how-to-play-wow
Latest
WoW Rookie: The method in the madness of resurrection
New around here? See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. It ain't over 'til it's over -- and in World of Warcraft, it ain't over 'til every player has used the last resurrection cooldown and trick. Death is far from permanent in Azeroth, and over time, the available methods of resurrection ("rezzing") have multiplied. Some classes can resurrect only outside of combat; one class can rez even in the heat of battle. Some classes have rezzes that work only on themselves. Now that the dungeon finder makes running instance groups so easy for a leveling player, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with all the alternatives for coming back to life. There's a specific etiquette that's risen up around rezzes, as well, so take note and don't get caught looking like a chump.
WoW Rookie: When Rookie Lane crosses Raider Boulevard
New around here? See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Today's WoW Rookie blows the whistle in a bit of traffic directing at the buzzing intersection of Raider Boulevard and Rookie Lane. This isn't a casuals-versus-raiders debate -- far from it. What we have today is more of a guide on how to peacefully co-exist with players who enjoy the game in a very different way than you do. While we've written on this topic before, reader Peter sent in a request that made us consider that it might be time to revisit the issue. Hi! I just wanted to say I love the "WoW Rookie" column, and I've been playing since release! For someone who's kinda nervous about jumping into the LFG tool, your Grouping 101 article made it less nerve-raking for me to do so. I don't know if you could even publish this, but I would LOVE to see an article on how new players can deal with elitists and being insulted in game about their gear and skill level. With all the new influx of players Cataclysm is expected to bring, it would be very helpful (for people like me too) to see how others deal with the various negative people in the game. Thanks again for a great website and service! --Peter
WoW Rookie: Grouping 101
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players toward the basics of a good start. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's in the WoW Rookie Guide. Everyone's nervous the first time. It's a principle that's so, so true for so many endeavors -- and your first WoW instance is no exception. It's easy to feel bashful about dipping a toe into the dungeon pool, but there are so many good reasons to give it a try. Instances are fun. They're challenging, calling for new and different ways to play your character. They serve up eye-popping monsters and intricate lore. They offer great XP and loot. They're great ways to meet other players. The thing is, getting started can seem like an impossible hurdle. How will you know what to do? What if your group wipes? What if you screw up? What if your groupmates kick you out of the group? Relax. WoW Rookie's here to nudge you past those first, intimidating moments. Before you know it, that first instance becomes another, and another -- and suddenly, you're popping off an instance or two every evening, in between questing and leveling your craft, and you're loving every moment of it! Let's queue up and get started.
WoW Rookie: Questing 101
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players toward the basics of a good start. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's in the WoW Rookie Guide. The game begins at level 80. While there's a strong case to be made for this idea, there's no denying that quests are the meat and potatoes of World of Warcraft. WoW's massive web of quests propel its story line, overall game play and leveling experience. Over the years, Blizzard has adjusted leveling content to be faster and easier than ever before. Oddly enough, while it's fun to watch the levels fly by, the ease of leveling can make getting a handle on how to manage the never-ending flow of quests tricky to pin down. Fortunately, today's new players have more quest management tools than ever at their disposal. Quest addons and an in-game quest tracking feature take the guesswork out of finding and completing quest objectives. For some players, these aids are a godsend. Here at WoW Rookie, we recommend that first-timers level without too many extra bells and whistles. We suspect you'll enjoy solving the puzzles and tactics more on your own (you can always turn to a site like Wowhead for tips if you're really stuck), and you'll build your skills in navigation, game systems and conventions, WoW lore and so much more if you put the pieces together for yourself. That doesn't mean we don't have plenty of tips on how to make that process more enjoyable. Following the lead of our fantastic Class 101 series for fresh level 80 players, welcome to Questing 101.
WoW Rookie: 10 ways to meet other new players
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's at WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. Come out, come out, wherever you are ... We know you're out there leveling! The dungeon finder feature isn't the only way to meet new and leveling players – in fact, it's one of the worst, since you'll only occasionally be paired off with another player from your home realm. Today's WoW makes it possible to scuttle from the auction house to the dungeon finder without forming any lasting relationships to speak of at all. Here at WoW Rookie, we're all about enjoying the journey, rather than racing for the finish line. Let's go over the best ways, then, to join up with folks you can adventure with along the way. In ascending order: 10. Hit the dungeon finder. We know, we just said the dungeon finder is not a great way to make friends. It's not. That said, we've heard more than one tale of players who transferred realms to play with friends they met through the dungeon finder. You're more likely to find a compatible group for the length of a single evening than a permanent partnership that persists over the levels -- but hey, it could happen.
WoW Rookie: Tips and tricks for rookies
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's at WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. Oh come on, everyone knows that -- well, evidently everyone but you, poor rookie. Ever felt like a chump for not being aware of some game feature or function that would've made life so much easier, if only you'd known? Aww, it's OK. You're not alone. As accessible as designers strive to make games like WoW, it's easy for even a few basics to slip by, especially when you're brand new, thrashing about trying to find your quest objective and attack the monster and talk to that other player all at the same time. Blizzard's tutorial tips help make sense of a lot of that under-the-radar knowledge. Still, players write in to WoW Rookie every week asking questions or offering various nuggets of acquired wisdom. Time then for another info dump -- the latest in our collection of frequently requested, handy things to know.
WoW Rookie: More Cataclysm changes for leveling players
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's at WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. Last week, WoW Rookie looked at the first batch of Blizzard's Cataclysm class previews. How will the expansion affect leveling shamans, warlocks and priests? Since then, the rest of the class announcements have come pouring in to a torrent of applause, cheers, jeers, crushed hopes and soaring spirits from new and experienced players alike. This week, we'll recap the rest of the class change previews and serve up links to the announcements plus WoW.com's hot, fresh analyses for those of you hungry for more details. Death Knights The big news for death knights is blood's becoming the dedicated tanking tree. "We'd rather spend time tweaking and balancing one good tanking tree rather than having a tank always wondering if they picked the 'correct' tree out of three possibilities," Blizzard says. Also in the works for DKs is a retuned rune system that aims to help you feel less constrained by the rune mechanic as a whole. Read the DK preview announcement. Dig into our in-depth analysis of what the DK changes hold in store. We'll look at more of the Cataclysm class changes that affect leveling players after the break.
WoW Rookie: Changes for leveling players in Cataclysm
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's at WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. The big boys and girls aren't the only ones getting new toys come Cataclysm. Players of all levels are getting new spells, abilities and mechanics that will change the way we level, all the way from 1 to 85. As Blizzard lets loose the first crop of class change details this week, WoW Rookie recaps the changes that will affect you most as a leveling player. It's a fairly short list this week -- shamans, warlocks and priests, as of press time for this post -- with the rest on tap for next week, after Blizzard has completed the first round of class info dumps.
WoW Rookie: Leveling in the pre-Cataclysm era
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's at WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. Make hay while the sun shines. In fact, if you're leveling a character pre-Cataclysm, you might want to consider making that hay on one of the farms in Westfall. Westfall is slated for a "moderate" overhaul in the upcoming expansion, so the Harvest Reapers you see today might be something entirely different come Cataclysm. Maybe the farms will be gone entirely. Who knows? Whatever ends up coming our way, it's time to stop and smell the flowers (or in this case, the sweet scent of hay). Whether or not you choose to purchase Cataclysm, zones like Westfall will be forever changed when the expansion hits. My significant DPSer and I are currently leveling a set of Alliance characters (our original faction, but one we haven't played much in several years) specifically in order to revisit content that Cataclysm will sweep away. We're not the only ones with that idea. Still, it's not all nostalgia. The desire to soak up all that WoW has to offer rings just as true for new players who are leveling their first characters. We'll show you how to embrace it all while you still can.
WoW Rookie: Brain dumps for new and leveling players
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's at WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. If you haven't taken a look at WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide in a while, hie thee to hell for shame and leave this world, thou cacodemon: there thy kingdom is. Ok, ok, we'll cut the rhetoric -- the WoW Rookie Guide is where all the good stuff is: Your first steps Grouping with others Buying, selling and trading Account security Gameplay how-to's For the new level 80 Player versus Player (PvP) Good to know Managing your game time Social conventions and netiquette It's updated weekly with the latest top resources for new and leveling players, plus a modest section especially for fresh level 80s. We're also cooking up a cool new format that'll feed news and features specifically tailored for rookies straight to the page, coming Soon (TM) ... Bookmark the WoW Rookie Guide for all your leveling characters! Once you've got your feet wet and solidly on the ground (a disturbing mix of metaphors that probably puts you at high risk for Grotesque Fungus), delve into more complex resources with the help of the WoW.com Guide to WoW Resources. If you're looking for the best web sites with information on item drops and armor, add-ons, strategies, even WoW podcasts, our Guide to WoW Resources is just the ticket. More brain dumps that make leveling better than ever, after the break.
WoW Rookie: Essential WoW terminology in other languages
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. Együtt szaladjunk vissza a temetötöl hogy ne vesszünk el. In the sprawling, global environment that is the World of Warcraft today, there's really no telling who you'll end up grouped with. Even on a white-bread American realm, I've met players whose primary language was not English. Gamers are everywhere now! In the spirit of international cooperation, WoW Rookie has crowdsourced a list of basic WoW terminology for PUGging. The next time you run into a situation where you need to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your language, reach for our translations in the Newbie Guide, linked under Guides in the drop-down menu at the top of the site. Kudos to the hundreds of readers who responded to our call for translations. Merci, gracias, tack, hvala! Let's crowdsource corrections, too -- if you spot anything incorrect, drop me a line at lisa (at) wow (dot) com. Oh, and "Együtt szaladjunk vissza a temetötöl hogy ne vesszünk el?" That's "Let's run back from the graveyard together so we don't get lost" ... in Hungarian.
WoW Rookie: What's "move out of the fire" in your language?
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. If you use the Dungeon Finder with any regularity, you're likely to eventually find yourself grouped with a player who speaks a different language. World of Warcraft is localized (translated) to nearly a dozen different languages, including two versions of English (USA and EU), French, German, Spanish, Russian, Korean and two versions of Chinese. While U.S. and Oceanic players can generally count on groupmates to speak English, things can be quite different elsewhere in the world. Individual Latin American and EU realms tend to attract groups of players from particular areas -- Brazilians on one server, Hungarians gathered on another, Italians dominating still another. Many players welcome the language barrier as an opportunity to polish their language skills. Still, how do you coordinate your way through a tricky pull with someone who doesn't speak a word of your language? Let's crowdsource this issue. We've compiled a list of common terms you might use in a PUG. We'd like you to list your translations in the comments, if you are fluent in another language. We're not going to cover Russian, Korean or Chinese, since those players generally do not cross paths with Western players. Please keep your suggestions brief; simplicity trumps elegance. If you'd like to see phrases we didn't include, feel free to suggest them, but keep in mind we're sticking with the basics. We'll compile the list and create a starter guide in next week's Rookie column.
WoW Rookie: Stay on target with raid icons
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. In your group of regulars, who's the nipple and who's the thong? Raid target icons can take a new player by surprise. Baddies look that much more terrifying with a skull icon floating over their heads -- yet all in all, it seems like a logical mechanic that you didn't happen to notice whenever it kicked in. But what about that mob over there, with something that looks like an orange nipple? And why does the party leader keep saying to hit the "thong" next? Talk about a blast from the past ... With the death of crowd control, target icons don't get much of a workout any more. They were a staple of play, however, back in the days of huge pulls that needed to be controlled and taken down in a specific order. Icons are still used today on a limited basis in raiding and a few notoriously twitchy instance pulls, and they can make it easier to spot players or NPCs who must be protected or escorted in a crowd. Still, it's fairly likely that you can run all the way up to 80 and through the Dungeon Finder system without ever seeing more than the occasional skull or three -- and that's no good for building savvy players.
WoW Rookie: Effective movement and camera use
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. Does your numbskull pet always seem to come between you and the object of your affectionate (or not-so-affectionate) clicking? How can you get turned around and react more effectively when something smacks you from behind while you're drinking up? Wouldn't it be nice to see something besides your own rear end? And speaking of which, is it your camera angle or do you think your character been putting on a few extra pounds? What you need, my friends, is better movement and camera controls. As the challenges and skill level ratchets up over the levels, clunkier styles of viewing your game field and moving your character may eventually cause you to fall behind the performance curve. Our advice: Find out what the best practices are, and then try them out sooner rather than later. Let's face it, changing the way you see and move around the game world can be completely disorienting. You feel as if you're starting all over again, just learning the controls. (Bottom line: It's true. You are.) But the payoff is more efficient, more effective play that ultimately makes your character more enjoyable to play.
Spiritual Guidance: Shadow 101
Each and every Wednesday, Fox Van Allen takes the helm of Spiritual Guidance to corrupt and darken all those lame holy priests who want to hug their enemies to death. And to provide information and guidance or whatever. But mostly to corrupt. Shadow priesting. Admittedly, it isn't easy to do and it sure as heck isn't intuitive. When I first rolled my priest, I leveled it shadow because I was told by my roommate that's how you're supposed to do it. Frankly, I had no idea what I was doing. Of course, I was soloing most content, so I didn't know that I had no idea what I was doing. Things were dying and I (mostly) wasn't. Eventually, I made it to Outland. I had just joined a leveling guild, and someone suggested that I should give some of these newfangled instances a try. So, one fateful day, I responded to a "LFM Hellfire Ramparts" and got my first few brutal lessons in World of Warcraft. The first time around, I tried healing the instance despite the fact that most my talent points were in the shadow tree, which resulted in a frustrated tank berating me and dropping group. When I joined the next group as DPS, a not-so-kind paladin took quite a bit of pleasure in informing me that my DPS was probably about a fifth of what it could have and should have been. Both of them were jerks, but they were ultimately right: I sucked. I was wearing green items with agility on them. I was wanding. I was using the wrong spells. Enchanting was a foreign concept; glyphs even more so. I really could have used a crash course in shadow priesting. So, the plan is this: (1) Write a Shadow 101 column to explain the basics. (2) Find a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor, install it in my grandmother's old Ford Taurus, and find a place suitable to drive 88 miles per hour. (3) Hand the column to the past me, along with a copy of Gray's Sports Almanac. Oh, and I guess you can read the column too or whatever. That's cool.
WoW Rookie: The rules of duels
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. What is the attraction behind low-level dueling? I never for the life of me can figure out why someone with barely half a dozen skills to his name invariably challenges me to a duel the moment I approach a newbie village. As someone who spends a not-insignificant amount of time running to the nearest newbie-accessible mailbox with level 2 characters (gotta collect a few copper for postage, you know) in order to contact a player for an article, I find it's rare that I can make it all the way to Razor Hill or Stormwind without some guy wanting to get a sniff of my big, fat Heroic Strike. You definitely can't beat 'em -- so why not give in and join 'em? The prospect of a duel can be intimidating, but you really have nothing to lose. You won't die (losing simply brings you down to 1 hit point), you won't lose XP and you can't open yourself up to having your gear looted (which can happen in other games). Duels are a fun way to test how well you react to the unexpected. They certainly offer a graphic lesson in the capabilities of other classes in the game. You won't overestimate your endurance in a Battleground once you've discovered you have to kill paladins "at least twice"!
WoW Rookie: Pro tips for lowbie dungeon runners
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. When you really need to know, turn to the hive mind. Readers had plenty to say last week about their trials and tribulations (and triumphs!) running the older instances of vanilla WoW and Burning Crusade. Thanks to speedy reader comments, we were able to update readers with a resolution to the looting mess that left most groups unable to complete the staff required to summon Ironaya in Uldaman. (Any other issues with tradeable objects inside instances? Let us know about them in the comments.) As the discussion wound through page after page of observations and frustrations and advice, a veritable gold mine of tips for running low-level instances emerged. This week, we'll recap those tips for new players who are making their way through the old instances for the very first time.
WoW Rookie: Trouble afoot in leveling instances
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. No longer do new players find their noses wistfully plastered against the front windows of instances in Azeroth and Burning Crusade, sniffing at the tempting scents within like ragamuffins on the doorstep of a bakery on an icy morning. Thanks to the Dungeon Finder, it's once again possible to have your fill of instances along the road to level 80. The Dungeon Finder makes things easy -- except, unfortunately, in situations when it makes them even harder. A post in the Blizzard suggestions forum points out several things that aren't working well or are outright broken inside various leveling instances. Some are minor quibbles, but one problem actually prevents cross-realm groups from completing a boss encounter. We'll fill you in on the issues, plus link you to this week's best WoW.com resources for fresh level 80s.
WoW Rookie: Leveling in instances, top tips for fresh 80s
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. Construction continues inside the WoW Rookie Guide, where we've put together a corner especially for those of you who are just hitting level 80 for the first time. We've already got a few of our favorite resources listed there. This week, we're adding something new and convenient for you right here. Every week (look for us on Thursdays), WoW Rookie will round up the week's best posts from other WoW.com columnists and features that touch on the basics of endgame play. From polishing your character to playing in PUGs to breaking into the raiding game, we'll help you spot the week's best advice for newer players (even if it snuck in under the radar within the class column of a class you don't play). This week's selection is fairly bursting at the seams, so we've tucked the entire kit and caboodle after the break. (Oh, one more thing before we get to the fresh 80s stuff. Did you catch WoW, Casually's guide to leveling by grouping in instances?) Next week, we'll be back to tackling rookie topics one piece at a time -- followed up, of course, with the week's best links to other pieces fit for fresh 80s.
WoW Rookie: Building bigger, better newbies
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. For links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's, visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide. We're taking out the mop and bucket at the WoW Rookie Guide this week, scrubbing down outdated articles and polishing up pieces that cover recently updated features. We think you'll like the new section we're creating within the guide specifically for brand new level 80s. By no stretch of the imagination will WoW Rookie end up expanding to the point of becoming a virtual WoW 101 ... But we will keep a corner devoted to players who've just hit 80 for the first time. So while we're madly cooking and cleaning behind the scenes this week, we've rounded up a few new and old favorites for you to poke through. Or hop on over to the WoW Rookie Guide itself for even more -- but if you should spy a pink-haired gnome in a maid's outfit or (heaven forbid!) encounter an undead harridan wielding a rolling pin, please keep in mind that housekeeping is still in progress.
