Never played WoW before, where do I even start??

[imthatonedudeyeah]

I'm looking to get into the game franchise but I have no clue where to even start because there seems to be hundreds of different packs to buy....
Which package should I purchase for the most current gameplay.

Also what should I expect from the game? I've played games like Diablo 3 and really liked them, thats what sent me in this direction, is gameplay similar?

LAST, I'm running a 32 bit Windows XP operating system, am I compatible with WoW or would I need to upgrade?(or just get previous version of game?)

Thanks guys! -Mike

[jimmys96]

Package, buy either just the original wow, or a battlechest. Currently they're both the same and will give you all current expansions of the game.

Diablo is a dungeon crawler, while WoW is an MMORPG, gameplay is very very different. Get get thrown into a world where you have A LOT of different things you can do. But first you'll obviously want to level up. After that you can start running instanced dungeons with 4 other people, either friends or using a group tool to match a group together for you.
When you're level 10 you'll be able to select a specialization for your character, one out of 3 (4 for druids), tank healer or damage. Not all characters have all options, for example hunter or mage have 3 different damage specializations, priests having 2 healer specializations etc.
Jump into the game without building up expectations first, and give it an honest chance, and you'll like it a lot more!

As for your PC, upgrade to 64 bit windows 7 or windows 10... microsoft ditched the support of XP a while back now. Assuming that you checked if your computer specs are enough for wow that is, else you might want to consider upgrading that as well

EDIT: If you have a friend that already plays, or have a friend that's also considering starting the game, one of you can recruit the other and you'll both get benefits for it, such as a massive experience boost, and the ability to summon eachother

[Smitten]

I'm looking to get into the game franchise but I have no clue where to even start because there seems to be hundreds of different packs to buy....
Which package should I purchase for the most current gameplay.

You'll want the Battlechest. This provides the base game, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor (current expansion).

If you want to play US/Oceanic/Latin American Realms: https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/world-of-warcraft
If you want to play EU/Russian Realms: https://eu.battle.net/shop/en/product/world-of-warcraft

A new expansion, Legion, is coming out shortly (end of August). There's no need to buy that unless you enjoy the game and want to continue playing it.

Also what should I expect from the game? I've played games like Diablo 3 and really liked them, thats what sent me in this direction, is gameplay similar?

It's not really similar. WoW is an MMORPG, so there's generally a couple hundred players (or thousands on larger ones) online simultaneously per realm/faction, and there's hundreds of realms - and you can do almost all the content with anyone from any other realm. It's open world that's full of quests, dungeons, PvP activities, professions and many other social activities. It's one of those games that you can spend a couple of hours per week playing, or 12 hours a day playing and you'll always find something to do.

To get some more examples, you can just search World of Warcraft [raiding, pvp, any other term really] in YouTube.

LAST, I'm running a 32 bit Windows XP operating system, am I compatible with WoW or would I need to upgrade?(or just get previous version of game?)

Windows XP will work. WoW is incredibly forgiving in terms of system specs. You can find those here: https://us.battle.net/support/en/art...arcraft-legion

Upgrade couldn't hurt though. It's very old at this point and Microsoft no longer supports it, and Blizzard probably won't for much longer either.

There is also only one "version of the game". Everyone plays at the latest version, since it's an online only game. The expansion packs you own only determine the content which you can access.

Also, Blizzard has recently began publishing a whole lot of information for new or potentially new players here. It's worth a read: New to World of Warcraft? Welcome Home! - World of Warcraft

[fjums]

Both Smitten and jimmys96, gave you the needed information to kickstart your epic journey - Good luck with the game and enjoy the lore


@Smitten and Jimmys96, nice to see someone being that fast to help a newcomer to both the game and the community - have some rep.

[Ashoran]

Also get someone to recruit you, for the huge xp boost.

[Dovah]

Also get someone to recruit you, for the huge xp boost.

If it's your first time playing I'd personally not do this. WoW is a huge game and its amazing to play it for the first time. There is no need to rush through it. Just my opinion.

[eXp0]

If it's your first time playing I'd personally not do this. WoW is a huge game and its amazing to play it for the first time. There is no need to rush through it. Just my opinion.

This, this and this. I met a newbie recently in the game and then I thought maybe to do this with him to benefit me and I'd help him through the game but then I told him no. Instead he added my real id and now we just discuss what he needs info on and I told him to explore wow to the full, it's a beautiful game for the first time around. Take your time, don't rush to get 100 for legion.. stop and leveling your fishing here and there, take breaks to work on professions also. 100/110 isn't everything.


@Mike: If you play on EU, send me a private message on Ownedcore and I'll give you a free battlechest so you can try out the game up to level 100 and it comes with 30 days gametime. So you're not paying to have a go.

[imthatonedudeyeah]

You'll want the Battlechest. This provides the base game, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor (current expansion).

If you want to play US/Oceanic/Latin American Realms: https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/world-of-warcraft
If you want to play EU/Russian Realms: https://eu.battle.net/shop/en/product/world-of-warcraft

A new expansion, Legion, is coming out shortly (end of August). There's no need to buy that unless you enjoy the game and want to continue playing it.



It's not really similar. WoW is an MMORPG, so there's generally a couple hundred players (or thousands on larger ones) online simultaneously per realm/faction, and there's hundreds of realms - and you can do almost all the content with anyone from any other realm. It's open world that's full of quests, dungeons, PvP activities, professions and many other social activities. It's one of those games that you can spend a couple of hours per week playing, or 12 hours a day playing and you'll always find something to do.

To get some more examples, you can just search World of Warcraft [raiding, pvp, any other term really] in YouTube.



Windows XP will work. WoW is incredibly forgiving in terms of system specs. You can find those here: https://us.battle.net/support/en/art...arcraft-legion

Upgrade couldn't hurt though. It's very old at this point and Microsoft no longer supports it, and Blizzard probably won't for much longer either.

There is also only one "version of the game". Everyone plays at the latest version, since it's an online only game. The expansion packs you own only determine the content which you can access.

Also, Blizzard has recently began publishing a whole lot of information for new or potentially new players here. It's worth a read: New to World of Warcraft? Welcome Home! - World of Warcraft

So I found out I can do a free trail version and thats really what I was looking for. But when I do this, do I download game installer? or Public test realm? I'm really confused, there's so many different options in all this process.....

[ASGamer]

So I found out I can do a free trail version and thats really what I was looking for. But when I do this, do I download game installer? or Public test realm? I'm really confused, there's so many different options in all this process.....

Download the game installer. It will install the game and allow you to play up to level 20 with some restrictions.

[Smitten]

So I found out I can do a free trail version and thats really what I was looking for. But when I do this, do I download game installer? or Public test realm? I'm really confused, there's so many different options in all this process.....

Game Installer

The Public Test Realm is for experienced players to try out new content that's currently in testing to give feedback on bugs and the like, definitely not the place for a new player.

I'll assume if you've played Diablo 3 before, you'll have a Battle.net account. Once the game is downloaded and installed, you can just log in with your same Battle.net email and password. It will automatically create a trial account for you.

You'll get access to level 20, but won't be able to talk in public channels or message people directly without them whispering you or adding you as a friend first, use the auction house or mail box.

If you don't have a Battle.net account, you can create one here: https://battle.net/account/en/creation/tos.html

[ASGamer]

Wanted to add this because I just so happened to come upon it on a top post on another site.

Question was: I got the WoW starter edition recently, what can I do pre-20 that lets me know if WoW is for me?

"Starting at level 10 you can do battlegrounds (plaver vs player).

At 15 you can queue dungeons (player vs environment).

Both of these are a small intro to some of what people focus on at higher levels.

Little bit of warning for battlegrounds though, don't get discouraged if you get destroyed. A lot of players who have played longer have gear that will make them much stronger than you.

This is changing in Legion but for right now, you're going to be underpowered."