Filed under: WoW Rookie

What new players need to know about WoW patches

by Elizabeth Harper May 20th 2013 at 5:00PM

If World of Warcraft had but one holiday, it would be Patch Day: the glorious Tuesday (or Wednesday) in which the WoW servers go down for maintenance but come back online brimming with new, unexplored content. If you're new to World of Warcraft, or MMOs in general, you may not entirely understand all the fuss the community makes over patches. So just what is a patch? Why are they so important? And how can you get your hands on one? We'll do our best to explain.

What is a WoW patch?
Did you know we're playing version 5 of World of Warcraft right now? It's true: Version 1.1 was World of Warcraft's launch client and every expansion since has bumped the version number up a full number, while each patch release is a decimal place. The original game went up to patch 1.12 (the 1.1 launch client and 11 patches after), Burning Crusade (2.0) had a scant 4 patches, Wrath of the Lich King (3.0) had 3, Cataclysm (4.0) had 3, and Mists of Pandaria (5.0) is about to see the release of its 3rd patch, patch 5.3. These days, patches are coming more quickly than ever and we have no idea how many patches to expect before the next expansion arrives.

Filed under: WoW Rookie

Should you play a druid in WoW?

by Elizabeth Harper May 15th 2013 at 1:00PM

Just getting started in World of Warcraft and not sure what you want to do? Or maybe you've been playing for a while but aren't sure which class you like best. We're here to help by taking a look at what each class can do and leading you to the right one. Today, we're talking druids.

Druids harness the powers of nature to help their friends or harm their foes. They wield can wield magic to harm like a mage or heal like a priest and can shapeshift into animal forms to dive into melee fighting. Like the monk and paladin, druids are a hybrid class that can fill any role in the game they wish: if you play a druid, you have the flexibility to do whatever you please. But are you up to the task of wielding the raw elemental power of nature? We'll take a look at just what druids can do and try to decide if it's the right class for you.

Filed under: Druid, WoW Rookie

Newbie's guide to everything you need to know about weapons in World of Warcraft

by Elizabeth Harper May 9th 2013 at 2:00PM

Weapons play a huge role in World of Warcraft, even if you don't play a physical damage class that actively hits people with them. Beyond damage capacity, weapons buff your character's stats and heavily effect your character's looks. While it may seem like there's not much to weapons beyond wielding them -- and for the new player, sometimes wielding them is all you need to know. For experienced players looking for in-depth theory-crafting or number-crunching, this article isn't the place. But, for players just getting started, we'll take a close look at the weapons available, what their stats mean, and try to help you figure out what you should be wielding.

Weapon types
Weapons are broken into three basic types: one-handed weapons which can be wielded with a single hand, two-handed weapons which require two hands, and ranged weapons which also require two hands. You'll also find weapons labeled main hand or off hand, meaning that they can only be wielded in your main hand or off hand -- which comes into play with classes that can wield a different weapon in each hand (dual wielding).

You will also occasionally run into items labeled off hand without a weapon type. These items are typically equippable by any class in their off-hand slot. These can be anything from cosmetic items -- like flowers -- to items that buff stats for classes that can't dual wield but can use one-handed weapons. And, while they aren't quite weapons, shields are considered off-hand items as well.

Filed under: WoW Rookie

Should you be playing a warlock?

by Elizabeth Harper May 7th 2013 at 1:00PM

We've said before that there's a WoW class for every type of player and if you find yourself a bit drawn to the darker side of WoW, perhaps warlock is the one for you. Warlocks have a unique playstyle in the game: they're a bit like mages, in that they're cloth-wearing casters, and a bit like hunters, in that they rely on pets. And yet they don't play very much like either class, relying on DoT (damage over time) spells and channeled spells to do damage and restore their own health and mana.

So is it time to go over to the dark side and level a warlock? Let's look at what the class has to offer.

Just what is a warlock?
As mages are master of the arcane, warlocks are masters of the dark arts, focusing on shadow and fire spells. They summon demonic minions, place curses on their enemies, and drain health from their opponents, and can even send the most fearsome of warriors running in terror. Their abilities are powered not only by their mana pool, but will sometimes cost health, which warlocks can drain from their foes as they die. They do their damage at range, using curses, banes, DoTs, drains, AoEs, and direct damage spells. Warlocks also offer a good amount of utility to a group with conjured Healthstones (which restore health on use) and Soulstones (which can bring a dead player to life) as well as their curses (which cause a variety of negative effects on a monster).

Filed under: Warlock, WoW Rookie

Everything you need to know about WoW's talents and specializations

by Elizabeth Harper Apr 25th 2013 at 1:00PM

We're going back to basics today to talk about talents and specializations in World of Warcraft. If you're pretty new to the game, you might not know what these are at all, but anyone over level 10 has at least seen the terms thrown around. We're going to explain just what talents and specializatons mean for your character and well as how to get the most out of your talent choices.

What are specializations?
At level 10, every character (save death knights, who start at level 55) is prompted to choose a talent specialization. While many spells and abilities are core to the class -- meaning you'll get them no matter which specialization you choose -- there are also abilities that you only get if you've chosen a particular specialization. Each specialization focuses on a slightly different playstyle, so you should pick the one that most appeals to you.

Filed under: WoW Rookie

Should you be playing a monk?

by Elizabeth Harper Apr 22nd 2013 at 8:00PM

World of Warcraft has a character class for every type of player... though you may have to hunt around to find the class that's a perfect fit for you. These days, I've found my perfect fit to be the monk. (Though who's to say that I won't change my mind again in the future.) So if you're in the market for a new character -- whether you're a new player or an old hand -- let's talk about why a monk should be at the top of your to-play list.

Just what is a monk?
Monks are masters of weaponless combat who have learned to harness their chi hurt their enemies or heal their friends. While they fight bare-handed, they can (and should!) equip weapons: they can use fist weapons, one-handed axes, one-handed maces, one-handed swords, polearms, and staves and can dual-wield one-handed weaponry. They use cloth and leather armor and, though monks originated in Pandaria (and you'll need the Mists of Pandaria expansion to play one), the class is open to pandaren, dwarf, human, blood elf, tauren, undead, draenei, gnome, night elf, orc, and troll.

They're a true hybrid class who can tank (brewmaster monks), heal (mistweaver monks), and DPS (windwalker monks). For resources, monks have health, energy (for brewmasters and windwalkers), mana (for mistwalkers), and chi. Chi is unique resource to monks: you have four possible points of it and start combat with zero. Some of your attacks will generate chi while others will use it, meaning monks take careful resource balancing.

Filed under: WoW Rookie, Monk

How to store your stuff in World of Warcraft

by Elizabeth Harper Apr 18th 2013 at 4:00PM

If you've played for very long, you may have noticed that you can accumulate a sizable collection of armor, weapons, bandages, food, and just... well... stuff. And while you can (and should) sell things as you go to fund your continued adventures, sometimes you run into things you want to keep. Maybe it's a weapon with a cool look that you might want to use for transmogrification or maybe it's a full set of armor that you use for an alternate talent spec. Whatever your reasons for hanging on to the things you collect in game, it's far too easy to fill up all your available inventory space. So what do you do when you have stuff you want to keep and no place to keep it?

Fortunately there are lots of options for storage in World of Warcraft: all you have to do is take advantage of them.

Stock up on bags
The first and simplest way to expand your inventory is to buy some bags. While you will run into some as you level up, they're probably smaller than those you can find elsewhere. Here's how you can find some shiny new bags with a minimum of hassle...

Filed under: WoW Rookie

15 easy (and not so easy) achievements to work on while leveling

by Elizabeth Harper Apr 12th 2013 at 8:00PM

If you've played WoW for more than a half hour or so, chances are you've noticed the game's achievement system, which rewards you with (meaningless) points and sometimes more tangible rewards (like unique tabards or special titles) for doing certain things in the game. You'll find you get achievements for leveling, achievements for completing quests, achievements for picking up gold, achievements for leveling professions, there's even an achievement for visiting the barber's shop. We've gathered some achievements that are a bit more out of the way, but all of which you can either pick up or work on while you're leveling. They aren't all easy, but none of them require you to be level 90 and epiced out.

So if you're leveling but are interested in upping your achievement game, give these a try. We've ranked them in what we think of as order of difficulty. If nothing else, they're a distraction from the leveling grind!

1. Duel-icious
All you have to do here is duel another player and win. Any player -- even if they're much lower level than you are -- will do. We recommend asking a friend to duel with you, but you can request duels from anyone. Just remember to be polite about it rather than just going around challenging everyone in an area to duels!

Filed under: WoW Rookie, Achievements

Guide to gearing up alts in MoP

by Olivia Grace Apr 10th 2013 at 5:00PM

We all know that Mists of Pandaria is far from being as friendly to alts as players have been used to in recent times, but there are ways, particularly with the arrival of patch 5.2, to get geared a little more easily on your back-up characters than at the start of the expansion.

So, you're a freshly dinged level 90. What are your first steps? The first thing you ought to do before setting foot in a dungeon is head over to the Thunder Isle and introduce yourself to the Shado-Pan Assault. They will sell you an ilvl 522 neck at neutral, and as we'll get to, they're where you want to try to spend your Valor Points. You'll also want to make sure you meet the Kirin Tor Offensive or the Sunreavers, as you can earn bonus reputation for them.

Getting to item Level 435

This is the first major hurdle that players need to reach, in order to get into heroic dungeons. It was lowered from 440 to make the item level more attainable very early on in the expansion, and there are a few ways of getting to it.

The first, but perhaps not the most efficient, way is by questing. If you're patient enough to finish questlines like the Klaxxi one, you can get your hands on a 489 ring, and other items in between, but that's only a few pieces per questline, and it's not going to help you much if you're wearing all 377 gear apart from that.

While this definitely wasn't the case early in the expansion, it's now possible to lay your hands on quite a bit of crafted gear that's item level 450, and on the auction house on the servers I play on for around 200-400 gold per item. This is a great start, but can be less useful if there's no much of the gear you need on the Auction House. If that doesn't push you over the 435 item level for heroic dungeons, your next stop is Adventurer's Gear. This is sold by several NPCs around Pandaria, but Supplier Xin and Len At Arms are the two who sell 408 gear.

Filed under: Raiding, WoW Rookie

The easiest mounts to get your hands on

by Olivia Grace Apr 9th 2013 at 1:00PM

Easy and hard mounts to get your hands on

An excellent question has appeared on /r/wow, from a player new to the game, who wants to get his mount collection started. He's wondering what are the easiest mounts to get his hands on, and how he should go about his gaming in the most efficient manner to guarantee maximum mount satisfaction.

So what are the easiest mounts to get hold of? First up, we have to look at the class-specific mounts, the warlock Felsteed and Dreadsteed, and the paladin Warhorse and Charger. Death Knights also get the Acherus Deathcharger, as well as being the only class to have the option to purchase the Winged Steed of the Ebon Blade. The paladin and warlock mounts are learned as abilities with the basic forms at level 20, and the latter ones at level 40. As DKs start later, they will get the Deathcharger through questing almost immediately, and can buy the Winged Steed at level 60.

Druids also have their travel form, and flight form, and Monks have the option to use the Glyph of Zen Flight, and of course, worgen get Running Wild but since these aren't really things you sit your character on, we're not sure if they count as mounts!

But other than those, what are the easiest mounts to get your hands on? Your home city, that is to say your faction's city, will have mounts for you to buy for gold. So undead can get mounts from Undercity, dwarves from Ironforge, and so on.

Filed under: WoW Rookie

How to say, shout, and generally get your message across in WoW

by Elizabeth Harper Apr 5th 2013 at 4:00PM

Newsflash! World of Warcraft is what's called an MMO or massively multiplayer online game. What this means is that you're constantly playing with other people, and a lot of them. And since you're playing with them, you're probably going to want to be able to communicate with them. Though this may seem like basic stuff, WoW has a number of different communication tools and they may not all be evident to the new player. (Please don't ask me how long it took me to figure out how to use chat channels. Because, uh, I don't remember. Let's go with that.)

To start, most of the chat commands are typed into the game prefaced with a slash -- though just hitting enter will remember what type of chat command you last used and assume you want to keep speaking in the same way.

So what are you waiting for? Let's get talking.

Filed under: WoW Rookie

Getting started made easy with our Rookie Guide

by Elizabeth Harper Apr 1st 2013 at 5:00PM

With all of the late and end-game content we talk about daily, we have to admit that browsing WoW Insider isn't necessarily a newbie-friendly experience. That doesn't mean we want to leave new players out, but it can be challenging to find new player content mixed in with all the rest. So if you're just getting started with the game -- or you're trying to get a friend into it -- you ought to check out our newly-updated Rookie Guide. Here, we've compiled all of our best content for new players -- from what World of Warcraft is to player etiquette to breaking into PvP to getting started with dungeons and raids.

So what are you waiting for? Check out the Rookie Guide and start your adventures in Azeroth!

Filed under: WoW Rookie

The very best resources for players coming back to WoW

by Elizabeth Harper Mar 28th 2013 at 5:00PM

If you used to play World of Warcraft but you've been away for a while, coming back to the game can be daunting. With as much as WoW changes patch to patch (and expansion to expansion) you may not be joining a completely new game, but it can certainly feel like it. But catching up can be hard, as news and other sites tend to talk about what's happening right now more than what's changed over the last few years.

But if you're trying to dip you toe back into WoW, we're here to say: don't be afraid! While there have been a ton of changes, it's easier to get up to speed than it's ever been with better in-game help and quests that help point the way when you need to go do something (like train riding or venture into a new zone). And on top of that, there are some great resources out there that can help you figure out up from down in the world of Azeroth and beyond.

Filed under: WoW Rookie

9 newbie tips for running dungeons without looking like a newbie

by Elizabeth Harper Mar 24th 2013 at 8:00PM

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.

Filed under: WoW Rookie

Chain Pulling 101: Five tips to prevent you from pulling like a pillock

by Olivia Grace Mar 20th 2013 at 5:00PM

Chain pulling is one of those divisive things. It's a really fun way to put some excitement into tanking in content you know very well, to push yourself a bit harder, as well as being fairly key to taking on challenge modes. It's also something which, when done right, can earn you the respect of your peers in the few five-mans we're actually getting in this expansion. It's also, of course, the fastest way to get to that juicy valor reward at the end of the rainbow.

However, it's also a very easy way to annoy people, particularly your healer, if it's not done right. So, in order to maintain the sanity of your group-mates, let's get started with WoW Insiders five tips to stop you chain pulling like a bit of a pillock.

1. Check with your healer

Communication is the key to not pulling like a prat, and while you may be in full raiding epics, your healer might have snuck over the item level requirement with a bag full of BoAs, while wearing questing greens. Or they might have never healed on this character before, or never healed before, or never been in that dungeon before, or never been in a WoW dungeon before. Random matching means you don't know what your team-mates are capable of, and yes, you can inspect them and make assumptions, or you can ask. But an essay is not really needed. Just say that you're going to go fast, and that if it's too much, they should say so. A whisper is probably the best way to do this.

Filed under: Raiding, WoW Rookie

WoW Insider Show

Subscribe via iTunes for our latest show.

Hot Topics

Upcoming Events

Event	Date
Call to Arms: Isle of Conquest	5/14 - 5/16
Call to Arms: Alterac Valley	5/17 - 5/20
Call to Arms: The Battle for Gilneas	5/21 - 5/23
Call to Arms: Warsong Gulch	5/24 - 5/27
Call to Arms: Twin Peaks	5/28 - 5/30
Call to Arms: Strand of the Ancients	5/31 - 6/3
Darkmoon Faire	6/2 - 6/9
Call to Arms: Silvershard Mines	6/4 - 6/6
Call to Arms: Temple of Kotmogu	6/11 - 6/13
Call to Arms: Arathi Basin	6/18 - 6/20
Midsummer Fire Festival	6/21 - 7/5
Call to Arms: Eye of the Storm	6/25 - 6/27