WoW: Forever offers a great way to either step into the world of Warcraft for the first time or to return. MeinMMO points out potential pitfalls that could sabotage your gaming enjoyment.
What is this article about?
Are you new to World of Warcraft or are you returning to Classic WoW after many years with Forever? Then you’ll find here in the guide potential pitfalls and mistakes you should avoid when starting your adventure in Azeroth. We focus entirely on the first hours of gameplay. You can also find basic tips and tricks in our beginner’s guide to WoW: Forever.
Through our table of contents, you can jump to the topics that are most exciting for you:
Do not choose the wrong server!
Right after starting WoW: Forever, you will face perhaps the most important choice: On which server or with what rules do you want to play? Normal, PvP, Roleplay, or Roleplay-PvP? Our tip for all beginners without a social environment directing the decision: Choose “Normal”!
With the PvP ruleset, there are no safe zones; you can be attacked anytime and anywhere. This can be very frustrating. On roleplay servers, however, there are special behavioral rules that you should know and adhere to if you do not want to clash with the local RP community. If you simply want to play quietly and get to know WoW, choose “Normal”. More on this here:
Also: You can only choose a server once per character. Switching later is not possible.
Do not choose class and race for the wrong reasons!
The second important choice comes up right in the next step: Which class, which faction, and which race should it be? You can approach character creation very optimally and choose a class-race combination that was already very strong in Classic or that is highly rated in the first tier lists for Forever.
With the new version of World of Warcraft, however, the cards are reshuffled. Blizzard has revamped and significantly changed all classes. Many assessments from the beta are also outdated due to comprehensive changes made to all play styles in the meantime. Regular balancing adjustments by Blizzard will also continue in the future.
We therefore recommend: Build a character that you are excited about and that visually appeals to you. Ideally, you will spend years with your alter ego. But consider in advance what roles you enjoy in … well … role-playing games.
- Do you enjoy being the tank? Then warriors, paladins, or druids could be the right choice for you.
- Do you like healing your allied comrades? Paladins, shamans, druids, or priests can do that!
- Should it be an offensive melee fighter? Rogues, warriors, druids, or shamans are suitable.
- A physical ranged attacker? Then it has to be the hunter.
- Do you like to fight from a distance with spells? In addition to mages and warlocks, priests, shamans, and druids can also do that.
- Do you enjoy being helped by a companion? Hunters and warlocks rely on wild animals or demons in combat.
If in doubt, take your time and simply try out different options. A summary of the strengths and weaknesses of all classes and recommendations for choosing races can be found here if needed:
Temper your expectations for the start of WoW: Forever
Even though Blizzard conducted a long beta, a stress test, and a naming reservation and character creation phase before launch, this does not mean that everything will run smoothly at launch at midnight. On the contrary: We expect overwhelmed servers, queues, and disconnections.
However, even in the following days, the start phase can be frustrating. On one hand, because Blizzard is often the victim of DDoS attacks during such launch phases. On the other hand, all WoW fans will rush to just a few starting areas.
Although Blizzard can flexibly distribute the community through phasing to multiple versions of the game world, there will still be strong competition for items and enemies needed for quests. Resources like flowers or ores are also likely to be picked up quickly.
This does not mean that you should not play. On the contrary! Such a startup phase is a unique experience. It is simply wonderful and fascinating to embark on a new online world like Azeroth together with countless like-minded individuals, deciphering it for the first time.
Just adjust your expectations if you currently anticipate a smooth experience. And do not feel pressured to reach level 60 quickly. WoW: Forever is a marathon, not a sprint. Take the time you need and enjoy the leveling phase. It is an important part of the classic WoW experience.
Do not spend your silver and gold recklessly!
The copper, silver, and gold you earn through quests and killing monsters in WoW: Forever is an extremely important, limited resource that you must use wisely. In classic WoW, almost everything costs money. You need gold for
- learning new skills and upgrades from the class trainer
- the normal riding skill and the first mount at level 40, as well as the epic mount and faster riding starting at level 60
- repairs
- mail delivery
- auction house sale fees
- respeccing your talents
- learning professions and new recipes
- purchases from NPCs or the auction house
Your income is limited, especially while leveling. Our recommendation: Think carefully about what you spend silver and gold on! The highest priorities are:
- the riding skill and the first mount (for this, you need to collect about 100 gold by level 40) – without a mount, you will face very long travel times, Azeroth is huge and quests are widely distributed, the first mount significantly improves the leveling experience
- all skills of your class that you need for leveling (definitely learn everything that deals damage, heals, controls enemies, or increases your mobility)
- repair your equipment whenever you’re near a settlement – a broken weapon does no damage, and destroyed armor no longer protects you
- learn your desired professions and all recipes for crafting items that you can use yourself or that can be leveled with relatively low resource use
If you spend money in-game elsewhere, do it for the purchase of some bags (a larger inventory significantly eases leveling) and a first weapon upgrade – the starting weapon is often pretty useless. You should quickly meet vendors who can provide you with 6-slot bags and a better weapon.
Warning: There are quest lines that provide you with bags; you can also get bags from defeated enemies if you’re lucky. So do not buy bags for every available slot immediately, but first just one or two. That will already help. All other purchases can wait. More about this in our gold guide for Forever:
For more on WoW Forever, check out the YouTube channel of MeinMMO – feel free to stop by:
Do not play WoW: Forever like modern MMORPGs
WoW: Forever offers a classic MMO experience and plays quite differently than modern action online RPGs, where you smoothly slay through hordes of enemies solo. With the arsenal of skills available to you at the beginning of Forever, you can safely engage an opponent at your level. However, two monsters at once are already dangerous, and three are likely lethal.
So, play attentively and think about which enemy to attack when and where. Watch out for patrolling foes or respawning monsters that someone defeated a little while ago and are now reappearing. It is not a shame to retreat in a critical situation until the enemies leave you, then regenerate and try again.
Many quests in WoW: Forever can be significantly easier if you team up with other players. And no, this does not only apply to group and elite challenges. Even normal kill quests are completed faster if several comrades tackle the objectives. This also minimizes regeneration phases and allows you to cover each other’s backs.
Plus: WoW quests do not bother you with fully voiced dialogues or in-game cutscenes. WoW: Forever is the perfect online role-playing game to sit together in Discord or TeamSpeak while playing and chat about everything. This makes even the long travel times or some tedious quests much less of a hassle.
If you follow our recommendations, your start in WoW: Forever should be frustration-free and fun. If you are looking for further assistance based on this, such as for recommended add-ons or tips for the leveling phase, check out our extensive overview: All guides for WoW Forever
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