World of Warcraft has been captivating players of all ages since 2004. Even MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß was absolutely hyped. But just as she got started with WoW, she quit right away.
As the daughter of an IT guy, I grew up with PCs. My first steps in video games were on Windows 98 with titles like Railroad Tycoon 2 and Age of Empires. I also vaguely remember a car chase or two in GTA: Vice City.
I didn’t really get in touch with big games—those that required more than Game Boy hardware—until I was a teenager. My best friend had a Wii with the latest The Legend of Zelda and a gaming laptop.
And on that laptop ran World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King—THE game everyone was talking about. The game everyone wanted to play. The one I, unfortunately, couldn’t play at home.
Of course, we sat down together and I got to give it a try. Though… not as successfully as I had hoped.
Sneaking in some time with the “evil” subscription game
Just to clarify upfront: I couldn’t play WoW at home because I wasn’t allowed to install it on our family PC. Plus, I couldn’t afford the subscription with my pocket money.
My best friend, however, had the sub and her own laptop. And my parents didn’t need to know that we were playing WoW.
So, after school, we sat down together, and I got to create my very first MMORPG character: a Blood Elf named Chiannachan.
I don’t even remember the exact class anymore. I just know I could cast spells.
This week, exciting articles about MMORPGs await you every day. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Here’s the program for the great MMORPG theme week 2025 by MeinMMO
With my best friend as my guide, I set out on the adventure. My first lesson? Kill monsters, gain experience, and complete those essential quests. All the usual stuff you do in an MMORPG. Honestly, it was my very first one.
Back then, I was already a huge fan of good stories and devoured books like crazy. But if I had read every single word of those endless quest logs, I might never have made it out of the Blood Elf starting zone. So my friend gave me the context instead. I think she did a good job—though, as an Undead player, Blood Elf lore wasn’t exactly her specialty.
That Undead player, by the way, was already a huge Sylvanas fan back then—she had gotten into Warcraft through Warcraft 3. I wanted to know who this cool elf was. So, we quested in a way that would let us visit her as soon as possible.
That was the most important to-do on our list. After that, we actually just wanted to continue playing, lounging, and exploring.
I actually had a lot of fun: the world was beautiful, my character great, and my best friend showed me with gusto her favorite game. It was also somehow wild to think that behind every other character running through the Immersangwald was another player.
We had already started to think about how I could somehow get my own account and play. But.
Taking a wrong left turn and not coming back
At around level 15 to 20 (I don’t remember exactly), I explored the Ghostlands south of my starting area. That was also an absolutely gorgeous area with the bluish light and forest feel. Only at night.
But we didn’t spend much time there; it was already late afternoon. Instead, I continued to wander with my character, probably south, to a portal.
The third area I entered was a vast desert with red sand and rocks. I thought nothing of it, and my best friend had no concerns either. At least none that she voiced out loud.
I wandered with my pretty blood elf across this desert.
Until I met another player who simply smashed my character. Just like that. Without talking to me or interacting. Just bam, boom – dead.
We were, to put it mildly, shocked. I more than my friend.
But okay, here we go. Reviving the character.
To do this, I had to physically walk with my elf’s spirit to her body. That went pretty well. But as soon as I revived her, another player came along and knocked me down again.
That happened three or four times. I think it was always the same opposing player. Eventually, I just lost interest.
No patience for spawn campers
Today I know that I had entered the Eastern Plaguelands and thus an area for high-level heroes. But back then, the area and the guy just ruined the fun for me. And this was how my first excursion into MMORPGs ended, and actually in WoW to this day.
Sure, I visited my best friend a few more times after that. I love dragons, so I definitely had to see Deathwing in action. But I never started playing WoW myself.
In my later teenage years, I had other things on my mind and mainly a work laptop for my studies, not one specifically for gaming. I also thought that the most exciting story times were already over. I wanted more about Arthas and Sylvanas. But I wanted to play the story, not read it in big text boxes.
It was only with my start into professional life that I could be excited about an MMORPG again: Final Fantasy XIV. You still have to read a lot, especially at the beginning, but the boxes are smaller bites compared to the monster boxes in WoW.
Actually, I have been wondering for some time now whether it would be worthwhile to test WoW again. Now the subscription is no problem for me, and I decide what gets installed on my PC myself. And I would stay away from the Eastern Plaguelands for now.
I would really appreciate a few tips for newcomers to WoW. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments. And should I manage to get back to Azeroth, you’ll read about it here at MeinMMO. But for now, enjoy the Grind Festival! You can read more about it here: Welcome to the Grind Festival! The program for the great MMORPG-themed week 2025 by MeinMMO
