Essential newb info?

[Rinnhart]

I'm afraid I'm becoming disaffected with City of Heroes; it's not quite 'EQ in Tights' but it's close - and seemingly getting closer with every update.  6+ months after retail, the Tank class (oops, archetype) still has no real role in the game.

So I'm considering WoW.  I've played WC2 for all of maybe 20 minutes, and never touched anything else to do with the setting.  Can I get into WoW without knowing the background?  How is it similar/dissimilar to other MMORPGs (previous experience: EQ, DAoC, AO, EVE, ToonTown, CoH)?

Taurens seem interesting, and being Undead seems seriously cool, but I have no idea what character type I'd want to play (except, definitely not a 'meatshield' - I'm sick of the way they've been treated in every other MMO I've tried).

So, basically, any info or suggestions at all are welcome...
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Warriors, as they stand now, are not the usual meatshield.

You don't need to know anything about the previous games to play WoW effectively.

You will miss some of the more entertaining points, though.