Breakfast Topic: How did you create your first character?
by Jason Christ 
Dec 8th 2011 at 8:00AM
When a buddy asked me to consider coming back to Warcraft after a failed attempt shortly after the original release, I reluctantly decided to create a new account. When he asked me what faction and class I wanted to play, I settled on an Alliance paladin after researching classes online. I wasn't entirely sure what exactly a tank, healer and DPS meant in practice, but the paladin could do all three, so that's what I'd be. Plus, they sounded like defenders of all that was right and true.
It turns out, that was the easy part of creating my character. Next, I spent time agonizing over the name. I'd look for ones I liked from the randomly generated suggestions. Then I'd try combining elements of one name with another. I tried using simple words from foreign languages. Finally, I found the perfect name that would define my character for life, a Greek word representing one of the core values of a paladin: Truth.
Having picked a class and name, it was finally time to tinker with the races that could be paladins and see which ones fit the new name. After probably about 100 permutations across classes, from random appearances to manually matching features, I settled on a human, and my journey began.
How did you create your first character? Did someone recommend a class for you? Did the flavor text on the creation screen influence you? Or have you always known what you'd be?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Narayana Dec 8th 2011 8:13AM
I read through the book that came with the game and found the class description for the Mage to be most appealing. Not surprising given that I've always tended to choose cloth casters (I played a FOnewmn on PSO).
Naming was an interesting act of iteration. As a troll, I wanted to find something that sounded badass. Starting with the name Morgoth as my inspiration ( the big bad from LotR) I hemmed and hawed over how I could make a neat sounding name that wasn't too derivative. I finally ended up choosing Gimorth.
Noyou Dec 8th 2011 8:41AM
I thought I was the only one that read that book :p
anuillae Dec 8th 2011 8:54AM
@Noyou
Nope, definitely not the only person to have read Lord of the Rings. That would be surprising.
And Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth and the Silmarillion were a lot more popular than you would think.
Tbah Dec 8th 2011 9:30AM
@anu
Perhaps Noyou meant "the book that came with the game", as Naray wrote.
Narayana Dec 8th 2011 9:39AM
I was thinking he just meant the Silmarillion. I don't think Morgoth is actually named in LotR aside from naming the Balrog of Morgoth.
Mike Dec 8th 2011 9:54AM
I'm guessing he means the book that came with the game, not LotR.
Deathknighty Dec 8th 2011 1:47PM
My naming system (been outmoded as I got better at making names, but still...):
Step 1: Take class name
Step 2: Add "-y"
Step 3: ???
Step 4: PROFIT
Eberron Dec 8th 2011 8:10AM
I picked my favourite D&D setting: Eberron.
Edymnion Dec 8th 2011 11:00AM
Ah Eberron, was a great setting back before they ruined it and the game in general with 4e.
Magicslime Dec 8th 2011 5:23PM
I should try that:
"Don't worry guys, we just got a tank! His name is....ForgottenRealms?"
Revnah Dec 8th 2011 8:10AM
I'd read a summary of what the classes are like and created a nelf druid. I wanted her to have dark brown hair like the one in the Classic WoW cinematic but that wasn't possible, so I selected dark blue. Face paint followed, customisation such as it is... And then, like you, I got stuck on the name. Everything good seemed to be taken! I ended up with something from an Irish song, the Minstrel Boys's wild harp, and there she was: Wildharp.
It was a long time ago, and I don't play that druid anymore, being Horde now and all, but every time I make a new character I still take a lot of time and think about everything before I "set it in stone". It's great fun :-)
Lyrd Dec 8th 2011 8:11AM
I chose ally (thats what the guy played who introduced me to WoW played), paladin (from previous experiences with rpg's), blue draenei (my family crest has 3 blue griffens on it), and his name is my my rl name backwards without the vowel.
Lyrd Dec 8th 2011 8:12AM
Derp-phone grammar...
Ostentaneous Dec 8th 2011 9:51AM
Daryl, is that you?
Lyrd Dec 8th 2011 3:46PM
YOU SETTLE DOWN!
Demeternoth Dec 8th 2011 8:13AM
I was a complete MMO noob till Warcraft so I had no idea what the classes, races or factions really meant, I'm not even sure I read the flavour text at that point. The only thing that I understood was that a warrior ran up and hit things, so I rolled a human warrior and named her after a Greek goddess. I've since played every class at least to level 10ish but I still go back to melee classes. My main is a DK, but I have a secret stash of rogues and two warriors plus a feral kitty druid. I just can't make a paladin work for me though.
Kierbuu Dec 8th 2011 8:20PM
I had lots of MMO experience, but still didn't understand how WoW's class/race/faction system worked. Read up on the various options online and gave the (then) 10-day free trail a shot. Thought you could pick any race to be any class and pick either faction. Wanted a tauren druid with the Alliance. Oh well, got two out of three (For the Horde!).
Peepers Dec 8th 2011 8:15AM
I played a hunter in EQ. So when the hunter was released in Beta I knew I was going to try it out. When the game went live I continued on playing my hunter. My friends wanted to play Horde so I was stuck with an Orc.
I really wanted to play Alliance though because of my love for dwarves. I rolled a dwarf hunter but could bring myself to level another hunter to 60. So I decided to make an evil little gnome Warlock when they released the RP/PVP servers, named Snively (long i) and based him on Snidely Whiplash. I went with the Warlock since it was still a pet class and I was used to having my pet along. I tend to solo a lot.
Now I'm back on Horde and playing a Shaman. I hate my friends :D
Peepers Dec 8th 2011 8:18AM
Wow. Double post and under two names. That's a new one!
Al Dec 8th 2011 8:28AM
The Comment System Monster (I call him Scramblor) must really like/hate you.