Newbie guide
On behalf of the Warcraft Wiki, welcome to Azeroth. Follow this newbie guide and you'll soon be a World of Warcraft (WoW) pro.
WoW is very easy to get started in and to have fun with alone or with friends. If you're a new or returning player, or familiar with other MMORPGs, this guide should help get you up to speed quickly. You'll get a general idea of what to expect as you begin playing and may remind you of things that you have forgotten about.
As Warcraft Wiki is focused on modern, "retail" World of Warcraft, so is this guide. This involves different gameplay compared to Wrath of the Lich King Classic, or World of Warcraft Classic: Season of Discovery.
Warcraft Wiki hosts both a glossary of frequently used terms and a list of common acronyms which may increase this guide and other sites' readability - be sure to reference them both as needed.
Reference the Blizzard support article on "How to Install World of Warcraft" and ensure your game is installed and ready before jumping in.
Table of contents
This Newbie guide is divided into three sections — read them all, or skip ahead based on your skill level.
Returning players should skip ahead to Section 3, to learn more about World of Warcraft's modernized leveling.
Players familiar with MMORPGs can skip ahead to Section 2, to learn the intricacies of creating a character in WoW.
New players will find it useful to at least skim each section to cover the basics of using the game interface and navigating the world.
- Section 1 - Learning the interface and basic systems
- Section 2 - Entering Azeroth
- Section 3 - Leveling up from 1 to cap