World of Warcraft (or WoW) is a title of legendary proportions, a game that since its launch back in 2004, has been the definition of how a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) should be. Blizzard Entertainment is responsible for developing and publishing this work of art that has been entertaining millions of players worldwide. The game requires a paid subscription to play, but believe us; it’s worth every single penny!
The first choice you have to make upon entering the game is which side will you fight for, Alliance or the Horde? Each faction has its unique background story, goals, strongholds and races that, with the exception of the Pandaren, are specifically available to (to be exact, there are six races for each faction). The next important decision is that of your class; there are twelve different classes with exclusive sets of skills and abilities. Some of them specialize in one specific role, e.g. damage dealing, while others are more versatile. Depending on your race, you get a different starting zone and as you level-up you will enter new locations more appropriate to your given level.
One of the strongest elements of WoW is its story; there is a whole universe behind this game with stories that go far beyond the simple clash between its two main factions. These are so well integrated in the game that the quest line gives you the feeling that you are always working towards something far more complicated and grand than a mere “fetch this or kill that” mission. Every race has its own history and its own heroes that are somehow connected to the whole lore of Azeroth.
Compared to modern titles, the graphics of WoW may seem a little outdated, but they are surely unique and have a certain beauty. Azeroth is a marvelous place to explore; from dense, mystical forests, to high, frozen mountains and burning lava fields, everything is a feast for the eyes. It’s so beautiful that from time to time you will refrain from action just to wander at the amazing view. There are villages, abandoned cities, mysterious shrines, places of power, mighty strongholds, locations with secrets that wait for you to discover.
Besides the gripping story, the game features a meticulous profession system with eleven primary ones, from which you may choose up to two and four secondary that can be freely picked up. Some of them may be taken for profit, while others can be used for creating equipment or upgrading existing gear. What is more, there is a plethora of mounts that can be obtained, either through purchasing or by completing quests and killing various bosses. There are also pets to collect and upgrade that can fight each other for fun and prizes.
Combat in WoW happens in real-time and is a combination of movement and usage of skills and abilities bound to hotkeys of your keyboard. Some of them are easy, like fighting mobs and others are demanding and require all of your attention especially if your opponent is a gigantic boss with special attacks and talents that can pulverize you in seconds! The game was the first to introduce group adventuring, whether that is a simple quest or a dungeon and has evolved since; nowadays, whenever you want to enter an instance you just have to use the queue system that will find you a group of others to play together. The same goes for the larger scale and more demanding raids where bigger groups of players work together to emerge victorious from demanding boss fights for epic rewards. Apart from the PVE side, intense Player versus Player (PVP) action can be found in WoW. There are Arenas that you can enter with groups of two, three or five players and grand scale events where teams of adversaries fight each other in faction-oriented battles for honor and great prizes.
In order to attract new players, Blizzard lets you create a trial account where you can get an idea of what the game offers and reach level 20 for free; however, if you want to get the whole WoW experience, you need to buy the latest expansion. What is more, to ease the burden of the monthly subscription, the game implements the WoW token system; these are items that can be bought from the in-game store with real money to be auctioned for gold. When a token is acquired in this manner, it can be exchanged for 30 days of gaming time. Bear in mind though, that trial accounts don’t have access to auctions.
With the introduction of Legion, the new expansion, it seems that the satisfaction that the game offers has reached new heights. There is a new class, the Demon Hunter which is versatile and fun to play, new starting zones, new instances and raids with an extra level of difficulty, new features like Order Halls, Artifact Weapons and World Quests that experienced players will surely appreciate, free boost to level 100 for one of your characters, but most of all a new chapter in the history of WoW. Now it’s the time, whether you are new to the game or a seasoned veteran that has played through all the previous expansions, Azeroth awaits!
