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What are heirlooms and how can I get them?
If you're new or recently returned to World of Warcraft, you've probably heard mention of heirlooms. This stellar leveling gear binds to your account rather than your characters -- so you can mail it to your alts -- and levels as you do, getting better as your character advances through the game. And best of all, heirloom gear often grants you an experience bonus for equipping it -- typically 5% or 10% bonus experience for each piece of armor. What that means is faster leveling with no need to worry about hunting down the best gear along the way. Because heirlooms are targeted squarely at level 90 characters leveling alts, you might not have put much thought into them -- but we're here to tell you that you don't need to wait until level 90 to pick up some heirloom gear for your character. If you know where and how to get it, you can grab a few pieces as you advance -- and with the sizable benefits they offer, you'll probably be glad you did. But whether you're a new character leveling up or a long-time level 90 thinking about a new alt, we'll walk you through what's available and where to find it.
7 things casual players need to know about Warlords of Draenor
The dust has finally settled from the BlizzCon newstravaganza, which means it's time for us more casual players to figure out just what's going on with World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion, Warlords of Draenor. Here's the basics: Where's the expansion set? Draenor, before it became Outland. Yep, we're heading back in time for this expansion. What's the new level cap? 100. But don't panic if you haven't even reached the Mists level cap yet, because Blizzard is going to boost one of your characters to level 90 so you can play in Draenor. What can I do in Draenor? In addition to the standard leveling, questing, dungeoning, and raiding, the expansion will have garrisons for you to build. Think of them as a seriously amped up version of the farms in Mists, letting build your own in-game city. What new classes or races are coming? None -- however, all of the current classes are getting new models. It may not sound like much, but it makes the original WoW races look brand new. When will I be able to play? We don't know yet. But as with most Blizzard games, we suspect it will be out "when it's ready." So that's what the next expansion has in store for us. But there are some upcoming gameplay changes that will definitely help low-level or more casual players find their footing and get through the game -- if that means you, read on for 7 things you'll want to know about the next expansion.
From Graphics to Community: Grading the newbie experience in WoW
One of the major things about World of Warcraft, and any game in general as it ages, is the ability for new players to pick it up and run with it. If a game isn't newbie friendly, then there's less ability to attract growth. Throughout WoW's lifetime thus far there have been major changes in the gaming demeographic and expectations therein. For instance, MMOs were once considered hard and somewhat unapproachable. WoW did a lot to change the opinion of that, and we're now seeing new MMOs pop out of the woodwork every few months. This isn't a bad thing either -- the bigger the marketplace, the better the competition and the better games we all get. But with that said, those other games are developing better ways for new players to get involved. That means that WoW constantly has to evolve in order for it to attract new players. And that's where the heart of the matter lies. Has WoW evolved enough to attract the next generation of players? Before we draw any conclusions, let's break it down into a few areas of concentration to help us figure out if WoW is still newbie friendly.
9 newbie tips for running dungeons without looking like a newbie
We were all newbies once -- and some of us who have left the game and come back have found themselves being newbies a second time. And while there's no way to avoid newbiedom entirely, with a bit of foresight, even the newest player can run a dungeon without looking like a newbie. These 9 tips should help you get started on your dungeon running career -- and even if you're well on your way to being a professional, a refresher course never hurt. 1. Know your (instance) role If you've never been in a dungeon before, the idea of group roles may not be intuitive. But when you're working with a group, you'll typically have one person assigned to tank, one person assigned to heal, and the rest of the group dealing damage (DPS). Additionally, some classes have crowd control abilities they'll be called to use in instances -- if you've got one, make sure it's on a hotbar rather than hidden in your spellbook. Whether you're playing with friends or you've jumped into a random group, know what your role is before you go. Need tips on getting started? Here's some advice on getting started as a tank, getting started as a healer, and tips on improving your DPS.
Breakfast Topic: If I knew then what I know now
We were all newbies once upon a time, entering Azeroth with fresh eyes -- and zero knowledge. Remember those days? When you wandered around the game world in awe, taking screenshots of everything, amazed by the scale of Ironforge and the Undercity, sitting at your desk during flights to watch the terrain as you zoomed by. We might laugh at how simple-minded new players seem to us, with our amassed game knowledge, but we were all there once. But if you could turn back the clock and return to your first days in Azeroth, what advice would you give yourself? Would it be a gameplay hint you didn't stumble on until later? A zone or dungeon that's not to be missed? A class or profession to jump on -- or to avoid? We may not be able to travel back in time -- yet! -- but your advice may yet benefit the rest of us, so dish. If you went back to the beginning, what would you do differently?
How to get started building your own battle pet arsenal
No, we aren't talking about hunters today: the battle pet system allows all of us to have and fight with pets through a special battle pet interface. And though you're not likely find mention of pet battles before you hit Pandaria, you can start participating in pet battles as early as level 5. And even if you aren't a fan of the "gotta catch 'em all!" game on which the system is modeled, we think pet battles are a fun break from leveling -- and since you're walking right by battle pets to collect and fight as you wander through each zone, why not have your battle pets advancing at the same time you are? The concept behind battle pets is simple; your battle pets fight other battle pets throughout the game in a turn-based format, gaining levels (up to 25) and skills (each pet has 6). Whenever you see another battle pet -- or battle pet trainer -- you can fight to gain experience and, of course, the glory of victory. If that sounds interesting, let's get started on the road to becoming the fiercest pet tamer in Azeroth!
Seven things every newbie needs to know
While plenty of old hats might say the WoW newbie experience is easy mode now, I'd call it streamlined: rolling a new character or leveling an existing one has never been more straightforward. Gone are the days when you had to pull up Wowhead (or download an addon) to figure out every other quest, the days when you kill dozens of monsters for a single quest drop, the days when you had to run through high level zones to collect flight paths. If you don't remember having to run from across the Wetlands to pick up the Menethil Harbor flight path -- dying more than once along the way -- count yourself lucky, because those corpse runs were decidedly un-fun. However, even in this golden age of newbiedom, there are some aspects of the game that just aren't explained very well. So, whether you're brand new to the game or, like me, returning after an absence, here are a few things every newbie needs to know.
The Daily Quest: Rookie edition
Here at WoW.com, we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW-related sites. It's Thursday which the WoW.com calendar says is WoW Rookie day -- which seems as good a day as any to look at some content geared towards players who are still learning the ropes. The Hunter's Mark offers advice to those rare players who are hitting level 80 for the first time. Looking for More has advice on getting started as a tank as well as a whole Tanking 101 series. Tree Bark Jacket walks you through what to do if you're thinking of turning druid in Cataclysm. WoWWiki's wealth of resources can be found rounded up in a convenient newbie guide format.
The Daily Quest: For the newbies
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! Take a look at the links below, and be sure to check out our WoW Resources Guide for more WoW related sites. Just getting started in World of Warcraft? I'm sure there are some newbies in the audience -- don't be shy! -- and this post is for you. Sure, we rounded up some newbie-centric links recently, but as long as there are newbies, there will be people writing for them. Embrace your inner newbie -- read and learn! Cynwise's Battlefield Manual offers advice to the new player from Elder Cynwise. The Lazy Sniper offers beginners advice on professions and lowbie huntering. World of Matticus talks casual raiding 101. Alterac Volley covers choosing the best class for you, complete with video.
The Daily Quest: We were all newbies once
Here at WoW.com we're on a Daily Quest (which we try to do every day, honest) to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. Is there a story out there we ought to link or a blog we should be following? Just leave us a comment and you may see it here tomorrow! We may be pros at the game now, but once upon a time, we were just getting started, too. Let us not look down on our newbie friends -- for we were once the same. Instead, today's daily quest strives to offer advice for the new players among us. Tree Burglar's Elder blogging event challenges bloggers around Azeroth to offer their advice to the new player. Light & Leafy, The Angry Dwarfs, A Healadin's Tear, Stories of WoW, and World of Warcraft Philosophized wrote up some great advice applicable to newbies of all shapes and sizes. (And, of course, you can check out Blog Azeroth for even more.) Restokin discusses rotation basics for the new Moonkin. Alterac Volley offers ten tips for leveling quickly. Can Tank, Will Travel wonders if today's well-informed newbie is the same as the newbie of yesteryear.
Don't pay extra for the white
If you think back to your first character, you will probably cringe at the memories of some of the mistakes you made. At the time, I remember things being very confusing; later, it just seems silly. One of the most common mistakes made by new players is spending money where they shouldn't, or spending more than they could have. This may not be of consequence to a level 70, or to those who have level 70s funding their lower characters; but for anyone leveling for the first time, getting swindled can severely eat into your wallet. When leveling professions in particular, which is a very expensive endeavor, one must take extra care. The various recipes you can purchase in the auction house are sometimes overpriced, and other times, are scamming you out of figures such as 80x more than you would have otherwise paid. How can this be? The main way in which you'll see players getting away with this is through selling patterns that are white, as opposed to green, blue or purple. White patterns are vendor-quality items, which means that there are vendors out there, somewhere, that are selling them. Often for 25s-1g pre-Outland, and 4-6g in Outland. These same patterns often sell on the Auction House for up to 20g. In fact, many players go out of their way to hunt down white patterns and sell them at marked up prices. Here are some ways to determine whether the player selling your item is a reseller: Is that player selling multiples of the same pattern? Does the player have other white patterns for sale?
