WOW Newbie Help

Jock

Jock

Jock

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Joined
27 Mar 2008
Posts
967
Location
Darlington
So started playing WOW having never played this type of game before and think I'm getting there, as the quest side of things is pretty straight forward but decided to start doing some dungeons and arenas and I must be doing something very wrong.

In the arena, i seem to die as soon as someone even looks at me the wrong way, yet although I'm meant to be dps i seem to hardly scratch the other guys. I've got good equipment and the likes. I'm a lvl 28 fury warrior with two one-handed swords.

Same pretty much with the dungeons, they seem to be quite frustrating in that everyone just seems to run through full pelt so you struggle just to complete the quests or risk getting stranded, but again, as soon as an enemy targets me, I'm a dead man pretty much.

Is there something fundamental I'm missing?
 
Jock said:
So started playing WOW having never played this type of game before and think I'm getting there, as the quest side of things is pretty straight forward but decided to start doing some dungeons and arenas and I must be doing something very wrong.

In the arena, i seem to die as soon as someone even looks at me the wrong way, yet although I'm meant to be dps i seem to hardly scratch the other guys. I've got good equipment and the likes. I'm a lvl 28 fury warrior with two one-handed swords.

Same pretty much with the dungeons, they seem to be quite frustrating in that everyone just seems to run through full pelt so you struggle just to complete the quests or risk getting stranded, but again, as soon as an enemy targets me, I'm a dead man pretty much.

Is there something fundamental I'm missing?
Click to expand...

Hello Jock

First off congratz at taking on WoW, secondly it is a massive game and take chunks of it at a time.
WoW is now a mature game and the character levelling has changed dramatically due to this.
Dungeons – What you will find is that the bulk of characters in them are alt from seasoned gamers with heirlooms, they are mainly interested in running through them asap as the XP can be pretty good for levelling. PS I’ve levelled about 3-4 characters throught them :D
Arena – Same again they will be full of Veterans, battlegrounds as well. You find as well that there is people who are near ‘Pro’ grade in these. They are what we call ‘Twinks’, honestly if your new I would avoid these if I was you.
Warrior – Yeah… Fury is not that great, Arms is a bit better. Have you tried 2x 1H Fury?
In general your playing a game that’s now moved on, its design is mainly about end game at level 90, I would suggest not focusing on either of those features and use them for boosts.

The world has some good story telling in questing and when you get to Outlands and Northrend you will find some good content, hang in there!!!
 
I see, that makes a bit more sense then at least.

I was seriously doubting myself, thinking I must have missed something critical.

With regards the story line, there was a few queries. Some things in the game so far have made reference to the Lich King being defeated and from the start of the game it mentions the cataclysm quite a bit. From a timeline point of view, should these things not happen later, as I haven't got to the point of doing the Lich King expansion yet.

Also, I've been working my way round about Stormwind and currently in duskwood, but noticed I had a quest leftover to do with taking a package to the dwarves. So i took a detour and went up there and it opened up a whole new batch of quests, but what looked like maybe the beginner quests say if you start a dwarf so for very low level, should I have headed up there sooner then? Is there a bit of a course you're meant to take, to ensure you don't out scale certain areas?

Thanks for the help!
 
There isn't a set order to take quests in. A quest might end up being a one-off, or you may find it has several follow ons which take you all over the zone and in some cases lead you into other zones and onto other quests or quest lines. You don't have to complete every quest in a zone, or complete every quest in a quest line. You would normally stop a quest line when, a. you get bored of the quest line or the zone it's in, or b. your level gets high enough to the point where continuing the quest will only give you minimal rewards (the quest goes grey in your quest log).

You will find you outscale areas very quickly, you level a lot faster now than you did back when the game was released for example. I found I very rarely got to 'complete' a zone, and ended up leaving halfway through and finding another zone from the world map just because my levels went up so fast - admittedly this is with Heirloom gear.
 
I tend to find that in order to be hitting the right levels for Outland through purely questing, you need to be doing the very vast majority of either continent's quests in the 10-60 areas.

Of course, there's nothing to stop you swapping continents and the game even gives you a couple of "breadcrumb" quests to allow you to do that.

I'd just go with the flow, level as you see fit and if you find yourself either behind or well ahead compared to what level of quest the zone is offering, look on the world map for a more appropriate zone and head off there and do some questing.

And I don't really like instancing for this very reason, I miss having to actually plan pulls and take care in instances like it was years ago. And I suck at PvP despite being 9/14 hc SoO. :p
 
Jock said:
So started playing WOW having never played this type of game before and think I'm getting there, as the quest side of things is pretty straight forward but decided to start doing some dungeons and arenas and I must be doing something very wrong.

In the arena, i seem to die as soon as someone even looks at me the wrong way, yet although I'm meant to be dps i seem to hardly scratch the other guys. I've got good equipment and the likes. I'm a lvl 28 fury warrior with two one-handed swords.

Same pretty much with the dungeons, they seem to be quite frustrating in that everyone just seems to run through full pelt so you struggle just to complete the quests or risk getting stranded, but again, as soon as an enemy targets me, I'm a dead man pretty much.

Is there something fundamental I'm missing?
Click to expand...

Hi Jock, Defiant306 did a good job of answering your questions, but as a long time veteran of WoW Id like to chime in as well :)

Dungeons

WoW's group dynamic is based around 3 main roles:

1. Keeping everyone alive (Healing).

Pretty self explanatory - a Healers job is to keep everyone alive through their healing spells and abilities. Healers are limited by their mana pool which controls how long they can heal for, and their spellpower determines their healing throughput (HPS or Healing per second).

2. Taking damage from hard hitting monsters (Tanking). Tanks have the best "mitigation" abilities - High Defense and Armor. Therefore they are best suited to keeping the attention of monsters focused on themselves, and away from other, "squishier" characters such as DPs and Healers.

3. Dealing damage (DPS or Damage Per Second)

You mentioned you were a DPS warrior, so this will apply to you. Not all DPS players realise this, but as DPS you actually have two roles - dealing damage, and absorbing as little damage as possible.

The reason is because monsters attacking low-defense DPS characters results in very inefficient healing by the healer. This will actually slow the group down, so as DPS it is your responsibility to ensure that you are attacking monsters that are firmly focused on attacking the tank.

In a 5 man group there will be 1 Tank, 1 Healer, and 3 DPS slots.

All that said, at your level a lot of this wont be an issue since everyone is going to be incredibly overgeared for the content. However, it is really good to keep the above in mind for when things get tougher later on.

So many DPS players end up dying because they get "aggro" from the tank, or attack too early on a monster. They then proceed to (wrongly) blame the tank and/or healer. Don't be this person :).

Battlegrounds

A system exists in the game that allows experienced players to equip their lower level characters with blue quality gear that actually scales with level. This is called heirloom or "Loom" gear. It makes them extremely powerful in lower bracket Battlegrounds, and as such they should be avoided by newer players until you reach the level cap.

This is really unfortunate, as Battlegrounds are enormously fun.

Anyway I hope that helps - take your time levelling as some of the content is very good!

:cool:
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated.

I've been playing hearthstone for a little while and admittedly this is what eventually piqued my interest in giving WOW a go and I'm enjoying it so far!

In terms of my role, one person did advise as a warrior i should be going tank but would i be correct in saying if i did avoid dungeons and arenas more, that it would be best to pick just what you find more interesting? Also, if I do change my mind I can just change my role at a trainer can I not?

Must admit the Auction House seems to be one thing that seems to take some getting your head round.

I got some random invite to a guild which i accepted having read on a guide that you get more xp, is that correct do you know?
 
Jock said:
With regards the story line, there was a few queries. Some things in the game so far have made reference to the Lich King being defeated and from the start of the game it mentions the cataclysm quite a bit. From a timeline point of view, should these things not happen later, as I haven't got to the point of doing the Lich King expansion yet.
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The game world acts as though all of these things have happened (for example The Shattering (http://www.wowwiki.com/The_Cataclysm) opened up huge rifts in the landscape of WoW that can be seen all over, even if you haven't got up to the Cataclysm quest line yet).
Similarly as you say everyone will be talking about the Lich King having been defeated and they're all super happy, even though to your character they haven't got up to those quests yet.

It's incredibly hard for Blizzard to make a game that would work in the "logical" time line progression sense, as every person would be at a different stage during levelling and only when they've finished everything would they be on the same page.

As you level up there will no doubt be bits of the story that you miss, simply because you've outgrown that particular area. You can always go back and finish off these areas at a later date though. On my main I levelled fairly quickly but have gone back to do ALL the quests to get a better understanding on all the story lines (also achievements! lol).


Being in a guild (provided it's high enough level to have unlocked the XP perk) will net you more XP from quests and killing mobs. It's also a great way to meet people! I've made so many friends over the years through my guild. :)


For your first character I'd probably recommend sticking with DPS, it's easier for the most part and you're much less likely to get shouted at for being bad! :p
Take a look at Icy Veins and Noxxic's class guides for an overview of what you should be doing (Icy Veins will go into much more detail about the hows and whys).


Enjoy and welcome to WoW! (YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE!)
 
Jock said:
In terms of my role, one person did advise as a warrior i should be going tank but would i be correct in saying if i did avoid dungeons and arenas more, that it would be best to pick just what you find more interesting? Also, if I do change my mind I can just change my role at a trainer can I not?

Must admit the Auction House seems to be one thing that seems to take some getting your head round.

I got some random invite to a guild which i accepted having read on a guide that you get more xp, is that correct do you know?
Click to expand...

There are worse ways to level than as a tank, but you need to know what you're doing because most of what you're doing is pulling a dozen mobs all at once and beating them down while they tickle you. If you don't know yet how to make enemy attacks tickle instead of hurt, you're not ready to tank.

Yes, you can change spec at a trainer.

Ignore the Auction House just now - also crafting professions. Heere be Draggones, you will get burned. Pick up two of Mining, Skinning and Herbalism and sell the things you get to keep yourself in cash as you level, but that's it. Picking up Auctioneer or another AH addon is worthwhile to make sure you're not selling at stupid low prices that someone else posted to undercut.

Being in a high level guild increases XP and makes certain heirlooms available once you can afford them. You can check your guild level and perks in the guild tab. However, any guild that would invite random people unseen is likely to be a toxic community and/or have an ulterior motive. I would /gquit and hang out in cities reading the Trade channel; most servers have multiple large social guilds at the guild level cap and who are happy to accept newbies. In addition to perks, you'll get all manner of help with skills and rotations, dungeon groups, and they'll usually help you gear up with crafted items for free if you can supply the materials.
 
Jock said:
Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated.

I've been playing hearthstone for a little while and admittedly this is what eventually piqued my interest in giving WOW a go and I'm enjoying it so far!

In terms of my role, one person did advise as a warrior i should be going tank but would i be correct in saying if i did avoid dungeons and arenas more, that it would be best to pick just what you find more interesting? Also, if I do change my mind I can just change my role at a trainer can I not?

Must admit the Auction House seems to be one thing that seems to take some getting your head round.

I got some random invite to a guild which i accepted having read on a guide that you get more xp, is that correct do you know?
Click to expand...

Correct on all counts here. Pick the role you most enjoy. If you like DPS'ing, do that. Don't let anyone dictate to you how you should play the game. Warriors are adept at either DPS'ing or Tanking, you aren't obligated to pick either - go with whatever you enjoy most!

The caveat to that being, friendly advice on how to improve your performance in the role you have picked, can be very valuable. :)
 
Ahh another newbie :) glad to see i am not the only one that decided to try WoW for the first time.

What server are you on? Also what faction (horde or alliance)?

Been playing for about 2/3 weeks now and I have a level 46 Troll Hunter.
 
Worth noting that tanks and healers play more pivotal roles in 5 man dungeons. If your new to the game and haven't correctly geared your character then dps is generally safer. The sender said if you put the research effort in then there is no reason you can't be an amazing tank
 
What server are you on? Also what faction (horde or alliance)?

Been playing for about 2/3 weeks now and I have a level 46 Troll Hunter.
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I'll check tonight though i'm Alliance. I do have a very low level Orc Shaman when messing with the free trial but decided on a human Warrior in the end.
 
if you can get used to tanking I'd run dual spec when you can and try to get a dps gear set and a tank gear set. dps are a dime a bazillion :p but there is always needs for tanks xD will get you into dungeons/raids faster ;) and then ofc you can roll on the other sets gear for off spec :)

I loved the battlegrounds and it was made better by giving you xp for it too! when an expansion came out I think I hit the new cap with a mixture of very few quests, dungeons and battlegrounds (couldn't be bothered to quest on this guy as I had done them on a diff character).

I've found that when I last played they changed so much it made playing some of my toons not as enjoyable :( I used to run around with my friends rogue in battlegrounds where I'd be a druid healer ;) both just stealth up to someone and tear them a new..... you know :p and then pop all dem healz :p think at one point had about 3-5 enemies all spaming with with damage but running about in perma tree form and just popping all my heal over times and procs.... was almost invincible hehe :D

but then they switched up all the specs and talents and such and couldn't play in my old play style :( this made me sad :(


and Alliance?!?!?! wtf you playing at! FOR THE HORDE! :D
 
Remember that you're not going to keep up with others wearing heirlooms in dungeons or be too effective in battlegrounds, especially at lower level.

Also, take on board what others say to you, but don't take it to heart as some people on there are just *****. It is a very enjoyable game though. :)
 
A few things I would recommend to you:

1. Stick with DPS spec, by all means look at tanking but you need to learn it through and through to be not shouted at when you come to Dungeons. Dungeons as they are until you it lvl 90 are zerg fests for healers and tanks where over powered DPS can generally last long enough to kill mobs. It can be a stressful role so I suggest you enjoy the game before moving to that challenge

2. Battlegrounds/Arenas are for serious pvpers from other games or vertarans from wow, best avoid these until you have your class mastered, good gear and max level.

3. Levelling can be done a few ways, you can quest, collect resources (Yep they give XP) or Dungeon crawl over and over. Questing is designed so that each race has starting zones that are generally 1 to 2 zones and then each race of a faction (Alliance/horde) joins up in the next zone where you continue the zones on the continent in a linear fashion until your ready for the Dark portal to outlands. (PS you can go through the portal at level 58 if your well geared ;))

4. The Auction house is full of wonders and traps, best to save your gold for level cap and possibly install a mod like Auctioneer which allows you to scan the items on the AH so that you can build up an understand of the cost of items and where you can target items for resale where people are underselling. (I left my characters with 300,000g 5 months back when I froze my subs, I made most of that in 3 months doing tricks and crafting. This being said I lost 50,000g in Cata betting on weather epic gems would drop from a rare ore in WotLK, so beware)

5. Guilds are great places to learn, but beware they are 10 a penny. You need to make sure that the guild is an active guild with people that will help you advance in the direction you want to do. They can be great places to learn and make friends (I've met a past guild in a guild met where members travelled from all over Europe)
There is some guilds that use you as cash cows though, when you sign up to these your achievements in game provide 'the guild' money. So where the guild master has soul access to the guild bank and there is no officers its likely they are using you to fund their game.

Some sites are great for helping new players, check out WoW Insider, WoW Wiki, Tentomhammer. Can I recommend that you stay out of the game forums and I suggest also staying away from mmo champions forums as well, they can be very toxic and put off a lot of players.
 
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Defiant306 said:
lol

Generally I think about which character butt would I prefer to look at as I kill stuff...

Yeah a female character's one looks at least a bit better :D
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ay, one of my old clan mates always played female characters in MMOs, his logic was..

"Well if I'm going to be staring at this characters arse for hours on end... what would I rather look at?"

can't deny that haha xD so when ESO came out, my character on there would have been right at home on brazzers... haha!
 
People can run through dungeons at low level because they probably have heirloom items making them very powerful characters for the level the content was designed for. Its a design flaw in the game based on people wanting something for nothing (as usual).
 
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