im thinking about joining World of Warcraft. (feedback please)

[lunar_prodigy]

SO i am concideirng getting wow, id be lieing if i said it my interested didnt get sparked past the motivated stage without the new worgen race planned for release next year. I have waited 5 years to even touch it, mostly cause lack of time in collage, but im interested so i looked into it and the more i did the more interested i became.

So figured id ask around for some info, but first here are a few things about me , my interests, and what i hope to get from the game, as its a big choice for me.

So tell me about World Of Warcraft ^^



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in consideration for my first wow experience, things i like in rpg, and yes... worgen.
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1.love both the typical and atypical roles and ideas of werewolves the good the bad the unexpected and the classic. I like them for their beastliness, shape shifting, physical and mental identity, in many different mismatches.. One of my characters i play as a fur is a feral wolf who "is different in some way to everyone he meets even to those he meets twice he is a new and different stranger."
2.worgen hunter with a wolf pet and possibly a wolf mount or a rare pet like skoll. yes its a lot of wolfyness but i find the fact " it is possible" cool.
3.i have played aherons call, morrowind/oblivion, and guildwars. each had its own unique experiences, plus ive grown up loving various fantasy games.
4.love ranger or ranger like characters, anything that would be kin with the forests, hunters trackers, druids kinda a stretch but im less about magic with characters.
5.I love to explore the map more than towns or dungeons. Running around the countryside is my idea of fun, but i love dungeons for treasure hunter.
6.I am a classic solo player but am open to learn team play. And hopefully do both.
7.i love items and equipment, best part of game is fashion, shiny flashy sharp, with a nifty bag of tricks to boot. Enjoy collecting almost more than other aspects of game play.
8.I love a power hitter, no juggernaut tank, but some raw power with a little heal speed and magic too aid me.
9.classically im a close range fighter, but want to challenge myself to be long range. A bowman with a wolf close range sounds cool.
10.
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5 questions id ask experienced furry players of wow.
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1.what would you suggest to someone who is a experienced gamer, but is new to WoW.
2.Where are the furry guilds? how to i join,? The primary point is never getting too detached from both furries and, the larger communities. I hope not to wait days for enough of friends to be online to do a big quest..plus my schedule is random and it nice to log on any time, to a friendly relatable group or guild pool, i can find quick party members in a pinch.
3.Simply put, guilds sometimes can become elitist, unfriendly, or unwelcoming; are there any well known larger size furry guilds/groups or online board communities that are pretty friendly to new members, socially active, and aid in meet up for questing etc.
4.In terms of game play, what would you suggest a new guy does in my first first 15 levels of play, what are some good things to do and bad things.
5.Gamer eidquite what are some of the unspoken or written rules of wow, the do's and dont's

[Unition]

A 2-liter bottle next to your computer makes a great urinal when you just can't get away.  However common etiquette dictates you mute Vent when using it.

Also, don't play WoW.

[lunar_prodigy]

A 2-liter bottle next to your computer makes a great urinal when you just can't get away.  However common etiquette dictates you mute Vent when using it.

Also, don't play WoW.

XD
" whats that noise?"

oh im .. im filling my um ....

[Some Guy]

ya i would like to suggest not playing it, extreme waste of time, i had a continuous account with lvl 17, and..ya..erm.. i got bored of it after a week and a half. very repative just to level, same with quests, all your doing is running from one end of the map (30 minutes later) to..now the oother side of the map where you have been.  its just a grind.

[Charmy]

in consideration for my first wow experience, things i like in rpg, and yes... worgen.

Hey Lunar! First off, this post is insanely long - sorry :p Hope you find it helpful all the same. You can see the difference in responses between a big fan of the game, and someone who didn't like it.

As a long-time WoW junkie that did just about all the content (I played the game since release until recently) I'd be glad to give you my experience with the game.

First off, you probably already know this, but the Worgen race will not be available for play until the expansion Cataclysm comes out. Don't count on seeing it any sooner than fall of 2010, so its at least one full year away. Also, although Blizzard does allow you to change your character's race and gender for a fee, there is widespread speculation that they will NOT let you convert your character to a Worgen immediately after the game comes out.

So if a primary reason for you trying WoW is to be a Worgen, I'd wait a year before joining, otherwise you'll have to roll a brand new character later on.

Personally, most of my characters were Tauren, because I think Tauren are sexeh, and that's pretty much the only furry race you have access to at the moment. Taurens can be hunters though, so its all good if you like the Horde.

1.love both the typical and atypical roles and ideas of werewolves the good the bad the unexpected and the classic. I like them for their beastliness, shape shifting, physical and mental identity, in many different mismatches.. One of my characters i play as a fur is a feral wolf who "is different in some way to everyone he meets even to those he meets twice he is a new and different stranger."
2.worgen hunter with a wolf pet and possibly a wolf mount or a rare pet like skoll. yes its a lot of wolfyness but i find the fact " it is possible" cool.

I don't know if its confirmed that Worgen can be the hunter class, but it looks like Blizz is really opening up the race/class combinations these days, so I wouldn't be surprised. If they can be hunters then what you described is totally possible.

If you like shape-shifting, you may want to consider a Druid though, since in addition to your werewolf form you can transform into a bear, a cat, an owlkin, and a tree of life. You miss out on the pet though.

3.i have played aherons call, morrowind/oblivion, and guildwars. each had its own unique experiences, plus ive grown up loving various fantasy games.

As a fellow lover of fantasy games, I'd say WoW was more addictive for me than any other game I've come across, because its very well polished. The client runs great, and there is now just an absurd amount of content. Everything is very well tuned, and the game is fun to play solo or in a group.

4.love ranger or ranger like characters, anything that would be kin with the forests, hunters trackers, druids kinda a stretch but im less about magic with characters.

Given this, it definitely sounds like you'd be happiest with the hunter class. Other things you might enjoy are the non-magical rogue and warrior classes. They don't have pets, again, but they are up close and personal fighters whereas the hunter does most of his work as far away from the enemy as possible.

You may want to try getting a few characters to at least level 10 or so to get a taste of what they're like before deciding.

5.I love to explore the map more than towns or dungeons. Running around the countryside is my idea of fun, but i love dungeons for treasure hunter.

The hunter has an ability called Aspect of the Cheetah which lets it travel faster than normal - even without a mount. This used to be a big deal compared to the slow ponderous Warrior class, for instance. However, now you are able to get mounts very early in the game (level 20 compared to level 40 I believe), and mounting is much quicker than it used to be, so its less of an issue. Nonetheless, if you enjoy exploration, you'll doubtless appreciate the hunter's speed. Druids get a similar boost in the form of a Cheetah travel form they can use, and rogues can sprint every few minutes.

6.I am a classic solo player but am open to learn team play. And hopefully do both.

The game is tons of fun as a solo player if you like questing. I myself usually play solo when leveling, grouping only when I need to for loot upgrades or when I wanted to see a new instance. In the end game however, almost all the worthwhile content requires a group of 5-10 people, so you'll definitely have lots of opportunities for grouping. Also, there are many aspects of your class which only come into play when you're in a group setting. This is especially true of tanks and healers, but DPS need to consider it too. (for instance, the hunter's Misdirection ability is very handy for groups)

All classes are highly capable of effective solo play. However, the hunter is actually considered the fastest solo leveling class in the game, and most speed run records for leveling have been accomplished by hunters.

7.i love items and equipment, best part of game is fashion, shiny flashy sharp, with a nifty bag of tricks to boot. Enjoy collecting almost more than other aspects of game play.

WoW's latest expansion Wrath of the Lich King added achievements, which is basically pure crack for the collection and achievement junkie. People can spend months and even years gathering all the cute little pets, and mounts, and recipes, and quests, and gear, and accomplishments, and hard modes, and exploration rewards and still have a ton left to do.

If you like shiny gear and things to collect and places to go, I haven't found a better game.

8.I love a power hitter, no juggernaut tank, but some raw power with a little heal speed and magic too aid me.

All of the classes in the game can hit very very hard if appropriately specced and geared. In fact, more and more so as the game has matured, the damage capabilities of each class has largely leveled out. A properly geared feral kitty can rip through enemies just as well as a rogue, as can a shadow priest compared to a fury warrior. There are differences depending on the circumstances and the nature of the fight, but no class in the game is dramatically under/overpowered.

If you like the ability to use magic to heal while you're fighting, a druid is capable of shifting out of their feral form to heal when needed. Hunters will have to rely on bandages and food to recover, but since they usually fight from a distance anyway, its usually their pet that gets hurt - not them. And they can heal their pet quickly and efficiently anyway.

The Deathknight is also a fighting class which can heal itself to some degree. I've never played one, but they have a ghoul pet, and they use a runic power system that has some similarities to the Warrior rage system. The class is not available from a brand new account though, so if you want to play one you may want to borrow or buy an account from someone else that has the Deathknight unlocked.

9.classically im a close range fighter, but want to challenge myself to be long range. A bowman with a wolf close range sounds cool.

Hunters are not close ranged fighters. You will generally want to avoid melee whenever possible, no matter how you are specced. The hunter has a ton of tools to do this in the form of traps, snares, dazes and leaps, so you really only have a problem with this in a very narrow corridor.

5 questions id ask experienced furry players of wow.
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1.what would you suggest to someone who is a experienced gamer, but is new to WoW.

First, be careful. While some people get bored of the game quickly, and others are able to pace themselves through it, there are gamers (like me) who get dangerously addicted to the game. It probably depends on your personality type and how much the game does end up resonating with you.

I quit not because I got bored, but because it took way too much time and I couldn't stop myself from playing it :p
Its basically all I did except study while in college. I don't regret it, but its not something I can do anymore :p

2.Where are the furry guilds? how to i join,? The primary point is never getting too detached from both furries and, the larger communities. I hope not to wait days for enough of friends to be online to do a big quest..plus my schedule is random and it nice to log on any time, to a friendly relatable group or guild pool, i can find quick party members in a pinch.

I've never played on a furry guild before. I tend to be a power gamer - so for me acquiring the best gear and defeating the toughest bosses were my highest priorities. As such I tended to gravitate towards the hard core guilds that took on the greatest challenges of the game, my furriness took a back seat.

However, for more casual players interested in exploration, socialization, etc., I'd recommend the site:
http://community.livejournal.com/blizz_furries/

I see most of the furry guilds being on RP servers like Emerald Dream and Feathermoon.

Another thing you'll want to decide is whether to be on a PvP or PvE server. Since PvE characters can never move to a PvP server, this is a significant decision. If you don't like random players attacking you while you're exploring or questing, definitely go to a PvE server.

I love fighting other players myself, so once I went PvP I could never go back :p It depends on how competitive you are and how confident you become in your ability to defend yourself very quickly against ambushes. You also have to have the patience to endure high level players killing you and then camping your body. However, I personally find it satisfying to take out an opposing player who just stole my quest kill, or because they're a gnome and gnomes are fun to squash :p If it was a PvE server I wouldn't be able to do anything to them but wait for them to leave, and that makes me a sad panda!

3.Simply put, guilds sometimes can become elitist, unfriendly, or unwelcoming; are there any well known larger size furry guilds/groups or online board communities that are pretty friendly to new members, socially active, and aid in meet up for questing etc.

Check the board I linked earlier. Generally furry guilds tend to be more about socialization and casual fun than about being elitist, so I don't think you'll have problems there. The elitist guilds tend to be the progression guilds, where what matters most is how good you are at playing and following orders. I've found in general that all my guild experiences have been positive. If you find even just one or two people you really connect well with in game, you will find they will tend to be in a guild that suits your temperament.

4.In terms of game play, what would you suggest a new guy does in my first first 15 levels of play, what are some good things to do and bad things.

The game holds your hand quite well in the early levels. Just do the quests around your starting area and learn the ropes of your class. One of the first things I highly recommend is getting some essential mods. They will make your gameplay experience MUCH better. Mods can be downloaded from sites like http://www.cursegaming.com

I recommend the Curse Client for keeping your mods up to date.

Some mods I find absolutely indispensable include:
- AtlasLoot (what drops what, where, and what does it do. Helps plan out your gear and see what it looks like before hand.)
- Auctioneer (makes auctioning a lot more profitable)
- QuestHelper (THE MOD TO GET!! The amount of time and aggravation this mod saves you is priceless. Its so good many people consider it cheating. Whether you like it or not depends on your priorities. If you like to level quickly and get to the high end stuff asap, this mod will help you tremendously. If you like to figure stuff out on your own and don't mind alot of aimless wandering sometimes, then you may want to turn it off.)
- Titan Panel and associated addons (collection of very helpful pieces of information all arranged neatly at the top of your screen. Very handy)
- XPerl (way better than the default unit frames. 3D portraits are really cool looking too.)
- Cartographer (really great map program so you can see areas before having explored them. Lots of other nice features like resource node marking and note making too)

Finally, if you're into the more hardcore parts of the game like PvP and raiding:
- Bigwigs or Deadly Boss Mods (essential for high level raiders.)
- Grid (essential for raid healers, useful for other raid players too. Not needed for solo or small groups)
- MikScrollingCombatText (way better and more informative than the default)
- Quartz (very very handy for PvP players and those who want to maximize their damage rotations)

5.Gamer eidquite what are some of the unspoken or written rules of wow, the do's and dont's

Read this:
http://www.wowwiki.com/Newbie_Guide

Especially this:
http://www.wowwiki.com/Tips_for_new_players

Some final tips:
1) Use the auction house. Alot. Sell on it. Buy on it. You can get better gear from it faster than anything quests will give you.
2) When you loot something new, find out how much its worth. You'd be amazed how much money something as simple as Wool Cloth is worth to people. Similarly, you may think something is worth alot and it may actually turn out to be worthless. The best way to know? Get Auctioneer and scan the auction house regularly. This will create a database on your machine wih the average going price of most items on your server. The economy is all about supply and demand, and it shifts constantly.
3) Learn to use and love http://www.wowhead.com and http://www.wowwiki.com
If there is ever a quest, a concept, an enemy, a weapon, a talent, an ability, a class, or ANYTHING you don't understand, these two sites will often tell you everything you need to know, and a lot more you didn't need to know.
4) The game is well balanced. Millions wouldnt play this game if it weren't. The community whines constantly about overpowered this, underpowered that, too hard this, too easy that.. but perfect harmony is impossible in a game like this. People will complain for the sake of complaining. The truth is that any class, any race, any build, can excel at 90% of the game, and any class can be  powerful and irreplaceable in both PvE and PvP.

[H u nn Y]

A 2-liter bottle next to your computer makes a great urinal when you just can't get away.  However common etiquette dictates you mute Vent when using it.

Also, don't play WoW.

XD
" whats that noise?"

oh im .. im filling my um ....

<sub>o.o

.... So that's why my dad always had an empty 2-litre bottle by his computer... huh..</sub>

[einsman]

WoW is honestly the worst MMO I have ever played. Don't waste your money.

[Kithop]

As someone with two chars at 80 - one of which is in full Tier 9 raiding gear and then some (our guild has already downed the first boss in the new Icecrown Citadel raid that came out on Tuesday - and I was part of that kill...), Charmy's pretty much nailed everything I could think of explaining or saying - my opinion on the whole PvE vs. PvP thing is a bit different, though: as a new player I definitely would avoid PvP like the plague - you don't really get anything for those random encounters, and usually the other guy is much higher level than you so you don't stand a chance regardless. :p

PvP servers to me are for people who've got a couple chars to 80 or otherwise played PvE for a while and gotten bored.  That or assholes that love to swarm the lowest possible level contested areas and gank everyone 24/7... not really conducive to levelling when you get killed every 5 minutes or less and have to run to your corpse as a ghost. ;)  At least on PvE servers, if you die, it's pretty much your own fault for taking on something bigger than you.  I find one-on-one PvP to be completely and utterly unbalanced when it comes to class matchups, but that's likely by design as the idea is for you to bring your buddies to round it out - I think the arena stuff is 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 or something.

I have an 80 Hunter I don't play any more (http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Earthen+Ring&n=K%C3%AFth%C3%B6p), and an 80 boomkin/resto Druid main (http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Runetotem&n=Kbarial)... one thing I'll warn you about the Hunter - it's amazingly fun and easy to level with and to get a feel for the game, but if you plan on going all the way to endgame raiding, you're going to find it much more difficult to find groups - one, you're a pure DPS class, of which there are many others (Mage, Warlock, Rogue, etc.) competing for raid slots, while hybrids have the option of going as their alternate talent spec (e.g. can heal or tank, tank or DPS, heal or DPS..) and most servers are starved for healers, tanks, or both.  Two, Hunters have a bad reputation in WoW, maybe undeserved and maybe not, because they are extremely popular first characters and relatively easy to level, and thus have a very high noob to skilled player ratio.  Don't get me wrong - if you know what you're doing, you can push some major DPS as a Hunter and your friends will love you for it - but you're going to have to prove you know what you're doing a lot harder than some of the other classes.

I love my Druid because he's pretty much a complete hybrid - jack of all trades, master of none, and though you can only really specialize in two of the three talent trees at the moment, there's plenty of other things you can do in an emergency that make them extremely fun to play if you really understand the game and know what you're doing (e.g. DPS shifting out to off-heal in an emergency or Rebirth someone mid-fight, shifting to Bear to off-tank an add if a pull goes awry, or even help DPS on trash pulls when you normally would be healing - not something you'd ever normally do end-game but maybe if you were running some friend's lower level chars through instances for example).  That said, Druids are either a really easy class or one of the hardest classes to play depending on who you talk to and what their overall skill level with the game is.  For someone just starting, there is a much steeper learning curve as you get your forms and learn basically how to do all three main roles (tank, heal, and DPS - both melee AND ranged depending on how you go), but the insane amount of flexibility at 80 makes them must-haves, and good Druid players are in demand in almost every guild I've seen.

What I'd do is look up the basic roles of tank, healer, and DPS, and back-track from there to what class you'd want to play.

Oh, and like many people have already said - don't do this if you value your free time and social life. XD  While you can have a lot of fun if you have some RL friends on the same server, it's still a game, and one that takes a hell of a lot of time, effort, and money (in the form of all the expansion packs and your monthly bill) to advance in.  It can be extremely rewarding to be part of a 25-person team taking down towering dragons, undead, and demi-gods, with all the coordination that goes along with running such a group, but it can also be very tiring and demanding in terms of having to get yourself geared up beforehand and dealing with the drama inherent in any get-together, real or virtual, of that many people.  Not to mention for most people it takes a few months at the very least to even get a character to end-game raiding level in the first place.

"Here be dragons" is dually apt. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons)