What to do when you run into technical problems in WoW
Most of the time the World of Warcraft game client runs just fine. We like it that way, because it means all we have to do is click the game icon to dive into Azeroth where we can go about questing, raiding, crafting, PvPing, or whatever else we'd like to do. However, sometimes things just aren't working right -- maybe you can't connect or the game is too laggy for you to do anything. In situations like this, it's usually nothing but frustration until you manage to sort things out and the game starts working right again.
Fortunately for our sanity, Blizzard has a great customer support team to help when you're having trouble. Whatever your game problem, they can definitely help you solve it. And if you're just not sure where to start, we'll point you in the direction of the right resources to find the answers you need.
I can't connect to WoW!
If you're having connection problems, the first thing to check is whether the servers are up. They go down weekly for scheduled maintenance - Tuesday for North American and Oceanic realms, Wednesday for European realms - but may also drop offline due to technical problems or other issues. Often unexpected downtime is short and you can get around it by trying to log on again in a few minutes, but the only way to know for sure if downtime is temporary or long-term, is to check with Blizzard.
Before you look for any other technical problems, check the realm status page for North American and Oceanic realms or European realms. If you don't see any answers there, check the realm status forums where Blizzard posts official downtime or server status information -- again, there's one for North American and Oceanic realms and another for European realms.
If your realm is down, there's little to do but wait -- and keep your eye on the realm status forums for further updates. But if there's no issue with your realm, it's time to go looking for what might be causing your problem.
Hunt down help for other problems
Whatever your problem, there's a solution -- you just have to find it. World of Warcraft has an excellent support site where you can search for your problem or browse top issues... chances are the trouble you're having is in there somewhere with a walkthrough to help you solve it. Check out WoW support for North American and Oceanic realms or European realms, depending on where you're located.
If you're not finding any helpful answers, the tech support and customer support forums might be able to offer a solution. Browse threads to see if anyone's having the same problem you are -- and whether they've solved it -- or create your own thread to get help from Blizzard or the community. North American and Oceanic realms have a general tech support forum as well as a Mac tech support forum, while European realms have a single tech support forum. If your problem is less technical, you should try the customer support forum instead: see the forum for North American and Oceanic players or the forum for European players.
And for the visual learners among us, Blizzard also has a YouTube channel just for customer support. Here, you'll find video walkthroughs to help you with many common support issues... and plenty of Blizzard-style silliness to help break up your tech support frustration.
Still need help? Contact customer support
If none of these sources have helped you, you should contact customer support directly so a Blizzard representative can assist you personally. You have three support options:
Submit a ticket through Blizzard's online system
Arrange a phone callback where a support representative will give you a call
Chat live with a customer support representative
You can submit a ticket at any hour, but phone support and live chat are only available during specific times of day, depending on your region. No matter which method you prefer, you'll start by going to the Get Help page for North American and Oceanic realms or European realms. You'll have to answer a few questions about the problem you're having and before Blizzard will connect you with a support rep, they'll try to help you immediately by linking you to some relevant support articles -- but if you've gotten to this point, you've probably already checked them out. To move forward, just select how you'd like to contact support -- whichever method you choose, Blizzard is pretty good at getting back to you quickly, so just be patient.
Get social with Blizzard
You may already follow World of Warcraft on Twitter or Facebook, and maybe you follow some of the game's developers, too -- but did you know the customer support team is active on social channels, too? Following support accounts on your favorite social networks will let you know when there are widespread game problems you should be aware of -- and also offer helpful support tips as well as answering questions. Check out @BlizzardCS (for North American and Oceanic realms) and @BlizzardCSEU_EN (for European realms) on Twitter as well as BlizzardCS on Facebook.
Trust us on this one: it's a good bet that keeping tabs on these accounts will come in handy at some point in your gaming career.
We hope this info has helped you get back into your game. And now that you are -- happy gaming!
Just because you're a newbie doesn't mean you can't bring your A-game to World of Warcraft! Visit the WoW Rookie Guide for links to everything you need to get started as a new player, from the seven things every newbie ought to know to how to get started as a healer or as a tank.
