New to WoW, need help!Follow

Hey, im looking to start a mage on WoW and was just wondering a few things before i started. I used to play EQ, and there seems to be alot of differences between the classes in each game:

-What's the best class for a mage?
-How do you learn new spells in WoW as a mage?
-What's the best way to earn money and get new armor in WoW?

Thanks, I'd appreciate any help :)

Best class for Alliance is a Gnome, best for horde is probably BE. Best way to make money= Mining/Leatherworking(really depends on your server though)

You get your new spells at level 4, 6, 8, 10 ,12, etc.

First of all, welcome to WoW, we will enjoy you crying over the addiction playing with us and everyone else, and we hope you love the game just like we do.

Just a heads-up, you meant "What's the best race for a mage", not class, because mage IS the class, whereas gnome-human-troll-etc are the races.

1)There is no "Best race" for ANY class, there is the argument of some being better than others because of the racials, but they are really the minimal part when making the decition. Sure, if you dont give a rat's a$$ what race you are, then yeah go with the better racial's one.

If you are one of those people, go with UD mages, for Will of the Forsaken, BE mages are also nice for the enchanting bonus, and the bonus silence racial.

As far as alliance go I would say go gnome... they are just amazing, and their escape artist racial is just so good now its a great bonus to the already cool race.

2) You learn your spells just like every other class does, at your class trainer, found in most major cities, excepting shattrath, and in most( If not all) of the... lets say... "secondary newbie starting zones' towns" found after the starter area (These are Goldshire,Kharanos, that wierd D-starting named town for elves, and the "Idonknowwatzitcalled" place for draenei for alliance; Raptor Hill, Tranquillien(sp?), Brill, Bloodhoof village for horde).

These spells cost copper,silver, and gold, depending on what level is required to cast it, for example you will be able to learn frostbolt rank 1, once you get level 4 and pay one silver for the spell. Then once you are level 60, you will be able to learn frostbolt rank 11 for 4 gold and 20 silver, it will be the same spell, but more powerful, and will cost more mana.

3) Definitely the best way to make money is the always mentioned "grab 2 gathering proffessions" wich means grab proffessions such as (dis)enchanting/herbalism, herbalism/skinning, mining/(dis)enchanting, mining/skinning. SELL all the stuff you get, and you will be rich in no time.

Also, dont buy new gear at the Auction house every 2 levels, just upgrade your gear if it is at least 12 levels below you, and even then its not necessary sometimes.

(Besides gear) avoid buying stuff at the auction house unless it is something you know you will have for a long long time.

As far as getting armor, quests will give you very good armor (and weapons too), and as you progress in the game instances will give you the best (or almost the best) gear available for your level.

Rarely you will find better gear at the AH, but dont buy any unless its really cheap and you know you wont upgrade it in a decent amount of time (10 levels or more)

If you "really" played EQ than WOW wont be very addicting. It will also be painfully easy. There are, however, some great things about WOW compaired to EQ.

You asked for the best "class" for a mage, where as Mage is a Class itself. Mage in WOW is very much like a Wizard from Everquest. The Mage does not get a pet unless they select the talents for it (restricting them from picking up other talents.)

The game is very simple, so it wont take you long to figure out (it's infested with 8 year olds, so you hopefully wont have any trouble.)

The best Races for Mage are generally Gnome (for Ally) or Undead (for Horde), however this is primarily due to PVP reasons and these classes are arguably the ugliest 2 in the game. For your first character, I highly suggest you pick whatever looks the best to you.

Spells are not learned through Scrolls like in Everquest, they are simply taught to you by a Trainer for a fee. There are actually a pretty limited set of spells for most classes (although Mage does have a ton.) Instead of replacing old spells like in EQ, there are ranks of spells which you can upgrade as you level up. As a mage, there will be times when this is what you're spending the majority of your money on.

Quests are not only a great way to level up, but will force you to figure out how much of the game works. As opposed to EQ's quests that can take hours/days/weeks, *most* quests in WOW are very quick and simple, and reward with decent amounts of cash and good gear. Use the quests to direct you where to go to level up next.

The main way to travel in WOW is by Griffon/Wyrvens which take you where you need to go for a small fee. When you see Flight Masters, make sure to talk to them to aquire the new Flight Path. You can then fly back from other Flight Masters whenever you need.

At 10 you'll get your first Talent point, and you'll get another one every level after that. For mage, picking talents is pretty straightforward, as you will generally pick what ever tree you wish to be strong in and use primarily that spellset for grinding efficiency and DPS. Frost is a great option for both offensive and defensive purposes, but Fire is generally easier/faster until later.

As posted above, getting cash varies server-to-server but it primarily comes from Farming something that higher levels or alts will need to purchase. Selling components/reagents on the Auction House (like the Bazaar) is a great way to make cash. Selling Green (uncommon) items that you do not want to use can bring in decent income, as well as Disenchanting it and selling those components (usually sell easier but for a bit less this way.)

Instances are like LDoNs/Expeditions, you should know what Instances are~ They are dungeons that are specifically created when you or your party enter, and the monsters and bosses are for your group only. No one else can bother your group and you will have a chance to focus on uninterupted group play.

One thing I can tell you is to try to avoid the altitus, and stick it out with one character until you're higher. Playing alts is a great way to learn about different classes and it can be very fun to do something different, but you'll be wasting time in comparison, because theres a LOT of stuff to do at 70, and you'll be making much much more money the higher you get. You'll miss out on the best parts of the game if you simply do the low level stuff over and over.

If I could reroll, I would have went undead instead of troll for my mage. Blood Elf's racials really aren't that great, and if you do roll one, please don't be a male.

The only issue that I have with my undead mage is how he looks in his armor, I would totally rather have him look like an Orc (HUGE everything)

I play on the Exodar server, and either Herb or Mining are good skills to making money.

Skinning is decent for making money at the higher levels, but kinda sux at the lower levels.

Exodar is a fun server......welcome aboard :)

Oh, no one mentioned humans for alliance. Humans are good at the higher levels when you are working for rep. They have a rep bonus that makes the boring rep grind go much faster. Just an FYI.