Are you thinking about playing WoW Classic because your favorite streamers can't get enough of the game? Does your D&D/Game of Thrones obsessed friend keep pressuring you to make an account? In any event, you probably shouldn't blindly run into the world of Azeroth - Leeroy Jenkins style.
Instead, you should study longtime WoW players and take note of what they do. In fairness, it'd take way too long to watch all of their 18 hour plus streams. So we'll try to meet you all halfway, and provide at least ten vital tips to succeeding in WoW Classic. Our only regret (aside from rolling Greed for the Dark Edge) is not knowing these tips before we started playing.
10 Mining & Gathering Take Much Longer
The modern WoW player is likely accustomed to clicking a node, mining it dry, and then collecting all their loot in a few clicks. Using this method, you can stock up one ore while watching Asmogold vids to your heart's content. But that's not how things work in WoW Classic.
No, you'll have to click on nodes multiple times to mine them for all their worth. This process is much more involved and dangerous if hostile mobs are around. Moreover, you could accidentally leave a node before getting its best materials if you aren't paying attention!
9 Skills Only Become Available On Even Levels
After stomping out your 50th Murloc, you've finally hit level 3! The last time you leveled-up, you were able to buy a shiny new skill from your trainer. But when you stop by this time, you find that you're straight out of luck.
That's because you can only purchase new skills on even levels in WoW Classic. This system slows progression but also gives you more time to get familiarized with each ability. At least that's what we tell ourselves to justify being stuck with Arcane Missiles for six levels.
8 Players Gain Talent Points With Every Level Up
While you might not be able to purchase skills with every level up, you will be able to do so with talent points. In WoW Classic, you'll need to allocate your talent points ASAP to optimize your character. Or in laymen's terms, you need to start hitting harder than your enemies can hit you if you don't want to keep dying so much.
If you're worried about misplacing your talents, we advise that you don't; trainers can help you re-spec your points if you want a do-over, for a price.
7 There Are No Maps In Dungeons
You've just entered the Wailing Caverns, but have no clue where to go. Instinctively, you mash the "m" button - expecting to pull up a map of the dungeon. Nothing happens the first time, so mash "m" again. After going ham on your keyboard for a few minutes, you're hit with a brilliant idea - you close the WoW client, play with its config settings, and then boot that baby back up.
The second your character loads back in, you strike down "m" with the power of Thunderfury - and still, nothing happens! That's because WoW classic dungeons don't have maps like their modern counterparts - you'll need to look up the map online or ask a friend to guide you around. All we can say is RIP to millions of mistreated "m" keys out there.
6 Meeting Stones ≠ Summoning Stones
In WoW Classic, Meeting Stones can't summon other players to your exact location. The way the devs saw it, Warlocks already had the means necessary to transport large groups from point A to point B. They were afraid of potentially rendering the Ritual of Summoning redundant - until players found other uses for the spell.
Ahem, sorry for the tangent. All Meeting Stones do in WoW classic is invite other players to your party. You'll still have to wait for your teammates to arrive unless you've got a few Warlocks on deck.
5 Class Specific Quests Are Very Particular
WoW Classic provides very little leeway, in terms of completing class quests. Your race and faction always have, and always will, matter in WoW, but Classic takes this to the next level.
If you take on a class quest, you'll need to be sure that you have a reliable way to return to the original quest giver. Many new players have signed up for class quests, only to get stuck on the opposite side of Azeroth - trying to turn in quests to NPCs who couldn't care less!
4 You Can't Track More Than 5 Quests At A Time
WoW Classic also expects you to prioritize your quests, as you can only track 5 at a time. So if you're a player that likes hoarding missions and completing them whenever, you'll need to readjust.
This 5 quest limit, combined with the slower rate of players level up in general, means that WoW Classic is a game of endurance. It's best to prioritize your quests in terms of exp and rewards - no point stomping out 100 wolves just for a few pennies.
3 You Need To Get Off Your High Horse (Or Gryphon)
You stride into town on your majestic steed and head straight for the call board. You click on it, but nothing happens - save for a 'you are mounted' message popping up onscreen.
That's because you need to manually get off your mount before you can perform certain actions in WoW Classic. WoW Classic will also automatically dismount you if you ride too deeply into steep bodies of water.
2 Town Guards Hate PvP With A Passion
We get it; sometimes, you don't want to fight a raid boss - sometimes, you just want to punch out that Warlock who teleported you off of a mountain.
Just don't start a scrap in any major towns or establishments - the town guards will break up that fight in a heartbeat! These cats aren't pushovers either - most town guards are appropriately leveled and well equipped for the occasion.
1 Players Can Kite Hostile Mobs Into Town
We should all cut town guards some slack anyways - they've no doubt got their hands full fighting dragons and ogres that other players drag into the place!
In WoW Classic, the mechanics for kiting hostile mobs worked much differently than they do now. This means someone with too much time on their hands can drag a world boss straight into Orgimmar - leaving the town guards and other players in a tizzy trying to clean up their mess!