Welcome to World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft asks a lot of a new sailor. This guide covers just enough to make the first weeks make sense — you do not need to memorize any of it.

Your character

A character has a race and a class. Race mostly changes how you look and a handful of flavor abilities. Class decides almost everything about how you play — what armor you wear, which weapons you use, and whether you can heal, tank, or deal damage.

If you are unsure where to start, pick a class whose theme appeals to you. Every class can reach the endgame, and you can always make another character later.

Classes and specializations

Every class has specializations — focused versions of the class. A Paladin can tank, heal, or deal damage depending on the spec they choose. A Mage only deals damage but does it three different ways. Specs share a class fantasy but play very differently, so experiment early; swapping specs costs nothing outside combat.

The three group roles

• Tank — holds enemy attention and controls where the fight happens.
• Healer — keeps the group alive through damage.
• DPS — the damage dealers; everyone else in the group.

Quests and leveling

Quests are the main way the world teaches you to play. Follow the campaign marker on your map and let the zones introduce mechanics gradually. You do not need to finish every quest in a zone — the story will move you on when you outlevel it.

Dungeons

Dungeons are five-person adventures: one tank, one healer, three damage dealers. The Dungeon Finder queues you with other players automatically. Tell the group you are new — most veterans will slow down and explain rather than complain.

Saying "first time here" before the first pull prevents almost every bad dungeon experience.

Gear and item level

Gear's strength is measured by item level — a single number summarizing how powerful a piece is. Early on, equip whatever has the higher item level and your primary stat. Optimization can wait until the endgame.

Words the group will use

• Pull — starting a fight with a group of enemies.
• Mob — any enemy that is not a boss.
• Aggro — which player an enemy is attacking.
• AoE — abilities that hit everything in an area.
• ilvl — item level; shorthand for how strong gear is.

Everything else, the crew will teach you as it comes up. That is what the Academy is for.