, or even simple things like pulling one target away instead of rushing in to fight all three. It's like D2 public games all over again.

[bonemage]

It probably would be so bad if they didn't send me on quests into areas where all the targets are 1-3 levels higher than me.

You're in the wrong area, or doing the wrong quest, then. Fastest, smoothest leveling is done with green quests (the color of the quest as it appears in your log book indicates how tough it is based on your level and the level of the mobs involved). It sounds like you are doing yellow/orange quests, that will be quite challenging. You might try another area, or simply another quest.

Tauren legs move slower, since they have longer strides. They aren't any slower or faster, but they do certainly look like they are running in tar.

[Ruvanal]

QUOTE(TriggerHappy @ Dec 15 2007, 11:29 PM) *

It probably would be so bad if they didn't send me on quests into areas where all the targets are 1-3 levels higher than me.
You're in the wrong area, or doing the wrong quest, then. Fastest, smoothest leveling is done with green quests (the color of the quest as it appears in your log book indicates how tough it is based on your level and the level of the mobs involved). It sounds like you are doing yellow/orange quests, that will be quite challenging. You might try another area, or simply another quest.

Another thing to watching at about this point in the game is the quality of your equipment. If you are still using any grey text items, get them upgraded ASAP. White text equipment is usually only adequately in step for progression for a couple of levels till about level 12-15; after that treat it as the grey text equipment, upgrad ASAP. Green text (uncommon or magic) equipment is usually good for about 5 levels from its required to use level before it starts becoming a gimp item. When you start getting some blue text (rare) items they generally have at least 10 levels of use from the required level to use before they start becoming gimp in use. Later around levels 40-50 you will likely start getting some access to purple text items (epics) that can be usable for much longer.

Most new players fail to realise what a difference some of these item upgrades can mean to the character. For example at the low levels of your characters, the difference in having grey text gear and white text gear can be at least 50% extra armor rating (giving quite a bit more physical damage mitagation) and anywhere for a 50% to 120% increase in weapon DPS. Being able to throw some green items into that mix can yield even greater benefit to the character since besides typically better armor or DPS stats, these items usually have various bonus stats on them.

Unlike D2, characters usually cannot go late into the game while still wearing some 'cracked sash' unless they do very well on the rest of their equipment to make up the difference.

[Monkey]

Which leads me to a couple more questions. Before I go with a Tauren Druid, it would help to know:

1. Does equipment matter for a Druid that shapeshifts? As in, do armor, weapon damage or enhancements carry over into the bear/cat form?
2. Is the Druid solo-able? Does he have crowd control?

I ask the second one because so far the little grouping I've done has been more frustrating than enjoyable. People seem to be clueless about the roles of other characters, or even simple things like pulling one target away instead of rushing in to fight all three. It's like D2 public games all over again.

1. Yes, but not everything counts. Druid forms draw benefit from the stats of their armor; Various talents higher up in each druid tree even amplify the benefit. Weapons are a different story. Weapon DPS and any damage or proc enchant will be irrelevant to a cat or bear; according to Blizzard, your paw is always just a paw and it can't be magically enchanted. This is why high-end feral weaponry typically has huge amounts of "Feral Attack Power" to make up for the absence of weapon DPS. In practical terms, a +agility enchant on a weapon is great, +damage is a waste.

2. Druids have great solo-ability once they have a range of forms. You're going to suffer at least until level 20, though. Soloing things as a druid frequently means power-shifting between forms to maximize your survivability. Open in cat with a stun, switch to bear when they come out, stun (with bash, a bear talent) when you get low and pop into caster to heal yourself, go back to bear and finish them off. And druids have an outdoor CC called 'root' that fixes the target to the ground; this makes it effective on melee, but not ranged.

Honestly though, the teens are typically bad no matter what you choose--I've spit and cursed my way through them on most classes, and reaching 20 just makes everything come together.

[Mavfin]

Honestly though, the teens are typically bad no matter what you choose--I've spit and cursed my way through them on most classes, and reaching 20 just makes everything come together.

And, frankly, the first toon dies a lot more than others, as you learn basics that we all had to learn, whether in WoW or another MMO. Things like how to pull, and how to handle multiple mobs without dying, and important things like when to run and live to fight another day, and several other skills that apply to any class.:D:wub:

[Artega]

Armor does factor into your armor value while shapeshifted; bears and moonkin get a massive bonus, while cats, trees, and fuzzy cows get nothing.

Weapon speed and weapon damage do not factor into how much damage you do (at least, I don't think weapon damage does, anyway), but you do benefit from stats and "On Use" abilities on the weapons. "Proc" effects - including weapon enchants like Fiery Weapon, Icy Chill, Crusader, and Mongoose - will not activate while in forms.

[VoiceMan]

Yeah, Alt-itis is something that strikes all of us at one point. One problem you're finding though is NONE of the classes feel powerful before level 20. Druids are very weak until 20, but in the long run, feral druids with decent gear are able to solo many quests that the log calls "group" quests. I used to take Fazuul and solo all the elite quests that required 3 or more players, just because he could. My warlock solo'd many elite quests as well. My motto was always "If I can fear it, I can kill it". It may take me a long time, but I can.

While playing with all the different classes is a good idea to figure out what you enjoy, and what you like, bear in mind you really won't get a good feel for a class prior to level 20. They just don't have the skills yet. So I would recommend picking your toon you currently seem to enjoy the most, and stay with him for a week or so, and get him up to about 22 or 24 and see how he feels at that point.

Also, yes, Tauren FEEL slow, but they don't move any slower than any other class, it just feels that way. You get used to that. Also, feral druids in cat form almost always use the "Feline Swiftness" talent, which increases how fast you move outdoors while in cat form. Druids (with Travel Form) end up getting to move faster than all the other classes without a mount, with the exception of Ghost Wolf on a Shaman, but the feral druid's increased movement speed is there when fighting outdoors (in cat form), and Shaman don't fight in Ghost Wolf.

Druids do benefit from stats on their gear. Feral druids benefit from Strength, armor, Attack Power, Agility, Stamina a great deal. Naturally, restoration specced druids benefit from Intellect, Spirit, Mana Per 5, +healing power. For example, how much Strength a feral druid has will have a direct impact on how much damage he can do in cat form. High armor items provide more armor for bear form, which means you take less damage, which helps with survivability. However, how much DPS (damage per second) a weapon does has little impact on how much damage the cat druid will do when in cat form. Weapon speed is of little consequence to a cat druid as well. So druids will be looking at stats, as opposed to damage numbers in their weapons, while rogues and warriors are concerned with weapon speeds, how hard the weapon hits, etc.

[TriggerHappy]

On Terenas, a level 13 Tauren Druid named Thrak has just arrived in the Badlands (Crossroads).:)

So far, I'm really liking it. Though getting the bear form was one hell of a pain, it's not bad. Though the attack speed is soooo very sloooow. At this point I can't wait for cat form, hoping that its attacks are much faster. Weapon speed doesn't actually have any effect on form attack speed, does it? EDIT: oops, nevermind, saw it mentioned above that weapon speed has no effect. I just forgot about it.

I love the little exploits possible with the Druid. Casting Regrowth on myself just outside a target's detection range, then running into melee while shifting to Bear, and the first ~10 seconds of a fight you are still getting healed. Then there's the awesome fact that mana regenerates while you're in bear form, so if I find myself needing another heal, I press the spell, automatically pop out of bear form and find myself at full mana. I hit the target with Moonfire, hit Rejuvenate on myself (love instant cast spells), still plenty of mana, so back to bear form to finish off the fight. But I'm sure the only one here for whom this is new is, well, me.:)

I was shocked to have been able to tank four enemies ranging from my level to -1 to -2 this way. I've never been able to do that with any of the other classes I tried. Sure I had to use a potion, and use my Stomp ability, and I was down to 26 HP, but my Rogue, Warlock or Hunter would've crumbled long before.

So methinks the restart-itis is over. I'm sticking with the Druid. And I can't wait to try out the Moonkin form (OoMkin form, as I read on another forum, hehe). A Mage with the armor of a Warrior? Sign me up!

Ok, now onto other things. I've read guides that said it was best, for a new character to start off with two gathering professions. Well, I followed that advice and went for Skinning, which turned out very profitable, and Herbalism (what with the +15 bonus Tauren get), which turned out to be a waste of time. The things I tend to gather are barely worth the time. A whopping 10 copper, or at best 60 copper if I'm lucky to find two per "flower"? After a string of disappointments I unlearned it and went with Leatherworking. Glad I did too, as I didn't realize one could reinforce existing armor with light leather kits. But in the long term, was this a mistake or will I be able to make some useful things for my Druid?

So that's where I'm at. There are a ton of quests at the Crossroads, and flying over the expanse to Thunder Bluff I saw enemies of roughly level 14-16, which I realized I can handle, as my level 13 killed a few level 15-16 enemies while on the Golden Road.

Once again, thanks for all the advice guys. This game is surprisingly fun. Especially for an MMOG, which tend to be a dreary grind. WoW is a pleasant surprise.:)

[RTM]

Cat form attacks at 1.0 speed. Bear is what, 2.5 speed? So yeah, much faster. Cat plays a bit like a rogue (stealth & combo points) whereas the bear plays more like a warrior (rage, high-aggro abilites). If you can't decide on one playstyle, the druid is probably your best bet since it has elements of all of them.:)

If you're on Terenas, you may as well join the <Lurkers> guild there! Type "/who Lurkers" (without quotes), then whisper one of the people online and we can get you an invite into the guild. We'd be happy to help out with any questions or quest issues you may have.

[Delc]

Ok, now onto other things. I've read guides that said it was best, for a new character to start off with two gathering professions. Well, I followed that advice and went for Skinning, which turned out very profitable, and Herbalism (what with the +15 bonus Tauren get), which turned out to be a waste of time. The things I tend to gather are barely worth the time. A whopping 10 copper, or at best 60 copper if I'm lucky to find two per "flower"? After a string of disappointments I unlearned it and went with Leatherworking. Glad I did too, as I didn't realize one could reinforce existing armor with light leather kits. But in the long term, was this a mistake or will I be able to make some useful things for my Druid?

Low level stuff doesn't sell for much, because there is very little demand (copper is the exception). It really pays off in volume, and at higher levels. For leatherworking there are a few decent pieces as you level, but its all BoE. At 70 there are a variety of sets that are all pretty good, but BoP (and require leatherworking to equip). Up until that point leatherworking is basically a money sink.

[VoiceMan]

Sounds good...RTM below has covered most of the things I was going to touch on here....cat attack speed is much much faster than bear, etc. And yes, you're starting to see how much survivability is available with a druid. As a Tauren, you can also stand up mid-fight, cast war-stomp, and throw another heal on yourself, go back to bear, etc. Lots of little tricks you'll learn.

[Monkey]

On Terenas, a level 13 Tauren Druid named Thrak has just arrived in the Badlands (Crossroads).:)

Just to nitpick, but you're in the Barrens. The Badlands are on another continent.:)

I'd recommend swapping herbalism for mining for low-level earning power. The main "money" herbs are high level ones, but there's always demand for a range of gems and ores because Blacksmithing, Engineering, and Jewelcrafting all draw from mining, and all three professions are popular for alts and for people changing professions at 70.

[Bob the Beholder]

On Terenas, a level 13 Tauren Druid named Thrak has just arrived in the Badlands (Crossroads).:)

So far, I'm really liking it. Though getting the bear form was one hell of a pain, it's not bad. Though the attack speed is soooo very sloooow. At this point I can't wait for cat form, hoping that its attacks are much faster. Weapon speed doesn't actually have any effect on form attack speed, does it? EDIT: oops, nevermind, saw it mentioned above that weapon speed has no effect. I just forgot about it.

I love the little exploits possible with the Druid. Casting Regrowth on myself just outside a target's detection range, then running into melee while shifting to Bear, and the first ~10 seconds of a fight you are still getting healed. Then there's the awesome fact that mana regenerates while you're in bear form, so if I find myself needing another heal, I press the spell, automatically pop out of bear form and find myself at full mana. I hit the target with Moonfire, hit Rejuvenate on myself (love instant cast spells), still plenty of mana, so back to bear form to finish off the fight. But I'm sure the only one here for whom this is new is, well, me.:)

I was shocked to have been able to tank four enemies ranging from my level to -1 to -2 this way. I've never been able to do that with any of the other classes I tried. Sure I had to use a potion, and use my Stomp ability, and I was down to 26 HP, but my Rogue, Warlock or Hunter would've crumbled long before.

So methinks the restart-itis is over. I'm sticking with the Druid. And I can't wait to try out the Moonkin form (OoMkin form, as I read on another forum, hehe). A Mage with the armor of a Warrior? Sign me up!

Ok, now onto other things. I've read guides that said it was best, for a new character to start off with two gathering professions. Well, I followed that advice and went for Skinning, which turned out very profitable, and Herbalism (what with the +15 bonus Tauren get), which turned out to be a waste of time. The things I tend to gather are barely worth the time. A whopping 10 copper, or at best 60 copper if I'm lucky to find two per "flower"? After a string of disappointments I unlearned it and went with Leatherworking. Glad I did too, as I didn't realize one could reinforce existing armor with light leather kits. But in the long term, was this a mistake or will I be able to make some useful things for my Druid?

So that's where I'm at. There are a ton of quests at the Crossroads, and flying over the expanse to Thunder Bluff I saw enemies of roughly level 14-16, which I realized I can handle, as my level 13 killed a few level 15-16 enemies while on the Golden Road.

Once again, thanks for all the advice guys. This game is surprisingly fun. Especially for an MMOG, which tend to be a dreary grind. WoW is a pleasant surprise.:)

Druids can be fun like that, yeah? Extreme soloing power. As long as you're careful and know what you're doing, you don't even need to fear elite enemies. And a good healing druid is very much in demand for all sorts of things at high level (although both feral and balance specced druids can hold their own quite well too).

And I will echo Monkey. Herbalism isn't worth much at low levels, but it's easy, pays off later, and you can still find the occasional buyer for the lowbie stuff on the auction house. And mining might as well be printing money through all but the mid-level stuff. Leatherworking is certainly useful, but for the most part anything you can make with it, you can buy just as easily with the extra gold from another gathering profession. It can still be useful, though, if only for the occasional piece of gear while levelling, and some stuff at high level. If leatherworking interests you, then don't worry too much about the best way and just go for it--you'll do fine in the end.

Just for the love of all that is holy, don't take enchanting unless you've already got a gold source. My main levelled as tailoring/enchanting and my god I was so broke.

[Swiss Mercenary]

And I will echo Monkey. Herbalism isn't worth much at low levels, but it's easy, pays off later, and you can still find the occasional buyer for the lowbie stuff on the auction house.

I find that it depends on the server, and not just on the population - on Spinebreaker, I was selling stacks of Earthroot for 4 gold. My druid had >100 gold by level 30.

OTOH, on Tichondrius, my warlock only got to ~60 by level 40.

I can observe that Herbalism is by far the most painless gathering skill to level. I don't want to ever repeat the time I've spent running around, looking for Tin/Iron/Mithril/Thorium veins, just so I could increase my mining skill, to mine the veins I was passing up in the higher level zones.