Forum post of the day: No more newbies?
by Amanda Dean 
Aug 29th 2008 at 8:30AM
Malkavius of Korialstrasz posed an interesting question in the General Forums. Is it too late in WoW's life for new players? She told a tale of how a friend got frustrated soon after purchasing the game because of inflation and an inability to find groups. The responses were split.
Vylaria of Ch'gall believes that it's not too late for a rookie to get their start. Gathering skills help to boost the personal pocketbook, and even veteran players that reroll face the same problems with finding a group. Cptobvious of Bonechewer believes that it is easier for folks that have played other MMOs than it is for online gaming virgins.
That poster stated later in the thread that things like dailies and arena grinds would not sound appealing to new players. He said "You may as well have said "Go get another job". If they don't enjoy questing then it will REALLY feel like a job." We've more or less accepted that grinding is part of progress in WoW. Thinking back, video games are mostly about grinding, but MMOs are unique because one's progress can easily be measured against others.
By changing leveling and mounting requirements Blizzard has made an attempt to allow new characters to catch up to existing ones. I think of it like Magic: The Gathering's Type II format. Sure it would be hard to get into Type I or even Extended format play, but the playing field is leveled for new players by only allowing the most recent sets. I've met people who have been playing WoW for years, and are still missing a basic understanding of many of the mechanics.
WoW is not for everyone, and that's alright. The easiest way for a new player to come into the game would be along side a veteran that can show them the ropes and maybe toss them a few gold. Every once in a while we all come across a new player interested in learning more about the game. It is genuinely rewarding to give them a hand, and watch them grow. There are still new players coming in, and they're still welcome.
Do you think new players can break in to WoW?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Tips, Virtual selves, Forums, Forum Post of the Day
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Kieran Aug 29th 2008 8:43AM
I only started a few months ago, and it was fine then even before the lvl30 mounts and R-A-F changes. i've no doubt WotLK will attract some new blood.
Netherscourge Aug 29th 2008 9:00AM
It is a problem with aging MMORPG's - rolling an ALT from scratch was not as bad Pre-BC as it will be in WOTLK - I mean, you're going to be staring down 80 levels...
I thought 60 levels was tough... even with the EXP boost, it's still very daunting.
And trying to find a capable group you can level with through all the old content can be very tough. You'll have to be content with playing solo most of the time while the rest of the world is Raiding or Arena'ing.
WOTLK will be all about Death Knights (who start at 55) and the race from 70 to 80. I don't see many people looking back after WOTLK hits.
Which is why I think WoW's playerbase is pretty much maxed out. Unless they allow people the option to start characters fresh from 55 across the board, what you see is what you got. Not too mention that WAR is going to pull people away who don't Raid or Arena in WoW, because it has become way too elitist for casuals.
I think WoW will peak with WOTLK and slowly level off and decline to other MMO's like WAR unless they do something innovative and drastic to kepe people involved.
gimdolph Aug 29th 2008 12:27PM
As someone who has been playing wow for a year and a half now i know that it is daunting for the rookies the first time they go to a capital city and see capped and twinked players and take a look at the AH and see all the awsome gear and who much it cost, and there like jeez ill never get enough gold for that. So the begging begins. Now totaly understand how they feel, been there, and like most others I busted my arse to get to 70 and payed for eveything i got, wether it was quest rewards or grinding rediculous amounts of gold to buy items from the AH, and did it WITHOUT begging anyone for gold. IMO that takes away a feeling of acomplishment. YES it is a long hard journey to 70, i wont deny that. if you got a freind that brought you in chaces are they will help you quest(if they dont its time to get a new one)and even toss you a few gold. but if you find yourself alone on azeroth tryfinding a guild I'm sure theere are some starter guilds for you rookies on just about every sever. Another bit of advise is to go to very low pop servers chances are it has not beenup that long and not many players are LVL capped and econ. is more suited to those players starting out so thing tend to be cheap. If your will to work hard at it and put in the time to gear your self learn your class by all means go to any server you want. Just remember when you want your mount at 30 and need 35 gold the LVL 70's have 2 levels of riding training totaling 5800 gold. So please for the love of god DO NOT BEGG ME. I have done it my self and it is very rewarding, so dont cheat your self.
Devon Schwab Aug 29th 2008 1:40PM
I find getting on a newer server will always help.
Memzer Aug 29th 2008 8:43AM
The game isn't that hard for anybody that's just starting out. The problem is simply that the multilayer aspect isn't very apparent at low levels these days unless you know somebody in the game. Players have to wait upwards of several hours to get into some instances on our server at level 70, let alone level 15-20. It's problematic for any new player because they're missing valuable experiences both from the ability to play the game and learn its mechanics and just the general feeling of completing for the first time as it was intended.
I'm personally hoping that blizzard revisits the idea of cross-realm instances at some point in the future to address problems like these :)
Bylak Aug 29th 2008 8:44AM
I don't think the problem for new characters is the leveling process, it's the end game that will hurt them. Unless they have friends in-game already or a conection to a guild they're going to have a hard time at 70 getting groups together. Purples rain from the sky in Outland it seems, but only if you can get your foot into the door. Even Kara pugs get picky with someone trying to use the instance for (heaven forbid!) gearing up instead of badges.
With all of this said, I think now is a great time for newbs to start up. Odds are by the time they are 70 Wrath will be out, or very nearly out, wiping the slate clean and giving everyone a fresh start. The difference in gear will dissapear in time and they'll have just as good a shot as anyone else.
Morcego Aug 29th 2008 11:56AM
I agree with you.
I started playing last Feb, and even tho now I belong to a raiding guild, it was hard for me.
Getting to level 70 ? There is no mystery to that. But being a "new" level 70 these days is really not easy.
But eventually I've met new people, got geared up, and now I pretty much fit in.
MechChef Aug 29th 2008 8:45AM
If there were a time, now would be a great time to get started. With the gear reset and the wave of DK's, Outland will be will be full of those guys skittering around. They'll need healers.
JDM Aug 30th 2008 9:54PM
DK's won't need healers. We do just fine 5xDKing instances.
Thorall Aug 29th 2008 8:46AM
If your new but have friends that play, I think you will be alright. If your new and know no one at all in game. Then you will have a very hard time leveling and will probably quit.
Axolotl Aug 29th 2008 8:46AM
New players can come in, but they do best to do that in a carebear environment (less possibilities for ganking).
It's hard enough to try to level through the old content (which by the way still looks good compared to some other games) without having some level 70 of the opposing faction bring down hell on you.
Azri Aug 29th 2008 8:53AM
I think it's possible. Most new people these days have friends that play who can help them through.
One thing that gets my goat, tho, is the inflation. I have the gold to afford expensive things, but why do I need to spend 50g on a mid-level green of the Eagle just because some crappy person is buying up all of them and pricing them at 5 times the regular rate of greens that level?
If I was a new player with no cash looking through the auction house for mid-level Eagle/Monkey/Bear gear, I'd be very disheartened. :(
I think most new player these days just want to level through and play with all the rest of the people in the endgame, anyway. It's just another example of how old-world Azeroth is getting sadly left behind.
heath Aug 29th 2008 8:58AM
i agree with post 5 and post 2. the value of current players to blizz is getting higher and higher as they're the ones who are going to bring in people that will stick around imo.
Fletch Aug 29th 2008 8:56AM
I think getting groups for some of the less popular instances could be quite difficult. To be honest when I was levelling my alts, I just didn't bother with any of the Old World instances - they weren't really worth the time when more xp could be gained faster from quests and the levelling is so quick that loot drops quickly become redundant. As Bylak said, I think the problem isn't really getting to 70 rather it is getting yourself reasonable gear to start heroics. It's probably easier for dps to make the transition to heroics/raiding, but a lot harder for healers and tanks who generally need to be quite well geared before setting foot in a heroic. However, with WotLK around the corner, there is no better time to get to level 70 ready for a fresh start.
Uly Aug 29th 2008 9:03AM
Unless someone is getting the triple xp boost from the recruit a friend promotion, grinding up to 70 for someone new to the mmo grind is a daunting chore. I started playing the game when BC came out and really had to push myself to get through tedious questing up until I could get to Outland. And that was on a new reroll server where everyone had to level up. Eventually I think Bliz is just going to have to let people roll level 58-60 toons or most new players will just roll Death Knights.
Finale Aug 29th 2008 8:58AM
Given the staggering amount of keyboard turning rogues with S2 maces I see in AV as of late I would say that the n00b population is alive and well.
Neil Aug 29th 2008 9:00AM
I just picked up WoW a little over two months ago thanks to some friends who introduced me to the game.
I CAN attest to the fact that questing is a grind, but at the same time, being that I am on a PVP server, the twist of battling the opposing faction at any moment during the daily grind is awfully fun for me. Also, seeing all the enjoyment my friends get out of end-game PVP and PVE content really has me looking forward to the day I ding at 70 (currently on the verge of the Outlands at level 57).
If you pair all that on top of the help my friends have given me (not monetarily, but just advice in general), not to mention the things Blizzard is doing to help players level faster, and I'd have to say that, as long as a newbie comes into the WoW world with a friend to play with and get advice from, the game no longer becomes a daunting task, but just what it's supposed to be... a fun game.
*****
By the way, do you have any spots available for aspiring WoW-newbie writers? I've been writing on my own website(s) and other separate websites for a couple years now - even being fortunate enough to have one of my articles published on a major website, and I was wondering if, by any random chance, there were any spots I could apply/contact you for.
I have some ideas regarding where I'd go with a potential column/space, and if this has piqued your interest at all, please contact me via the email address I have submitted along with this comment.
Thanks!
:)
Barnister Aug 29th 2008 9:00AM
Do you think new players can break in to WoW?
No, they can't! Like new EQ2 players can't break EQ2 nowadays with 80 levels and rising.
Dah Aug 29th 2008 9:01AM
I experienced this to a certain extent when I started playing (about a year ago when BC was released).
Honestly, I think this is partly a result of solo questing being the fastest way to level. Because of this, experienced players leveling alts are more likely to just solo grind most if not all the way to 70, leaving new players that would want to see the instance content and could use the group experience in the dust.
If I were Blizzard I would make the experience gain much more comparable with instancing.
Jinsho Aug 29th 2008 9:05AM
It is perfectly fine and doable on high-population servers.
Inflated economy? Do not be ridiculous. It profits the newbie player as well. He can pick up a stack of Peacebloom and sell it for 1g, or a stack of copper ore for anywhere up to 10g. And that's just the beginning. Greens on AH cost 30g? Well, sell your greens for 25g, get the deal and buy what you want. It is not difficult at all unless you absolutely refuse to deal with the AH.
It is not even remotely necessary nowadays to buy BOE greens to have a good time leveling, not with all the changes that have been made to both classes and old quests. Neither is it necessary to find a group to run RFK with, although such groups are regularly formed still, during prime time.
Just level to 70 and start enjoying the game.