Looking for character advice

[Tokamak]

Hey folks

Im new to WoW (just downloading the trial now...) but not to MMOs in general, having played eq2 for 4 years and more recently aoc.

Im after a bit of help picking my first character - what Im after is something that solos well (or as well as these classes tend to do :) ), and Id like to try something with melle burst dps.

From reading through the stickied guides in this section it seems that my choice would be some form of Hunter or Rogue, can anyone offer any advice on starting in wow on one of these toons, and are there any skill build choices early on that might be usefull to know about?

Apologies if the question is a little vague, still reading throught the wow newbie stuff

ATB

[clevins]

First off, if you're looking for a melee build that 2 shots other mobs/players of the same it doesn't really exist. If you only ever want to melee dps a rogue is your best bet. It's all we do. The downside is... it's all we do and we don't have a HUGE lead in the damage we do. this can make it a bit harder to get groups, though rogues bring grouping advantages (mostly crowd control).

Other choices for melee dps include a shaman (Enhancement) or a warrior (Fury/Arms) or a druid (Feral). At 55, you can create a Death Knight. However you'll get some pressure to play the other roles that those classes can do (healing for shamans and druids, tanking for druids, death knights and warriors ). If you're thinking... "hmm maybe I'd like to tank or heal, not sure..." then roll a druid. They're very good tanks, excellent healers and, in Wrath, will be very good melee and ranged dps. If you are sure you only ever want to be melee dps, roll a rogue. You can certainly try the others... some people love shammies, I didn't like the totem mechanism. It is, in the end, pretty personal.

Whatever you do, level it until 20 or 30 at least.... you only really get a feel for the class then.

[Tokamak]

Thanks for the input Clev, I somehow forgot to include that I would be playing pve.

I want to avoid healers if possible. I have found them to be too much of a pain in the bum to solo grind with (apart from the completely broken TOS in aoc!)

Looking here (http://www.wowwiki.com/Rogue_talents) it seems like the rogue has what I want, with some sort of focus on sword skill builds as I level. Get those critical strike and combo points up....

[Mazhulsage]

IMO, go Druid. Druids can do everything from ranged DPS spell casting, to healing, to melee DPS and tank. They are soon to be "within the 5% range" in PvE DPS (So, if they're doing 3K DPS, you're doing 2850 DPS, very close.) and they're very easy to level with, I really enjoyed leveling my Druid from level 10-70, and it only got better every level after 20 =P.

[Tokamak]

Interesting,

I can see how a high dps healer would be more efficient to level with. Are the number of respecs you can use limited in some way in WoW?

[semiiramiis]

Interesting,

I can see how a high dps healer would be more efficient to level with. Are the number of respecs you can use limited in some way in WoW?

No. I have guildies who respec daily, however it does become more expensive each time until you hit the cost cap.

The last time I respecced, it cost me 15 g. The last time my guild master respec'ed, it cost him 50 g.

[Boneshaker]

Im still fairly new to WOW myself but it seems to me the the Hunter class would be good for PVE solo leveling because of the pet feature. You basically have a partner helping you all the time. Just my opinion from what I have seen.

[clevins]

Most people who choose a hybrid choose a levelling build and use that to move through levels faster, then spec what the want (if it's different) at endgame. A druid might level Feral even if they really want to heal endgame etc.

Hybrids are nice in that you can change your mind midway through leveling and not have to start over.... but it really IS a matter of style.

[Erinne]

I can say that leveling as a feral druid is very efficient - almost no downtime, as you can heal yourself between fights, switch back into feral form and regain your mana before you have to heal again. And, of course, you can always switch your role from melee dps to tank to ranged dps to healer if you want to.

Hunter is also good, but they are definitely a ranged class - you can use melee weapons, but will always be more effective fighting at a range. With the new ability Aspect of the Viper, you also don't need to worry about running out of mana. And yes, it's a very powerful solo-leveling class; with my hunter I can solo elites up to three levels above me, and normal mobs up to five levels above me.

Though I have to say, I still enjoy playing my rogue more than my druid or hunter, so in the end, it's all purely subjective. Try the different classes out and see what you like best.

[Grubz]

Based on your criteria of what playing style you want, a rogue would probably be best, however hunter are the easiest solo class. Soon, Death Knights will be a viable option as well.

[clevins]

Death Knights are not an option for a new player. You need to have a 55 in order to create one.

[BIOME]

Both Rogues, and Hunters are DPS classes.

Rogues can deal a lot of damages in a short amount of time. They are pretty easy to quest with because they can stealth around through areas, and they can deal a lot of damage. I would suggest going Combat for questing. I would also suggest getting both Skinning and Leatherworking professions. You can skin mobs while you quest, and use that leather to create yourself Leather armor since that's the highest armor quality you can go with.

Hunters are another great class and they can also deal a lot of damage. This classes is easier to quest with since you have a "tank"(pet) which can take a lot of damage while you attack the mob from a distance with a ranged weapon. I would highly suggest going either Beast, or Marksman. I heard beast is easier to quest with, but personally I went with Marksman since it was a great talent tree to quest with and PVP with at the same time. I don't know if it is up to this date, but it use to be. I would also suggest picking up skinning and leather working and maybe switching at 40.
*At 40 Hunters Can Train For Mail Armor*

I hope that helped you out. If you need anymore help feel free to post!

[zXz]

Hey folks

Im new to WoW (just downloading the trial now...) but not to MMOs in general, having played eq2 for 4 years and more recently aoc.

Im after a bit of help picking my first character - what Im after is something that solos well (or as well as these classes tend to do :) ), and Id like to try something with melle burst dps.

From reading through the stickied guides in this section it seems that my choice would be some form of Hunter or Rogue, can anyone offer any advice on starting in wow on one of these toons, and are there any skill build choices early on that might be usefull to know about?

Apologies if the question is a little vague, still reading throught the wow newbie stuff

ATBMy suggestion for you would be to start a hunter. Then chose herbalism, mining for his primary professions. This way you're able to level fast and have enough gold for the few items you may want to buy from the auction house.

[Superspam]

Just try out what you think sounds interesting. Level to around 30. If you like it, keep going. If you don't, reroll.

. . .I would also suggest picking up skinning and leather working and maybe switching at 40.
*At 40 Hunters Can Train For Mail Armor*

Leatherworkers can make mail as well.

. . . Then chose herbalism, mining for his primary professions. This way you're able to level fast and have enough gold for the few items you may want to buy from the auction house.

The only problem with that is you can't track both at the same time. If you're going to do 2 gathering, I'd suggest herbing or mining and skinning. However, 2 gathering is a good idea if you're looking to make money.

[elsegundo]

melee dps? then you wouldnt pick hunters. they're ranged 95% of the time. the other 5% are a mix of people who dont know how to play it, want to be different, or are the top of their game. anyway...

rogues are awesome melee. great in pvp and pve. can respec to... melee dps.
druids are awesome melee. great in pvp and pve. but i've seen more resto/balance druids on pvp and pve. melee dps mainly for leveling/tanking. can respec to ranged dps or healing.
enh shaman are awesome melee. great burst damage, then trickles. can respec to ranged dps or healing.
warrior. i've seen warriors kick butt. they're great melee dps but much better tanks. can respec to more melee variations like the rogue.
pally are awesome melee.... melee. not too great with dps, though current patch is giving the dps branch of the class a bit more umph. can respec to tank and healing. loved by many as the AOE tanker of choice.

anyway... those are all the melee classes i can think of. of course, you can roll a priest and do melee damage too. but for a first character, stick with the above list.


and i dont think the OP asked about professions. lets deal with that when we get to that point.