It is entirely possible for a level 15 shaman to honor all of the Horde flames and desecrate all of the Alliance flames on Kalimdor, and to ding 16 while doing so.
Ahami is taking her shamanism quite seriously. And is now halfway to a Captured Spirit of Summer.
EDIT: So far, the only place I had trouble was Feathermoon Stronghold, where the graveyard is across town from the bonfire. I haven't done the Eastern Kingdoms yet, though. It did involve quite a lot of corpse-running and the logout graveyard trick, too.
Ahami also now has flight paths for places Ideale's never been.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Hunter vs. Shaman side note
I actually found the Game Dame blog with this entry, because I was searching for other hunter vs. shaman comparisons. I haven't played anywhere near two years yet (barely six months, in fact — I just read a LOT of blogs in my work downtime), and I'm looking from the other side, but I think I agree with most of her assessments here (although I do think that shamans are fairly complicated, too, until you get the hang of all the totems — did you know that earthbind totem can aggro the Moongraze Stags and Bucks on Azuremyst?).
I'm curious to see what the comparisons are as Ahami gets to the 20s and 30s, though.
I'm curious to see what the comparisons are as Ahami gets to the 20s and 30s, though.
WOW and player gender
I'm always a little surprised when I see marketing analyses or research studies about girls and gaming. I know intellectually that most MMO players tend to be male (and, in fact, have been on the receiving end of both "Girls don't play WoW" and homophobic name calling, both in game and actually on this blog — which shocked me because you'd think those kind of people wouldn't have found it yet, being new and all — presumably because I said something girly?). But I tend to assume that most people play toons who reflect their genders, and thus assume also that WOW is split about 50-50. And, since the vast majority of the gamers I know, both casual and hardcore, are female ... well, it's easy to assume, I guess.
This isn't helped by the fact that many of the bloggers I read are also female, thus reinforcing that assumption.
But I was cruising about on the Internet looking for info, and did my link-hopping thing, and got to this entry on the Game Dame: What's the Real Life Gender Breakdown on WoW?
So now I'm curious. Based on studies and stuff, I think the estimates in the comments of around 20-25 percent are probably pretty accurate. I assume that many girls on more hardcore servers keep their mouths shut about it (while I'm quite open about being female on VeCo when the topic comes up over and over and over and over in Barrens chat, I would never have admitted it on Laughing Skull). After reading stuff like this, I wouldn't blame them.
Is there anything out there that has a more accurate breakdown of the gender gap on WoW? I'd be curious to know if the 5 percent figure Blizzard allegedly accepts is accurate or not.
This isn't helped by the fact that many of the bloggers I read are also female, thus reinforcing that assumption.
But I was cruising about on the Internet looking for info, and did my link-hopping thing, and got to this entry on the Game Dame: What's the Real Life Gender Breakdown on WoW?
So now I'm curious. Based on studies and stuff, I think the estimates in the comments of around 20-25 percent are probably pretty accurate. I assume that many girls on more hardcore servers keep their mouths shut about it (while I'm quite open about being female on VeCo when the topic comes up over and over and over and over in Barrens chat, I would never have admitted it on Laughing Skull). After reading stuff like this, I wouldn't blame them.
Is there anything out there that has a more accurate breakdown of the gender gap on WoW? I'd be curious to know if the 5 percent figure Blizzard allegedly accepts is accurate or not.
Nagrand and talbuks
I've read on several blogs that Nagrand is one of the prettiest places in WOW, so since I was just a hop up the road in Zangarmarsh last night and didn't have time to get another quest in before bed, I figured I'd run over, look around, and pick up the flight path.
It really is gorgeous. Not the stark beauty of Thousand Needles or Winterspring, but it is a soft, peaceful kind of place. And talbuks are absolutely adorable. I made a (thankfully unwatched) fool of myself running and spinning around with a little herd right after I got into the zone (and didn't aggro anything in the process!). For, like, 20 minutes. (I did this with the turtles in Hillsbrad, too, and would have with the moths in Azuremyst if draenei spun around when they jumped. I like cute animals way too much.)
It was a bit of a scare when everyone in the Horde outpost was an almost-red, until I figured out they were Unfriendly, not Hostile.
Before I flew back, though, I saw that the Horde controlled Halaa, so I thought I'd better run in and check it out while I could — I don't know how often it's under Alliance control or when. I peeked around, looked in the buildings, checked out the stuff at the quartermaster, and — wait, dark riding talbuk? Those cute things I was squeeing over!? I CAN RIDE ONE!?
So now I can keep my battleground marks (and my gold) a little longer, because I am holding out for a talbuk. WANT.
It really is gorgeous. Not the stark beauty of Thousand Needles or Winterspring, but it is a soft, peaceful kind of place. And talbuks are absolutely adorable. I made a (thankfully unwatched) fool of myself running and spinning around with a little herd right after I got into the zone (and didn't aggro anything in the process!). For, like, 20 minutes. (I did this with the turtles in Hillsbrad, too, and would have with the moths in Azuremyst if draenei spun around when they jumped. I like cute animals way too much.)
It was a bit of a scare when everyone in the Horde outpost was an almost-red, until I figured out they were Unfriendly, not Hostile.
Before I flew back, though, I saw that the Horde controlled Halaa, so I thought I'd better run in and check it out while I could — I don't know how often it's under Alliance control or when. I peeked around, looked in the buildings, checked out the stuff at the quartermaster, and — wait, dark riding talbuk? Those cute things I was squeeing over!? I CAN RIDE ONE!?
So now I can keep my battleground marks (and my gold) a little longer, because I am holding out for a talbuk. WANT.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Shamans vs. hunters
Among my alt army, I have three itty shamans, my second favorite class despite the fact that my highest shaman ever reached 21 before the Great PVP Reroll of late March/early April. Ahami, my troll, is slowly working her way back up there, but I got distracted by leveling jewelcrafting on Kresha when I logged onto her to get Ahami something (can't even remember what now), so she's sitting a bar or two from 14.
But having leveled three (almost four) shamans to 10 (I have a retired shaman sitting on Laughing Skull still) and two higher, I've got the early levels down.
Honestly, hunters are very uneven pre-10. Depending on your kiting skills, they can be downright hard, at least until you get concussive shot. You don't have traps, you don't have wingclip, all you have is the ability to run away or do a quick back-out-of-range-arcane-shot. Some levels are easy; some are not. Levels 1-3 and 8-10 are a breeze, but the levels in between, at least for me, are full of frantic prayers that I just don't die for one more Raptor Strike. (I hardly ever die before level 10 anymore, but my health does get dangerously low quite often as a hunter).
Having visited each starting area but Dun Morogh and Elwynn Forest an average of 4-5 times now, there are certain quests I simply will not try as a pre-pet hunter. The quest in Teldrassil where you head into a cave full of sprites, for example? That's out, as is Zalazane in Durotar (those voodoo trolls just repop too fast and get behind you, then mob you ... maybe I just really suck at lowbie hunters).
After 10, playing a hunter is a breeze, at least for a few levels. I won't say it's "easy mode" at all; one of the reason the class holds my interest while many others do not is that it is a complicated class to play well. But leveling does seem to go quicker and fights do seem much less like nail-biting, edge of my seat experiences.
Shamans are much more even. As a hunter, sometimes you can solo a red mob and sometimes it kills you and your pet deader than dead. As a shaman (and this might be different for more skilled shamans than I am, and is almost certainly different for higher-level shamans with chain spells), being able to handle two mobs your level, but no more, or a mob two or maybe three levels higher, but no more, is pretty consistent through the early levels. There aren't level ranges that are way easier or way harder than others.
Playing a shaman appeals to me for many of the same reasons playing a hunter does. It can be a ranged class as well as a melee class; I grouped with two other players for the Durotar harpy quest and ended up buffing with totems, healing, and hitting Earth Shock and Lightning Bolt for two-thirds of the time (and meleeing for the rest). I like range.
Totems are a little like pets — at least, the fire totems are. They help you fight! I like help.
It's easier to stay alive — if I get in a tight spot I drop an Earthbind totem, run away a few yards, and have time to heal before reengaging.
Oh, and I love healing and being able to resurrect people other than my cat (this is why shamans beat out rogues for me; shooting lightning and healing people trumps being practically invisible and picking locks). If hunters could heal, I'd never bother with another class, but my little future resto shamans are the next best thing.
The only thing I dislike about shamans is that they are not nearly so fun to solo. With hunters, you have your pet running alongside you, keeping you company, so you don't ever really feel like you're alone, even when you're soloing and none of your friends are on. Your pet is your partner and the buddy you can always count on getting a group with. All you have to do is feed him and keep him from dying.
Shamans are lonely to play. All of my buddies on The Venture Co. have either mains or alts in the same level range as Ide' (60-70) and, as far as I know, aren't real interested in seriously leveling another toon yet, or aren't on much in the early afternoon when I'm working on Ahami (I usually put in an hour or so before I go to work). I don't know anyone on Ravenholdt well enough yet — I mostly play over there when I'm feeling anti-social, since I'm actually kind of shy and I'm still feeling out the realm. And this makes me sad, because I want a buddy to run around with when I'm in shaman mode. I want someone to tank the mobs so I can shoot lightning from afar. I want someone to heal and to rez when they die. I WANT TO BE A HEALER. YOU CANNOT BE A HEALER WITHOUT A HEALEE!
I wonder if it would be worth shelling out gold on the neutral AH for a little catling. (Random tip, since I stopped doing this after getting my level 40 mount: Make a bank alt and run them to Booty Bay. Buy non-combat pets in all of your factions cities for 50s each. Sell them on the neutral AH for 3-4g each. Horde-side, the dragonhawks and prairie dogs go over much better than the roaches; snakes have their ups and downs. Alliance-side, the black owls and cats seem to go for the most gold, particularly the coveted white kitten sold by Little Timmy — I think that's his name — in Stormwind; I got 20g for that one once. I don't know why I quit doing this; it brought in decent gold for a tiny investment.)
But having leveled three (almost four) shamans to 10 (I have a retired shaman sitting on Laughing Skull still) and two higher, I've got the early levels down.
Honestly, hunters are very uneven pre-10. Depending on your kiting skills, they can be downright hard, at least until you get concussive shot. You don't have traps, you don't have wingclip, all you have is the ability to run away or do a quick back-out-of-range-arcane-shot. Some levels are easy; some are not. Levels 1-3 and 8-10 are a breeze, but the levels in between, at least for me, are full of frantic prayers that I just don't die for one more Raptor Strike. (I hardly ever die before level 10 anymore, but my health does get dangerously low quite often as a hunter).
Having visited each starting area but Dun Morogh and Elwynn Forest an average of 4-5 times now, there are certain quests I simply will not try as a pre-pet hunter. The quest in Teldrassil where you head into a cave full of sprites, for example? That's out, as is Zalazane in Durotar (those voodoo trolls just repop too fast and get behind you, then mob you ... maybe I just really suck at lowbie hunters).
After 10, playing a hunter is a breeze, at least for a few levels. I won't say it's "easy mode" at all; one of the reason the class holds my interest while many others do not is that it is a complicated class to play well. But leveling does seem to go quicker and fights do seem much less like nail-biting, edge of my seat experiences.
Shamans are much more even. As a hunter, sometimes you can solo a red mob and sometimes it kills you and your pet deader than dead. As a shaman (and this might be different for more skilled shamans than I am, and is almost certainly different for higher-level shamans with chain spells), being able to handle two mobs your level, but no more, or a mob two or maybe three levels higher, but no more, is pretty consistent through the early levels. There aren't level ranges that are way easier or way harder than others.
Playing a shaman appeals to me for many of the same reasons playing a hunter does. It can be a ranged class as well as a melee class; I grouped with two other players for the Durotar harpy quest and ended up buffing with totems, healing, and hitting Earth Shock and Lightning Bolt for two-thirds of the time (and meleeing for the rest). I like range.
Totems are a little like pets — at least, the fire totems are. They help you fight! I like help.
It's easier to stay alive — if I get in a tight spot I drop an Earthbind totem, run away a few yards, and have time to heal before reengaging.
Oh, and I love healing and being able to resurrect people other than my cat (this is why shamans beat out rogues for me; shooting lightning and healing people trumps being practically invisible and picking locks). If hunters could heal, I'd never bother with another class, but my little future resto shamans are the next best thing.
The only thing I dislike about shamans is that they are not nearly so fun to solo. With hunters, you have your pet running alongside you, keeping you company, so you don't ever really feel like you're alone, even when you're soloing and none of your friends are on. Your pet is your partner and the buddy you can always count on getting a group with. All you have to do is feed him and keep him from dying.
Shamans are lonely to play. All of my buddies on The Venture Co. have either mains or alts in the same level range as Ide' (60-70) and, as far as I know, aren't real interested in seriously leveling another toon yet, or aren't on much in the early afternoon when I'm working on Ahami (I usually put in an hour or so before I go to work). I don't know anyone on Ravenholdt well enough yet — I mostly play over there when I'm feeling anti-social, since I'm actually kind of shy and I'm still feeling out the realm. And this makes me sad, because I want a buddy to run around with when I'm in shaman mode. I want someone to tank the mobs so I can shoot lightning from afar. I want someone to heal and to rez when they die. I WANT TO BE A HEALER. YOU CANNOT BE A HEALER WITHOUT A HEALEE!
I wonder if it would be worth shelling out gold on the neutral AH for a little catling. (Random tip, since I stopped doing this after getting my level 40 mount: Make a bank alt and run them to Booty Bay. Buy non-combat pets in all of your factions cities for 50s each. Sell them on the neutral AH for 3-4g each. Horde-side, the dragonhawks and prairie dogs go over much better than the roaches; snakes have their ups and downs. Alliance-side, the black owls and cats seem to go for the most gold, particularly the coveted white kitten sold by Little Timmy — I think that's his name — in Stormwind; I got 20g for that one once. I don't know why I quit doing this; it brought in decent gold for a tiny investment.)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Best quote ever
On why guys play female toons:
"I [play] a female dranei because the hit rating is the only way to improve the hit rating for my pet and also male draneis look ridiculous they are like Hi I am from a High mountain climate where giant chests are useful!" — Veldieran, Ravenholdt — U.S.
That cracked me right up.
(Though everyone knows guys play lady toons for the virtual butt. I demand cute male toons so I can look at virtual butt. None of the male toons are hot. Except orcs, but that's to be expected, as they're orcs. ... I actually do have a male orc that I haven't played yet because I can't bear to be one of Those People.)
"I [play] a female dranei because the hit rating is the only way to improve the hit rating for my pet and also male draneis look ridiculous they are like Hi I am from a High mountain climate where giant chests are useful!" — Veldieran, Ravenholdt — U.S.
That cracked me right up.
(Though everyone knows guys play lady toons for the virtual butt. I demand cute male toons so I can look at virtual butt. None of the male toons are hot. Except orcs, but that's to be expected, as they're orcs. ... I actually do have a male orc that I haven't played yet because I can't bear to be one of Those People.)
Things that make me happy
I took Ideale over to Westfall to "farm" the Deadmines (mostly for fun — in the past few days I've taken Ideale through all of the Scarlet Monastery, all but the final boss in Uldaman, and enough of Maraudon to know that I'd have been bored silly grouping through the instance) for wool and low-grade ore.
While that was fun, though, that wasn't what made me happy.
See, in battlegrounds and in world PVP, I tend to get targeted by rogues a LOT. And they stunlock me and it's over. I've been stunlocked and killed by rogues 3-4 levels below me.
So on the way to Westfall, in Duskwood, I run across an Alliance rogue just one level below me. She looks like she's AFK and I'm on my way somewhere, so I just keep on, but a second later her dot on the minimap blinks out and I think to myself, "Well, crap." So I dismount, drop a trap while running, and hope to get out of range quickly, but she must have disarmed my trap because not three seconds later, I get backstabbed.
Luckily, though, I put Cinnamon on aggressive while running away, and he went for her face right before I got backstabbed, so I managed to hit Bestial Wrath before I went useless. And I also have The Beast Within. Which meant no stunlock and I got to kite a rogue around and kill her, my very first successful PVP kiting experience (and, probably, my first successful kiting experience, period — yay adrenaline?).
That rogue went DOWN. Also a first.
So putting your pet on aggressive can be occasionally useful!
(This is also a great way to protect the flag in Warsong Gulch or Arathi Basin; put a cat on prowl and aggressive at the base of the flag, and they will attack a rogue or druid who tries to cap, stealthed or not. When in WSG, I leave Saffron in prowl by the flag and retreat up to the roof with Aspect of the Beast so the trackers don't spot me. In AB, I just pretend I don't have a pet out or my pet died and I'm too cheap to revive, and mostly they still go for it, but this would probably be more awesome if you were a night elf in Shadowmeld at range ... and dammit, now I'm going to have to get Dayea up to the 30s so I can try it.)
While that was fun, though, that wasn't what made me happy.
See, in battlegrounds and in world PVP, I tend to get targeted by rogues a LOT. And they stunlock me and it's over. I've been stunlocked and killed by rogues 3-4 levels below me.
So on the way to Westfall, in Duskwood, I run across an Alliance rogue just one level below me. She looks like she's AFK and I'm on my way somewhere, so I just keep on, but a second later her dot on the minimap blinks out and I think to myself, "Well, crap." So I dismount, drop a trap while running, and hope to get out of range quickly, but she must have disarmed my trap because not three seconds later, I get backstabbed.
Luckily, though, I put Cinnamon on aggressive while running away, and he went for her face right before I got backstabbed, so I managed to hit Bestial Wrath before I went useless. And I also have The Beast Within. Which meant no stunlock and I got to kite a rogue around and kill her, my very first successful PVP kiting experience (and, probably, my first successful kiting experience, period — yay adrenaline?).
That rogue went DOWN. Also a first.
So putting your pet on aggressive can be occasionally useful!
(This is also a great way to protect the flag in Warsong Gulch or Arathi Basin; put a cat on prowl and aggressive at the base of the flag, and they will attack a rogue or druid who tries to cap, stealthed or not. When in WSG, I leave Saffron in prowl by the flag and retreat up to the roof with Aspect of the Beast so the trackers don't spot me. In AB, I just pretend I don't have a pet out or my pet died and I'm too cheap to revive, and mostly they still go for it, but this would probably be more awesome if you were a night elf in Shadowmeld at range ... and dammit, now I'm going to have to get Dayea up to the 30s so I can try it.)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Favorite zones
Yesterday, I was on my mage (who is also my cloth collecting alt, since I only play her until she gets killed and then get frustrated, meaning she's been level 10 for, like, three weeks now) in Undercity, and someone asked what a good zone was for the 30s. Someone suggested Stranglethorn Vale, and I suggested Thousand Needles. And then four or five different people on Trade started complaining about how awful Thousand Needles is. Not one person defended the zone.
I was kind of surprised. I mean, when I'd been questing there on Ideale, and now when I return to mine occassionally, there were other people in the zone, there was some minor PVP when the Alliance attacked the Great Lift, but more importantly, it was absolutely beautiful. The sunset or sunrise from Freewind Post is gorgeous. And the Shimmering Flats is probably my favorite place in the entire game so far, and in my opinion, one of the most beautiful (although Zangarmarsh is kind of gorgeous, too).
Honestly, whenever I feel like just relaxing, I head over to Thousand Needles and mine a bit, or just cruise around exploring, or watching the races at the raceway. Until I hit Outland, I flew back to Freewind Post right before I went to bed every morning to watch the sunrise.
I don't get how anyone could hate the zone.
But then, others on the Trade channel didn't get why I hated Stranglethorn, so I guess we're even (I really dislike most of the marshy zones, though the Wetlands were fun and Un'Goro was my favorite zone after Thousand Needles and Winterspring).
I guess it's all a matter of personal preference. But Daj, Kresha, and Ahami, at least, will all be leveling through their late 20s and 30s in Thousand Needles.
I was kind of surprised. I mean, when I'd been questing there on Ideale, and now when I return to mine occassionally, there were other people in the zone, there was some minor PVP when the Alliance attacked the Great Lift, but more importantly, it was absolutely beautiful. The sunset or sunrise from Freewind Post is gorgeous. And the Shimmering Flats is probably my favorite place in the entire game so far, and in my opinion, one of the most beautiful (although Zangarmarsh is kind of gorgeous, too).
Honestly, whenever I feel like just relaxing, I head over to Thousand Needles and mine a bit, or just cruise around exploring, or watching the races at the raceway. Until I hit Outland, I flew back to Freewind Post right before I went to bed every morning to watch the sunrise.
I don't get how anyone could hate the zone.
But then, others on the Trade channel didn't get why I hated Stranglethorn, so I guess we're even (I really dislike most of the marshy zones, though the Wetlands were fun and Un'Goro was my favorite zone after Thousand Needles and Winterspring).
I guess it's all a matter of personal preference. But Daj, Kresha, and Ahami, at least, will all be leveling through their late 20s and 30s in Thousand Needles.
How my brain works
I just spent the last 2-3 hours PVPing at the Overlook in Hellfire Peninsula. I got a grand total of three kills, and spent the majority of the time getting camped or acting as bait to draw out of of the five druids and rogues hanging out. At one point, it was me, a lone level 62 hunter, versus anywhere from 5 to 9 Alliance players from 60-70 (mostly over 65), depending on which rez I was on.
It was an unproductive waste of time and I went through a ton of arrows and food and spent probably all but 20 minutes as a ghost.
My participation was an accident; I came to help at first, and whenever I tried to leave, I got ganked. Half the time, I didn't even have time to summon my pet before I was dead again.
I LOVED IT. Maybe that makes me stupid, wasting hours when I could be leveling. About all I got out of it was learning why some people sit on corpses over and over (this is both ewdisgusting and really stupidly immature), and 8 honor points. But I loved it nonetheless, and cheered the few times I actually helped bring someone down, whether with shooting or by playing the bait. And a few times, our little group of four, three 70s and me, managed to take out their group of 8-9, mostly 70s. (I was usually dead by then, but still.)
And that's how much I love PVP.
EDIT: And now I'm going to defend Thrallmar. :-O
It was an unproductive waste of time and I went through a ton of arrows and food and spent probably all but 20 minutes as a ghost.
My participation was an accident; I came to help at first, and whenever I tried to leave, I got ganked. Half the time, I didn't even have time to summon my pet before I was dead again.
I LOVED IT. Maybe that makes me stupid, wasting hours when I could be leveling. About all I got out of it was learning why some people sit on corpses over and over (this is both ewdisgusting and really stupidly immature), and 8 honor points. But I loved it nonetheless, and cheered the few times I actually helped bring someone down, whether with shooting or by playing the bait. And a few times, our little group of four, three 70s and me, managed to take out their group of 8-9, mostly 70s. (I was usually dead by then, but still.)
And that's how much I love PVP.
EDIT: And now I'm going to defend Thrallmar. :-O
Friday, June 13, 2008
Choosing a realm
After that last post, I feel the need to write something more useful.
So, if you're anything like me and new to the World of Warcraft, you're about to make a character and you're sitting and looking at that list of realms, trying to decide which to choose — or how to choose.
It's a bit easier if you can whittle down your selection. If you want an RP-PVP realm, for example, there are only, like, 10 to choose from. Simple! But what if you want a normal PVE or PVP realm?
1. Decide what your goals in the game are. Do you want to roleplay or not? Do you enjoy player vs. player combat (and the gankings that go with it)? Do you prefer player vs. environment, where PVP is entirely optional and can be ignored completely? Do you want to test yourself against the hardest bosses or do you prefer to play mostly alone?
Once you have an idea of your answers, it'll be easier to narrow down your choices. If you're not sure, roll a "practice toon" on a random realm and play for a little bit to see what you like. Heck, maybe you'll get lucky on your first realm!
2. Turn to the Internets. There are a lot of resources out there to help you decide where to create a character. For example, if you are interested in PVE progression and getting into the hardest raids, you might want to check out the realm rankings on WowJutsu; they aren't perfect, but they'll give an idea of how far each realm has gotten and how many raiding guilds it has.
Another good place to do some research is on the official World of Warcraft forums, particularly the realm forums. Every realm forum generally has a PVE progression thread and most have threads listing some rare crafted gear and enchants and who in the game can make it; most of the RP realms also have character profile threads. While it's true that not everyone on the realm posts on the forums — many avoid them, in fact — you can still get something of a feel for the "personality" of a realm from their forum threads. After all, the folks in the forums are likely to be people you'll run into around Azeroth and later Outland.
The forums are also a good place to introduce yourself and ask about the realm, too. If you get honest answers along with the jokes, it's probably a decent start; if everyone's an asshole, cross that realm off your list and move on. If you're a roleplayer, be sure to check out the reviews on the roleplaying forum also.
The last places to check are WOWWiki and the Warcraft Census. WOWWiki has a page for every realm in the game. While many of the pages are not actively updated, quite a few are, and you can get an excellent idea of the realm's history and current environment from those pages. The Warcraft Census has basic realm information broken down by race and class; if you want to roll a Horde hunter, for example, you can check to see if the realm you are interested has a population imbalance — it won't be much fun if there are five Alliance players for every one Hordie, for example, or if half of the realm is hunters.
You can do some more searching, Googling guilds and stuff, but the above should about do it.
3. Create a test character. Or rather, create a character on each realm you've liked (or, you know, two or three of them if you have a list of 22 or something) and play for a little while. MOST IMPORTANTLY, go hang out in a few of the towns. If you're Alliance-side, try to go to Ironforge and Stormwind, as these seem to be the most populated. Horde-side, try Orgrimmar for the same reason.
While in town, listen to the Trade channel. If it's all trade, leave it be, but if there's other chatter, feel free to ask a few questions. If not, ask them in General. If you haven't asked on the forums already, ask simple things like how people like the realm, where good RP spots are, what the guilds are like, if it's easy to get groups for low-level instances. Or just sit back and read the chatter to see what people are talking about, how they get along, etc.
Other things to consider:
1. Population. If a server is "full," the economy is likely to be a bit better and you're more likely to be able to get groups for lowbie instances, but you'll also see more competition for quest objectives, resources (like mining nodes or herbs), and so on. If the population is heavily skewed toward the Alliance or the Horde, you might have a difficult time playing the "smaller" side, especially on a PVP server.
2. Realm age. If you want to see the opening of the gates of Ahn'Qiraj, for example, your best bet is to roll on a brand new realm, because most of the realms have completed the war effort. Older realms have more stable economies and populations, but newer realms have better openings for "server firsts" and more people running instances at the same level you are.
3. Battlegroup. If you are a PVPer and plan to hit the battlegrounds, what battlegroup a realm is in might be important. This takes a bit more searching, but you can get a general idea of what battlegroups have better reputations if you check the threads at places like arenajunkies.com and, of course, the official WOW forums.
And if you choose a realm and decide later on that you don't like it, you can always delete and re-roll or pay to transfer your characters.
I don't know if I covered everything — in fact, I probably didn't — but that's generally the stuff I check out when I feel the need to test the waters elsewhere.
So, if you're anything like me and new to the World of Warcraft, you're about to make a character and you're sitting and looking at that list of realms, trying to decide which to choose — or how to choose.
It's a bit easier if you can whittle down your selection. If you want an RP-PVP realm, for example, there are only, like, 10 to choose from. Simple! But what if you want a normal PVE or PVP realm?
1. Decide what your goals in the game are. Do you want to roleplay or not? Do you enjoy player vs. player combat (and the gankings that go with it)? Do you prefer player vs. environment, where PVP is entirely optional and can be ignored completely? Do you want to test yourself against the hardest bosses or do you prefer to play mostly alone?
Once you have an idea of your answers, it'll be easier to narrow down your choices. If you're not sure, roll a "practice toon" on a random realm and play for a little bit to see what you like. Heck, maybe you'll get lucky on your first realm!
2. Turn to the Internets. There are a lot of resources out there to help you decide where to create a character. For example, if you are interested in PVE progression and getting into the hardest raids, you might want to check out the realm rankings on WowJutsu; they aren't perfect, but they'll give an idea of how far each realm has gotten and how many raiding guilds it has.
Another good place to do some research is on the official World of Warcraft forums, particularly the realm forums. Every realm forum generally has a PVE progression thread and most have threads listing some rare crafted gear and enchants and who in the game can make it; most of the RP realms also have character profile threads. While it's true that not everyone on the realm posts on the forums — many avoid them, in fact — you can still get something of a feel for the "personality" of a realm from their forum threads. After all, the folks in the forums are likely to be people you'll run into around Azeroth and later Outland.
The forums are also a good place to introduce yourself and ask about the realm, too. If you get honest answers along with the jokes, it's probably a decent start; if everyone's an asshole, cross that realm off your list and move on. If you're a roleplayer, be sure to check out the reviews on the roleplaying forum also.
The last places to check are WOWWiki and the Warcraft Census. WOWWiki has a page for every realm in the game. While many of the pages are not actively updated, quite a few are, and you can get an excellent idea of the realm's history and current environment from those pages. The Warcraft Census has basic realm information broken down by race and class; if you want to roll a Horde hunter, for example, you can check to see if the realm you are interested has a population imbalance — it won't be much fun if there are five Alliance players for every one Hordie, for example, or if half of the realm is hunters.
You can do some more searching, Googling guilds and stuff, but the above should about do it.
3. Create a test character. Or rather, create a character on each realm you've liked (or, you know, two or three of them if you have a list of 22 or something) and play for a little while. MOST IMPORTANTLY, go hang out in a few of the towns. If you're Alliance-side, try to go to Ironforge and Stormwind, as these seem to be the most populated. Horde-side, try Orgrimmar for the same reason.
While in town, listen to the Trade channel. If it's all trade, leave it be, but if there's other chatter, feel free to ask a few questions. If not, ask them in General. If you haven't asked on the forums already, ask simple things like how people like the realm, where good RP spots are, what the guilds are like, if it's easy to get groups for low-level instances. Or just sit back and read the chatter to see what people are talking about, how they get along, etc.
Other things to consider:
1. Population. If a server is "full," the economy is likely to be a bit better and you're more likely to be able to get groups for lowbie instances, but you'll also see more competition for quest objectives, resources (like mining nodes or herbs), and so on. If the population is heavily skewed toward the Alliance or the Horde, you might have a difficult time playing the "smaller" side, especially on a PVP server.
2. Realm age. If you want to see the opening of the gates of Ahn'Qiraj, for example, your best bet is to roll on a brand new realm, because most of the realms have completed the war effort. Older realms have more stable economies and populations, but newer realms have better openings for "server firsts" and more people running instances at the same level you are.
3. Battlegroup. If you are a PVPer and plan to hit the battlegrounds, what battlegroup a realm is in might be important. This takes a bit more searching, but you can get a general idea of what battlegroups have better reputations if you check the threads at places like arenajunkies.com and, of course, the official WOW forums.
And if you choose a realm and decide later on that you don't like it, you can always delete and re-roll or pay to transfer your characters.
I don't know if I covered everything — in fact, I probably didn't — but that's generally the stuff I check out when I feel the need to test the waters elsewhere.
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