Starting out in World of Warcraft can be challenging for new players, so we’re here to help make things a bit easier and save you some time in the long run.
In this guide, we won’t be breaking down the absolute basics like choosing your class and faction or explaining all the in-game activities since those topics are already widely covered in other guides. Instead, we’ll focus on sharing a few important tips that every new player should know before jumping into the world of Azeroth to avoid common pitfalls and ensure a solid start. For an even smoother start, you can also use various WoW boosting services that can help you earn gold, prepare for activities, or hit the desired level fast and easily.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Learn Your Class & Talents
You should get the hang of your class’s ins and outs as early as you can. First off, it’s interesting, and secondly, it’s extremely important because your talent choices will play a major role in the endgame. The sooner you start digging into your class’s abilities, the better. But don’t just copy-paste builds from guides. Take the time to read through talent descriptions and figure out why a certain build works, why it’s cool. These insights will help you fine-tune your class to match your individual preferences and style.
Study the Game’s Terms and Lingo
Brushing up on some WoW lingo guides is a great idea to prep for the terms you’ll often come across in chat, forums, and articles. Of course, you won’t learn everything right away, so don’t be afraid to ask questions and figure out the stuff you don’t know. For instance, if someone in a raid asks you to kite something, pull something, or kick something and you have no clue what that means, don’t hesitate to ask. Sure, it’ll be tempting to pretend you’re in the know to not look like a total noob, but it’s much better if you get scrutinized by more experienced players a couple of times and eventually learn important mechanics than if you pretend you know everything and your incompetence causes a wipe and gets you kicked out of the group.
Use Keybinds
The earlier you get into this habit, the better. Instead of clicking on your abilities on-screen to use them, bind them to keys on your keyboard or get an MMO mouse and link abilities to its side buttons. It’ll make gameplay way more convenient, boost your reaction time, and help dodge incoming damage — maybe even saving your character’s life from time to time.
Use Guides
When you’re just getting your feet wet in the game, there’s no shame in turning to guides and tips from more experienced players. It’s not cheating — it’s totally normal. For newcomers, we recommend WowHead, the largest resource dedicated to World of Warcraft where you can find guides for almost everything related to the game. Looking for an in-depth breakdown of your class? Head over to WowHead. Need to figure out a specific quest? Yep, WowHead has your back there too. From explaining in-game items and systems to covering news about updates and upcoming changes, WowHead has it all. The articles are written by seasoned veterans of the game, with the info always kept up-to-date, so you can use them as a reliable resource to guide you through your WoW journey.
Use Addons
This might not seem necessary for beginners, but trust us, addons are real game-changers. They are very important and absolutely indispensable, helping you tackle raid mechanics, optimize your UI, manage your collections, keep track of auction prices, and more. To use addons, you’ll either need to download the CurseForge app or install them directly from the CurseForge website.
Auctioneer, for example, is handy for making gold, scanning all your items and showing you their auction prices right away. Deadly Boss Mods (DBM) displays instructions on your screen in real time during the game’s mechanics. It’ll guide you on which casts to dodge, what to kick or soak, and so on. The GTFO addon will sound an alert, warning you about dangerous attacks and mechanics. HandyNotes enhances your map with special icons for tracking rare creatures, treasures, achievement items, and more during leveling or farming.
Loot Everything
This is where the Auto Loot option comes in handy. By default, it’s turned off, so you’ll need to go to the settings and enable it. You might wonder, why bother looting everything off of mobs? Why bother with all these junk items when you can just pick what you need? Well, here’s the deal: that random junk, which may seem useless to you, can be sold for gold. And gold is a crucial resource in the game that you’ll likely always be short on. So, if you have the chance to earn a few extra coins, never pass it up.
Work on Your Professions
Professions are absolutely vital for your progress and overall gameplay. They might seem a bit confusing at first, but the more you level them up, the more perks you unlock, which will help you enrich your experience a lot. Professions can help you earn gold, craft rare gear, or acquire useful consumables that provide buffs in raids and dungeons.
Have Fun
This advice might seem obvious, but many players actually forget that the game is supposed to be fun. There’s no need to rush to catch up with your friends or other players, getting frustrated because something doesn’t work out the first time or feeling like you’re falling behind. Explore the game, get to know your character, experiment with different classes and specs — just give yourself time to dive in. After all, you’re just getting started! There’s so much content ahead of you, so much to discover — so go at your own pace, soak it all in, and enjoy the journey, making memories that will last.
