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Blizzard's New Player Guide covers human starting zones
If you know a someone who's eager to get started with WoW, first you ought to hit them up with a Recruit A Friend invitation -- but your next step should be to send them to Blizzard's New Player Guide. The latest installment walks newbies through the human starting zone, and though it may seem awfully basic to you and me, for a brand new player this can be just the sort of information necessary to get their gaming experience off to a good start. Especially handy are the tips scattered throughout, explaining simple -- but important -- concepts like tapping monsters, how to see your equipment, and why you should travel on roads. It even warns players about murlocs, which, having lived (and died) through numerous murloc invasions ourselves, we find a bit unfair... though we suspect newer players probably appreciate the warning. The guide currently covers the human starting zone, broken into levels 1-5 and levels 5-10 -- just enough to launch players into the big, wide world of Azeroth, but with the tips to help newbies land on their feet.
Welcome to World of Warcraft blog series debuts
There are a variety of guides and resources available to new WoW players out there, including the official new player help forums and our own WoW Rookie column, but Blizzard's just added a new one to the mix. "Welcome to World of Warcraft" is a blog series that provides exactly what it says: a welcome for new players, with detailed information on how to get the hang of the game. The title of the first post is "Basic Movement and Combat". As you might imagine, it instructs players on how to use the keyboard and mouse to get around in the game, how to use and read the map, and the basics of dealing with hostile mobs, including attacking, healing, rezzing, and finding your corpse. It's been several years since I personally have needed resources like this, and reading them over always brings a rueful smile to my face as I recall the many rookie blunders I made. Falling off of Teldrassil is, I believe, a common one for those of us who started with night elves. I'm not ashamed! Considering the age of World of Warcraft, it's sometimes easy to forget that there are still new players starting who need all this information. I'm glad Blizzard is keeping these folks in mind, and for all the new people out there, I hope your introduction to WoW is a good one and I look forward to seeing you in the game!
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.
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?
EVE's Inferno build patched to 1.2, newb-friendly tweaks abound
How many times has CCP talked about revamping EVE Online's tutorials, and how many times has the Icelandic development firm sought to make the sci-fi sandbox less like ancient Sanskrit and more like an intuitive MMO? Frankly we've lost count, but today's Inferno 1.2 patch takes yet another crack at accessibility. The initial tutorial sequence has been "completely overhauled" according to the patch notes, and the character creation process (specifically racial maps and bloodline avatars) has been tweaked a bit. Also included in this patch are some newbie-friendly enhancements to Aura's directions, module mouseover updates, and various and sundry balance and gameplay changes. Head to the official EVE website for more details and the full update notes.
Wings Over Atreia: Aion re-newbed
Amidst all the possible topics for Wings Over Atreia floating in my head, one decided to lure all the others into a dark closet and lock them in. What precipitated the nefarious mental culling? While I was campaign questing in Asmodae for last Friday's livestream, it hit me. You could say it just clicked -- like the sound of the key turning in a door's lock. What topic was trying to look innocent while a key dangled from its grip? That would be newbness in Aion. Wait, what? How can you possibly talk about being a newb when you've been playing since launch-ish? I heard that! And I can explain. Granted some people might contend that once you have a high-level character in a game, you can't ever be a newbie again (although you can be a n00b anytime by embracing ignorance). However, this simply isn't true, especially in Aion when a change in archetype, coupled with a change in server and faction, makes things all new. I have to admit that I never really thought I could recapture that total newbie feeling again either, but I certainly did. In full-force, even. The experience revealed a few things to me about Aion as it continues toward its third anniversary. What I found may surprise you.
Free for All: The importance of those first moments in a game
This week, I decided to download and install Aion. I haven't played it since beta. Although I was not impressed with it at the time, my favorite Aion columnist has been covering the game in such a way that I knew some good things had happened to the game. And after all, it's free now. Right? I was nervous from the moment I installed the game. NCsoft hosts a notoriously odd account management system. Sure, once you break the code and understand how to make an account for your master account that signs into your game account (or something like that), it might seem elementary. Until that moment, though, the system makes you feel like an idiot. It makes you feel as though the publisher literally doesn't want you to play the game. I had a week filled with such moments. The frustration I felt led me to today's topic.
Guild champions volunteer spirit beyond the borders of Azeroth
From Olympic medalists and Hollywood actors to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? Where World of Warcraft and cool ideas and people meet, you'll find players who deserve 15 Minutes of Fame. Noble knights in shining armor are a dime (a silver?) a dozen Alliance-side in World of Warcraft. Where you find one or more Alliance roleplayers, you'll find a veritable solar flare of the Light. In most cases, however, the buck (or the Light, as it may) stops right here at the boundary between Azeroth and Earth. But in one longstanding Moon Guard (US) guild, the Light spills forth into all corners of members' lives. The Bearers of Light's noble guild foundation rests on charity, both in game and out. Moving beyond regular newbie zone assistance events, the guild recently embarked upon a real-world community challenge that's racking up life-changing results. Since its inception in the classic WoW era, this guild force for good seems to be filling an apparently unique niche among Azerothian guilds. Back in 2009, WoW Insider's David Bowers (then author of our roleplaying column) wrote about discovering the guild with his own character: "The guild I eventually chose is called The Bearers of Light on the Moon Guard server, and I chose it because its members pledge to be kind to others. It was the first and only guild I've ever seen in World of Warcraft that is explicitly founded around the spirit of benevolence and charity. I felt that it was a perfect match for me personally -- if you've seen movies like Pay It Forward or read about ideas such as random kindness and senseless acts of beauty, then you will have seen the kind of impact this theme can have on a group of people. Once kindness itself is a goal, it makes life so much more livable." Looking for inspiration to start your new year off on the right foot? Look no further than The Bearers of Light.
The Daily Grind: Do MMOs coddle us too much in the early game?
As much as I loved playing RIFT this year -- and I truly did -- one of my biggest critiques happened to be something beloved by many. This was the fact that the early game was so skewed toward giving you everything all at once: access to mounts and all of your class souls (and several builds). As nice as it was for the moment, I soon realized that it robbed me of that strong desire I usually have to want to level and reach significant milestones in my journey, as marked by finally getting said mount or finally gaining access to new classes. The devs said that these changes were a result of player feedback, of which I have no doubt -- if you're going to ask players if they want everything as soon as they start a game, they're going to say "yes" whether it's a good idea or not. In practice, it felt like the game was coddling our new characters so much that we weren't put in much danger or had to struggle hard to gain these shiny toys. What say you? In your MMO of choice, does the game coddle newbies so much that it picks them up every time they stub their toes, is it a perfect balance of challenge and ease, or is it even too difficult? Is coddling a good thing to retain new players or is it bad for the game over the long haul? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Dark Age of Camelot gears up its newbies
As part of Mythic's continued efforts to introduce a "New User Journey" experience that's friendly to Dark Age of Camelot beginners, the studio has turned its attention to the ever-crucial subject of gear. In a new dev diary by DJ Frazier, the dev spells out the problem: "For a new player who wanders into battlegrounds, especially ones like Thidranki or Molvik, they will often find themselves losing almost every fight they encounter, simply because they are playing against people who have had a chance to outfit themselves out in the best equipment they can find for their level range." Because the team fears that this armor disparity proves to be a dealbreaker for many newbies, the devs are retuning the gear that players get during their leveling up process to be more durable and competitive on the battlefield. The two main paths of leveling -- PvE questing and RvR battlegrounds -- will both offer solid picks of gear when patch 1.110 hits. Players who risk the battlegrounds will find themselves in possession of top-notch weapons and armor, whereas those who choose to quest will find themselves "90% of the way there" with their gear. Hopefully, these changes will create an environment that's much more welcoming to newcomers to DAoC.
Veteran EVE Online pilots share wisdom with new players
If you're looking for an excuse to visit the recently revamped EVE Online official forums, you could do a lot worse than a newbie help thread started by CCP Fallout. Whether you're an actual New Eden rookie or a veteran looking to dispense advice (note we didn't say good advice, since it's EVE), it's worth checking out. The thread is also good for a bit o' the ol' nostalgia, as Fallout specifically mentions silly mistakes she made back in the day, and she invites other players to share similar stories. The thread is fairly modest to this point (i.e., it's definitely not approaching threadnaught territory), but we suspect it will swell a bit as more vets weigh in with stories, pointers, and trolling attempts.
EVE Evolved: Corporate benefits and new players
In a recent article, I explored the effect that power players have on EVE Online's subscription retention. In particular, I suggested that CCP has stopped developing features with EVE's power players in mind and that this could be the cause of a worrying downward trend in new player retention. It's the responsibility of corp leaders and organisers to give players a place in EVE, to provide them with something to do and to instill them with the ambition to continue playing in the long term. I believe that CCP has let those organisers and leaders down by failing to provide the updated tools necessary to give players a purposeful place in the universe or give them a good start to the game. A similar issue I've touched on before is the importance of corporate goals in EVE. I've always been amazed at the willingness of EVE players to donate their time and effort to achieve a collective goal rather than a personal one. People are far more likely to join a corporate mining op, for example, if the proceeds will be donated to the corp funds or the minerals will be used in a corp production scheme. Similarly, I've found players to be much more enthusiastic about a mission night or wormhole op if the intent is to fund the production of a corp capital ship or the purchase of starbase fuel. With CCP's summer focus aimed at helping new players get into good corporations, this week's opinion-filled EVE Evolved examines some of the developments necessary to make that goal possible.
The Daily Grind: When does friendly turn frustrating?
We all know, from years of experience, that there's a certain community duty to help newer players get acclimated to the game. Or younger players, or... really, anyone. It's in the community's best interests to be friendly and open. But there's always the threat of the player who seems friendly and enjoyable... until you log on again and he whispers you almost instantly. And then the next time. And again. He's always there, latched onto you as if you're the only beacon of kindness in the world, and while you want him to keep playing, you want to play City of Heroes, not City of Helping the Socially Maladjusted. The worst part of these situations, naturally, is that it spoils you on helping former players. It makes the community as a whole more hostile, and even though you still know helping new players is a good thing, it's hard not to be colder. So when have you run into a player whom you wished you hadn't helped out? When has being friendly and open wound up frustrating you to no end? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Anvil of Crom: Tortage in four hours (or less)
So you've just created another Age of Conan alt and you're dreading a second (or third, or fourth) Tortage run-through. Maybe you've come back to the game after a long absence -- or you're completely new -- and your friends are waiting for you to get off the island in a hurry and join them in Hyboria proper. Regardless of the reason, many people prefer to zip through Age of Conan's newb levels once they've experienced the story a time or two (it does vary somewhat based on your class archetype, but in the end, you're still the liberator of Tortage, Strom's bane, yada, yada). Since Funcom has yet to implement any skip-the-island functionality for those of us with multiple toons and plenty of Tortage experience, the only thing left to do is grin and bear it. Happily, though, The Anvil of Crom is here for you in the form of the Tortage Speed Run guide. Join me after the cut to see how I went from the character creation screen to stepping off the boat in Khemi with a level 16 Necromancer in a little under four hours.
SOE shows off DC Universe Online newbie video
For those of you who haven't run through DC Universe Online's tutorial instance 36,000 times by now, SOE has posted a new video to its Facebook page previewing a bit of the goings on aboard Brainiac's prison/invasion/newbie ship. The one-minute clip is full of furious fists, physics-based combat and flying containers -- and in a bit of a spoiler -- the Man of Steel himself shows up to lend newbs a helping hand. Curiously, Superman's video voiceover isn't performed by Adam Baldwin, but other than that, the footage is exactly what you'll experience after you've fired up DCUO's character creator and taken your first steps into a larger world. Check it out after the cut and visit the game's official website for more details.
Knowledge, newbies, and why kindness pays off
I played WoW on dial-up for a while, and during that time, it was close to impossible for me to raid anything but add-light 10-man content. So I did the only thing that seemed doable: leveled alts. A lot of them. While previously I had vowed to only level my rogue (my original main) to max level in any given expansion, I was suddenly the proud owner of six level 80 characters. Even after I got back on actual broadband internet, Cataclysm's introduction of new races (especially Races That Are Worgen) gave me some more incentive to bring my number of max-level characters up to, well, its maximum level. So I finally listened to Matt Rossi and made a worgen warrior. He's awesome. And he tanks, a first for me. I've been leveling him almost exclusively through the dungeon finder, taking advantage of the instant queues for a dog what wears plate armor. I'm still pretty new to tanking, but between new talent trees, heirlooms, and questing/dungeon gear with better stat balance, most low-level instances are a breeze. So I move fast. Sometimes a little faster than other people. The same kinds of people who attack from the front as a melee class or hit "need" on spirit weapons as a mage. And I would make snide remarks to those kinds of people. Then I realized something. I was being kind of a jackass.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh and clearing conceptions
So last week I had announced that I'd be going through some Mission Architect content for this week's column. There were two things that derailed that event, however. The first was dealing with the aftermath of a Thanksgiving holiday and an immense patch for another game which I cover, which meant that my playtime wasn't sufficient to give the submitted arcs the full attention each deserved. But the other one was a bit more interesting from a City of Heroes point of view, coming from a friend who decided to take advantage of the pricing on Monday and purchase the heck out of the game. On the one hand, it's great that buying the game and getting into it are now so cheap that it can really be bought on a whim -- players can look forward to a pretty steady influx of new blood as a result. But City of Heroes, for all its casual-friendly nature, is a six-year-old game with all the complexity those years would imply. It's very easy for a new player to start in without the slightest idea of how the different archetypes play, or with ideas about the game that are built by other games. And life as a superhero is a pretty different experience than leveling yet another character in your fantasy game of choice.
Final Fantasy XIV updates official site with a guide to interactions and guildleves
Despite the in-game tutorial, players in Final Fantasy XIV aren't given a straightforward idea of where to go after the first few steps in the game. Early adopters have been gamely figuring out what comes next as they go, but Square-Enix has put together a small primer for new players covering two of the essentials -- interacting with objects (including the all-important aetheryte) and the specifics of acquiring guildleves and carrying out local leves. Some of the facts within the most recent dispatch will be familiar to players who have been in the game since the beginning, but the guide still includes interesting facts for all players, such as a map of the NPCs required for materials for some local leves. Veteran players can also appreciate the newly implemented History feature for individual characters, allowing one to track the progress of a character across Eorzea. Final Fantasy XIV newbies still won't have a straight line to walk through the game, but the addition of another guide should certainly help.
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.
