World of Warcraft was released in 2004 and continues to enjoy great popularity. There are actually players who are just now starting in the MMORPG – just like our MeinMMO author Maik Schneider. He will share his experiences of what it’s like to start fresh with WoW in 2021.
World of Warcraft is an absolute phenomenon in the gaming market and remains one of the most popular MMORPGs even after more than 16 years. The Blizzard game is massive, has shaped the genre like no other, and continues to evolve. In November 2020, the major expansion “Shadowlands” was released, introducing new areas, new mechanics, and a lot of fresh air into the game.
Still, it took me ages to start with WoW. Why? Because my thirst for MMORPG experiences had long been quenched by Star Trek Online and Elder Scrolls Online, and after my active phase, I never really felt the urge to start something new. Until now.
I currently play CoD: Warzone regularly and also try out almost every game hit on the side. Rust and Valheim are the most recent examples. But big hits like Monster Hunter World, Fall Guys, or The Division 2 also fall into my category. The main thing is that it’s fun and I can play it with friends!
Why start with WoW now?
The initial impulses came from the MeinMMO editorial team. I was never truly opposed to starting an MMORPG, and WoW expert Benedict Grothaus often jokingly mentioned a potential start in World of Warcraft. I knew, of course, that he was quite serious about it.
When I then took the WoW player and Warzone newbie Patrick Freese into the battle royale, he said: “Now I’ve played Warzone with you for the first time, so you can play WoW with me for the first time.” From that point on, I started to seriously think about it and brought the idea to my private gaming group. The seed was planted.
It took a few weeks. However, the currently weak selection of new games that interest us suddenly brought us back to WoW. And from an offhand comment by a colleague, a troll shaman was born, who is on the best way to endgame.
Day 1 – A good start ends confused and exhausted
I know my way around games, and we have a player in the group who played and was addicted to WoW nearly 10 years ago. So I knew that an MMORPG like WoW doesn’t start with the game launch. In total, we are 5 people, and accordingly, we could establish an optimal class balance: One healer, one tank, and three damage dealers, as I’ve been told. So we had to first decide: Who takes whom, and under which banner do we play – Alliance or Horde?
Since the only former WoW player in our ranks is a staunch supporter of the Horde, this decision was still relatively easy. Almost unanimously, the following team was established:
- Warlock Orc
- Troll Shaman
- Monk Panda
- Undead Priestess
- Pandaren Mage
Still somewhat reserved but somehow convinced, we all started a trial subscription, had fun in the character editor, and landed on the Island of the Banished, the new starting area of Shadowlands. On this island, all players who are starting new with WoW begin their journey. The big questing began, along with my first 13-euro subscription.
What struck me first was how similar the interface is to Star Trek Online. STO came a few years after WoW and apparently borrowed a lot here. Skills are assigned numbers, the controls are quite similar, and behind each button on the bar hides a new mechanic. So far, so good – I can work with that.
The colorful graphics immediately appealed to me, and I also knew that the Warcraft universe doesn’t take itself too seriously. The starting area looked nice and offered a few cool quests, including shrinking experiments and the annihilation of an army with bomb attacks. So visually and atmospherically, things were on point, two big pluses on the WoW account.
But just after the first hour, it became clear that a major beginner dream of ours was bursting. Questing together is really difficult in WoW. On the starter island, we thought, “Okay – it’s not going perfectly, but it’ll be fine.” But at the latest in the first DLC area, we realized: With our limited MMORPG experience, it’s almost impossible to quest efficiently together. After two quest synchronizations, we gave up exhausted. Four players lost in the alleyways of the oldest city in Azeroth – Zuldazar.
Why only four players? Well, another problem for us beginners is the sheer size and complexity of WoW. A quick trip to Orgrimmar via hearthstone and complete confusion while searching for the portal room sent one of us into an unknown area, where you don’t land directly in a portal room. When a portal was finally found, it led to a place from which you couldn’t just leave. There was just one NPC offering a time travel. The cooldown on the hearthstone cost us our first player around midnight.
As we explored the sprawling temple city on our own, we made better progress. However, the first evening of WoW did not go perfectly, and I logged off with mixed feelings. The tedious questing in the city was not fun, and I was still not convinced by the combat. However, the motivation was still there, and by the end of the next session, things should look very different.
Day 2 – Quests, Addons, and the Feeling of Strength
For the second day, we didn’t set a fixed time, but gradually everyone showed up on Discord. We started questing diligently, and finally one of the main quests led us out of the city. From here on, it was uphill.
The tasks in the city were really tedious, and the visuals of the surroundings were too monotonous. Outside, everything was much more colorful, and the quests were more engaging – here I felt real progress for the first time, could deeply immerse myself in the questing, and listen to the stories of the countless NPCs.
New skills and equipment also brought a sense of strength into the game, which increased with each level. I slowly began to understand what my shaman wanted from me and which buttons I needed to press – and when.
During our second session, the first addons also came into play. As a beginner, you should definitely inform yourself early on to enhance your gaming experience. For me, it was particularly important to organize my skill bar more easily, and a “Bartender” now helps me with that.
The enjoyable questing of the second day, the improved usability through the addons, and the emerging feeling of strength gave me the kick I needed. Now I feel WoW and am ready to invest many hours into it.
The session ended with the completion of our first dungeon outside the starter island and the distribution of crafting professions. Skinning and leatherworking invite further grinding, and I’m happy to participate. I also took a look at fishing. I loved it in Elder Scrolls Online, and it works really well in WoW too.
Day 3 – The Beautiful World Teaches Lessons the Hard Way
The beginning of the third day clearly showed us what level we were actually on. Namely, the total noob level. I read many of the in-game instructions and tried to keep up somehow. But still, small but significant mechanics remained unclear on the first and second glance:
- What’s with all the crafting recipes?
- How does it work with the various areas of the Alliance and Horde?
- Why am I suddenly in an area with open PvP?
- Why can’t I fly everywhere, and how do I unlock that?
One of our group members wanted to secure access to a recommended farming spot in the Eastern Kingdoms right away. I accepted the invitation to the long march, as it gave me the chance to see a bit more of the World of Warcraft.
And it turned out to be a really long march. We weren’t yet level 30 and had to walk through the areas accordingly. However, I found the journey quite pleasant, as there were many different environments to discover in this continent, and I got a good impression of what makes WoW and its world so vibrant. Because much tells a story that can already be guessed at first glance. And if you want, you can learn more about it with quests.
For example, a tainted death trail stretches south of Silvermoon through the Shadowlands, telling the story of the Blood Elves’ struggle against the undead of the Scourge. Further south, the neighboring Plaguelands hint at even older stories. And this weaves through the entire area. The Eastern Kingdoms are full of hints about exciting stories, and you immediately feel a bit like part of the narrative.
However, the matter with the farming spots and crafting professions in general is hard for a beginner to grasp. The journey was cool, but the farming spot isn’t profitable for us. It is located right in the Alliance territory, and even with the flight stations, it takes ages to reach it.
Then recipes and the progress in professions belong to specific WoW expansions. We googled a lot, read guides on the professions, and spent quite a bit of gold for it. Now we realize – in the end, we will hardly benefit from it. Especially since the newest expansion “Shadowlands” brings new items into play.
As for flying, we were excited about the ability, purchased the training and a corresponding flying mount, only to then find out in Zandalar that you can’t fly here yet. A lot of gold and playtime went into skills and mechanics that at this point gave us nothing. We learned that the hard way.
However, I must say that I hardly regret any of it. Because at no point did it become boring or feel like I wasn’t making progress. Since the start of the second day, I felt entertained and wanted… more!
This is how the WoW career continues
After about a week, we are almost all at level 50, have seen quite a bit of the “old” WoW, and are starting this week with “Shadowlands”. I am very excited to see what the latest expansion brings us and how it feels to work in WoW with up-to-date guides.
Because a major problem when playing Retail WoW without the current expansion are guides with outdated information. Instead of quickly finding the latest Shadowlands guides, you end up on articles that misdescribe mechanics. With each expansion, systems are revised, new things are added, and old ones disappear.
That has indeed been one of the biggest hurdles for us beginners who wanted to see if WoW deserves a place in their lives. But so far, it looks quite good.
Do you have any tips for me and my noob crew on what we should check out in the “old” World of Warcraft? Maybe you have some interesting or funny stories from your first days to share? Feel free to tell us in the comments.
