A Beginners Guide to the World of Warcraft. By: Insomniac Please view in full screen with 12 point Courier font for proper spacing. -----Table of Contents----- 1- What is warcraft? 2- Setting up an account 3- The Burning Crusade 4- Pick a Class 5- Yourself in a glorified mirror (Character Creation) 6- Walk the Walk (movement, combat and keybindings) 7- Talk the Talk (communication) 8- No good deed...(Questing) 9- Professions 101 10- The Root of All Evil (gold and how to get it) 11- FAQ's 12- Contact and Legal Info “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 1- What is warcraft? a- World of Warcraft, or WoW is an Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, (or MMORPG) based in the universe of warcraft, Blizards highly successful strategy game. In warcraft you create a character which represents yourself and go on dangerous quests and adventures with people from all around the world. WoW currently has over 8 million worldwide subscribers and counting, so there is no lack of people to adventure with. b- WoW does require a monthly $15 subscription fee to play. This pays for your account, unlimited in-game support, www.worldofwarcraft.com forum access and helps blizzard maintain the realm servers and bring you new content every few months. b2- To pay for your subscription you'll need a credit card or a subscription card. Subscription cards can usually be purchased at any store that sells the base game. There is no difference in game play or price (before taxes) when using a subscription card over a credit card. “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 2- Setting up an account a- When you first purchase a copy of warcraft you'll have yourself a number of things. A set of disks to install the game, a demo disk to give to a friend, an instruction manual, and most importantly, a code (usually found on a slip of paper or on the back of the install disk slip) Install the game as you would any other, and begin creating your account. You'll need to go to www.worldofwarcraft.com to do this. Simply click on the "Account" tab on the left and select "Create Account". Follow the prompts, set your account name and password and payment information. b- If you also purchased a copy of the burning crusade expansion pack, you'll need to install it as well, and enter the expansion code into the account you just made (simply follow the prompts during the install, its not as complicated as it sounds) more on the expansion pack below. c- After you've made your account, start up WoW and log in. You'll Most likely need to download a few update patches, which are all automatic, just click "ok" when needed and make sure your firewall isn't stopping the process. d- Once your updated your finally ready to play the game, log in, pick a class and create your character (more on this in section 4 and 5) “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 3- The Burning Crusade a- The Burning Crusade is an expansion pack for WoW, its not needed to play the game, however it is needed to do the following a1- Play as a blood elf or Draenei a2- Play as a horde paladin or alliance shaman a3- Choose jewlcrafting as a profession a4- Enter the Blood Elf and Draenei starting zones a5- Enter the level 60-70 zones of outland a6- Level to 70 (the level cap for non-expansion players is 60) b- So, basically unless you want to play as a blood elf, draenei, horde pally, alliance shammy, or become a jewlcrafter, a beginning player need not buy the expansion right away. However, the above are great things to have as a beginner, so if you have the funding to get it, by all means do so, you wont regret it. “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 5- Pick a class a- The type of class you pick will determine what skills and spells you have access to. Some classes are good melee fighters, others powerful spellcasters, some are healers and others are hybrid jack of all trade classes. b- Here is a list of every class and what they do best. For more information about your classes role in a group read my "group/party FAQ" as found here- http://www.cheathappens.com/text/wowgroupparty.zip.txt __________________________________________ Druid Druids are the keepers of the world and masters of nature with a diverse array of abilities. They are powerful healers, capable of curing poisons and raising fallen comrades in the thick of battle. Druids also command nature's wrath, calling down ranged blasts of energy, summoning swarms of insects, or entangling their foes in the earth. But druids are also masters of the wild, able to shapeshift into a great bear, cat, or even sea lion, gaining their powers in combat or travel. Druids are a diverse class with a variety of playstyles, capable of filling any role. Available to: Night Elves, Tauren Type: Hybrid, Primary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana (Druid form/Aquatic form), Health/Rage (Bear form), Health/Energy (Cat form) Available Armor: Cloth, Leather Available Weapons: Staves, One and Two-handed Maces, Daggers, Fist Weapons Comments: Excellent soloing class; excellent healers --------------------------------------- Hunter Hunters are deadly marksmen, capable of bringing their enemies down from a distance with bows or rifles. Skilled survivalists, they can track enemies or lay traps to damage and entrap their foes. Hunters also possess a primal connection to the beasts of Azeroth, capable of taming and training them to keep as loyal guardians. Wearing light to medium armor, hunters can also dual wield weapons in combat, fighting beside their pets in battle. Available to: Night Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Ranged Physical Damage Dealer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Pet Bars: Health/Focus Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail (level 40) Available Weapons: Axes, Daggers, Guns, Bows, Crossbows, Fist Weapons, Polearms, Staves, Swords, Thrown, Two-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Swords Comments: Excellent for those who like to solo with pets ----------------------------------------- Mage Mages wield the elements of fire, frost, and the arcane to destroy or neutralize their enemies. They are a robed class that excels at dealing massive damage from afar, casting elemental bolts at a single target, or raining destruction down upon their enemies in a wide area of effect. Mages can also augment their allies' spell-casting powers, summon food or drink to restore their friends, and even travel across the world in an instant by opening arcane portals to distant lands. Available to: Humans, Gnomes, Undead, Trolls, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Primary Ranged Magic Damage Dealer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth Available Weapons: Staves, Wands, Daggers, Swords Comments: Excellent primary ranged damage dealers --------------------------------------------- Paladin Guardians of the Holy Light and defenders of the Alliance, paladins bolster their allies with holy auras and blessing to protect their friends from harm and enhance their powers. Wearing heavy armor, they can withstand terrible blows in the thickest battles while healing their wounded allies and resurrecting the slain. In combat, they can wield massive two-handed weapons, stun their foes, destroy undead and demons, and judge their enemies with holy vengeance. Paladins are a defensive class designed to outlast their opponents. Available to: Humans, Dwarves, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Hybrid, Secondary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail, Plate (level 40), Shields Available Weapons: One and Two-handed Maces, One and Two-handed Swords, One and Two-handed Axes, Polearms Comments: A more melee oriented hybrid ------------------------------------------------- Priest Priests are the masters of healing and preservation, restoring their wounded allies, shielding them in battle, and even resurrecting their fallen comrades. While they have a variety of protective and enhancement spells to bolster their allies, priests can also wreak terrible vengeance on their enemies, using the powers of shadow or holy light to destroy them. They are a diverse and powerful class, highly desirable in any group, capable of fulfilling multiple roles. Available to: Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Undead, Trolls, Blood Elves, Draenei Type: Primary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth Available Weapons: One-Handed Maces, Daggers, Staves, Wands Comments: The most sought after class for any group -------------------------------------------------- Rogue Rogues are a lightly armored melee class capable of dealing massive damage to their enemies in a flurry of attacks. They are masters of stealth and assassination, passing by enemies unseen and striking from the shadows, then escaping from combat in the blink of an eye. Rogues can also craft poisons that damage or cripple their enemies, reducing their effectiveness in battle. Groups will find rogues valuable, for not only do they deal massive damage, but they can open locked doors or chests, and disarm hidden traps as well. Available to: Gnomes, Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Blood Elves Orcs, Undead, Trolls Type: Primary Melee Damage Dealer Standard Bars: Health/Energy Available Armor: Cloth, Leather Available Weapons: Dagger, Swords, Maces, Fist Weapons, Thrown, Guns, Bows, Crossbows Comments: Favorite among those who like to deal damage ------------------------------------------------------- Shaman Shaman are the spiritual leaders of their tribes and clans. They are masters of the elements, using spells and totems that heal or enhance their allies in battle while unleashing the fury of the elements upon their foes. Shaman can wear medium armor, and even wield massive two-handed weapons in combat. They are a versatile class that can wade into battle, restoring their allies while hurling elemental bolts of lightning at their enemies. Available to: Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Draenei Type: Hybrid, Secondary Healer Standard Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail (level 40), Shields Available Weapons: One-Handed Maces, Two-Handed Maces (w/ talents), Staves, Fist Weapons, One-Handed Axes, Two-Handed Axes (w/ talents), Daggers Comments: A more magic oriented hybrid ------------------------------------------------------- Warlock Warlocks are masters of shadow, flame, and demonic power. They are a robed class that excels at plaguing their enemies with disease or curses, hurling bolts of fire or shadow energy across the battlefield, and summoning demons to aid them in combat. While warlocks are powerful casters that deal damage from a distance, their demonic powers can also protect or support their allies in battle, or even summon other players from across the world using ritual magic to conjure portals. Available to: Gnomes, Humans, Orcs, Undead, Blood Elves Type: Debuffer and Cool Guy/Girl Standard Bars: Health/Mana Pet Bars: Health/Mana Available Armor: Cloth Available Weapons: Daggers, Wands, Staves, Swords Comments: Excellent solo class ------------------------------------------------------------- Warrior Warriors can be a raging berserker or an iron-clad juggernaut, capable of withstanding tremendous attacks while protecting their allies from harm. They have a wide variety of attacks that do everything from cripple their enemies, to dealing massive amounts of damage in a single retaliatory blow, and enhancing their allies' fighting ability with battle shouts. They excel at fighting multiple opponents at once, gaining rage from every blow dealt or received to unleash their attacks. Warriors are a versatile class with a variety of play-styles to choose from. Available to: All Races except Blood Elves Type: Primary Tank Standard Bars: Health/Rage Available Armor: Cloth, Leather, Mail, Plate (level 40), Shields Available Weapons: All (excluding wands) Comments: Excellent for those who like to take damage “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 5- Yourself in a glorified mirror (Character Creation) a- The most important thing about warcraft is your character and its class. Your character should be an extension of yourself, if you don't like your character or its class, your not going to enjoy the game. b- The first step in creating your character is choosing what server you would like to play on. Your server is basically your "world" you play on, you cant communicate or group with people on other servers, unless its in a pvp battleground (more on this later). There are four different types of servers, listed as follows. b1- PvE (Player vs Environment) on a PvE server you are not able to attack, or be attacked by other players unless your marked for combat, PvE servers are usually regarded as the "standard" servers. b2- PvP (Player vs Player) PvP servers are just like PvE servers, only you are able to attack and be attacked by the opposing faction. Usually "ganking" is a common practice here, ganking involves higher lever players killing lower level players without reward or mercy. Usually a choice for hardcore players, Id suggest getting your sea legs before creating a character here unless you don't mind a few deaths every now and then. b3- RP (Role Playing) These servers are the pinicle of game immersment. Here you behave like your character, you develop a backstory and flaws within your characters personality. These servers have strict naming rules so your name must fit into a role-playing setting (so no off the wall names like "Slipnslide" or "ZomgHaxors") Join these servers only if you intend to roleplay, otherwise, go with a PvE server. b4- RPPVP (Role Playing Player vs Player) just take the RP server and mix it with the PvP server and you have yourself an RPPVP server. c- There are two different factions in warcraft, the alliance and horde. Each faction has different cities, languages, quests, races, and starting zones. you cant group with the other faction, and on PVP servers or under rare occasions where your flaged on a PvE server you may come under attack, or chose to attack another player of the opposing faction. d- Appearance- After you have chosen your server, its time to make your character. Chose a faction (alliance or horde) and a race (Gnome, Orc, Etc) after choosing a race you will see what classes are available to that race. You will also see a button to toggle between male and female characters, and buttons to change your skin tone, facial features, hair style and color, etc. e- Name- Once your happy with your appearance, its time to name your character. The only rules that apply here are no offensive names (if you think it may be offensive, it probably is), no special characters (ΓΨΰθ etc.) and if your on an RP server, no non-rp names. (Note- Some names are allowed, but are looked down upon, these include names from the Lord of The Ring series, names from the game itself, or other un-inspired names, so get creative, for example, all my characters besides my main are named after famous guitarists or band references. “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 6- Walk the Walk (Controls and UI) a- The following can be found at the warcraft homepage @ http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/basics/controls.html Basic Options: Hit (ESC) to bring up the options menu, where you can adjust video and game settings, and re-map your key-binding. You can see all of the keys in the game within the key-binding section. Movement: Use the W, A, S, D keys to move around the world. Or, hold down both mouse buttons to walk forward (moving the mouse at this point turns your character). The arrow keys will also move your character. Click to Move (by default this option is off). Players will need to turn it on to use this by going to Advanced Options, and then Interface Options and then checking the radio box next to Click to Move. Click to Move is an auto-interaction feature that will allow players to do several things by using their mouse. With Click to Move turned on, a player can do the following: * Right click on the ground to move to that location. * Right click on a creature to automatically move to that creature and initiate combat. Auto-run is a very useful and important key to learn. This allows you to continue running without holding a key or the mouse down. You can assign a key to auto-run by hitting escape, then selecting key bindings on the menu. Scroll down until you find "toggle auto run." The default key is Num Lock. Camera: Hold down the left mouse button to look around the world. Hold down the right mouse button to turn your character using the mouse. You can zoom the camera in and out using the mouse wheel or using the Home and End keys. Interacting: Left-click selects objects and NPCs in the game, while Right-click activates an object or talks to an NPC. The mouse cursor is context-sensitive; if you move your mouse over an object that you can interact with, an icon will appear on your mouse cursor indicating the type of action that will occur if you Right-click (sword = attack, cog = manipulate, speech balloon = talk, etc.) Attacking: To attack a creature, move within range (move to where you can see the attack cursor when you mouse over the creature - a grayed out cursor means you are out of range) and right-click on the creature. You will enter attack mode. Move your character next to the creature and you will automatically begin to attack. In addition to right-clicking on a creature, you may also select the "attack" icon from the Action Bar. Action Bar: The action bar at the bottom of the screen contains your spells, special abilities, or frequently used items like Food and Water (which give back health and mana respectively). You can activate these by either left-clicking on them, or by typing the number corresponding to the slot of the spell or ability you wish to use. Mousing over the icons will also show you a tooltip containing the name of the spell or ability. You can also consult your spell or ability books (Spellbook & Ability button on the Action Bar) to get a full description of each ability or spell your character may have. You can re-arrange your Action Bar by clicking and dragging on the icons. You can also add new spells/abilities to this bar as you receive them by dragging them from your Spell or Ability book. You can also place items in the bar for easy activation. Items on the action bar now remain there even after they are consumed. * Items that are in your action bar and are equipped display a green border around them so it's easy to tell which of your action bar items are equipped and therefore usable. * Consumable items on the action bar will now always show the number remaining, even if there are none in your inventory. * Players can cast item targetable spells on items that are in your action bar. For instance you can cast feed pet and have the food you want the pet to be fed in one of your action bars. Multiple Action Bars: You can have multiple action bars onscreen at the same time. You can activate the additional action bars through the Interface options menu. Additional action bars have range indicators on them. If a button in one of a players additional action bars has a range component, it will display a red dot when a target is out of range. Grouping, Trading, and Other Character Interaction: To invite someone to a group, select them by left-clicking on them, and then right-click on their portrait in the upper edge of the screen to bring up a menu of possible interactions with that character. One of these options is grouping. There are several other available interactions with characters, including inspecting them, challenging them to a duel, etc. Sound: Control-S toggles sound effects. Control-M toggles music. Character Information:Click on the button in the Action Bar that contains the portrait of your character. This will bring up your Character Info panel which includes the Reputation and Skill panels. Leveling: As you level in the game, you will gain talent points which you can immediately (after level 10) apply to your character by hitting "N" to open the Talents tab. The Talents tab contains all your currently available talents and their costs in talent points. Gaining New Spells & Abilities: New abilities and spells are not gained automatically. You must visit a trainer specific to your class to purchase them. There are other ways to gain spells and abilities, such as tomes found on monsters. Casting Spells on Party Members Players can use the Function keys to cast spells on party members once the spell has been selected. Canceling Spells/Auto Shoot Spell casting and ranged Weapon Auto-Shots can be canceled by hitting the ESC key. Sticky Targeting When this is turned on in the options, you will not deselect your current target when you click on empty space. Targeting Other Players You can target a player by clicking their name from the chat log and selecting the "Target" option. Autoloot Use Shift-Right Click on a corpse or chest to autoloot it. This will NOT autoloot bind-on-acquire items. Equipping Items You can equip items by right-clicking them from your inventory. This will also place items in the bank. Tab You can cycle through targets with the Tab key. If you do that then manually select a different target using another method, then quickly hit Tab again, your last Tab-selected target will be re-selected and you can continue Tab-selecting where you left off. Clearing your target will restart the Tab selection process. Icons The icons of negative effects that appear on the player have a color to indicate their type. Curses are purple, disease is yellow, poison is green and magic is blue. In addition, when a party member is struck by one of these four types of negative effects, their portrait will pulse the appropriate color for 30 seconds or until the effect is removed. Swimming If you run out of air, you will die. There are various items and even potions that allow you to breathe under water. You can also use the jump key to swim upwards while in the water. You can even jump up out of the water using the jump key. To dive, you have to tilt your direction downwards a certain amount with the right mouse button. Logout You cannot logout while in combat. V key * V key shows summoned monsters (such as the gargoyles in Stratholme.) * V key shows both monsters and player enemies. * V shows enemies only (no longer shows friendly targets.) * Shift-V now shows friendly targets only, not enemies (with a new bindable hotkey.) * Control-V shows both friendly targets and enemy targets (with a new bindable hotkey.) Floating Combat Text Floating combat text was added to the game with a number of options. You can see when you take damage, when you are healed and how much, when you acquire and lose auras and much more. You can turn on the options in the options screen. Name Above Head There is an option to turn on the display of your own name above your head. You can find the option in the interface options screen. Spell Alert (Enemy Cast bar) Displays targeted enemy's cast bar when they are casting. It is off by default but you can enable it through Interface Options. It can also be displayed with "V" key functionality. Alt Tab (minimize program) If you alt-tab away from the game, your character stops moving unless you are on auto-run. Alt-F4 (close program) Alt-F4 can be used to close World of Warcraft, however, it will not instantly log players out of the world. Different Characters Add-ons, Macros and Keybindings can be saved on a per character basis, so you can have different characters load different add-ons/macros/keybindings. Tips In the initial loading screen there will be a tip displayed. This can be turned off from the interface options menu. Questions In-Game? A knowledge base has been added to the in-game UI. Search the knowledge base if you have questions about the game. “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 7- Talk the Talk (comunication) The following can be found at the warcraft homepage at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/basics/chat-overview.html with detailed pictures and diagrams on the chat log interface. This is a brief summary of that page. a- Chat Log- In addition to chat messages from players in your immediate surroundings, the chat log also displays private messages from other players, guild messages, yells from other players, and any non-chat messages relating to your character development, such as notices for when you gain a level, earn a skill point, or acquire a quest. Only the last eight lines of messages are displayed, although you can view previous messages by using the scrolling arrow buttons to scroll up and down. To jump back to the latest message, click the bottom arrow button next to the chat log; this button will flash to alert you of new messages that arrive while you are scrolling through previous messages. b- Chat Button (the talk balloon button)- The chat button is especially important because it houses all the commands for effectively communicating with other players in World of Warcraft. By clicking on this button, you have access to party and guild chats, private messaging of individual players, emotes, and voiced speech. b1- Many of these same chat options are also available through hotkeys or commands that you can type at the chat prompt. The chat button is found only above the scroll arrow buttons of the main chat window, which is labeled General by default. Below is a listing of the options contained in the Chat Button menu and their corresponding chat commands: Say /s Party Chat /p Guild Chat /g Yell /y Whisper /w Emote (see below) /e Reply /r Language (allows you to choose which of your known languages your chat will be displayed in. Players who do not know your spoken language will see gibberish with a label indicating what language you are speaking in.) Voice Emote (see below) Macro (opens the Macro interface) /macro Placing your cursor over Emote opens a sub-menu of emotes that are accompanied by a character animation and sound: /applaud, /beg, /bow, /chicken, /cry, /dance, /eat, /flex, /kiss, /kneel, /laugh, /point, /roar, /rude, /salute, /shy, /sit, /sleep, /stand, /talk, /wave Placing your cursor over Voice Emote opens a sub-menu of emotes that are accompanied by character dialogue and animation: /attacktarget, /bye, /charge, /cheer, /congratulate, /flee, /flirt, /followme, /healme, /hello, /helpme, /incoming, /no, /nod, /oom, /openfire, /rasp, /silly, /thank, /train, /wait, /welcome c- Combat Log The combat log displays your actions and the actions of other nearby players, NPCs, and creatures. Combat, purchases, item creation, experience awards, or other activities are recorded in this combat log. The actions of monsters and other players appear in different colors to distinguish them from your actions. The arrow keys to the right of the combat log let you scroll up and down to see previous actions. To jump back to the latest action, click on the bottom arrow key. The bottom arrow button will flash to alert you of new messages that arrive while you are scrolling through previous messages. d- Chat Modes Chat Modes There are different types of chat. Pressing the Chat Button next to the log shows you these different options. Simply click on the desired chat type to begin chatting in that manner, whether it is yelling, guild chatting, or whispering. You can also bypass the Chat Button by pressing the Enter key to pull up the chat prompt and then typing / followed by the appropriate chat command or hotkey. /Say Say broadcasts your chat to all players in your vicinity. This is the default chat mode. You can also type /s at the chat prompt to begin saying a message if your chat prompt is set to a different chat type. /Party Party chat only chats with members of your party. Use this chat to speak with your party members without cluttering the chat window of other players. You can also type /p to begin a party message. /Guild Guild chat broadcasts a message to all people in your guild, no matter where they are. You can also type /g to begin a guild message. /Officer Officer chat broadcasts a message to all Officers in your guild, no matter where they are. You can also type /o to begin an officer message. The Guild Master can change who can see and who can send Officer messages. /Yell Yell broadcasts a message to players in a very large area around your character. The chat message appears red by default in everyone's chat window, making it stand out. You can also type /y to yell a message. /Whisper Whispering sends a private message to one player. Unlike other chat types, you must specify a player to whisper to. After clicking the whisper command or typing /w at the chat prompt, type the name of the player you wish to whisper to. Then type your message. Whispers cannot be sent to players in the opposing faction. /Tell A tell is functionally equivalent to a whisper. Both send a private message to a single player. You can also send a tell by typing /t followed by the name of the intended recipient and your message. Tells cannot be sent to players in the opposing faction. /Reply If a player sends you a whisper or tell, you can reply to that player either by choosing Reply from the Chat Button menu or by pressing r. e- Commonly Used Terms Add-- Will usually refer to any additional monsters that have started fighting your group after you are already engaged in combat. For example, if you are fighting a bear and half way through the battle a wolf comes along and begins attacking you, this would be considered an "add". AFK-- Is short for "Away From Keyboard". You can active the AFK flag on your character by typing /afk in the chat line. It also automatically activates if your character is idle for an extended period of time Aggro-- This refers to aggressive actions against a player. If a monster turns and attacks you, you have gained aggro. AOE-- Is short for "Area of Effect". This is when a spell can affect all targets in an area instead of being directed at a single target. Blizzard, Frost Nova, and Hellfire are all examples of AOE spells. BOE-- Is short for "Bind On Equip". This means that when you equip the item, it will no longer be tradable to another player and can only be sold to a vendor. BOP-- Is short for "Bind On Pickup". This means that when you loot the item from the monster, it will no longer be tradable to another player and can only be sold to a vendor. Buff-- A spell cast on a player, pet, or mob which enhances a specific statistic for a set time period. Spells such as "Mark of the Wild" and "Power Word: Fortitude" are examples of buffs. De-Buff-- A spell cast on a player, pet, or mob which places a negative effect on a specific statistic for a set time period. Spells such as "Demoralizing Shout" and "Curse of Weakness" are examples of de-buffs. DOT-- Is short for "Damage Over Time". This refers to a spell or effect that slowly deals damage over an extended period of time, rather than all at once. GG-- Is short for both "Good Game" and "Good Going" depending on the context in which it is used. If you happen to save a party member, someone might say "GG" meaning good going. If you beat some one in a duel, the other person might say "GG" meaning good game. HOT-- Is short for "Heal Over Time". This refers to a spell or effect that slowly heals damage over an extended period of time, rather than all at once. Instance-- A unique copy dungeon, when entering one, it is you and your party alone in this zone, no outsiders can interfere with you. This is where most "Boss fights" take place and almost always require a group to be efficient inside LFG-- Is short for "Looking For Group". LFM-- Is short for "Looking For More". Mob-- Is another word for a hostile and is used to describe non playable creatures that you kill in the game. NPC-- Is short for "Non-Player Character". These are computer-controlled characters. Quest givers, merchants, inn keepers, etc. Not to be confused with Mob. Proc-- A term used to denote when a special effect of an item randomly triggers or what the special effect of said item does. Proc only refers to a randomly triggered effect that arises from attacking or being hit. Heres an example Searing Blade Binds when equipped Two-HandTwo-Hand Sword 39 - 59 DamageSpeed 2.50 (19.6 damage per second) Requires Level 18 Chance On Hit: Hurls a fiery ball that causes 70 Fire damage and an additional 9 damage over 6 seconds. The fiery ball would be considered a proc, as it is a random spell that is triggered by a hit PUG-- Short for Pick up Group, this is a party made up of strangers, these groups may be difficult to work with, as often times its an every man for himself ordeal, loot is often horded, and deaths are plentiful. however, it is possible to find a good pug, where everyone looks out for each other and teamwork is visible. XP-- Is short for Experience Points note- all these and more can be found in the Glossary section of your world of warcraft manual “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 8- No good deed...(Questing) a- What is Questing?- Questing is the process of completing tasks for experience, items, money, and reputation. Quests can be obtained by people with a gold (!) above there head. Talking to that person will give you a dialog box explaining the quest and how to complete it. If more than one quest is available, you'll see a list of quests, clicking on an item in the list will bring up that dialog box. After reading the quest, click the "Accept" button and it will be added to your quest log. Quest objectives may include killing a certain number of things, collecting one or a number of items, delivering something to someone, exploring somewhere, or other, more unique objectives. b- The Quest log- The quest log is a list of quests your currently on. To see the quest log click on the small gold trophy button in your action bar. The quest log looks something like this. ““““““““““““““““Quest Log“““““““““““““““““““““““ “ “ <--- Clicking on the All tab will show or hide all of your quests “ +/- All “ “ “ “ +/- Sample Zone A “ <--- Clicking on a zone name will show or hide its quests “ Rat Hunting (text in green) “ <--- Clicking on a quest will bring up the quest information in the box below “ Find Waldo (text in yellow) “ <--- Quests are color coded by your level and there difficulty, green are just below “ “ your level or easy, “ Wanted: Bob the Bandit (text in Orange)“ yellow are at your level and average, orange above and harder, and red is far above “ “ your level. “ Dragon Slayer- Elite (text in red) “ <--- [Elite] quests are harder than average and may require a group of people “ “ “ +/- Sample Zone B “ “ Travel to Zone A- Complete “ <--- Complete Quests need to be turned to the specified person for experience or rewards “ New in Town (text in gray) “ <--- Grey quests are below your level, and will reward little experience, but you can “ “ “ still receive “----------------------------------------------“ Item and coin rewards “ “ “ Rat Hunting “ <---here you will see your progress and other quest information “ “ “ Kill 10 rats and return to the inn “ “ Rats slain 3/10 “ “ “ “ Description “ “ These rats are hurting business! Why “ “ just the other day I found on in my “ “ bed. Go *name* and kill these vermin, “ “ get them off my property! “ “ “ “ Rewards “ “ You will revive 25 copper “ “ You will also receive a choice of “ “ ______________ ______________ “ “ [5 ] [5 ] “<--- When a quest is complete, and you have a choice of item rewards, highlight the item “ “ you would “ [ φ FOOD ] [ ~~ WATER ]  like to receive before you hit the [complete] button  ________________ ________________    ----------------------------------------------  [Abandon Quest] [Share Quest] [Exit]  <--- To quit your quest, click abandon. To share it with party members close to your location click share  “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 9- Professions 101 a- What are professions?- Professions are simply another level of customizing your character. They are your characters "jobs" that you use to gain money and add another level of depth to the game. a1- Each character can have 2 main professions and 3 secondary professions. Most professions have a "sister profession" that combos well with it and some professions are better for some classes than they are for others. a2- Professions level up just like any other skill you have. As you level up your profession you will gain access to new plans from your trainers, or the ability to gather higher level materials if your a miner/skinner/herbalist a3- You can learn professions from a profession trainer, simply ask a guard for directions to your nearest trainer. Be sure to visit your trainer after leveling your skill up a few dozen points. b- What profession is for me?- There is no x-class should get y-profession list, but there are some basic recommendations I can give. Below is a list of every profession, what sister profession it goes with, its pro's and con's and the classes that are best suited for it. c- Profession list.- c1- Primary Professions (choose 2) (note, the pro's and con's are my opinion and mine alone as a veteran player. For more info I would suggest contacting someone who has leveled that profession in-game) ------------------------ Mining- Mining allows players to gather gems and raw ore from the earth. It also gives the player a smelting ability, which allows you to smelt the raw ore into metal bars, which are used for a number of profession. Sister Professions- Blacksmith, Jewlcrafting, Engineering. Pro's- Metal Bars sell very well on most servers, Ore deposits are relatively easy to find (along mountains and caves) Cons's- Mining is a profession among many players, so you will have quite a bit of competition. Relatively slower to level up compared to other gathering professions. Recommended Classes- Any ------------------------ Blacksmithing- Taking up the smithing profession gives you the ability to create your own weapons and armor. At later levels you are given a choice to specialize in a number of branches, (armor, weapon/sword, weapon/axe, weapon/mace, etc) Sister Profession- Mining Pro's- Very useful at many stages of the game, Can be very profitable if you find a nitch in the market and know how to work your sales. Con's- Fairly expensive to level up unless you gather your own materials. Can be a bit difficult to sell your wares (you must compete with word drop and instance items). Recommended Classes- Warrior, paladin, (Hunter and Shaman to a lesser extent) ------------------------ Engineering- Engineering allows players to create various gadgets, gizmos, trinkets and taps. It can be very useful at times, but the items are usually very unreliable. At later levels engineers chose between the goblin (explosives) and gnomish (gadgets) branch. Sister Profession- Mining Pro's- Gives classes abilities they would not have if they weren't an engineer. (Reserection, Range attacks, Polymorph, etc). Very useful items if they work. An extremely fun and unique profession to take up if your willing to take a risk every now and then. Con's- Most items are BoP or require engineering to use, this means that you wont be able to make much money off the profusion unless you find a nitch in the scope or bullet market. Items can be very unreliable at times and backfire on the user. Takes up a vairing amount of bag space depending on how many items you carry. Recommended Classes- Any, but goes especially well with Warrior, Paladin, Hunter and cloth damage classes. -------------------------- Herbalism- Herbalism allows you to gather herbs, roots, and flowers for use in potions. Very similar to mining, although, you wont have as much competition for plants. However, most plants wont sell as well as metal or gems, as they are only majority used in alchemy, and a majority of alchemists are usually able and willing to gather there own herbs. On the up side, the lack of competition usually makes up for the lower price of herbs. Sister Profession- Alchemy Pro's- Faster to level than mining, Herbs can be found just about everywhere (no need to travel along mountains to gather). Certain plants can sell very well. Very little competition compared to other gathering professions. If comboed with alchemy, can yield very useful potions for leveling or sold for a decent price. Con's- May not bring in as much money compared to mining. Can take up quite a fair amount of bag space. Recommended Classes- Any --------------------------- Alchemy- Alchemists use plants and oils to manufacture potions and elixirs that give useful buffs and restore health and mana. Alchemists are also able to transmute certain crafting materials into more valuable materials at later levels (with a 1 to 2 day cooldown between transmutes) Sister Profession- Herbalism Pro's- Potions are very useful in every stage of leveling and gameplay. Some rare pattern potions sell extremely well on the Auction House and It can lead to a very wealthy lifestyle if your able to play your cards right. Very quick crafting profession to level. Transmutes bring in an extra burst of cash every few days. Con's- Most potions are worth more as raw materials than they are potions. If you carry many potions around with you at all times, it can consume massive bag space. Transmutes have some of the longest cooldowns in the game. Recommended Classes- Any --------------------------- Enchanting- Enchanting allows players to add magical effects and abilities to weaponry and armor. It also allows the enchanter to dis-enchant magical (green, blue, purple) items into the materials used to do this. Sister Profession- None, although most enchanters take tailoring, as it also has no sister profession. Pro's- Enchanting is usually seen as a "service", meaning that many players will bring the materials to you and you get payed to click a button. Disenchanting items allows you to make use of your old soulbound gear and sell it on the Auction House as enchanting material. Can yield a very stable income at lower levels. Con's- Enchanting is argued to be the hardest and most expensive to level of any profession. Dis-Enchanting items destroys the item for enchanting materal. Finding customers can be difficult. Takes up massive bag space unless items are kept in the bank. Recommended Classes- Any (although a cloth wearing class would be preferred due to the tailoring combo) ------------------------------ Tailoring- Tailoring allows players to make items from the cloth found throughout the world such as bags, clothing, cloaks, and enchant threads at much later levels. Sister Profession- None, although enchanting is usually the proffered choice, as it also has no sister profession. Pro's- Items are able to be sold on the Auction House at a fair price. Gives the tailor the ability to keep his or her gear up to date fairly easily (if player is a cloth class) Yields cheap to make green and blue items, which helps if leveling enchanting. Needs no other sister profession to lean up against. Con's- Many items don't sell for a huge amount at lower levels (just high enough to turn a profit most of the time) Recommended Classes- Mage, Warlock, Priest. -------------------------------- Skinning- Skinning allows players to harvest the skins and hides of animals used to make leather armor (and mail later in game) Sister Profession- Leatherworking Pro's- Allows you to gather profession materials while leveling. Leather and hides sell fairly well on the Auction House. You can often find and skin dead carcases without having to kill anything. Con's- Can take up quite a bit of bag space, may offer limited utility at higher levels. --------------------------------- Leatherworking- Leatherworking allows players to create leather armor from the skins and hides they harvist from skinning. At later levels players can specialise in "dragonhide" leatherworking, which yields chain items (this path is usually designated for shaman and hunters) Sister Profession- Skinning Pro's- Fairly easy to level. Items created are usually high quality for their level. Some items sell very well on the AH for a fairly large profit margin. Con's- May not yield full utility at higher levels, Leveling speed may decrease when items start requiring "cured" hides. ---------------------------------- Jewlcrafting- Jewlcrafting allows players to make various pieces of jewelry, armor, and at later levels, cut gems into usable item-enchantment like items. It also gives you the ability to "prospect" a stack of 5 metal ore to search for the jewels you need to create your items. This profession was released with the burning crusade expansion pack, so if you wish to become a jeweler you'll need to purchase a copy. Sister Profession- Mining Pro's- Gives player access to items he/she may not otherwise have access to at lower levels. Items created usualy have a very high quality value when compared to other items their level. Con's- Market may be a bit "flooded" depending on your server (many players became jewlers with the expansion). Items can get very expencive to make. “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 10- The Root of All Evil (Gold and How to get it) a- (What is it?) In world of warcraft, few players care more about anything elese. Many players spend day and night getting more of it, and a Majority of players dont know how to utilise it to its fullest. Yes, were talking about gold here. Currency in world of warcraft is divided into 3 coins. Copper, Silver (1 = 100 copper) and Gold, (1 = 100 silver or 1000 copper). a1- The ammount of coin you have is always shown on the bottom right corner of your main backpack a2- Coin is automatical added/removed from your person when you buy or sell something from a vendor or the auction house a3- When trading with another player, coin ammounts are filled out in small text boxes found at the top of your respective trade frame. b- (How do I get it?) There are limitless schemes, strategys, and ways to increase your net worth. Here I will discuss a few of them in detail. We will discuss how to do such things, the moral side to doing it, and the payoff. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b1- Simply Play- Simply playing the game will earn you a steady stream of coin. You recive money from the mobs you kill, the quests you complete, the items you sell, etc Income- 4/10 Moral- Theres nothing wrong with this strategy at all. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b2- Farming- Farming is the act of killing in one area for an extended period of time usualy for a specific item or experence. Farming is the basic tool of those after money. Simply find a single mob that either drops coin or a rare item that sells well on the auction house. Examples would be Dragon Whelps, which drop not only coin on some species, but also a rare pet that can sell anywhere from 60-500g or more on the auction house depending on its color and the curent market. Other examples include most humanoid mobs, as they usualy drop a great stream of coin and the ocasional grey/green item. Income- 4/10 - 6/10 depending on farming area Moral- Picking a farming location with heavy quest roots may interfear with questers, other than that there should be no other moral delema when it comes to farming. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b3- Run the Auction House- The single most effective way of earning money. Knowing how to use the AH to its fullest will lead to a plentifull life. b3.1- First, one must know the patterns involved in the AH, Items will usualy be cheaper in the evening and weekends, as more players are online, thus more items on the AH resulting in more competition and lower prices. b3.2- Items sold in bulk are usualy cheaper than smaller stacks or individual items. b3.3- Comodity items such as metal/herbs/enchanting materials tend to go up and down in price more so than gear. b3.3- Gear based BOE items in the 10-49 bracket always sell higher when they are close to lvl 19, 29, 39, 49 as a result of twinks. When trading on the AH, buy low and sell high. For example, on the weekend, you see a stack of fadeleaf for 20g, you know from watching patterns that the price will rise to 25-30g on the weekdays. Buy it, and then re-sell it during the next week. Always watch for overcrowding of markets, when you see a few pages of the item your selling and there all priced very low, wait out the abundance and sell when prices go up. Keep an eye out for deals. Some people sell things on the AH not knowing there value, I once purchased a robe of insight for 50g and re-sold it the next week for 250g. Be patent, keep in mind that your coin count may drop due to buying stock. But that stock is just as good, if not better than gold. Always research your buys before diving in, use an item pricing website like http://wow.allakhazam.com/ to check the price of the item before you buy. Keep in mind some prices may be old or bugged and they vary from server to server, so use your best judgement. Know your servers economy, yonger servers are going to see a fairly unstable economy compared to older ones. Make sure not to take huge risks on unstable economys, you'll cry yourself to the bank if you do. Trading in the AH is one of the deepest points of the game, keep in mind that this is a living working economy, and can be used as such. That was only a sip of what the AH has to offer. Take that and develop your own strategys, ask others about theirs, etc. Income- 7/10 - 10/10 depending on investment and skill level Morality- AH trading can get a bit nasty, the best fight with low blows and ear shots (metephoricly speaking). Its no way to make friends (although you'll rarely if ever get in an argument about it with another player). Just make sure you dont go to far and lose your customers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ b4- Begging- Ahh, the newbies way out. A tiny payoff for a cut of your dignity. Begging is just as it is in todays modern world. Its looked down upun, you'll get some nasty whispers, and you'll probably be laughed at and told to go work the AH. Some players report getting big payoffs from high level players, however, Ive never givin anything over 1 copper and a leftover spider leg (and that was in complete mockary of the person) Just dont do it. You'll make a fool of yourself. Income- 2/10 Morality- Its a victomless crime unless you include your dignity. If you go to far you may be reported to a GM for harasment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b5- Gold Buying- Whats against the WoW EULA and TOS, disgusts a wide majority of players and can tople an economy in a single bound? Why, its gold buying. Purchasing gold off another website for use in warcraft is not only against warcrafts rule set, its also technicaly copywright infrengement. If you use the AH guide I gave above, you shouldent need to do this anyhow. Income- 10/10, however, you also lose 10/10 of your real life money. You know, that green stuff you can use to buy food, clothing and more games? Morality- Its as low as low can get on most warcraft player score cards. Not only will you be riduculed and easyly spoted by your horible BOE blues and purple gear, you'll miss a huge part of the game by doing so. (not to mention the worst players Ive seen in warcraft are always profesional gold farmers or those that buy the gold from them) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are many more ways to aquire gold, but those would be the main few, we now move on to our next section. “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) Q- What level do I need to be to get a mount? A- Level 40 for the standard mount (90 gold), level 60 for the faster epic mount (1000g), and level 70 for flying mounts (5000g). Q- What should I spend my money on? A- Idealy, nothing. However, if you have a piese of gear 10 or so levels old, go replace it. Do not however go out and buy new gear every level, its a waste. The best gear can be found in instances and quests. Q- Whats the fastest way to level? A- Questing, enter a zone, finish all (or most of) the quests, move to the next zone. There are faster ways, however, this will be the best for a new player unfamiliar with the zone, quest list, etc. Q- Whats the best race/class? A- There is none, its all a matter of taste. Play something, if you have fun playing the class, youve got a winner. Some are stronger than others at beating ceartain classes, but they all have there good and bad points. Q- Whats the best way to make money? A- See the Auction House guide above. Q- I saw a person with a pet/demon fighting for them, how do I get one? A- You must play a hunter for a pet, warlock for a demon. Other classes can not have permenant combat pets. Q- Are there any cheat codes for this game? A- No “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““ 13- Contact/Legal Info If you have any questions, comments, corrections, or sugestions please let me know at insomniac142@gmail.com or through the cheathappens.com PM system. This guide was written for the exclusive use of cheathappens.com please do not re-distribute this guide to any other website without my permision. Sources include the world of warcraft website www.worldofwarcraft.com and the world of warcraft instruction manual. Copywright 2007- Jacob "insomniac" Clendenin