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WoW Rookie: Alliance newbie zone revamps in Cataclysm
New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Spoiler alert: Today's WoW Rookie is nothing but one big spoiler of the changes Cataclysm will bring to existing Alliance newbie zones. If you're aiming to hit the expansion spoiler-free with fresh, unsullied eyes, you'll want to re-join us two weeks from now (since next week's WoW Rookie will look at Cataclysm newbie zones Horde-side). But for those of you who are itching for a glimpse into what's in store for newly created Alliance characters in the expansion, we've got brief highlights and screenshot gallery samplers of the gnome, dwarf, night elf and human starting experiences. There's not much new to report for draenei in the Exodar, save that their flight point has been moved inside the city. And as for the new Alliance race, the worgen, we've given them their own detailed gallery and write-up, and you can head over to our YouTube channel to watch video of several worgen gameplay segments. Come back next week for a similar look ahead at the newbie zone revamps for Horde races. And now, screenshot galleries (one last spoiler alert for the road -- Cataclysm spoilers abound!) of each starting area plus written highlights, after the break.
WoW Rookie: Coming back to WoW after a break
New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. You're not really a rookie -- but man, it's been ages since you last played! Azeroth feels like a whole new world. A "dungeon finder" -- huh? And why are all these people pelting you with friend invitations that have real-life names attached? As more and more former players start peeking their heads back into the game in anticipation of the launch of Cataclysm, we'll be seeing more and more uncertain vets fumbling through mechanics and features even those rookies among us now take for granted. What's the best way to get back up to speed after an extended time away from WoW? Reader Anthony writes: I used to be an avid WoW player but quit about a year ago (just before patch 3.1). I have been entertaining the idea of getting back in the game but am kind of intimidated, because I think there probably have been so many addons to the game since I left, I'll be totally lost. I used to use your website as a resource and visited it daily when I did play, but I stopped after I quit playing. So I'm not really sure what has changed. And I am also not really sure if it's a good time to pick up playing again because of the expansion that's supposedly coming out. So I was wondering if there could be any way that someone on your team could give me a quick little up-to-speed brief on some of the changes that have happened, mostly with the gameplay aspects; I'm not overall concerned about new raids and stuff. I used to raid all day, every day when I played before but would rather just ease into that later. So if there's maybe a link or something, I would greatly appreciate it. A "link or something"? WoW Rookie can certainly oblige. Join us after the break for a healthy dose of tips on getting your bearings if you've been away from WoW for quite some time.
WoW Rookie: Collective wisdom
New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Let's face it: Crowdsourcing is king. Every company that beta tests its products (hello, Cataclysm!) knows the benefits of having hundreds, thousands or even millions of creative (and not-so-creative) minds plinking away at its features. If we put our heads together ... Today's WoW Rookie rounds up recent posts at WoW.com that spawned info-rich comments ready to mined by us newbies. Before we dive in, though, I'd like to remind everyone (even you old hands out there who happen to be reading along) to keep sending in your favorite pointers for new players -- things it took you months to realize when you first started playing, things you wish you'd known back in the day. Send 'em in to lisa@wow.com, and we'll run one every week in WoW Rookie. One more piece of business: Got a question or wondering about something in WoW that has you stumped? WoW Rookie is opening a mailbag section especially for new and leveling players. Send in your questions to lisa@wow.com. Now, with thanks and much love to our prolific Breakfast Topic commenters, let us unleash the wisdom of the masses!
WoW Rookie: Loremaster, a completist's dream
New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. For those of us who are leveling up or even digging into a fresh 80, there's never been a better time to fold in The Loremaster to the ol' to-do list. Flying your Loremaster title proves you've been around the block; it's not like The Explorer, which you can hoof your way through even at level 1. Earning your Loremaster title means grinding out literally hundreds and hundreds of quests over every step of your journey through Azeroth, Outland and Northrend, from level 1 through level 80. It's the completist player's dream, a title that shows you've paid your dues in every zone at every level of the game. We're not bringing this up now as just one more item to chuck into your pre-Cataclysm bucket list; indeed, The Loremaster won't be going anywhere in Cataclysm. While none of the numbers of quests required for completion have been adjusted yet to accommodate Cataclysm material, Blizzard has assured players not to worry about it. The Loremaster quest count has been updated before, so we should be confident that it will be adjusted again. Still, if you're playing through the old content anyway, it simply makes sense to run through quests that will be disappearing when the expansion cracks Azeroth apart at the seams. Sure, there'll be plenty of new quests to do -- but you'll never get the chance to run all of these particular quests again.
WoW Rookie: Cataclysm changes to early and middle levels
New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. If you're not a leveling player -- and sorry, but that does not include you wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am types zipping up your latest alts -- then as I tell my family when they're hovering around me when I'm trying to write, "I love you; now go away." Today's WoW Rookie is all about stuff that matters to players who focus on WoW's leveling game. If you've got the whole leveling thing down pat ... if leveling is just a chore to get to the end game, where "the game begins at 80" ... if your pre-80 character is just one among your entire stable of toons ... then move along, big guy. Your secret handshake didn't pass muster at this clubhouse. For those of us gleefully picking our way through the levels, we're going to take another look this week at what's ahead for us in the expansion. First, I've got a lead to share on a friendly place to tuck into for companionable leveling. Then we'll round up a whole collection of facts and developments on how Cataclysm will change the game for players in the 1-60ish range. If you're an assiduous reader of The Queue, none of this will be new news; we've cherry-picked some recent goodies that apply to players in the early to middle levels.
WoW Rookie: The basics of dual spec
New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. World of Warcraft is a game of specialists; even (and especially) the so-called hybrid classes end up playing in specific, focused roles in group and end-game content. The higher you level and the more talents you learn, the more specialized your character becomes. Your "spec" (specialization), determined by where you've distributed your points among the three talent trees available to your class, begins to define and inform your gameplay as you group with others more and more often. At some point, you'll want to experiment with another set of talents -- that's time for a respec. (Look for talent recommendations in our leveling guides and our Class 101 series.) Soon enough, you'll be wishing you could switch between one set of talents and another -- and you can, with dual specialization. Before we dig into the basics, we should note one of the more exciting changes for leveling players coming up in Cataclysm. The expansion will lower both the required level and cost of dual spec, giving players more flexibility for group and individual play than ever before.
WoW Rookie: Preparing for your first raid
New around here? WoW Rookie has your back! Get all our collected tips, tricks and tactics for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. When it comes to advice for new players who want to get into raiding, it sometimes seems there are two schools of thought. The first is exemplified by the members of the Council of Verah Srs Bsns, which is filled with terse guild officers grinding their teeth over loot distribution and old-schoolers who started raiding back when grinding for flask and pot mats took as long as the raid itself. Their pre-raiding checklists tend to be ... long. The other camp, the l33tspeak PugGerZ, sees WoW as a series of pickup raids in which the raid leaders and boss mods issue connect-a-dot instructions on where to go and what to do -- and if that's too confusing, there's always the strat video. On the other monitor. While you're starting the encounter for the first time. As always, the truth about raid prep lies somewhere in between. Yes, more resources to help raiders raid exist than ever before -- and despite that, yes, you still need to come prepared. How to do that? Join us after the break for a whirlwind look at preparing for your first raid.
WoW Rookie: What's new for leveling players in Cataclysm
New around here? We've got your back! See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. This week's WoW Rookie is all about leveling in Cataclysm. There's a completely overhauled talent point system that creates a more focused leveling experience. There's a new feature that blasts players with the full flavor of their chosen spec right at level 10. There are new zone and instance level ranges for all the old content you're already working your way through. Want still more? We've even got full walk-throughs of selected revamped zones. If you wish to remain completely spoiler-free, we'll see you next week; everyone else, gather 'round and let's buzz about what's coming out of the Cataclysm beta that will be affecting new and leveling players. The biggest buzz, of course, is how different your character's development will feel now that players will be funneling down a single talent tree for all but the last 15 levels. Blizzard's complete overhaul of the talent system, which will debut to beta testers during the next round or two of beta builds, locks players into a single talent tree all the way until level 70. Join us after the break for everything we know at this point.
WoW Rookie: Keep your key targets in focus
New around here? We've got your back! See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Better keep an eye on that guy: the furbolg you're escorting through the crowd, the off tank you're in charge of healing, the add you're supposed to keep locked down ... The problem is, you also need to click over here to -- argh, lost him in the crush! Now you'll have to tab ba -- whoops, passed him again! OK, start stabbing with the mouse ... If this sounds anything like the chaotic chatter in your brain during a typical encounter, you need more than mere help; you need a focus target. A focus target is a secondary target that helps you keep track of an additional unit other than your current target. Essentially, it's a second target that you can set and unset at will. Focus targets are a great way of keeping track of an escort mob you need to locate in a crowd, an NPC you need to crowd control, a key healing assignment ... Once you set a focus target, it's right there on your screen. You can freely change your main target and turn your attention elsewhere while still being able to monitor your focus target's health, mana and casting bars. You can also create macros that let you apply spells and abilities to your focus target with a single press of a button.
WoW Rookie: Guilds
New around here? We've got your back! See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Guilds are in the news a lot recently. Not only are we talking about upcoming changes in Cataclysm, we're also talking about all the guild hopping and dissolving that goes on just before an expansion. So, this week, we're going to cover everything about guilds. How to create a guild If you want to create your own guild, you'll need some cash and friends (whom you may have to pay for). Here are the minimum steps you need to take to create a guild: Go to a Guild Master. They are located in all capital cities. Just ask a guard for directions. Purchase a Guild Charter. Ask about creating a guild and then choose the purchase option. You need 10 silver and a name. Get 9 signatures. They can't be a bunch of alts from a couple of people. The signatures are by account. If you don't have 9 other people to help you form your guild, then you can recruit strangers. But strangers often expect around 10 gold for a signature. Tip: Ask before throwing a Guild Charter in someone's face. Just because people are unguilded, does not mean they want to sign your charter. Ask politely in a whisper and wait for them to be ready. If they are at the mailbox or auction house, your slapping a charter in their face will kick them out of whatever they are doing. Someone who may have been willing to sign your charter for free, may refuse to sign if you don't ask first. Register your Guild Charter. Return to the Guild Master and register your charter. Poof! You now have a guildname under your name.
WoW Rookie: More tips, tricks and tidbits
New around here? We've got your back! See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Though I've been playing since open beta, there are still things that I stumble upon that I either didn't know or had forgotten. There are also many little conveniences that took me forever to figure out. So while these tips, tricks and tidbits say they are for rookies -- well, even long time veterans have a few holes in their knowledge of the workings of Azeroth. Lisa tackled some tips just a couple months ago, so I've scavenged in the comments there as well as in this guest breakfast topic. I am also going to touch on some subjects that come up a lot in the WoW.com guild, <It came from the Blog>. Built-in Talent Calculator If you, like me, have a tendency to click the wrong thing when choosing your talents, there is a way to set up a safety net. Just go to Game Menu (ESC), Interface, Features and click the Preview Talent Changes box. After that, you will be able to play with your talents a bit before accepting them.
WoW Rookie: Emblem gear for the fresh level 80
New around here? We've got your back! See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. Emblems of this, emblems of that ... What are all these emblems that everyone swears you simply must have once you hit level 80? WoW Rookie's got your back with the basics. An advanced, comprehensive path to the best gear for your class and spec to raid in? No, not really. A down-and-dirty orientation to which of these currencies matters most to you as a new level 80? Absolutely. First, understand this: There's more to gearing at level 80 than emblem gear. Questing, instance drops, reputation gear, BoEs from the auction house and crafted pieces all play a role in your evolving gear set. Get your feet wet with our fresh 80's guide to getting started in 5-mans. If you especially enjoy digging your way through and savoring all the content, if you're a completist or if you're making your way toward raiding at something less than today's typically breakneck pace, you'll want to explore all of these options as you build your character. If you're headed straight for end-game raiding, you'll want to focus on emblem gear. Emblems are probably the single most important tool for vaulting yourself to raid readiness. That's not to say that the other options are without merit; you'll definitely want to shore up your kit with non-emblem items. But emblem gear offers a clear, reliable, seamless path from level 80 right into raiding. Let's see how it all comes together.
WoW Rookie: When to use trinkets with Bloodlust / Heroism
New around here? We've got your back! See all our collected tips, tricks and how-to's for new players in the WoW Rookie Guide. We're taking a break from bare-bones basics this week to address a topic that pops up for fresh level 80s who are still adjusting to their new curve of power. When is the best time to use long-cooldown abilities, trinkets or anything else that provides a massive, temporary boost in power? (The quick, easy answer: Regularly. Unused abilities that you're saving "just in case" tend to remain ... well, unused.) Things get more complicated, though, when you're juggling cooldowns in a raid group that's savvy to the benefits of a well-timed Heroism (Alliance) or Bloodlust (Horde). When is the right time to go for broke? Dear Glorious WoW.com Writers, I have a question on my mind that I suspect a lot of other people have on their minds as well. Should DPS pop their cooldowns/trinkets during Bloodlust or after Bloodlust? I would think you should stack your cooldowns with Bloodlust because you get the effect of them plus 30% haste, increasing their effect by that much. On the other hand, maybe the wiser option is to use cooldowns after bloodlust, so you have the effect of the Bloodlust then the effect of the cooldowns, which spreads it out a little more. What are factors in deciding to use cooldowns with Bloodlust or after Bloodlust? Does mana limits factor in to this at all? I can't find a straight answer on the internet anywhere, and was hoping you could provide me with one. Thank you, Bownzy of Blackwing Lair (US) Join us for a quick roundup of thoughts from WoW.com staffers, after the break.
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.
