Newbie guide to character creation

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<noinclude>{{newbie}}</noinclude>

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== Character Creation ==

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There is a very slight (+/-3 points) [[Attributes|stat]] difference based on race; starting stats are determined mainly by your race. Your race choice determines your [[faction]] allegiance (either [[Horde]] or [[Alliance]]), your [[Starting Area|starting area]], and your [[Racial Traits]]. What you can do with your character, however, is determined mostly by your choice of class. See the [[Race]] and [[Class]] pages for discussions of the different race and class options.

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=== Race ===

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As your character increases in level, these racial differences become negligible with the exception of racial traits, which can be strategically useful in some situations. Therefore, play the race that you find most interesting based upon appearance and racial traits, and don't sweat the little differences.{{clrr}}

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[[Image:Character creation.jpg|thumb|Character creation screen]]

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'''One important note:''' The Alliance vs. Horde distinction is a very important one, as you will only have very limited interaction with those on the opposing side, outside of combat. If you're playing on a server with friends, you all want to be on the same side so that you can [[chat]], etc., so make sure you all either select Horde races or Alliance races. Also know that on [[PvP]] servers you may only play one faction, Alliance or Horde, on a given server, on a given account.

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</div>

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=== [[Class]] ===

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Can't decide what class to play? Make one of each that sound interesting (you can have up to 10 characters per server), play them up to level 5-15 or so, and decide then. It only takes an hour or two to get the first few levels, and then you'll have a much better idea of what it's like to play each class. You may still miss out on the more significant parts of playing a class, as some important skills are given at level 20 or 30 for the first time, but you will get the gist of the class so that you can at least understand what higher level characters are talking about. Alternatively you can read the [Class|description of each class] to have a general idea of them.

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An important factor to consider when choosing a class is whether there's going to be much demand for characters of your class in groups. Generally, [[tank]]s and [[healer]]s are in higher demand than [[damage dealer]]s for most servers. Therefore, if joining instance group/raid is you first priority, choosing classes that can [[spec]] tank or healer may improve you chance of getting invite.

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For those who want to be the [[tank]] in instances, [[warrior]], [[paladin]] and [[druid]] are your choice. With the right gear and spec, they can have higher health and armor than the rest of the party. You can absorb large amount of damage and prevent others from being attacked. Warriors and paladins can wear [[mail]] at lower level and [[plate]] after level 40, which provide them with very good armor. Druids can only wear [[leather]] or [[cloth]]. However, they get [[Bear Form]] and [[Dire Bear Form]] at level 10 and 40 respectively, which gives them large amount of health and armor bonus.

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If you want to [[healer|heal]] others, [[priest]], [[druid]], [[paladin]] or [[shaman]] can be considered. All of these classes, with specific talent point allocations, will make a competent main healer. In addition, all of them provide useful buffs to the other members of the party. Paladins have [[aura]]s which [[buff]] all players in their group within a radius, and beyond that have blessings that they can cast on anyone that give different benefits. Shamans have [[totem]]s which act similar to auras in that they buff party members near them, but they have very different benefits. Druids can increase the critical hit chance, spell critical chance, or amount of healing done to the entire party, in bear/cat form, moonkin form, or tree of life form, respectively. Priests' stamina buff is always useful to everyone. With certain spec they can also help party members regaining mana at a much faster rate.

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The five classes mentioned above can also be [[damage dealer]]s with the right gear and spec. However, there are four classes that can be considered as pure damage dealers: [[mage]], [[warlock]], [[rogue]], and [[hunter]]. Mages excel at dealing massive magical damage to their enemy. Their powerful [[area of effect]] damage is helpful in many encounters. Warlocks have abilities to [[summon]] a [[demon]] as a [[pet]] which will do the player's bidding. They are famous of their [[damage over time]] spells. Rogues have stealth abilities, can open locks, and can deal lots of damage by [[backstab]]bing. Hunters are the only ranged class in game that do mainly physical damage. They can tame [[pet]]s to help them in fight, as well as put down various traps to help the party. Some of their [[Animal Aspect|aspects]] are similar to auras and can buff others' attack power or running speed.

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To see what the population for each class is on a given server (or all servers) for one faction or another, see [http://www.warcraftrealms.com/weeklyactivity.php?serverid=-1&factionid=3 Warcraft Realms].

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</div>

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=== Name ===

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Picking a name can be tricky. Nearly everyone wants something unique, awe-inspiring and/or "cool". However, the name you pick does tell others something about ''you''.

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Keep in mind that your name needs to be easily typable in conversations, and that it probably shouldn't clash too much with the warcraft/medieval themed environment. Names that you probably shouldn't pick include:

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* '''Legolas''' - Wrong universe. Too unoriginal. Far too commonly used already than you may expect.

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* '''Mrcoolguy / Iownyousohard''' - More than anything, this suggests to other people that you're immature. Maybe you are, but not making it quite so obvious makes it a tad easier to earn the respect of other players.

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* '''Agsdjasgd''' - People will assume that you don't take the game seriously and/or that you're a [[farmer]] or [[ninja]]. Neither is good for you.

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* '''Lukeskywalker''' - Wrong time, wrong universe.

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* '''Onyxia / Illidan / Arthas''' - No, you are ''not'' these [[lore]] characters. Picking names like these is a sure-fire way of having a [[Game Master|GM]] enforce a name change on your character.

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On [[RP]] and [[RP-PvP]] realms there are additional naming policies active. They can be found at [http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/namingp1.html] under the title '''"Only applied on Roleplaying Servers"''' and at [http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/roleplaying.html].

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Picking something unobtrusive that actually sounds like a name is usually your best bet. Your name doesn't have to be cool to make you cool. You make your name cool by who you are and what you do; WoW may be ''massively'' multi-player, but the core population of any given server is really only a couple hundred players. Rumors, names and stories of feats do travel quickly.

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Try using the [http://wow.stratics.com/content/features/name/ stratics.com WoW name generator] or the [http://www.xenoveritas.org/namegen.shtml xenoveritas.org random name generator]!

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Can't decide on a name? Try [http://www.behindthename.com BehindTheName.com].

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What if the name you want is already taken? It is commonplace to see several spelling variations on a name, but you should stay away from strange characters (like æ, ø, and œ) that are not common to the language or are in the extended character sets. The biggest reason for this is making it easier for others to type in your name. So, if you find 'Joe' is taken, don't replace it with 'Joë' or 'Jôe' or 'Jœ'. Instead, try 'Joey' or 'Joseph'.

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</div>

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[[Category:Guides]]

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[[Category:Newbies]]

Wowpedia

Changes: Newbie guide to character creation

Revision as of 04:43, 1 April 2011

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-<noinclude>{{newbie}}</noinclude>
-== Character Creation ==
-<div style="margin-left:3%;">
-There is a very slight (+/-3 points) [[Attributes|stat]] difference based on race; starting stats are determined mainly by your race.  Your race choice determines your [[faction]] allegiance (either [[Horde]] or [[Alliance]]), your [[Starting Area|starting area]], and your [[Racial Traits]]. What you can do with your character, however, is determined mostly by your choice of class. See the [[Race]] and [[Class]] pages for discussions of the different race and class options.
-</div>
-=== Race ===
-<div style="margin-left:3%;">
-As your character increases in level, these racial differences become negligible with the exception of racial traits, which can be strategically useful in some situations. Therefore, play the race that you find most interesting based upon appearance and racial traits, and don't sweat the little differences.{{clrr}}
-{{race links}}
-[[Image:Character creation.jpg|thumb|Character creation screen]]
-'''One important note:''' The Alliance vs. Horde distinction is a very important one, as you will only have very limited interaction with those on the opposing side, outside of combat. If you're playing on a server with friends, you all want to be on the same side so that you can [[chat]], etc., so make sure you all either select Horde races or Alliance races. Also know that on [[PvP]] servers you may only play one faction, Alliance or Horde, on a given server, on a given account.
-</div>
-=== [[Class]] ===
-<div style="margin-left:3%;">
-{{classnav}}
-Can't decide what class to play?  Make one of each that sound interesting (you can have up to 10 characters per server), play them up to level 5-15 or so, and decide then.  It only takes an hour or two to get the first few levels, and then you'll have a much better idea of what it's like to play each class. You may still miss out on the more significant parts of playing a class, as some important skills are given at level 20 or 30 for the first time, but you will get the gist of the class so that you can at least understand what higher level characters are talking about. Alternatively you can read the [Class|description of each class] to have a general idea of them.
-An important factor to consider when choosing a class is whether there's going to be much demand for characters of your class in groups. Generally, [[tank]]s and [[healer]]s are in higher demand than [[damage dealer]]s for most servers. Therefore, if joining instance group/raid is you first priority, choosing classes that can [[spec]] tank or healer may improve you chance of getting invite.
-For those who want to be the [[tank]] in instances, [[warrior]], [[paladin]] and [[druid]] are your choice. With the right gear and spec, they can have higher health and armor than the rest of the party. You can absorb large amount of damage and prevent others from being attacked. Warriors and paladins can wear [[mail]] at lower level and [[plate]] after level 40, which provide them with very good armor. Druids can only wear [[leather]] or [[cloth]]. However, they get [[Bear Form]] and [[Dire Bear Form]] at level 10 and 40 respectively, which gives them large amount of health and armor bonus.
-If you want to [[healer|heal]] others, [[priest]], [[druid]], [[paladin]] or [[shaman]] can be considered. All of these classes, with specific talent point allocations, will make a competent main healer. In addition, all of them provide useful buffs to the other members of the party. Paladins have [[aura]]s which [[buff]] all players in their group within a radius, and beyond that have blessings that they can cast on anyone that give different benefits. Shamans have [[totem]]s which act similar to auras in that they buff party members near them, but they have very different benefits. Druids can increase the critical hit chance, spell critical chance, or amount of healing done to the entire party, in bear/cat form, moonkin form, or tree of life form, respectively. Priests' stamina buff is always useful to everyone. With certain spec they can also help party members regaining mana at a much faster rate.
-The five classes mentioned above can also be [[damage dealer]]s with the right gear and spec. However, there are four classes that can be considered as pure damage dealers: [[mage]], [[warlock]], [[rogue]], and [[hunter]]. Mages excel at dealing massive magical damage to their enemy. Their powerful [[area of effect]] damage is helpful in many encounters. Warlocks have abilities to [[summon]] a [[demon]] as a [[pet]] which will do the player's bidding. They are famous of their [[damage over time]] spells. Rogues have stealth abilities, can open locks, and can deal lots of damage by [[backstab]]bing. Hunters are the only ranged class in game that do mainly physical damage. They can tame [[pet]]s to help them in fight, as well as put down various traps to help the party. Some of their [[Animal Aspect|aspects]] are similar to auras and can buff others' attack power or running speed.
-To see what the population for each class is on a given server (or all servers) for one faction or another, see [http://www.warcraftrealms.com/weeklyactivity.php?serverid=-1&factionid=3 Warcraft Realms].
-{{AlsoSee|[[Choosing a Class]]}}
-</div>
-=== Name ===
-<div style="margin-left:3%;">
-Picking a name can be tricky. Nearly everyone wants something unique, awe-inspiring and/or "cool". However, the name you pick does tell others something about ''you''.
-Keep in mind that your name needs to be easily typable in conversations, and that it probably shouldn't clash too much with the warcraft/medieval themed environment. Names that you probably shouldn't pick include:
-* '''Legolas''' - Wrong universe. Too unoriginal. Far too commonly used already than you may expect.
-* '''Mrcoolguy / Iownyousohard''' - More than anything, this suggests to other people that you're immature. Maybe you are, but not making it quite so obvious makes it a tad easier to earn the respect of other players.
-* '''Agsdjasgd''' - People will assume that you don't take the game seriously and/or that you're a [[farmer]] or [[ninja]]. Neither is good for you.
-* '''Lukeskywalker''' - Wrong time, wrong universe.
-* '''Onyxia / Illidan / Arthas''' - No, you are ''not'' these [[lore]] characters. Picking names like these is a sure-fire way of having a [[Game Master|GM]] enforce a name change on your character.
-On [[RP]] and [[RP-PvP]] realms there are additional naming policies active. They can be found at [http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/namingp1.html] under the title '''"Only applied on Roleplaying Servers"''' and at [http://www.wow-europe.com/en/policy/roleplaying.html].
-Picking something unobtrusive that actually sounds like a name is usually your best bet. Your name doesn't have to be cool to make you cool. You make your name cool by who you are and what you do; WoW may be ''massively'' multi-player, but the core population of any given server is really only a couple hundred players. Rumors, names and stories of feats do travel quickly.
-Try using the [http://wow.stratics.com/content/features/name/ stratics.com WoW name generator] or the [http://www.xenoveritas.org/namegen.shtml xenoveritas.org random name generator]!
-Can't decide on a name? Try [http://www.behindthename.com BehindTheName.com].
-What if the name you want is already taken? It is commonplace to see several spelling variations on a name, but you should stay away from strange characters (like æ, ø, and œ) that are not common to the language or are in the extended character sets. The biggest reason for this is making it easier for others to type in your name. So, if you find 'Joe' is taken, don't replace it with 'Joë' or 'Jôe' or 'Jœ'. Instead, try 'Joey' or 'Joseph'.
-</div>
-[[Category:Guides]]
-[[Category:Newbies]]