World of Warcraft (WoW) is a MMORPG with eleven playable classes, three (four for druid) talent specalizations for each class, eleven primary professions, four secondary professions, a massive collection of plot driven quests, addicting dungeons and raids, rewarding Player vs. Player combat, many, many collectible items, and never ending achievements to earn.
Classes (Since 1974)All lists are alphabetized.
Deathknight (DPS, Tank) Death Knights engage their foes up-close, supplementing swings of their weapons with dark magic that renders enemies vulnerable or damages them with unholy power. They drag foes into one-on-one conflicts, compelling them to focus their attacks away from weaker companions. To prevent their enemies from fleeing their grasp, death knights must remain mindful of the power they call forth from runes, and pace their attacks appropriately.
Druid (DPS, Healer, Tank) Druids are shapeshifters and versatile combatants, in that they can fulfill every role. It’s critical that druids tailor the form they choose to the situation, as each form
bears a specific purpose.
Hunter (DPS) Hunters battle their foes at a distance, commanding their pets to attack while they nock their arrows and fire their guns. Though their missile weapons are extremely effective, hunters are at a disadvantage when their foes close in, and often attempt to evade or restrain enemies so that they can continue fighting from a safe distance.
Mage (DPS) Mages demolish their foes with arcane incantations. Although they wield powerful offensive spells, mages are fragile and lightly armored, making them particularly vulnerable to close-range attacks. Wise mages make careful use of their spells to keep their foes at a distance or hold them in place.
Monk (DPS, Healer, Tank) Monks are masters of bare-handed combat, choosing to draw their weapons only for devastating finishing moves. Monk healers bring harmony and balance to every group, healing even the most grievous of injuries with ancient remedies and focused spiritual arts. And few can hope to out-last the unquenchable prowess of the Monk Brewmaster, whose empowering beverages and unpredictable combat style allow them to absorb incredible amounts of punishment.
Paladin (DPS, Healer, Tank) Paladins stand directly in front of their enemies, relying on heavy armor and healing in order to survive incoming attacks. Whether with massive shields or crushing two-handed weapons, Paladins are able to keep claws and swords from their weaker fellows – or they use healing magic to ensure that they remain on their feet.
Priest (DPS, Healer) Priests use powerful healing magic to fortify themselves and their allies. They also wield powerful offensive spells from a distance, but can be overwhelmed by enemies due to their physical frailty and minimal armor. Experienced priests carefully balance the use of their offensive powers when tasked with keeping their party alive.
Rogue (DPS) Rogues often initiate combat with a surprise attack from the shadows, leading with vicious melee strikes. When in protracted battles, they utilize a successive combination of carefully chosen attacks to soften the enemy up for a killing blow. Rogues must take special care when selecting targets so that their combo attacks are not wasted, and they must be conscious of when to hide or flee if a battle turns against them.
Shaman (DPS, Healer) During combat, shaman place damaging and controlling totems on the ground to maximize their effectiveness while hindering their enemies. Shaman are versatile enough to battle foes up close or at range, but wise shaman choose their avenue of attack based on their enemies’ strengths and weaknesses... And they can heal.
Warlock (DPS) Warlocks burn and destroy weakened foes with a combination of crippling illnesses and dark magic. While their demon pets protect and enhance them, warlocks strike at their enemies from a distance. As physically weak spellcasters bereft of heavy armor, cunning warlocks allow their minions to take the brunt of enemy attacks in order to save their own skin.
Warrior (DPS, Tank) Warriors equip themselves carefully for combat and engage their enemies head-on, letting attacks glance off their heavy armor. They use diverse combat tactics and a wide variety of weapon types to protect their more vulnerable allies. Warriors must carefully master their rage – the power behind their strongest attacks – in order to maximize their effectiveness in combat.
Roles (Without roles it would just be PG)In World of Warcraft, there are basically three different types of roles you can play for your group, or on your own. When you start a character, you should know the role you want to play.
The first role is a Tank, the tank is usually the leader of the group. He starts combat first, and he must maintain Aggro in order to keep enemies off of his teammates. The Death Knight, Druid, Monk, Paladin, or Warrior can tank.
The next role is a Healer, the healer tries her best from keeping herself, and her comrades healthy so their health doesn't reach zero. The Druid, Monk, Paladin, Priest, or Shaman can heal.
The last role is a Damage Outputer (Usually called DPS, which stands for Damage Per Second) while all roles are capable of doing damage, the DPS are supposed to be doing the majority of it. Their job is to make the enemy's health reach zero. Every single class in WoW is capable of being a DPS.
Factions and RacesThere are tons of factions in World of Warcraft that you can raise your reputation with, but when you start, you choose to be part of the Alliance, or the Horde.
The PandarenCouched in myth and legend, rarely seen and even more rarely understood, the enigmatic pandaren have long been a mystery to the other races of Azeroth. The noble history of the pandaren people stretches back thousands of years, well before the empires of man and before even the sundering of the world.
Denizens of a wondrous and fertile land, the pandaren once labored under the oppressive thumb of a monstrous race of ancient warlords known as the Mogu. Through tenacity, diplomacy, and a unique form of unarmed combat, the pandaren staged a successful revolution that deposed the Mogu and established a pandaren empire that would prosper for thousands of years.
During the bleak days that preceded the sundering of the world, when demons flooded onto Azeroth and threw the entirety of the mortal realm into jeopardy, the last Emperor of the pandaren discovered a way to protect his land from the devastation. His deal with fate shrouded his land within an impenetrable mist for ten thousand years, but the nature of his transaction has left Pandaria haunted ever since...
After you create a Pandaren, you will be able to choose to be either Horde or Alliance.
AllianceThe Draenei of the Exodar start in Ammen Vale, situated on Azuremyst Isle, a landmass belonging to a cluster of islands called the Azuremyst Isles located off the northwestern coast of Kalimdor. The main base with civilization in Ammen Vale is called Azure Watch.
Velen and the remaining draenei survivors gained control of one of Tempest Keep's satellite structures and used it to escape to Azeroth. They searched for allies in their never-ending battle against the Burning Crusade, and finding such allies within the Alliance.
They have no capital city, instead they make their main dwelling on a crashed dimensional ship, the Exodar, which is overseen by their leader, Velen. The draenei's choice of mount is the elekk, a creature similar in appearance to a war elephant. Their chosen language is Draenei, while they are also able to speak Common.
The Dwarves are short and stout creatures mostly inhabiting Khaz Modan in the Eastern Kingdoms. They are shorter than humans but taller than gnomes, taking advantage of their size when possible and relying on their robustness and strength when not. The average dwarf is steady, observant and composed both during work and combat, yet able to rage with fierce zeal and persistence when the situation calls for it. While a dwarf prefers to plan forward to overcome challenges, many of them easily lose their temperament and self-restraint when exposed to conditions stirring their feelings and concerns.
In past ages, the dwarves rarely left the safety of their mountain fortresses, spending their time on refining metal and stone into powerful weapons and beautiful jewelry. However, when the call to battle sounded, they rose up to defend their friends and allies with unmatched courage and valor. Dwarves like drinking, Mining, and finding treasure. But the things the dwarves are most interested about is them and their past with the Titans.
The Gnomes are a diminutive, wiry race of tinkers who live underground. In the Second War, they built gadgets and vehicles, such as submarines and flying machines, for the Alliance to combat the Horde. They are great mechanics and inventors, renowned for their knowledge and eccentric natures. The gnomes had a city, Gnomeregan, built into Ironforge Mountain, but invading troggs destroyed it and slaughtered its citizens. Many survivors now live with the Ironforge dwarves, a few traveling with their dwarven friends to Kalimdor. The gnomes are still reeling from the destruction of their home city and are loath to leave the safety of the dwarven tunnels.
Most gnomes on Kalimdor remain secluded in Bael Modan. Even after the decimation of their race and the destruction of their city, gnomes are an amiable and kindhearted lot. They make and keep friends easily; other races often find disliking a gnome to be difficult. Gnomes are long-lived and take a fatherly approach to other races, particularly humans. Gnome society is loosely organized, with most living in Khaz Modan and mixing freely with the dwarves, sending representatives to speak to the dwarven king on their behalf. Those few gnomes who traveled to Kalimdor live in a similar fashion in Bael Modan. Gnomes are gifted tinkers, and have a penchant for creating radical technology and innovative designs. They often work together with Ironforge dwarves, developing the blueprints and concepts from which the dwarf smiths draw their inspiration.
The Humans are among the youngest races on Azeroth, but they make up for it by being the most populous. With life spans generally shorter than the other races, humans strive all the harder to achieve great heights in empire building, exploration, and magical study. Their aggressive and inquisitive nature lead the human nations to become active and influential in the world. Such was the case prior to the orcs' original invasion through the Dark Portal. Human kingdoms suffered greatly in the three wars against forces of the demonic Burning Legion's creating, The Horde in the first two, and The Scourge in the third.
Humans value virtue, honor, and courage, though like all races, they also pursue power and wealth. Humans have spent generations battling dark forces and have lost some of their greatest kingdoms to them. This loss embitters humans, and they have a view of diplomacy that does not favor negotiations. Aided by belief in the Holy Light, humans have fought hard and endured much during the wars against the Horde and the Burning Legion. Despite all their tragedies, humans show hardiness and bravery and are thoroughly committed to building strong societies, reinforcing their kingdoms, and reclaiming their nations. Years of war have tempered human resolve, giving them a determined nature.
The Night Elves (or kaldorei, which means "Children of the Stars" in their native tongue of Darnassian) are among the oldest known races in Azeroth. They have a long and fascinating history. Native to the western continent of Kalimdor, the night elves ended a long period of seclusion at the end of the Third War and became members of the Alliance.
The Worgen are not native to Azeroth, and have only recently appeared in remote areas, where they menace travelers and small settlements. The Worgen are an erratic race. Some believe they are arrivals from another world in the Twisting Nether, while others think they might have been created through magical experimentation, or brought here as servants of some evil entity. Whatever the case, they are (mostly) unwelcome. These creatures are thoroughly evil, delighting in torturing and devouring intelligent creatures. They enjoy hearing the screams of their victims as they tear them apart piece by piece. Worgen never show mercy or remorse. They may seem savage, but they are fairly intelligent and possess a cruel, bestial cunning that can come as a surprise to the unprepared. Worgen society is patriarchal, with the eldest male leading the pack. Worgen never challenge leadership; the patriarch leads until he is physically incapable of doing so any longer, at which point his younger kin devour him. The worgen see this not as cruelty, but a great honor— they consume the bodies of their fallen as well as their victims. They believe the flesh and blood of their own kind improves their strength and cunning. Worgen look like humanoid wolves. They dwell in simple huts and usually wear cured leather scraps as rudimentary armor. Worgen do not use weapons, preferring to tear foes apart with their claws. They stand 6 feet tall, except when loping along on all fours, and weigh around 250 pounds. They speak their own language, made up of a variety of growls, barks, and howls.
These sources, however, have been proven incorrect. The worgen, in fact, derive from an ancient druidic sect known as the Druids of the Scythe who worshiped the wolf Ancient, Goldrinn. The chosen shapeshift form of these druids was the worgen form, but these druids lost themselves to the form's savage nature and descended into feral behaviour.
Most worgen keep their wolf-like forms at all times, but experiments by the mage Arugal have resulted in human/worgen "hybrids" who only appear as worgen under the light of the moon. They carry with them a dark, corrupting malaise that grows wherever they infest, making the surrounding area dark and gloomy.
HordeThe Blood Elves are a race composed of former high elves who renamed themselves in honor of their people who were killed during the siege of Quel'Thalas by the Scourge during the Third War. The blood elves of Azeroth joined the Horde in the Burning Crusade expansion, seeking to reunite with Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider in Outland. They have since reclaimed their capital of Silvermoon City, situated in Eversong Woods. Lor'themar Theron led them in Kael'thas' absence. Now, having discovered Kael'thas' true objective (to summon Kil'jaeden to the world), the blood elves of Silvermoon have abandoned him. Lor'themar Theron, Halduron Brightwing and Grand Magister Rommath have been presiding over Silvermoon in the absence of any officially appointed leader.
The Forsaken are a race and faction of undead who broke away from the Scourge and took control of much of the kingdom of Lordaeron, destroyed during the Third War by the death knight Arthas. They are currently allied with the Horde. The Forsaken are led by their Banshee Queen, Sylvanas Windrunner, the former Ranger-General of Quel'Thalas. Their capital is the Undercity, in the royal catacombs beneath the ruins of the City of Lordaeron.
The Goblins Originally, the slaves of jungle trolls on the Isle of Kezan, the goblin race was forced to mine kaja'mite ore out of the volcanic bowels of Mount Kajaro.
The trolls used this potent mineral for their voodoo rituals, but it had an unexpected effect on the slaves who were in constant contact with it: kaja'mite generated a startling new cunning and intelligence in the goblins. Crafting their own powerful artifacts of engineering and alchemy in secret, the goblins soon overthrew their oppressors and claimed Kezan for their homeland. The mines that had been their prison, their slave camp and the base of their rebellion now became the city of Undermine. Weaving through the heart of the island in a dizzying network of tunnels, vaults and lava tubes; Undermine epitomizes the goblins' unpredictable, complex mindset.
The goblins' natural greed soon lifted them to prominence as masters of mercantilism. Trade princes arose during the First War as the cleverest goblins learned to take advantage of the strife. Great fortunes were amassed, and the Isle of Kezan became a hub for fleets of goblin trading ships. One of the trade princes agreed to lend his faction's services to the Horde in the Second War. Following the Horde's defeat, the goblins learned from their colleague's failed example, and soon they realized that their profits could double if they weren't stuck in such a restrictive relationship. By the end of the Third War, goblins were providing weaponry, vehicles, and devious services to both the Horde and the Alliance. This wouldn't last forever... Reforging old pacts with their one-time allies, the goblins have been welcomed into the Horde with open arms.
