So you wanna play huh...?

So you wanna play World of Warcraft huh? Well, first off lets define a few things. 

Picking a Server:  The question I get asked more than anything is "Which server you on?". At first I had no idea. I let the system do it for me. This is fairly important to a lot of people. Who knew?

So if your friends are playing, and you decide to join them, you'll need to pick the server they're on. You won't be able to message them in-game with their Character (toon, avatar) unless you're on the same server. Nor will you be able to send them anything (potions, gear, etc). Sure, you can add their Real ID (if you know their real email address) but it's not quite the same.

Keep in mind that if you do want to move your character later, as of this post, battle.net will charge you $25.00 per character to move from Server 1 to Server 2


HoT vs DoT

HoT (or Heals over Time) is a spell or action that will give the user(s) health. Some last for just a few short seconds, others last for as long as the spell-caster is focusing (meaning you're not doing anything else).

DoT (or Damage over Time) is a spell or action that, once setup, keeps causing your enemies damage over a period of time. It's great to lead off with those, as they will keep damaging while you're hitting them with other stuff. 

Stacking: Having one or more actions/spells work on an enemy. More info here:
http://www.wowwiki.com/Stack

Buff/Debuff: A temporary spell or effect placed on a player, for example Mark of the Wild. More info here:
http://www.wowwiki.com/Buff

And a debuff is one that takes away a buff on a target, or cancels out an ability they may have, for example Solar Beam cast on a target will stop them from casting spells on you.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Debuff


Stats
When you first start out, your stats will be pretty limited. However, as you add gear, level up, use potions, etc, your stats will increase.

They're different for every class, but the higher the better. Find out what your race/class needs for optimum stats and work towards that. Start with the links below, changing out your class for the Druid or Paladin.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Druid -- Great link to get you started with being a Druid

http://druidbuilds.com/

http://paladinbuilds.com

http://hunterbuilds.com

http://www.wowwiki.com/Paladin -- And another for a Paladin.

And one of my favorite sites for figuring out stats and gear: http://www.askmrrobot.com/wow


World of Warcrafts FAQ site.. check it out.  http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/969747135#3



Here's other links that I find very useful:

thottbot.com  -- Great site for info

wowhead.com -- wonderful wiki!

wowwiki.com -- Another great site for information. Check 'em out.

learntoraid.com -- Title says it all

http://www.joystiq.com/game/world-of-warcraft -- News and info about the game

And something fun, things you may not have known about Stormwind
http://blessingoffish.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/things-you-might-not-know-stormwind



Next post we'll talk about getting yo'self setup to be as effective as possible.

Welcome!

This blog isn't going to be the worlds best tutorial on World of Warcraft. In fact, it's not going to be a tutorial at all. The goal here isn't to walk everyone through every thing there is to know about WoW (there is plenty of stuff out there for that). The goal is to help educate the n00bs out there who have questions about this or that.

I hope, as I learn, you'll learn too. Some of the jargon out there is tough to pick up, or to figure out the ins and outs of various things. I hope I can clarify.

Please feel free to comment, suggest, help me figure out a better way of doing something. And by all means if I get something wrong, let me know that too. But, keep it classy. We're all here to have fun!

Thank you for visiting, and I hope this helps with some of the peskier details in the game!