Comments on the starting area/race experiences in WoW?

[Itaquando]

I'd like to see discussion on the newbie experience in WoW specific to each race. Blizzard is awesome at creating distinct atmospheres (imo), so what's it like growing up Dwarf? Human? Orge? Etc?

I know what the official Blizzard descriptions say about each area, but what's the real experience like, before I go and play every race up to a certain level just to satisfy curiousity?

Itaquando
ST Noob

[Gar]

Yeah, well. How to put this.. The game is so easy and fast you can try every class & race combo into mid 30 within 2 weeks if you want to.

Try each class and alter between horde and alliance between them and you get the picture within a week from all classes & sides.

If you have prior mmorpg experience, you wont even die before level 15. And when you die, you recover within 30 seconds.

Any discussion about starting is pointless, one will fly past the "start" within a day ease.

[Fadaar]

I don't think this is the right forum for you...

[Dynalisia]

Somebody been linking this place on tard forums again?

[Faddor]

Commentary on the quality of this thread aside...

In my opinion, it pretty much breaks down like this.

Alliance

Human - Quite good, my favorite alliance start. Nice environs, quests radiate from Goldshire in a way that makes it a very quick way to start/level.

Night Elf - Not my favorite, alright, but the capital city is less accessible to players in their teens, requiring flight. Also, higher concentration of Horde to pester you as you move into the late teens, early 20s.

Dwarf/Gnome - Pretty similar start, slightly slower than humans maybe. Loch Modan is great at 10+.

Horde

Orc/Troll - Laughably shitty. Awful quests with way more time spent per level than any other race.

Undead - Awesome, best in the game imo. Just stay the hell away from anything around Ogrimmar.

Tauren - Probably my second favorite to level 10, after then, stuck with same shit in Barrens that Orc/Troll has to deal with unless you relocate to Silverpine.

At any rate, if you are on the Horde, expect to level consistently slower than your Alliance counterparts, as Horde design overall <<< Alliance design overall.

[Kildace]

I somewhat agree with Faddor.

When I start a horde char (that's not tauren), I haul ass to Tirisfal because it's the best newbie experience in the game. Mulgore is very good too, full of quests, full of character.

When I go as alliance I try and hit Dun Morogh. I like it much more than Goldshire (I've always found that there is a lack of quests at the level 6 range there). If I'm an elf I get a port to SW or IF asap because Teldrassil / Darkshore is the worst newbie zone in the game tied with the atrocity that is Durotar, I can't believe Durotar is still as shitty as it was in phase2.

Both Goldshire and Dun lack quests though, Goldshire moreso than Dun, if you're an experienced player that doesn't fuck around you'll have to hop between the 2 to have enough quests to reach Westfall / Loch modan level, unlike Tirisfal or Mulgore that will bring you to a comfortable level 11, experienced or not.

[Fammaden]

Everyone is so jaded. I agree that the undead lands are great but the Barrens really aren't all that bad. Tauren seems to be much more fun for getting up to Barrens level than Troll is in my experience though. I haven't done too much on the alliance side, however, so I cannot really comment on how much better or worse one faction has it over another.

[Kildace]

Originally posted by Fammaden
Everyone is so jaded. I agree that the undead lands are great but the Barrens really aren't all that bad. Tauren seems to be much more fun for getting up to Barrens level than Troll is in my experience though. I haven't done too much on the alliance side, however, so I cannot really comment on how much better or worse one faction has it over another.

The Barrens rock, it's Durotar, the newbie Orc / Troll zone that sucks ass.

[Fammaden]

Yeah, the Trolls in particular seem to be lacking in identity lore wise as well. But I love dem anywey, mon!

[Iannis]

Barrens are better than they were =P Durotar is very........orange.

Undead land is hands down best tho, yeah.

trolls have the lore! they're rastas with spears! oohm booky shake yer booty oohm booky *goes troll shaman* or at least that's what i thought they were...

[Faddor]

Barrens is a hell of a lot better than it used to be, but my Troll Hunter still ran into a major wall there that required grinding several levels doing no quests whatsoever.

[Kildace]

Originally posted by Faddor
Barrens is a hell of a lot better than it used to be, but my Troll Hunter still ran into a major wall there that required grinding several levels doing no quests whatsoever.

Barrens is not meant to be done on its own from 11 to 18, Barrens + Silverpine, on the other hand, provide more than enough quests to do so

[Kodylan]

Durotar is pretty fucking sweet now too, they added quite a few quests to it recently.

[Fer0x]

Yep, I pretty much agree with everyone else. Undead lands are proably the most fun and most efficient. I didn't like 11-18 though as a priest in tirisfal. But I did like the barrens alot. As alliance, I've only tested human and I didn't care for it too much, but the loch modan which is the lvl 11-18 place next to dwarf newb lands was one of the most fun zones for me.

[Fulorian]

The Alliance has Redridge from 15 - 25, combined with Duskwood from 20-30, and even Westfall 10 - 20 with an orgasm of quests in each zone all the way. The thing is, they have a TON of sub-steps to all their quests, making it probably 100+ total 'Complete Quest' clicks between those zones.

Horde on the other hand, has almost no 'extra' quests, no 5000 xp Fedex quests, you have to work for every quest. For levels 10 - 25, you have three options, Barrens (50ish 'Complete Quest' clicks I'd say), Silverpine Forest for 10- 22, with approx 20 Complete Quests, and probably 20 more 'Complete Quest' clicks in Tarren Mill for Hillsbrad, for 20 - 30.

The Alliance can afford to skip some quests in their lands and never grind, and still get through these levels, while Horde has to do everything AND do some grinding during this time.

The problems really become apperant at level 27 - 32 or so. This has been slightly alleviated by the inclusion of the Big Game Hunter quests for Horde and not just alliance in STV, and the new Thousand Needles quests, but its still a problem. You basically WILL have to straight up grind for at least two full levels as Horde in this level range, depending on when you do the quests. Finally when you hit 32 - 34, you can begin in Stranglethorn Vale, the problems mostly dissipate, and you'll do decently for quests for the rest of the game. However, you'll have to hunt for your quests, as there is little centralization to their quest givers.