What realm qualities to look for?

[pmikkelson]

I am going to start a new character, I wanted to know what realm qualities to look for? Is it best to wait for a new server? Also can someone tell me there experience with RP-PvP servers. Thank You!

[CrashCat]

A new server can be good if you want to try to be the first to do something, but an old server is better if you want to make easy money. There is an inflation effect, but this actually ends up being to your advantage, since you can take a gathering tradeskill and sell something like copper bars or swiftthistle for a nice sum and then buy some auction greens nobody cares about that are way better than the newbie gear the quests are throwing at you.

Personally I wouldn't go for an RP server, the RP designation seems to be more an excuse to make people feel they can be the RP police rather than encouraging good RP. You may of course have better luck with it, but there's nothing really stopping you from just trying a server for a few levels.

To be honest, the biggest issues with the server you're on being good or bad probably won't be evident until you hit 60 and find out which people you are stuck with. You'll find some crazy people along the way, no doubt, but a lot of the people who ruin your low-mid level instance runs may not show up again after you hit the top. On the other hand, if you want to do raiding, you're probably going to see certain people over and over once you hit 60.

[Mallstrop]

RP PVP servers are pretty good from what I've seen. You do get a few PVP server people comming along simply because they think they will have an easy time ganking the soft RP folk.

I personally like being on a RP server, I don't RP but the people are a lot more friendly. I like the way that any /say and /yell is 'in Character' chat, there's nothing more offputting to me than people talking about real life stuff in a fantasy world.

[pmikkelson]

so if you were going to choose a new server what kind of population would you go for and how young of a server?

[Dhymlos]

As far as population, I like medium to relatively high population servers (Most important thing here is little to no queue but plenty of players) with a factional split no worse than 65% Alliance, 35% Horde.

With age I don't like newer servers because you don't have that great of an idea how well that server is going to turn out in the long run. I'd say it's better to go with a well established server with a number of guilds progressing into at least BWL/AQ than take a chance with a server which could end up practically dead.

Just my personal preferences though, like the security offered by servers like those. Going to be following these rules when I choose what server to play come BC.

[Mallstrop]

Yeah, medium to high are probably best, the full ones tend to get a queue around peak times, otherwise they're pretty good.