by Kane Casburn

Created on: November 18, 2008   Last Updated: April 21, 2011

So your starting out with World of Warcraft? OK! The first thing you need to do is get a hold of a copy of the game itself and set up a subscription. This will involve you paying anywhere between 9.99 to 19.99 depends on whether you want to get the first expansion with it. You can also get the game from any high street games retailer or online as a peer to peer download. You may also be thinking of getting one or even both of the expansions as well, while this is not necessary having The Burning Crusade expansion from the start would help because it gives you access an extra profession (Crafting) and races right from the start.

The Burning Crusade (TBC) is the first expansion and the second is The Wrath of the Lich King (WOTL). Each one increases the level cap in-game by 10 levels from 60-80 in total so these may be an idea for once you have reached level 60 first.

Now down to installing and setting up your account. First put that disc into your computer and start the installation process. Don't worry, its easy and has its own troubleshoot if you have problems. Next go to the main website and set up your account by going to the account management screen. You will need to either pay monthly, 3 monthly or 6 monthly for your subscription or if you don't have a debit or credit card you can buy something called a Time Card from any game retailer and have 60 days credited to your account each time that way.

Once you have your account you are ready to play the game! First thing you have to consider is what server you want to go on. Now there are several different types of servers, these include PVP (player versus player, which basically means that anyone from the opposing faction can attack you if you are not in a safe zone) PVE (player versus environment, where players do not have to worry about being attacked by other players unless they allow it by turning their PVP on) or RP-PVP/ RP-PVE (Role-play PVP/PVE, which is the same as above apart from extra rules which basically means that anyone who play on that server have to be in-character whenever they speak to each other. Think of it as online acting.) Remember if any of your friends play, find out what server they are on and make your character on that server if you want to play with them; you can transfer a character once you have made it however it will cost you some money.

Now to create your character. Pick which faction you want to side with, Alliance or Horde. Each faction has their own set of quests, starting areas and races so do a little research on them before you decide, or try out each for yourself! The Alliance have Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes and Draenei (Only available in TBC) and the Horde have Orcs, Trolls, Tauren, Undead and Blood Elves (TBC again). Each race have their own abilities so remember to read the text on the right to find out more info.

Class is what you have to decide next. There are many classes in the game to decide from (9 in all not including Death Knight) so yet again do a little research before deciding or try each out for yourself. I would advise you to go for whatever suits your style of playing. Do not be afraid to make a new character even if you have got a little way into the game already. You do not want to regret having spent so much time on your character only to realize you hate them.

Once in-game make sure you follow the tool tips and help icons that World of Warcraft conveniently has. You will find them invaluable as you start out. Always remember to have a rest every few hours so that your eyes do not get damaged and remember your friends and family! Do not let your real life suffer and you will find your experience with the World of Warcraft to be extremely enjoyable.

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