Breakfast Topic: How did you start WoW?
by Adam Holisky 
Dec 20th 2009 at 8:00AM
Time has passed in this game. People have histories, both personal with each other and in-game with their characters. These histories can be very telling not only about the individual, but about the progression of the game itself. For instance, my first character started out in Northshire in Elwynn Forest killing all the wolves he could get his warrior hands on. Now he's rampaging through the dungeon finder Titan's Gripping everything in existence.
But perhaps more interesting, at least to me, was how I got started in WoW in the first place. I originally began in 2004 by being very excited about EverQuest II, and only picked up WoW as something to try that was a little different. At the time I wasn't very happy with the cartoon like characters of WoW compared to EQII, and I didn't think the gameplay would be as hard core as EQII would be.
How wrong I was.
On that day in November 2004 when I picked up both WoW and EQII I had no idea that in the next five years my interest would shift entirely, and that so much of my time would be taken up by talking about everything Warcraft.
How did you get started in WoW? Are you where you thought you'd be when you first picked up the game?
But perhaps more interesting, at least to me, was how I got started in WoW in the first place. I originally began in 2004 by being very excited about EverQuest II, and only picked up WoW as something to try that was a little different. At the time I wasn't very happy with the cartoon like characters of WoW compared to EQII, and I didn't think the gameplay would be as hard core as EQII would be.
How wrong I was.
On that day in November 2004 when I picked up both WoW and EQII I had no idea that in the next five years my interest would shift entirely, and that so much of my time would be taken up by talking about everything Warcraft.
How did you get started in WoW? Are you where you thought you'd be when you first picked up the game?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 11)
retrostills Dec 20th 2009 8:05AM
A girl friend of mine actually recommended it to me November of last year. She told me to roll a priest and go shadow because "shadow was absolutely badass," so I had to try it out. Needless to say I was asking her for advice over every possible thing: how to attack, how to make mana rejuv faster ("drink something, idiot"), and how to join my first guild.
It's only been a little over a year since I've started playing, but taking down Algalon in 25 was probably the coolest thing I've ever done in a videogame. WoW is amazing. Gotta love it.
Knob Dec 20th 2009 8:17AM
My only previous "MMO" to WoW was Guild Wars. Having always been skeptical of a persistent-world game that would never "end," I picked up GW because it was a subscription-free game. After I started playing it though, I was fascinated by it and wondered how an entire game world that didn't have loading screens for every zone would be.
I then came across WoW but I did loads of research on it before plonking down my cash for it. I went through the lore on the homepage, the classes, the races, the server rulesets, and all that jazz and was very much impressed by the depth of it all. Here was a company that actually loved the franchise and the game and didn't want to put out an MMO just because everyone else was doing so (not that there were loads of MMOs in those days, but you can easily see that most of the companies these days just want to put out something because "that other company is doing it".)
I have to say I never regretted the purchase. That's not to say I wasn't a noob when I started out. Looking through my old screenshots I remember the first time I went through the zones and marveled at them.
As to whether I thought I'd be where I am now when I started, hell no. I had no idea that the rich universe and lore would draw me in as much as it has. Almost everything just "clicks" into place and I'm glad that I have gotten to experience it and hope to do so till Blizzard pulls the plug on the game.
julian Dec 20th 2009 10:15AM
I have almost the exact experience as you, Knob. I tried out GW because I was afraid of the monthly fee of other MMOs. Then, a friend of mine left GW for WoW and eventually gave me an invite to try it out. Years later, I'm still sticking with WoW, although I do visit my old guild in GW from time to time.
Austin Dec 20th 2009 11:00AM
South park episode got me into it.
Sky Dec 20th 2009 11:57AM
you are not alone Austin. South Park episode got me into it too. I think the South Park episode got a lot of people into wow. I was disappointed though when I bought the game and found out you can't roll a human hunter
Panduh Dec 20th 2009 12:50PM
I used to play Hello Kitty Island Adventure before wow...
Alanid Dec 20th 2009 2:08PM
I started with Warcraft 3, and then got WoW as soon as it was released in the UK.
vinniedcleaner Dec 20th 2009 9:24PM
I almost started right when WoW was released because I thought the previous Warcraft games were humorous, (I still quote the orc peon saying "My tummy feels funny") but couldn't justify the $15/month fee. I started playing after a friend threatened to do me an injury if I didn't... and now I'm an altaholic (/ty Lauren Monster)
Pandalicious Dec 21st 2009 10:21AM
Three letters: NGE. Star Wars Galaxies was a pretty solid game, but the devs decided they needed to completely change everything and offer us a "new gaming experience" (or some crap like that). What they did was nerf about a million things into the ground. Within a month, the game was a ghost of its former self. Thousands of us streamed to WoW and, with only a few experiences, never looked back. (Damn you, John Smedley).
Omner Dec 21st 2009 11:32AM
@ Retrostills
A girl got you into the game, lucky man.
I had once told my wife to NEVER let me buy WoW; I have an addictive personality and just saw it drawing me in very quickly. A friend gave me a copy of the game and the rest is history, I now have multiple account and needless to say an angry ex-wife.
WoW ruins relationships and lives! But I freaking love it!
Azizrael Dec 20th 2009 8:07AM
A friend of mine had played for about a year before I started. After trying Star Wars Galaxies and hating it I swore I'd never play another MMO. Then the South Park episode happened and a few other friends started up, so I joined in.
Now I have 3 80s and everyone else I used to play with is long gone from the game.
BNlasd Dec 31st 2009 3:42PM
^^ This.
I had a friend who had been playing since launch and would not stop talking about it, and after getting FOUR of my friends into it, I decided to take his advice and try the free trial.
That was Xmas 2006.
I was completely amazed at the scope of the game, the thought that there were hundreds of locales to explore and yet I was running around as a weak, low-level warlock.
I remember hitting level 10 and accepting my VW quest, and thinking: "A new pet? Awesome, now I won't feel as intimidated by all the level 60 players with the big demon things and armour."
I completed the quest and felt for the 1st time in a game I had achevied a worthwile milestone.
I had actually grown in power by a recognisable amount.
Yeah, this was DEFINITELY the game for me.
Now, as I write this, I have 2 80 Dk's (My 1st capped characters, I had the alt-itus throughout BC) and am working to finally get up into the big-leagues with the progression raiders.
Oh, there were dark times.
I quit a month ago to try aion.
After researching and trying it, It really made me appreciate how good a game WoW is.
And, while all my friends who once played have left the game (apart from the original friend who got me into the game, I now know he is actually really bad at the game :D) I carry on, fearlessly fighting off the Lich king and looking forward to vanquishing Deathwing/Azhara/Norzdormu and whatever the future holds.
kadield Dec 20th 2009 10:57AM
LOL!
I thought I was the only person that started playing after watching the South Park episode :D
matt_jesse Dec 20th 2009 12:39PM
me too :D
D tothe Y Dec 20th 2009 12:49PM
I too started after southpark! i thought the headset play was awsome, told my friend to fork the cash and we started playing, 2 years later my gf has her first 80, but my friend drifted away from the game.
drewberculosis Dec 20th 2009 8:09AM
A couple of my good friends were playing it, so I checked out the free trial. At first I thought it was kinda boring, and I couldn't understand anything that people were talking about (LFM, WTS, etc....I had no idea what that stuff meant and I was bewildered everytime I was in a city). But it gradually grew on me so I bought the game, thinking I'd try it out for at least a couple months. Almost 2 years later, I'm still playing with my friends and now my brothers as well.
volant Dec 20th 2009 8:10AM
I had friends that played it a lot, and listening to them arguing whether warrior or hunter was the best class never really got old, since they were pretty creative.
But I was never going to start playing WoW. For one, I didn't have a job, so I couldn't really pay for it, and second, MMOs were stupid and addictive.
In the end a friend of mine managed to get me to buy WoW and BC (right after the BC launch). He quit playing a week later. I never even saw him in-game.
Right now I'm in a casual "do PuGs, get badges, buy gear"-mode, which suits me pretty well, but when I started playing, I had no idea what to expect from the future. I barely knew the Warcraft universe. It ended up being a nice experience, still going strong.
Adam Dec 20th 2009 8:10AM
Friend got me into it in early 2005. Within a week or two I surpassed him in level, he got upset about it and quit. I in turn got one of our other mutual friends into it, who then got so addicted his girlfriend of 5 years left him. I thought gee, that sucks... and later on I got another friend into the game who ended up getting divorced and becoming estranged with his child over the damn game, so yeah I basically stopped getting friends into the game from then on for fear or ruining their lives. It's hard to tell who will have an addictive personality with this sort of thing.
Whoah Dec 20th 2009 9:27AM
Whoah. You, like, destroyed 2 people's lives getting them to play WoW! 0.o Maybe I should get my annoying in-laws to play WoW too ^^.
kooda Dec 20th 2009 12:20PM
o.o dang you screwed up :| , i got into wow via the 1 month trial that my friend gave me then just carried on from there i still dont raid for lack of time though so thats my only disappointment :(