How to Play World of Warcraft: 12 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

World of Warcraft (also known as WoW) is an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). If you've never played massively multiplayer online games, never played WoW, or just want to find tips on how to play the most efficient way, read this article.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Getting Started

Step 1. Verify that your computer meets the system requirements for WoW

While the game doesn't require a high-performance system, it's still advisable to make sure your PC meets the minimum system requirements.

• Operating System: Windows XP or newer versions.
• Processor: Performance largely depends on what is considered the brain of the computer. Make sure it's at least a Pentium D.
• Video Card: The graphics card is the most important component of the computer for video games. The better the video card, the better the game will look and the smoother its execution.
• Memory & Storage: 2GB of RAM is the minimum requirement, but more memory can help.
• Internet: To play an online video game you undoubtedly need a fast internet connection to avoid lag (lag is a significant delay between the player's actions and the server's reaction).

Step 2. Choose a server

Before entering the game, you will need to choose a realm. The realm determines some rules of the game, especially regarding the clashes with players of the other faction.

• Normal: This is the best choice for beginners, as these worlds adopt PvE (Player vs Environment, Player vs Environment) mode. You can focus on leveling up your characters, and focus less on players from the opposite faction.
• PvP: Player vs Player, Player vs Player. PvP encounters with players from the opposing faction usually take place in contested areas. If you want to gain experience in player battles, these servers are for you, because you can visit the areas dedicated to PvP and fight freely.
• RP: the version dedicated to the role-playing game of the normal realms.
• RP-PVP: the version dedicated to the role-playing game of the PvP realms. The players here are more competitive than on the other servers.

Step 3. Create your character

The most interesting part of starting a game is customizing your character. There are thirteen races and eleven classes to choose from. Each race has specific bonuses. Try not to choose based on looks alone, but carefully examine benefits and weaknesses.

• Choose a faction. The faction will determine the races at your disposal:

  • Alliance: This faction is dedicated to nobility and honor. Most of the members of this faction are humans who live in realms known for combat, magic and craftsmanship.
  • Horde: This faction is the group of marginalized creatures fighting for their rights in Azeroth. Their appearance can be very interesting, unique and scary. Most of the members of the Horde are creatures that have adapted to different terrains.

  Part 2 of 4: Orient yourself

  

  Step 1. Begin your journey

  After giving your hero your personal touch, you will be able to watch a short cutscene that will tell you about his origins. From there on you will be able to control your character, who will be at the center of the story, to help you understand your mission.

  

  Step 2. Learn to move

  The movement keys in WoW are not that different from those in other RPGs. You can use the keyboard or mouse to move your character.

  • Mouse: Some players are used to using both hands when playing, so they will find this method intuitive.

    • Left button pressed: Allows you to turn the camera without moving the character.
    • Right button pressed: Allows you to turn the camera and the character.
    • Scroll the wheel: enlarge and reduce the viewing distance. You can also play in first person view.

  • Keyboard: If you're an experienced player with quick reflexes, these controls are for you.

    • WASD: These are the most common controls for players. You can also use the directional arrows as an alternative.
    • Q and E: for lateral movement.
    • Space: jump.
    • Swimming: You can use the space bar to go up in the water and X to go down.
    • Num lock: automatic run.
    • /: enable or disable the run.
    • You can change all these keys later from the "Key Assignments" section of the menu. It is not recommended to do this at this stage.

    

    Step 3. Familiarize yourself with the interface

    WoW's interface isn't that different from other RPGs. It is easy to use and straightforward. Shows information about the character and your minion in the upper left corner, a minimap in the upper right corner, the chat box in the lower left corner, and the action bar in the lower part of the screen.

    • Character and Minion Information: Here you will find your character's basic stats, such as health and mana, as well as those of your minion.
    • Mini Map - This is the most useful tool for a beginner. It will help you identify characters who can assign you missions and with whom you will need to talk to complete them. It also offers the functionality of tracking, time, calendar, mail and the button to widen or narrow the view. You can press "M" to access the main map.
    • Chat pane. The chat box is very flexible. You can unlock it and drag it wherever you like on the screen. You can change the font size to fit the space you have dedicated to the box. You can also create a window for each player you are talking to.
    • Action bar. Here you will find your skills and spells. You can also assign a keyboard shortcut to an action bar key to make that functionality more accessible during gameplay. You can add more bars and even side bars.

    Part 3 of 4: Playing with Others

    

    Step 1. Interact with the players of your faction

    World of Warcraft is a game that allows you to socialize a lot. Playing online will be more fun if you do it with friends. One component of the user interface is the Friends List tab. This is basically your social card in the game.

    • Friends tab: Here you will find the list of people you have added or who have added you on WoW. You will be able to see the name of the players, their current position, their status, the level, the class and the time since the last connection.
    • Ignore tab: Here you will find the list of people you have blocked.
    • Pending: Here you will find pending friend requests.
    • Add Friend: Click this button to enter the name of the player you want to add.
    • Send Message: Here you can write a direct message to a specific player.

    

    Step 2. Join a guild

    Another way to interact with players is to join a guild. Guilds are associations of players on WoW. One of the main advantages of joining a guild is being able to enlist the help of your companions for the most difficult missions.

    • First, you will need to enter the guild recruitment channel in the chat.
    • Look for guilds that are currently recruiting new members.
    • Check the background of the guilds on the forums to see if they are to your liking.
    • If you find a guild you like, ask a member to invite you. You should receive the invitation shortly.

    Part 4 of 4: Explore the World

    

    Step 1. Fight effectively

    The action bar is the main tool in combat, because it includes spells and abilities. You can customize it by dragging the spells into the desired slots. If you want to test your skills and magic, participating in PvP matches is a great way to do it.

    • You will need to click on your target and then right click on the skill icon to execute it.
    • You can activate auto attack by pressing "T".
    • If you want to disable Auto Attack, go to Interface> Combat and uncheck Auto Attack.
    • You can activate skills by right clicking on them, or use the keyboard shortcut for the slot assigned to the skill.
    • Remember, attacking a monster provokes its reaction.
    • You will start the game with low-level weapons (which do little damage), and you will improve your equipment thanks to missions and fights.
    • You can regenerate lost health by resting or eating.

    

    Step 2. Accept missions

    Missions allow you to earn experience, items and money, and consequently level up and unlock new skills. In the world of; click on them to accept the mission they have to offer. After you do this, you will be able to read the details of the mission along with the rewards and experience you will earn. After completing the mission, you will see a question mark icon on the mini map. You will need to go there to receive the mission rewards. You can also press "L" to view the mission log.

    • Harvest Missions: The NPC will ask you to collect materials for your first mission. You will have to look on the minimap to figure out where to look. If you are in the marked area, try looking for some shiny objects and click on them to collect them.
    • Monster Kill Missions: You will need to kill monsters to complete the mission. When you accept a mission of this type, you will be able to find a short mission log just below the mini map that will keep track of the number of monsters killed. There are also missions in which you will have to collect items from slain monsters, which teach you the importance of looting the corpses of enemies.
    • If you notice that the exclamation mark on the mini map is faded, the mission is probably inside a building.
    • After completing a mission, always remember to turn it in to receive rewards and experience. Click on "Complete Mission" when talking to the NPC with the yellow question mark above their head.

    

    Step 3. Learn how to come back to life

    If you are overwhelmed by enemies and fail to defend yourself, your character will die. Your equipment will take damage and you will have to wait to come back to life. Your character will return as a ghost and you will have to reach your corpse to resurrect.

    

    Step 4. Continue playing

    WoW is a very fun and easy to play game. Just keep working to level up your character! Keep completing missions and you will come to conquer the world!

    Advice

    • Having a minion is very useful for completing missions more easily. The classes that have one are sorcerers and hunters.
    • You can reduce the resolution or graphics quality to avoid lag.
    • Learning about the history of Warcraft can help you with missions and make the game experience more immersive.
    • As you level up, missions can become more difficult, so joining a guild and tackling them as a group can help you a lot.
    • Always make sure you are prepared and well equipped before taking on the next mission or battlefield.
    • There are third-party programs that integrate with the game that can help you complete missions, such as QuestHelper.
    • You can block invitations from the options menu if you're not interested in guilds and new friends.
    • You can adjust the camera from the menu if you are car sick.
    • You can use automatic loot loot by activating it from the menu.
    • The cursor changes according to the function of the NPC you move the mouse over. A scroll cursor indicates that that NPC is able to give you directions.
    • When you reach level 10 you will be able to enter the Warsong Gorge battlefield, where two teams, Horde and Alliance, compete to Capture the Flag. However, it is advisable to wait for levels 14 or 19 to be able to challenge the other more experienced players on an equal footing.

    Warnings

    • Monsters with a red name are aggressive. This means that they will attack you on sight if you get close to them at some distance. Be careful not to attract the attention of too many monsters.
    • The dark colored water on the mini map indicates deep water. If you swim in these waters, your character will die of fatigue in seconds.