If you’re brand new to World of Warcraft (WoW), and perhaps computer gaming then this quick start overview for gameplay, add-ons and warcraft gold (money system) is for you. WoW is over a decade old, yet commands millions of hours of gamer time. It is the most well-rounded game to capture a wide audience with its rich fantasy storylines, gameplay, ecosystem and characters.
Though the game may appear daunting to new comers, we believe even casual players can join in on the fun. If you play any games, it’s worth at least experiencing once in your gaming career. Therefore, we’re here to help new players get started!
Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMO)
World of Warcraft is a Massive Multiplayer Online Game. This means real life players are also a part of gameplay. Not just computer controlled characters referred to as Non-player Characters (NPC). As part of your game experience you can interact with other real life players! You can even start out the game with a group of friends or family and go on adventures together. The term “Massive” means there are a lot of human players, from hundreds to thousands. WoW can support thousands of human players on a single server and there are many servers!
Before you get started…
If you are brand-brand new to gaming then first you need make sure your computer is capable to play WoW. Luckily, you don’t need a high end computer to play. However, your game experience will be better (visuals, speed, controls) if you have better than the minimum computer requirements.
WoW System Requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit.
- Processor: Intel Core i5-760 or;
- Processor: AMD FX-8100
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 2GB; or
- Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB; or
- Graphics Card: Intel HD Graphics 530 (45W TDP)
- Memory: 4 GB RAM (8GB for integrated graphics such as Intel HD Graphics series)
Check System Requirements:
If you have a Windows computer but don’t know what hardware you have inside, then you can check by doing this :
- Type “system information” into the search box located on the bottom left of your desktop.
- Select “system information” from the search list. This will bring up a window that lists your system hardware information.
- Note the type of processor, graphics card, and how much memory you have and compare to the list above.
- At the bottom of the list (you may have to scroll down) click on “About”
Subscribing and Warcraft Gold
Before we go on, you should know how to purchase World of Warcraft! The game is subscription based, charged on a monthly basis. Before you walk away, you can play WoW for free up until your character reaches level 20. We’re all about the hot deals here at the Curious.
That’s plenty of free levels to experience and learn the game and try different character types! Most will love it and stay, and you can bet Blizzard, the developer, will keep the game fresh with updates and new game expansions. The game has been around for over a decade with millions playing – for good reason!
If you fall in love, here are the current subscription prices:
- 6 month (12.99 per month) – best value
- 3 month (13.99 per month) – casual
- 1 month (14.99 per month) – try more features before deciding
Similar to subscribing to a streaming service (Netflix; Amazon; Disney), only in this subcription, you get to live the adventure!
Start here to download WoW and play for free!
Here’s where subscribing gets interesting. For loyal players Blizzard is allowing players to pay for their WoW subscriptions through in-game Warcraft gold! So casual gamers, you can try for free, become awesome, and stay for free. Curiously hot.
Starting Out: Creating a Character
One of the most important activities you will do is select your character type, skills, and attributes. Like any game when you start out making important decisions, before you have even played the game, means only one thing: Chances are you’ll start over as a new and different character. This is normal. You’ll need to get a feel for the character type and attributes you like. The only way to do this is create your character and play to see what you like!
Take your time with character creation and enjoy the game in free trial mode. Explore and get a feel of what you like and dislike about your character. Do not be afraid to start over, experiment and create new characters.
We found a great resource from pcgamer that explains WoW character creation. You can view right here:
World of Warcraft Add-Ons
Once you take some time to play and become familiar with the game, you may want to consider downloading add-ons. Add-ons are code that developers make to improve the game experience. This can be anywhere from controls and menu items to in-game power tools to give you an advantage over the games many challenges. Add-ons are particularly helpful for new game players or if you’re struggling in an area.
We recommend becoming familiar with add-ons early, especially if you are brand new. Add-ons may help you avoid frustrations!
The easiest way to get and manage WoW add-ons is by using a 3rd party application. While there are multiple applications that can do this, we recommend using the trusted Overwolf app. Use the app to browse add-ons, choose which one you like, and the app will help you download, install, and track and manage your add-ons!
World of Warcraft Gold
WoW isn’t just a game. It’s an entirely submersive ecosystem. And within this system, is a complex economy. In order to get the most out of WoW, you’ll need to know how to make some money! Just like our real world. As a quick aside, here are some ways at the Curious that we have to make our readers real world money, and have fun paving a path to financial freedom.
Now back to our virtual fun way of making Warcraft gold. There are several ways you can earn gold in WoW. Here are the basic forms:
- Farming – sometimes this actually means repeatedly finding items out in the world, or repeatedly dispatching enemies. Not necessarily growing crops!
- Crafting – such as potions, magic, weapons, and armor.
- Quests – Fun! Complete story line missions to get paid!
- Auction House – Find or craft items and put them up for sale!
WoW economy is more intricate than we introduce above. However, we found a great resource that you can use to learn all about the money system in the game. Here’s a complete guide on how to earn in WOW.
There are add-ons to help you find and earn gold in the system, but we’re not sure which ones are legit. So, as hard core gamers, we recommend getting the satisfaction of your own rags to riches story without the add-on gold making programs. However, know that they are out there and you may want to try one out.
On your way… to Azeroth
We hope you found this quick overview useful enough to get you started and going on your very own WoW adventure. You’ll start your newfound journey in WoW Azeroth. Remember, WoW is a lifestyle rather than a game that you complete from beginning to end. Take your time learning as you go, and welcome to the World of Warcraft!
