No, I haven't been living under a rock since the year 2000 or so, but yes, this is the first time I've really "gotten into" World of Warcraft and found out what it's all about. I've also played EverQuest, and I would honestly say WOW is an improvement. It's got far better graphics and more intriguing quests in which you don't have to figure out what [word] to say in order to trigger them! It also has that magnetic pull that made me not in the least bit tired as I climbed to level 5 in a relative hurry.

That said, I wonder if this is more of a "kill, kill, kill" kind of game where the killing almost never stops, or if this is more of a roleplaying kind of game. The thing I like about Mask of the Betrayer is that you actually WIN it (or lose it, depending on your perspective.) I don't think anybody has ever "won" WOW.

I also have the sneaking suspicion that if I do progress in levels and perhaps join a guild, I'll devote more and more time to WOW until eventually, I'll get to go on "raids". Is raiding in WOW like it is in EverQuest, a bunch of brave Level 80's getting slaughtered by a godlike monster (most likely) in order that some member of the guild can get some incredible piece of gear not available otherwise? Sounds like fun--not--especially if my guildies call me stupid because I can't make it that night or I'm just not in the mood to "raid".

The main reason I downloaded the free 10-day trial of WOW was to try to find some very casual Russian-speaking players and make a "Lady Marmalade" video with my dancing Female Night Elf and a couple of her "soul sisters". I really don't think the monthly fees are going to be worth it if I'm not THAT hard-core of an MMO'er anymore. I kind of paid the price with EQ, because I kept dying too much and didn't get to the higher levels where the action was.

I don't know if I want to get sucked into this vortex or not. Please help!!!

The thing with WoW is that you have to play it a lot to make it worth paying for. Since hitting level 70 recently I've been playing more than I ever have been before. Along with many other players I find that the real game starts when you hit 70. It does get very repetitive questing up till that point. Questing is definitely more fun than grinding but it is still virtually the same stuff over and over with just different mobs or people to talk to or stuff to gather.

And no, no one can "win" WoW because even after endgame content you can do it as many times as you want. I'm sure there will come a point when a player is satisfied with their character's gear and accomplishments but I'm certainly a long way off from that and I doubt many people have reached that point.

But its definitely an addicting game. At first its very fun I think when you're playing it for the first time. Once you get to the mid levels its more of a race to 70, and really even when I hit 70, I'm still not playing because its fun, I'm playing to get better gear so I can have fun later. Thats probably not appealing to many but its such an immersing game that I think all the time I've put in is worth it. And unlike traditional games, new content is always being added so you've always got something new to try.

So yeah give it a shot and see if its right for you, I obviously recommend it.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Do yourself a favour and make a character on Moonguard.. unless youre on an EU server, then I dont know what they are called. But the US servers. Moonguard is the best for casual players (its a Role Player server). Pve and Pvp tend to be more for the hardcore people and filled with leet kiddies, rather than actual mature players.

As an mmo, you only win the game when you decide your character has accomplished their goals or whatever. Either a particular storyline, or best gear, or what have you.

Leveling is fine up until around level 30. Then Youve got about three "races" to finish. Race to 40 so you can get your mount. Race to 58 so you can survive in Outland. And the race to 70 so you can actually have fun. By race I mean hours and hours of grinding that can be mind-numbing. Avoid the "collect 10 horse bladders" type quests because they can be infuriating. Unless they are the type where they want you to go out and collect 30 sprockets from the ground or something. Those are easy xp.

Personally, I think you should wait til Chronicles of the Spellborn. Its sorta wow-like in graphics. But from what Ive seen of the game play and general mechanics, it outstrips wow like crazy. Thats what Im doing (still playing wow), then Im gonna see if I can tempt some of my friends with a better game. :3

I don't bother with wow anymore. It is wayyyyyyyyyyyy too expensive, plus to actually pay for the game. It's ridiculous. Same with SW Galaxies. On WoW I got up to about lvl 30 the game completely bored me, cost too much and it just made no sense... bad graphics too.

BTW I saw the WoW advert with Mr. T and he looked pretty young. HOW OLD IS HE?? LAST TIME I SAW HIM HE WAS BEING BEAT BY ROCKY IN ROCKY III

You can play World of Warcraft casually and still have fun.

Like me. :xp:

I know an actual game worth paying for - I get hours and hours of fun from it: RuneScape (http://www.runescape.com)

Good lord, no, Runescape is not a game, it's cruel and unusual punishment given a face and name. Seriously, if you're going to play an MMO (I'm not fond of them myself) stick to WoW or play one of the no-fee ones like Hellgate: London or Guild Wars. Mark my words, nothing is going to break Blizzard's stranglehold on the MMO market any time soon.

WoW is a good game, but they would have a LOT more players/customers if they lowered the price! Ј8.99 a month is not worth it...plus Ј10 for the actual retail game.

They'd have a lot more? They have over NINE MILLION subscribers. That's more than every other MMO on the market put together.

Uh, advice to chuckhorrible...I'm not looking to get banned the second time I log into WOW. By the way, I'm making a Blood Elf. :)

I have made 3 characters - Human, Centaur things (forgot name) and Undead warlock.

If you're looking for RP create a character on an RP server, head over to Goldshire and for the love of all the is work-safe don't go to the upper floor of the inn.

DONT go to Goldshire... its hell given a face and name. Also, leave Silvermoon City as soon as possible. Its the ERP capital of the Horde cities. >.<

DO make a blood elf on Moonguard and look up Annedhelle. ;)　Unless of course youre playing on a European server...

I find it sad that Goldspammers are now trolling forums for Warcrack related posts, just so they can make an account and spam their illegal goods and services...

*clears throat* Silvermoon City is the what capital of the Horde cities, Aash? :)

Thanks for the advice and suggestions! You've all made up for a miserable Monday!

I loved Warcraft 3 and for a time wanted to get WoW, but have since decided not to. It doesn't seem like the game furthers the story of the world very much (what I'd be most interested in) and even though they disguise the level-grinding with some very good quests, its still just level-grinding. I hope I'm still alive when they make Warcraft 4....

Note: This comes from someone who has never played WoW, so I might not have the right idea about the game.

ERP = erotic role play... generally its cyborz! hehehe Most everyone makes fun of the ERPers, which thankfully arent that rampant.

*whew* I thought it stood for Extremely Rude Players.

Lord Of The Rings Online for the best MMO graphics ever. I'm actually considering going back to it just so I can finally play with DX10 graphics...

To be honest, I think RP servers for WoW are retarded. PvP is the way to go.

I hated WoW. My brother and his friends all played WoW, and I hated it. Then my brother stopped playing, and a few months later I was bored so I decided to try it out (his friends still paid for his account). I actually loved it. You see, I usually like the idea of playing a game in order to achieve something- in this case, leveling up. It reminded me of RuneScape (yes, I was a big RS player back in the day).
After a few months, though, around last July, I started to get bored of it. Sure enough, come August, my brother's friends stopped paying for the account, and all but one of them stopped playing as well.
However, a few weeks ago, I decided to start to play again. I started out playing on a friend's account, just to see if I would get back into it (and I had no way to pay myself). And I loved it again. So, I went to my brother and asked him to pay for it (I gave him the money, I just don't have an online money account). And then I went to buy a gamecard, so I'm good until like May 14th.
I've never gotten to level 70. When I first played, I got a Blood Elf mage to level 36 on Arthas. However, I decided to stop playing him this time around. I'm now a level 19 Draenei mage on Bloodscalp, which is the server that one of my brother's friends still plays on (and he helps me some, too).

To be honest, I think RP servers for WoW are retarded. PvP is the way to go.


Ah yes, PvP server fanatics...RPers are retards...blah blah blah...Ironic that it's an MMORPG...and some of us are casual players and don't feel like getting ganked. Anyway...


Anyway...I'm on Steamwheedle Cartel, RP server, found some nice people to RP with outside my current guild, which concentrates on light raiding.

Honestly, I never felt the race thing some people here describe. Since I'm rather casual, I prefer to take my time playing and exploring the world. It's well designed and beautiful at places, if I had concentrated uniquely on questing/grinding instead of enjoying the scenery, I would've been bored.

Of course, this is an multiplayer game. You're going to deal with human beings who have an internet shield to protect them from your physical punches to their faces. Just be mature and let idiots act like idiots. You can walk away :) Yes, you can.

Finally, since it is a multiplayer game, the amount of enjoyment you're going to get from it depends on who you play with. Finding the right people, being friendly yourself, goes a long way into making the most out of your time in the World of Warcraft :)

Trying to find Russian-speaking players, even on the supposedly Russian severs, is like trying to find a needle in a haystack...*siggghhh*...