Customizing characters is a major draw of World of Warcraft, one of the most popular MMORPGs. The first decision new players must make is selecting their class and race. The game offers 12 classes, each with unique abilities and playstyles, and different races with their own lore and perks. It’s important to consider factors like playstyle, role in a group, aesthetics, racial abilities, and lore to create a character perfectly suited to your needs and preferences. Experimenting with different classes and races is key to finding what feels most fun and natural to play.
Choosing Your Class and Race in World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular and immersive MMORPGs out there, and one of its major draws is the ability to customize and personalize your character. One of the first decisions you’ll have to make is choosing your class and race. Here are some important things to consider when making this important decision.
Classes
There are currently 12 classes in World of Warcraft, each with its own unique playstyle and abilities. Here’s a quick rundown of each class:
- Death Knight: A tank or damage-dealing class that harnesses dark magic and frost to overcome enemies.
- Demon Hunter: A mobile melee class that can perform both tank and damage-dealing roles, wielding demon magic and dual-wielding weapons.
- Druid: A versatile class that can shift into different forms to perform a variety of roles, including tanking, damage dealing, healing, and support.
- Hunter: A ranged damage-dealing class that relies on a variety of weapons and animal companions to take down its foes.
- Mage: A powerful caster that wields arcane, fire, and frost magic to destroy enemies or help allies.
- Monk: A hybrid class that combines martial arts with spellcasting, capable of performing tank, damage-dealing, and healing roles.
- Paladin: A holy warrior that can perform tanking, damage-dealing, and healing roles using a combination of weapons, magic, and faith.
- Priest: A powerful healer that can also perform damage-dealing roles using a variety of spells, including holy, shadow, and discipline magic.
- Rogue: A stealthy damage-dealing class that relies on quick strikes, poisons, and sneaking to take down foes.
- Shaman: A hybrid class that can perform damage-dealing and healing roles using the power of the elements.
- Warlock: A caster that specializes in dark magic and can summon powerful demons to do their bidding.
- Warrior: A resilient damage-dealing class that can also perform tanking roles using a variety of weapons and combat techniques.
Consider your playstyle
When choosing your class, it’s important to consider your preferred playstyle. Do you like to charge into battle, wielding a mighty weapon and dealing damage? A warrior or paladin might be a good fit. Do you prefer to stay back and cast spells from a distance? A mage or warlock might be more your style. Do you like to play a supportive role, healing your allies and keeping them alive? A priest or druid might be the way to go.
Consider your role in a group
If you plan on playing with others in groups or raids, it’s also important to consider what role you want to play. Do you want to be the one soaking up damage and protecting your allies? Consider playing a tank, such as a paladin or warrior. Do you want to be the one dealing out massive damage and taking down enemies? A rogue or mage might be more your speed. Do you want to keep everyone alive and healthy? A priest or druid might be the way to go.
Try different classes out
Of course, the best way to figure out which class is right for you is to try them out. Create a few different characters and see which one feels the most fun and natural to play. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Races
World of Warcraft has several different races to choose from, each with its own unique lore and abilities. Here’s a breakdown of each race:
- Human: Versatile and adaptable, humans have a bonus to their reputation gains and can use a racial ability to break free of stuns.
- Dwarf: Tough and resilient, dwarves have increased expertise with guns and crossbows and can also use a racial ability to remove poisons, diseases, and bleed effects.
- Night Elf: Agile and stealthy, night elves have increased movement speed while stealthed and can use a racial ability to shadowmeld, becoming invisible for a short time.
- Gnome: Small but clever, gnomes have increased intellect and can also use a racial ability to escape snares and roots.
- Draenei: Strong and wise, draenei have increased stamina and can also use a racial ability to heal themselves and nearby allies.
- Worgen: Fierce and loyal, worgen are able to shift into a wolf form for increased speed and melee abilities.
- Orc: Strong and ferocious, orcs have increased expertise with axes and can also unleash a racial ability to increase their damage dealt for a short time.
- Undead: Cold and calculating, undead can use their racial ability to remove all charm, fear, and sleep effects.
- Tauren: Resilient and peaceful, tauren have increased health and can also use their racial ability to stun enemies with a powerful war stomp.
- Troll: Agile and tenacious, trolls have increased haste and can use their racial ability to rapidly regenerate health for a short time.
- Blood Elf: Powerful and refined, blood elves have increased arcane resistance and can also use their racial ability to restore mana over time.
- Goblin: Clever and resourceful, goblins have increased haste and can use their racial ability to launch themselves forward with a rocket jump.
Consider your aesthetics
When choosing your race, it’s important to consider what you find aesthetically pleasing. Do you like the sleek and graceful look of a night elf, or the brutish power of an orc? Do you have an affinity for the swashbuckling style of a gnome, or the otherworldly beauty of a blood elf?
Consider the racial abilities
Each race has its own unique racial abilities, which can be very useful in certain situations. For example, a dwarf’s ability to remove poisons could be very useful in a fight against venomous enemies, while a tauren’s war stomp could be a valuable tool in a large group fight. Consider which abilities would be most useful to you and your playstyle.
Consider the lore
If you’re a fan of Warcraft lore, you may want to consider the backstory and culture of each race. Certain races have long and storied histories and may have important ties to certain factions or areas of the game world. If this is important to you, be sure to read up on the lore of each race before making your decision.
Conclusion
Choosing your class and race in World of Warcraft is a big decision, and there are many factors to consider. By thinking about your playstyle, your role in a group, and your aesthetic and lore preferences, you can create a character that is uniquely suited to your needs and preferences. And remember, don’t be afraid to experiment and try out different classes and races to see what feels the most fun and natural to you!