Breakfast topic: Getting started in WoW
by Amanda Dean 
Feb 25th 2008 at 8:00AM
Before I started playing World of Warcraft, I hadn't played any other MMORPGS. As a matter of fact, I didn't even play video games regularly at all. I was always fascinated by hearing horror stories about the crazy things people did while playing Everquest. But I was also amazed by achievements and the vastness of the settings.
I've been playing WoW for about two years now. My boyfriend suggested I try it. I was hesitant to begin my adventures in Azeroth. I was afraid that buying the game would be a waste of money. I dragged my feet as I walked into the game store and grimaced a bit as the clerk swiped my debit card. I was dreadful at navigating in video games and was overwhelmed by the amount game knowledge it took to be successful. It took me about ten months to get my first level 60 character. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first started playing. I really wish I had discovered WoW Rookie sooner. In the end, I discovered that WoW is awesome. I love being part of the community.
I soon found that it was definitely not a waste of money. Although I've taken some time off here and there, I just can't imagine a world without World of Warcraft. Although it means little in the outside world, I'm very proud to have mastered many aspects of the game. My proudest accomplishment was multiboxing two characters to level 70. I've been a gamer from the time I could count spots on cards. I still play table-top RPGs. WoW is the perfect addition to my repertoire.
What did you play previously and what brought you to WoW?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bloodthorn Feb 25th 2008 9:46AM
in business school I was warned about ever starting any mmorpg, cos it would suck out your time, so I stayed away from it all :p
then when I moved back near my drunken brother, he slowly got me to play a bit, and with an alarming speed I was hooked.
have played computer games since before I understood the english on my C64 almost 20 years ago now, and enjoyed both LARP and tabletop rpg, warhammer etc, anything fun really :)
Cal Feb 25th 2008 8:20AM
I've been a gamer since I was born. I've only recently started WoW, though. I got into it thanks to a Dutch friend, and I haven't really looked back. At first I was what you'd call addicted (60 hours a week), but I don't play it too often now. Which is a pain since I really want to get at least one toon to 70 before WotLK.
damoronsonline Feb 25th 2008 8:28AM
What is the Word of Warcraft?
Percinho Feb 25th 2008 8:50AM
Damor, I think that's an even better breakfast topic. I'll start with 'nerf'.
Combatc87 Feb 25th 2008 8:38AM
I had always been one to constantly switch games. I loved to play a little of everything, but most first person shooters. Half-Life and a variety of mods took up most of my hard drive. I was part of the WoW beta, and while it seemed cool, it was just very buggy and overcrowded, and nothing really jumped out at me as being that amazing.
I started playing Guild Wars instead, with a lot of my friends. Eventually they stopped playing to play WoW, so I took one of their trial accounts. I was diggin' the game, but wasn't sold. My friend tried to send me some bags and money to help get me started, at which point I found out that a trial account can't receive mail or get past level 20, so I promptly went out and bought the game. Almost 3 70's and almost 2 years later, and I still can't get enough.
Lanth Feb 25th 2008 8:43AM
Was playing Runescape. Most of my friends had moved from it to WoW. At the start of my two week school holidays, for some reason I realised that I was wasting my time with Runescape. I figured I'd get pretty bored, so I went out and bought WoW the next day, never looked back.
Shelby Feb 25th 2008 8:57AM
I played Ultima Online for 5 years straight, that was my first major MMORPG. I picked up WoW late in the game after a couple year break from MMO's but this will probably be another one of those 5-year games for me.
Pausanius Feb 25th 2008 9:05AM
Only other MMORPG I played prior to was "The Realm Online", originally created by Sierra back in the mid 90s... no one else seems to have played it though :)
Blaidwynn Feb 25th 2008 9:21AM
I applied for the beta test for WoW way back in the day, but I was fairly seriously playing Anarchy Online at the time, a game I still love (though it is horribly outdated now). I installed the client, and registered my account and made an orc hunter. Goofed around for a few minutes but then put it down, determined to get my AO trader to at 150 by the time hell froze over and I decided that I would play around on the beta when I couldn't find an AO group. One night, after spamming Ely Beach for an hour and getting nadda for a team, I popped back onto the beta (Gogo Funky Test 11, the grooviest server of them all) and actually played through the newb garden. All in all I was having fun, but it seemed like there was a huge thing missing... then I hit level 10 and got a pet. From that point on I was hooked.
I currently have three 70's (and three more almost 70), though no max level hunter yet. What WoW lacks in the sheer amount of options games like AO has (nanos, amirite?) it makes up for in fluid gameplay, a quest system that isn't just talking to a mission node, and frequent updates that target end game play. It's fun, and I can't put it down still.
I still miss Test 11 though. RIP.
Nic Feb 25th 2008 9:34AM
I played D2LoD, then played WC and the expansion and i loved them, having been a fan of the old warcrafts. Then, one of my friends bought the game and allowed me to use the trial. After that day, i couldn't stop playing it :)
Milktub Feb 25th 2008 9:35AM
I really hadn't planned on liking WoW at all. My gamer background involved a lot of M:tG in high school and a brief flirtation with DnD. I was a big fan of the turn-based RPG video games (e.g. Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy), and turn-based simulations like Master of Orion and CIV.
But I had a couple friends who played, and thought I'd like it. I watched once. Seemed really, really boring. Gather stuff, go back to town, kill things by pressing buttons ... yawn.
A year and a half ago I found myself downsized out of a job, and to stave off the boredom in between job hunts I downloaded the trial. I like it.
alienatheart Feb 25th 2008 9:42AM
i played ragnarok for about 6 months and then moved onto WoW
Super Guest Man 9000 Feb 25th 2008 9:51AM
I'd been gaming most of my life. A buddy of mine turned me on to FFXI. I played that for several months before the same friend talked me into trying WoW when it released. I havn't looked back.
Scrooge Feb 25th 2008 10:20AM
I started playing WoW, because my little bro' (who lives in New Zealand) thought it would be a fun way for us to stay in touch and hang out with an ocean in between us. Needless to say, we've both hundreds of hours exploring Azeroth. My first character was a gnome mage. I liked him quite a bit, but just couldn't take not having plate or mail armor. So, I started a paladin thinking it would be great to dps some and heal. I love my pally, but I'm starting to find a special place in my heart for my 19 twink hunter. So much so, that I may have to level him to 70 before Lich King
MA Feb 25th 2008 10:29AM
WoW is the first and only game I've ever played regularly and enjoyed thoroughly. I'm not entirely sold on playing more games, but occasionally, my seven year old allows me to play Wii Bowling or LEGO Star Wars.
Djinn Feb 25th 2008 10:35AM
Much like 14 said, I began the game with a Human Warlock and at level 35 or so just hit a wall. I didn't like playing her and was just about to delete her, but then figured that at minimum I could use her to craft bags for my new alts. I hated being so squishy.
I also took up the path of the Paladin and rolled a dwarf pally who I also hit a wall with at 35. I just couldn't get into that character. I decided that I didn't have enough time invested in him so I rolled a new Human Pally. I loved playing her as the bonus to maces and spirt were very noticeable to me, not to mention that dwarves as paladins didn't fit lorewise for me.
My pally is nearing the level cap rapidly and I have since taken up my warlock again as well and she sits at 52. My only goal ingame right now is to see both of them get to 70 before wrath.
Hazerduz Feb 25th 2008 11:24AM
I tried to play everquest several times, but due to an inferior computer it never seemed to work too long. After 3 months of a friend of mine bugging me to play, I invested some money into some better parts for my computer, and I know have more played time than him. Over 170 days played with 5 70's of different classes, and I still have yet to become bored with the game, I just get bored playing the same character |-)
schwonga Feb 25th 2008 11:26AM
I was very nervous when I bought the game for the first time for multiple reasons:
would I become just another addict? my mom is still scared scared about that, but the month sabbaticals I took over the course of a year and a half of playing has taken some of the edge off.
Will my lil laptop be able to handle such a freaken big game? Lowest settings and never going to shat during peak hours, barely, but I get by.
And most importantly, how the ***** am I going to afford to play it month after month? Birthdays, Christmas and random odd jobs have done the trick for now.
It was a very good decision, since I have no other games at my disposal at college minuse the occasional SSBM marathon with friends, WoW has gotten to be my most played game very quickly.
Also, a game played with real people is always better.
Lobstar Feb 25th 2008 12:02PM
I've been a big time video game players since I was about 5 or so. At about the age of 12 or 13 I started getting into computer games with multiplayer aspects. Before long I was playing MMO games that I found for free online, I had heard of Everquest and I really though spending money on an online game was ridiculous, especially with all the free ones out there. Needless to say I got burnt out quickly and discovered I hated the Grinding...a few years later and countless random games later I Downloaded the Star wars MMO 14 day trial and liked alot of it (despite the horrible innacuracies, lack of easy to understand controls or quests, and severely poor server quality) So I figured any game you had to pay to play may actually be good. The next August I downloaded the WoW trial, after ten days I went out and bought a retail copy. I've been playing for about six months now and I just dinged 70.
Malyfactian Feb 25th 2008 2:13PM
Gaming has been one of my primary hobbies continuously since I was a kid banging around on the Atari 2600 in the early 80s. RPGs became my favorite genre with the advent of the simple console games like Zelda, Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy on the NES. I bought my first PC in 1996, bought Diablo in 1997 and was introduced to the world of PC gaming.
Oddly enough I was never all that interested in WoW, probably because I suck out loud at real-time strategy and therefore had played just a little bit of Warcraft II prior to WoW's release. Over the past few years, a friend and co-worker had tried to get me to play Everquest (which he'd played hardcore for several hours a night since its inception). While MMOs in general held some appeal, I didn't like the idea of devoting 6-7 hours per night to raiding. Besides, I was still enjoying single player RPGs like Oblivion.
Then last summer, my friend tried the WoW trial version on a whim. He never, ever logged onto EQ again (after putting over 500 days of playtime into the game). I tried it a week after he did, and have barely played anything else since.