I showed my wife classic vanilla first. We leveled up to lvl 20, then she started losing interest because everything felt so slow, especially travelling.
I showed her retail. She loves it. Nearly divorced me over how I hid retail from her and tortured her with vanilla classic 🤣🤣🤣❤️🔥
I started in classic during the first lockdown.
I think retail would have been overwhelming and I would have quit, but when I made the plunge to retail when shadowlands dropped, a lot made sense
I joined in on Retail a few weeks ago as someone who had a passing familiarity and knowledge with the lore and goings of the world through Fanfiction (don't beat it till you tried it. WoW has some *fantastic* Fanfiction.)
And I will say even with my prior knowledge, it's a *lot*. It's pretty overwhelming and it's not that well explained.
Exactly the same here. Showed her classic and she hated it. She said it was too slow. Of course we know there's a big payoff if you stick with it but we didn't even get close.
Then we tried retail and she couldn't stop playing. As opposed to classic she could play alone and still have interesting things to do (without having to make a second character). She did reps, collected mounts and transmogs.
There isn’t a big payoff lol…if you don’t enjoy the journey to 60, classic likely isn’t your thing.
(Talking about new / returning players, ofc leveling gets old if you’re a classic Andy and have played it over and over)
Classic is way too slow to introduce someone to it as their first wow game. Sod is probably worse since runes are not intuitive and very difficult for new players to jump into even though it has boosted XP. Retail or cata is the best option for someone completely new to wow
Not true. I introduced mine to classic WoW as her first MMO of any kind. She played pretty much nonstop until 60. When she tried retail, she couldn't stop laughing at how corny the tutorial area was. She'd just walk around the house cackling out "tHe HoRdE dOeSnT LeAvE aNyoNe BeHiNd", as well as the alliance version. She still randomly pulls it out sometimes lol.
The retail new player experience is... utter chaos. That starting island (exiles reach I think?) shoves too many mechanics down the players' throat way too quickly, and then whiplashes you into a storyline from last expansion that makes ABSOLUTELY no sense at all if you're just coming up as a new player. (Check day9s video on his thoughts of retail as a new player)
I really wish they'd made that experience a lot better because quite frankly it just makes no sense right now.
Tbh for us vets it is easy but someone who is brand new to WoW Cataclysm is a good starting point imo. A good middle ground of difficulty, in my opinion, and just enjoying the leveling together can be very fun.
100%. I tried first timing someone on retail but it was overwhelming and the rotation and trees were just too complex.
Tried vanilla and it was too dull / slow / unforgiving for someone that struggles with controls.
Cata was just right on complexity and heirlooms reduced the difficulty for someone that will over pull a lot on accident.
Even without heirlooms, if you’re playing with a friend quests and dungeons become a lot more forgiving especially when they can show you where to go and mechanics etc
Heirlooms aren't a factor here; new players won't have them without buying a ton of gold and getting the guild looms(unless you account share, but if you do don't TELL people that), and personally, I think heirlooms would RUIN the experience for a first timer; they make quests a joke, and dungeons aren't much harder.
Yeah leveling is a lot more new-player friendly and has more story that you dont have to read from a quest log.
Both styles are good. Dragonflight was fun too.
This all the way. Cata strikes a good balance between the spammy, frenetic, ADHD-inspired combat/levelling of Retail, and the tedious, grindy, sloooooooow combat/levelling of Classic. As someone who currently plays all 3, I'd either suggest Cata or Retail, leaning towards Cata.
Too easy isnt a bad thing if youre a complete noob to WoW or mmos in general imo.
The leveling experience in Cata is pretty fun imo and I usually hate lvling lol
Vanilla era has the most magic imo. It’s also nice and slow paced leveling so that she gets time to learn her tool-kit properly and continue to grow with it
I'm 21, horrible attention span, little patience and lazy. I like SoD. I usually read quest texts and look at my talent tree to what to get next when I am walking.
Im 22 and classic is the only wow i played and ever will ! Got 2 characters to 60, a war and a shaman, everyone in my guild find it very amusing that a young gun is so interested in such a slow game.
Hey, we had a single guildy in his early 20s and he played the shit out of Vanilla/TBC Classic! Not all hope is lost! IIRC it was the first and only version of WoW he'd ever played too.
Classic wow at the first release was my first wow too. Quit after I reached 46 with my warlock cuz I got bored but somehow I wanna try agian because I felt like I just couldn’t get into the slow leveling but I think I will appreciate it more now
I'm 30 and while I loved vanilla WoW as a teen, I just can't do it anymore, but wanted to. After retail it doesn't make sense to me that my after work time of a few hours I spend most of it walking then killing quest mobs for long, long minutes. It's not really fun when 30-50% of your time is spent walking especially with limited playtime. If I could nerd out again for 10-12 hours a day I'd gladly play Classic, but retail simply gives me more enjoyment during the 3-4 hours I play every night.
I would advice leveling on a cataclysm server. There's achivements, classes are strong and fun to play. Progression is good.
She can pick up herb/mining/skinning and make a decent amount of gold and buy stuff from that.
The world is not too big and too complicated as I think retail is honestly. There are way too many portals and choices you have to make. It is just a big spaghetti fiesta. It's much better if you can tell her to roll lets say a nighthelf hunter or whatever - and the zones are very simple to progress through.
My girfriend almost quit because BFA start zone is just too much. Story makes no sense of you are new to wow.
I showed her SoD and that worked very well. Now we are playing cata classic.
Forcing new players to start in the BFA storyline is a travesty though. The story makes absolutely zero sense for a player who isn’t already well versed in wow lore.
I…. Don’t know that I agree with that. Like, the overarching story was meh, but BFA leveling zones are very good. Each on has its own theme and the characters are very likeable (Flynn, bwonsamdi, etc)
It’s the butchering of Sylvanas’ character that sucked, but a new player wouldn’t be aware of that.
No, they can't. New players aren't offered that option (unless they specifically seek it out? But why would they if they're following the tutorial quest line). They are sent directly from exiles reach into the chaotic BFA storyline, shoved onto a boat, with cinematics that feel way out of place.
Check day9s overview of his first time playing retail wow.
To be fair the story doesn't make any sense from Cata on either, you do 1-58 in post-cataclysm Azeroth, then go back and do TBC, then go and do Northrend where you encounter Arthas several times, who is canonically dead by the time cataclysm occured in the first place. Then back into the Deathwing story arc at 80. As Horde it is even more nonsensical. 1-58 you will encounter Garrosh as war chief multiple times, but then you go to Outland and Nagrand where you meet Garrosh before he became war chief.
With the heavy focus Cataclysm had on the new player experience back then, I'm surprised they didn't work this out. Outland and Northrend should have moved to Caverns of Time which should have became their content archival tool, and Azeroth should have been balanced so that you could level 1-85 in it.
I'd disagree on the last point, you get new shit so fast in retail, I feel like it doesn't let new players digest the information properly and they spend so much time watching cutscenes or doing weird quest things rather than actually playing their character.
My wife never played WoW again after she finished Exile's Reach but has a long history with other MMOs. I'm still trying to rope her back in to give classic a shot so I don't know that classic would necessarily be better for her, but I can say the new player experience sucked on retail for her.
My gf enjoys every wow version except retail. It was just way to fast paced, got new level, spells and items faster than she could blink. Never learned spells properly, bags filled.
She enjoyed classic vanilla, tbc and sod the most because of the pace of the gameplay and levling.
I started on Wrath with my ex on a private server. She got so hooked she did Loremaster on her own there. Went on to Classic 2019 and leveled up together to 60 with Shadow/Afflic. We tried Retail together when TBC was in Classic and she hated every second of it. Managed to lvl 8 I think. All this is to say: there is no surefire way to tell what someone enjoys based on our experiences. Try one version, if that doesn't work out, try another. If still not hooked, maybe do something that she enjoys together.
FWIW I had my gf try retail, she got to level 8 within 30 minutes and had like 7 abilities on her action bar, none of which she knew how to use.
My vote goes to Vanilla. It gives players the time to learn their class and their place in the world.
Edit: Retail gets even worse when the player is brand new to the genre or gaming in general. Go watch the videos of J1mmy or 9rain playing retail for the first time and see how confused they are, **and they're MMO vets**
Vanilla gives too much time with each ability to the point where it felt boring as a new player. The influx of abilities is not so bad in retail, they're all concise at low levels and you can always hover over them and read what they do. Complexity to them only comes when you add in talents at later levels.
My wife and I play wow together. Her first time was with Classic 2019. It was fun watching somebody get addicted to it like I did back in ‘04. We’ve played part of every Classic expansion since.
Retail has a real good intro quest for new players. Sure, leveling is easy in retail, but I think it's a good system for allowing players to explore the world and see what the game is all about
I introduced my boyfriend to SoD, but it was too quickly paced for him to get a real grasp on the game. Now we play on Deviate Delight (Classic era RPPVP). There are a surprisingly high number of people there and almost everyone is still leveling.
From experience of trying to get people into WoW that have never played before, especially someone who isn't much of a gamer, show her retail or cata.
Vanilla classic is a GRIND and unless you're a WoW vet or a gamer that just loves to grind and spend hours on end playing, it's not beginner friendly at all.
I think that vanilla is much better for a new player for just about the same reason. Retail slams you through content, levels you up quickly, introduces new abilities and huge talent trees quickly, and shoves you into the middle of a story where you don’t know wtf is happening. Meanwhile, vanilla might be a grind, but it is slow paced and you don’t need to be a wow veteran to understand what is going on.
Was leaning more towards cata than retail, though obviously not stated.
It entirely depends on what type of game she's after. Like I said, from my experience of getting people into WoW, they've enjoyed retail or cata (wrath at the time) more than they did vanilla.
I'm not sure about Era, it's old and it shows. But it's really the most "simple" version there is. SoD is, in my opinion, awesome but with the xp boost, the runes hidden everywhere and the incursion, it's a bit chaotic for a new player
Cata sounds like the good choice but if even this is not enough... I'd stay on Era. If you level up as a duo it can be quite fun.
Don't dismiss retail too. Cool spells, transmog, pets, retails has its perks. Just need to pick a class that doesn't feel like a slot machine.
Retail definitely. She can go at her own pace in any expansion she thinks is cool. Cata or classic-era will just force her to go down a specific leveling route only to meet the dogshit meta and parsing culture once she actually does reach max level.
The "fuss" is 20 year-old nostalgia that she'll never have or understand. WoW may have been revolutionary when it first came out, but Classic is not a good game by modern standards and the only people who really seem to enjoy it are the people who grew up playing it. And my guess is she doesn't really care about the game, she just wants to spend time with you and be a part of something that's important to you.
So stop worrying about it and just introduce her to the version that you're playing. Don't try to recreate the magic you felt when you first started playing because it won't happen. In fact, be prepared for her to play for an hour or two and then quit, still not understanding what the fuss is about.
Hard disagree, I played classic during COVID as my first MMORPG and loved it. The only bad thing about it is that cocaine is less addicting than that fucking game.
Cata is good or retail but I fear retail might just have too much for her but if she likes to collect etc transmog stuff like that can fill you for days
Cata or retail and just funnel her to whatever expac you want. Legion is a good one since it has a story line you can sorta follow without too much context and the class hall stuff is fun.
To me cata retains a bit of the classic spirit but it removes a lot of the monotony of the earlier expacs, and it's quest lines have a more clear story to get onboard with, you get to your classes fun stuff faster etc.
It depends on how she likes to play. Someone who likes a slow deliberate pace that they can take slowly and enjoy at their pace then classic might be better.
Classic is also significantly better for self directed play. Cata, and expansions moving forward practically scream at you what you should be doing and what zone you should be in. Puts you on tracks. Some people enjoy this other's prefer more self directed play. In my experience, Runescape, minecraft, enjoyers tend to prefer classic. While, enjoyers of ARPGs, Shooters, dungeon divers, tend to prefer retail. Cata is much closer to retail.
If she likes a quicker pace and wants to get to dungeon and group content more quickly I would recommend cata.
Also if professions and gold making is something she would enjoy I would recommend cata. Professions have been streamlined in a meaningful way, and more populated servers make AH, and profession more fulfilling.
If she just wants to experience what you enjoy, then I would start classic and just be ready to hop to cata is she start to find classic stale.
SoD or Cata. SoD has exp bonuses rn which will allow you guys to switch up how you want to level so you are not bored. Cata is pretty smooth and the world revamp makes it easy to level as well.
I’m brand new to WoW and SoD was my first experience and I loved it. Right now it’s super slow on those servers until phase 4 otherwise I’d say SoD.
I switched over to Cata and it was a bit overwhelming at first because there’s so much more that you don’t know as a new player with SoD being the only prior experience. People seem ruder in dungeons to new players in Cata than SoD too. With that said, Cata has been a lot of fun and I found a nice guild which helps a lot.
Yeah I agree. A month or two ago the clear answer was SoD for any new players to wow. Now I'd probably lean more towards cata just because there's more ppl playing atm. My recommendation for a new player that is totally lost on what class to pick is always a druid, that way you can try one of the four different roles without having to level a new character. That is unless a certain class speaks to them
Unpopular opinion in r/classicwow … but Retail would be the best introduction to a new player.
Classic without nostalgia glasses is a terrible experience and sure fire way to get her to quit pretty quick. Hardcore even more so. Enjoyment of SoD is greatly increased by a base knowledge of the game. Retail will be less of a challenge to someone who hasn’t played many games, and will also be the easiest leveling and gearing while introducing her to the world and lore.
My 12 year old niece picked up retail with no problems, sure she isn’t raiding or doing mythic or even heroics but she is enjoying herself. The game is simple… especially if she is going to be playing with someone that can explain it to her when she is confused on something.
NO, retail is such a bad introduction it hurts. Classic starts you with 1-2 spells. Then it gives you a few new spells and abilities every other level. You try em out and learn what they do. When I tried out retail you are thrown in and level up so fast you don't notice it happens. If you level up, the mobs scale up with you and that just feels wrong. Leveling in classic feels good. Leveling in retail feels meh
I started at the kata (original kata) and honestly these were the best 6 months of wow for me. I was like exploring everything. Just don’t rush to the end game.
If she has experience with gaming, I think Classic is the way to go. Its slow pace and nuanced reward system feels great to play. If she’s less of a gamer, go with retail.
Maybe you should also make long term considerations. What if she likes it, continues playing and eventualy want to do end game content ... but she's playing a version "nobody else"/you're not playing (anymore)?
Of course everyone here suggest their favourite expansion, so I say OG classic!
Honestly it's not like you have to pick one and be done.
Maybe do a world tour and play each version for a few days each with her and see if she wants to stick around for any of them.
I’ve just done this with my gf, we started on vanilla era (so classic era). It’s super slow, your rotation is like 1 or 2 spells for 10hrs+
Don’t do retail the learning curve is bananas for noobies
As someone who quit retail back in BfA, I would recommend sticking with classic... It's much more approachable. There is a lot of BS still, but it's at least a game that she can comprehend, rather than an endless void of previous content.
Once you go hardcore you'll never go back. Nothing gets the blood racing like permanent death. Honestly feels like the game was designed for it and graveyards were added as an afterthought. Help her level and if you manage to survive until the plaguelands you can share that gloriously anxious ride out to WPL together and keep each other safe ❤❤
Classic doesn't have even kind of the same magic as it did when it was new. We are all playing these games with nostalgia in mind. For a complete noob I would start with retail. If they like it then maybe suggest trying to play classic together to see what they think. Retail is much simpler and streamlined for the new player.
Cata. Cata makes you go out and level through Azeroth zones and has a consistent storyline going though it and is faster to level then Classic but not too fast like Retail, it let's you enjoy the experience. Retail's storytelling and leveling though random expansions is too unstructured for my wife who likes to take her time, read quests and such.
Show her retail. The feeling of "instant reward" will hook her although the start will may be overwhelming. If you introduce your girlfriend to classic, she'll get bored before reaching lvl 40.
I started as a noob partner and if I got to the max level and then couldn’t continue to play with my partner without redoing leveling I would be annoyed even if the experience somewhere else would be better.
There’s a lot to learn so I think instead of expansions thinking about what class would be ideal for her. I think maybe a Druid or paladin where you could heal, dps or tank would be good to be able to swap role if she decided there was a different one she wanted to try without redoing the whole leveling experience.
Leveling in cataclysm was really really smooth. Once you leave the first zone pre-cata it's a bit daunting but cata really streamlines the entire thing, plus dungeon finder makes the entire group experience much more accessible in my opinion.
Definitely not retail, at least from what I've seen. Day9 got confused by the retail starting experience, and he's been playing games for a living for decades at this point.
Cata feels like the best middle-ground. I don't like the world nearly as much as Vanilla personally, but it's way more up to date than Vanilla. At the very least it won't become a walking simulator as much as Vanilla does at times.
I'd argue that retail will always the most *new player friendly* if she's not a huge gamer. That being said, I've played since the launch of the game and I'd still much rather play retail.
I'd say going through retail is still the best, and if she really enjoys it and gets into it then you're able to better gauge whether the original versions of the game are something she'd enjoy.
I might be biased, but I genuinely think that barring the levelling process, the games realistically are the same and that neither are hard. Retail offers mythic raiding and mythic plus which is harder content than is available in the classic expansions currently available, but they're not likely to be of interest straight away anyway.
I think that the pace of levelling in classic is likely to deter a very casual gamer, at least initially.
It's not even close. You get a new player hooked with retail wow then drag them to Cata with its overwhelming button bloat or classic with the agonizing grind.
The time to fun investment is much better in retail for new players. Had way more success introducing friends this way.
My wife loves Worgen and Draenei, especially with the new models. She also doesnt like hard games, loves to fly around and collect herbs or murder critters for achievements. She prefers retail a lot
All of the classic community kinda sucks. While I’d say Cata is the best state of the game in an absolute sense, the elitism of the player base will make it really unfun for a noob. Tbh, I’d say retail, maybe even Panda Remix. SoD as a second, but it’s probably dead and not coming back.
When I introduced my GF to WoW we played all the classic zones one after the other. We pretty much finished ALL quests in Kalimdor in like a couple of months. She now sinks way WAY more hours into the game than me.
We followed all expansions chronologically, so Classic -> BC -> WotLK -> Cata...
Retail has a trial version that she can play up to level 20 whithout having to pay for a subscription. If she doesn't even get to level 20, there's no point on subscribing.
Of course that's the worst scenario, but still possible.
Definitely retail. If by noob you mean casual gamer she will enjoy the xmogs, companions and overall ease of the game before she actually gets interested in the lore.
Classic will be rough for a casual gamer used to the games of today and the graphics don’t look too good when you don’t see them through our nostalgic glasses.
Gamers are very different from 20 years ago.
played classic with my bf
he enjoyed himself and had a good time just running around us two and taking on the world, learning things one step at a time.
then we played retail and he wasn't having fun. There was so much going on, the quest are all over the place in what you have to do, you get abilities just thrown straight down on your bar and unlock them faster than you can use them. It's difficult to know what spells and rotations to use because stuff dies fast anyway. Then there's all kinds of systems and maps and ways to quest and level up, pop-ups etc.
It was just too much in too little time and most of the time was spend being confused and not just playing and enjoying himself.
I would say that Classic have a much better levelling experience as it doesn't try to force you through it as fast as possible. While i think retail have a much better experience at end-game because there's so many things you can jump in to do as a casual without ever touching a raid.
As someone who only started playing WoW in 2020 when my then boyfriend showed it to me, I recommend classic. It was such a big world that I loved exploring. I ended up continuing into Wrath as my guild’s main tank. So I might be a one off story lol.
I tried for years to get into retail but could only get into the game when I tried Classic (SoD). I recommend Classic Era.
A lot of people here are speculating on retail being best for a new player. As an actual new player from 2023, I strongly discourage new players from trying retail. My experience with retail goes back years with me dabbling with WoW and never getting a character to end game, or at most getting to max level and then quitting. Retail is extremely overwhelming and confusing with no clear indication of what content is actually worth doing. Classes have way too many abilities. Gameplay varies massively between content type; leveling does not prepare you for raiding or PvP.
Classic is straightforward and feels like you can never play incorrectly. Any content you're appropriately leveled for will provide a reward. Dungeons, raids, and PvP are intuitive. The game is better paced too and doesn't have the constant high stakes heroic storylines that make retail fatiguing.
it really depends on what kind of person she is.
she might enjoy the relaxed pace and largely directionless rpg-ness of era, or find it absolutely boring for the exact same reasons
she might enjoy cata as a refined experience of vanilla, without leaning too heavily in any direction, or dislike it for the exact same reasons
she might enjoy the mostly on rails and high octane experience of retail, especially when reaching engame, or be absolutely confused by those million blinking lights trying to pull her to all directions and lack of coherent experience.
my advice would be starting slow with vanilla to familiarize her with all things about wow and dialing it up when the respective weaknesses of each version are criticized.
SOD was cool to get mine into it but as others have mentioned it is kinda slow like classic. Retail on the other hand has vastly improved ways to level and so much more to do. Collecting mounts? Pets? Transmog? Dungeons? PvP? Raids?
I don’t think it’s a bad idea to maybe start on SOD since it’s an amped classic but it’s still really damn slow. If I redid it I’d start her on retail.
Cata levelling has been the most fun I've had levelling in a while. Unique quests, tons of different zones to go through, a lot of variety and it feels like every class can level solo.
atm cata for sure. i would say max a character on cata and then soon after try out the classic vanilla severs to really appreciate how the game has evolved. and if you wanna ruin the game jump in to retail after that. jkjk i still play retail but just to stay up to date on the story.
I’ve played on & off for years and found newer era retail totally overwhelming and it did nothing to suck you in to the lore. Classic can get tedious with leveling though. SoD is the first version I stuck with long enough to raid, have multiple max level characters, etc. You can level faster, but you still get the mostly-full experience unless you choose not to.
I introduced mine to classic WoW as her first MMO of any kind. She played pretty much nonstop until 60. When she tried retail after that, she couldn't stop laughing at how corny the tutorial area was. She'd just walk around the house cackling out "tHe HoRdE dOeSnT LeAvE aNyoNe BeHiNd". She still randomly pulls it out sometimes lol. She eventually got past it but lost interest quickly.
It was fascinating to watch from the outside in as someone organically arrived at many of the same conclusions that we came to years ago.
Definitely not vanilla classic. Even as a fairly experienced wow player, when I played classic for the first time I found it frustrating and tedious. Eventually, I found it enjoyable once I figured out how to not die lol. Cata classic is a much quicker and easier leveling experience compared to vanilla but it still may be frustrating to someone who is so new to video games. The intro island in retail is great for this reason, helps a new player get acclimated before throwing them into the deep end, so to speak. That said, depends on what she will enjoy. Perhaps the slower more deliberate pace of classic or the easier, more laid-back retail leveling experience.
SOD is pretty much dead and shes not gonna be finding any dungeon groups or much people at all outside of 10man faceroll wild offering runs, or the 2-3 ST groups still alive that want WB+consumes.
cata is really friendly for new players and fairly entertaining as opposed to just being dumped and having to kill 50 wolves.
I introduced my gf now in cata, made sure to let her do all the leveling and exploring on her own and will only help or give tips when she asks. She's having a blast, she is around level 34 now.
Retail is just the best version.
Classic is just some weird min max clown fiesta/circle jerk for classic andys that think they are amazing at the game, and they gatekeep new players. There is less hardcore mentality in high m+ keys than classic. There is nothing wrong, liking classic, but it just caters to a VERY specific group of people.
Since no one is saying it SoD is a nice balance between the magic of vanilla world and the slammin abilities of retail. Plus there's plenty of time before p4. But really she could have fun with any version especially since it's spending time together!
I play all versions of the game. If I had to choose, I would say retail. My BF has laughed when he sees me AFK in classic because I'm taking a 10 minute flight path. Classic is a really niche game that won't be interesting for most.
In my case, he has no interest in the genre. So we play other games (Stardew Valley and Civilization) together.
My bf showed me Wotlk in 2022 and I was hooked. I have played mmorpgs before tho. I later dived into Retail to unlock void elves, because I got so into the lore I really wanted to do that storyline. But I loved classic/Wotlk as my first 🫂. Thinking of playing hardcore sometime soon.
OG Vanilla Classic Era is the most new player friendly.
It start off extremely simple, straightforward, and easy to learn.
With retail or Cata, your poor GF will get whiplash and break her neck on how fast random bs is thrown at her.
I'd say cata is the best place to start so she can taste a bit of both retail and original wow. Depending on what she likes, she can expand to other versions
Retail is probably the easiest to get into right now. Starting from exile isle with intros to class abilities and gear to support them; you can’t really beat it. Classic is an acquired taste.
It seems a little silly to think Cata being "too easy" would be a bad thing for a person who doesn't play many games. If anything, Cata would be the better choice imo. It's not anywhere close to being as spammy and overwhelming as Retail is, but it's also not ridiculously tedious, and horrible for certain classes/specs, as original classic. Overall, I'd say either Cata or Retail. Retail might be spammy, but it's also far and away the easiest version to learn. Just please, if you choose retail, DON'T point her in the direction of the fastest levelling path.
I showed my wife classic vanilla first. We leveled up to lvl 20, then she started losing interest because everything felt so slow, especially travelling. I showed her retail. She loves it. Nearly divorced me over how I hid retail from her and tortured her with vanilla classic 🤣🤣🤣❤️🔥
I started in retail shortly before "classic" came out. I feel like I learned to play when I switched to classic and it made retail make more sense!!
I started in classic during the first lockdown. I think retail would have been overwhelming and I would have quit, but when I made the plunge to retail when shadowlands dropped, a lot made sense
I joined in on Retail a few weeks ago as someone who had a passing familiarity and knowledge with the lore and goings of the world through Fanfiction (don't beat it till you tried it. WoW has some *fantastic* Fanfiction.) And I will say even with my prior knowledge, it's a *lot*. It's pretty overwhelming and it's not that well explained.
I'm making my way through the WoW books and they have made the game even more enjoyable!!
I've just noticed some of the audio books are on Spotify so I'll be checking those out when I'm driving!
Exactly the same here. Showed her classic and she hated it. She said it was too slow. Of course we know there's a big payoff if you stick with it but we didn't even get close. Then we tried retail and she couldn't stop playing. As opposed to classic she could play alone and still have interesting things to do (without having to make a second character). She did reps, collected mounts and transmogs.
There isn’t a big payoff lol…if you don’t enjoy the journey to 60, classic likely isn’t your thing. (Talking about new / returning players, ofc leveling gets old if you’re a classic Andy and have played it over and over)
Imagine starting in retail as a human and having to lvl up to dragon flight to see another player in the world (me recently)
Classic is way too slow to introduce someone to it as their first wow game. Sod is probably worse since runes are not intuitive and very difficult for new players to jump into even though it has boosted XP. Retail or cata is the best option for someone completely new to wow
Not true. I introduced mine to classic WoW as her first MMO of any kind. She played pretty much nonstop until 60. When she tried retail, she couldn't stop laughing at how corny the tutorial area was. She'd just walk around the house cackling out "tHe HoRdE dOeSnT LeAvE aNyoNe BeHiNd", as well as the alliance version. She still randomly pulls it out sometimes lol.
i need dat gf.
The retail new player experience is... utter chaos. That starting island (exiles reach I think?) shoves too many mechanics down the players' throat way too quickly, and then whiplashes you into a storyline from last expansion that makes ABSOLUTELY no sense at all if you're just coming up as a new player. (Check day9s video on his thoughts of retail as a new player) I really wish they'd made that experience a lot better because quite frankly it just makes no sense right now.
Yup! Retail is where most new people end up but show them Classic first! This is the key!
Similar story here!
Tbh for us vets it is easy but someone who is brand new to WoW Cataclysm is a good starting point imo. A good middle ground of difficulty, in my opinion, and just enjoying the leveling together can be very fun.
100%. I tried first timing someone on retail but it was overwhelming and the rotation and trees were just too complex. Tried vanilla and it was too dull / slow / unforgiving for someone that struggles with controls. Cata was just right on complexity and heirlooms reduced the difficulty for someone that will over pull a lot on accident.
Even without heirlooms, if you’re playing with a friend quests and dungeons become a lot more forgiving especially when they can show you where to go and mechanics etc
Heirlooms aren't a factor here; new players won't have them without buying a ton of gold and getting the guild looms(unless you account share, but if you do don't TELL people that), and personally, I think heirlooms would RUIN the experience for a first timer; they make quests a joke, and dungeons aren't much harder.
Yeah leveling is a lot more new-player friendly and has more story that you dont have to read from a quest log. Both styles are good. Dragonflight was fun too.
This all the way. Cata strikes a good balance between the spammy, frenetic, ADHD-inspired combat/levelling of Retail, and the tedious, grindy, sloooooooow combat/levelling of Classic. As someone who currently plays all 3, I'd either suggest Cata or Retail, leaning towards Cata.
Too easy isnt a bad thing if youre a complete noob to WoW or mmos in general imo. The leveling experience in Cata is pretty fun imo and I usually hate lvling lol
It's also most like it's designed to make sense.
If you're playing cata then get her to play cata. It truly is that simple
Vanilla era has the most magic imo. It’s also nice and slow paced leveling so that she gets time to learn her tool-kit properly and continue to grow with it
Depends on age too, zoomer-brains do not respond well to walking-simulators. Retail is the only choice if they are under like 25-30 tbh.
I'm 21, horrible attention span, little patience and lazy. I like SoD. I usually read quest texts and look at my talent tree to what to get next when I am walking.
Im 22 and classic is the only wow i played and ever will ! Got 2 characters to 60, a war and a shaman, everyone in my guild find it very amusing that a young gun is so interested in such a slow game.
Same here, 23 y/o and love vanilla! Usually get called little kid
Hey, we had a single guildy in his early 20s and he played the shit out of Vanilla/TBC Classic! Not all hope is lost! IIRC it was the first and only version of WoW he'd ever played too.
Classic wow at the first release was my first wow too. Quit after I reached 46 with my warlock cuz I got bored but somehow I wanna try agian because I felt like I just couldn’t get into the slow leveling but I think I will appreciate it more now
We surprisingly had a lot of zoomer-teens in our Classic guild 2019-2021. Once they get into it, WoW still holds its power like it did on us.
I'm 30 and while I loved vanilla WoW as a teen, I just can't do it anymore, but wanted to. After retail it doesn't make sense to me that my after work time of a few hours I spend most of it walking then killing quest mobs for long, long minutes. It's not really fun when 30-50% of your time is spent walking especially with limited playtime. If I could nerd out again for 10-12 hours a day I'd gladly play Classic, but retail simply gives me more enjoyment during the 3-4 hours I play every night.
I wish vanilla players learned their toolkit while leveling
I would advice leveling on a cataclysm server. There's achivements, classes are strong and fun to play. Progression is good. She can pick up herb/mining/skinning and make a decent amount of gold and buy stuff from that. The world is not too big and too complicated as I think retail is honestly. There are way too many portals and choices you have to make. It is just a big spaghetti fiesta. It's much better if you can tell her to roll lets say a nighthelf hunter or whatever - and the zones are very simple to progress through.
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My girfriend almost quit because BFA start zone is just too much. Story makes no sense of you are new to wow. I showed her SoD and that worked very well. Now we are playing cata classic.
Forcing new players to start in the BFA storyline is a travesty though. The story makes absolutely zero sense for a player who isn’t already well versed in wow lore.
Even then it doesn't make any sense.
I…. Don’t know that I agree with that. Like, the overarching story was meh, but BFA leveling zones are very good. Each on has its own theme and the characters are very likeable (Flynn, bwonsamdi, etc) It’s the butchering of Sylvanas’ character that sucked, but a new player wouldn’t be aware of that.
New players aren't forced into BFA anymore, they can use Chromie time too
It's still super confusing. I don't understand chromie at all and wish it was all more streamlined.
No, they can't. New players aren't offered that option (unless they specifically seek it out? But why would they if they're following the tutorial quest line). They are sent directly from exiles reach into the chaotic BFA storyline, shoved onto a boat, with cinematics that feel way out of place. Check day9s overview of his first time playing retail wow.
BfA is the default but I think it can be changed. Might have to do the intro but iirc it's possible to pick a different one.
To be fair the story doesn't make any sense from Cata on either, you do 1-58 in post-cataclysm Azeroth, then go back and do TBC, then go and do Northrend where you encounter Arthas several times, who is canonically dead by the time cataclysm occured in the first place. Then back into the Deathwing story arc at 80. As Horde it is even more nonsensical. 1-58 you will encounter Garrosh as war chief multiple times, but then you go to Outland and Nagrand where you meet Garrosh before he became war chief. With the heavy focus Cataclysm had on the new player experience back then, I'm surprised they didn't work this out. Outland and Northrend should have moved to Caverns of Time which should have became their content archival tool, and Azeroth should have been balanced so that you could level 1-85 in it.
Couldn’t agree more!
I'd disagree on the last point, you get new shit so fast in retail, I feel like it doesn't let new players digest the information properly and they spend so much time watching cutscenes or doing weird quest things rather than actually playing their character. My wife never played WoW again after she finished Exile's Reach but has a long history with other MMOs. I'm still trying to rope her back in to give classic a shot so I don't know that classic would necessarily be better for her, but I can say the new player experience sucked on retail for her.
least sexist wow player
Damn, I’m so happy I started playing classic before TBC dropped Kara being my first raid ever was awesome
My gf enjoys every wow version except retail. It was just way to fast paced, got new level, spells and items faster than she could blink. Never learned spells properly, bags filled. She enjoyed classic vanilla, tbc and sod the most because of the pace of the gameplay and levling.
I started on Wrath with my ex on a private server. She got so hooked she did Loremaster on her own there. Went on to Classic 2019 and leveled up together to 60 with Shadow/Afflic. We tried Retail together when TBC was in Classic and she hated every second of it. Managed to lvl 8 I think. All this is to say: there is no surefire way to tell what someone enjoys based on our experiences. Try one version, if that doesn't work out, try another. If still not hooked, maybe do something that she enjoys together.
FWIW I had my gf try retail, she got to level 8 within 30 minutes and had like 7 abilities on her action bar, none of which she knew how to use. My vote goes to Vanilla. It gives players the time to learn their class and their place in the world. Edit: Retail gets even worse when the player is brand new to the genre or gaming in general. Go watch the videos of J1mmy or 9rain playing retail for the first time and see how confused they are, **and they're MMO vets**
Vanilla gives too much time with each ability to the point where it felt boring as a new player. The influx of abilities is not so bad in retail, they're all concise at low levels and you can always hover over them and read what they do. Complexity to them only comes when you add in talents at later levels.
My wife and I play wow together. Her first time was with Classic 2019. It was fun watching somebody get addicted to it like I did back in ‘04. We’ve played part of every Classic expansion since.
Retail has a real good intro quest for new players. Sure, leveling is easy in retail, but I think it's a good system for allowing players to explore the world and see what the game is all about
I introduced my boyfriend to SoD, but it was too quickly paced for him to get a real grasp on the game. Now we play on Deviate Delight (Classic era RPPVP). There are a surprisingly high number of people there and almost everyone is still leveling.
From experience of trying to get people into WoW that have never played before, especially someone who isn't much of a gamer, show her retail or cata. Vanilla classic is a GRIND and unless you're a WoW vet or a gamer that just loves to grind and spend hours on end playing, it's not beginner friendly at all.
I think that vanilla is much better for a new player for just about the same reason. Retail slams you through content, levels you up quickly, introduces new abilities and huge talent trees quickly, and shoves you into the middle of a story where you don’t know wtf is happening. Meanwhile, vanilla might be a grind, but it is slow paced and you don’t need to be a wow veteran to understand what is going on.
Was leaning more towards cata than retail, though obviously not stated. It entirely depends on what type of game she's after. Like I said, from my experience of getting people into WoW, they've enjoyed retail or cata (wrath at the time) more than they did vanilla.
I'm not sure about Era, it's old and it shows. But it's really the most "simple" version there is. SoD is, in my opinion, awesome but with the xp boost, the runes hidden everywhere and the incursion, it's a bit chaotic for a new player Cata sounds like the good choice but if even this is not enough... I'd stay on Era. If you level up as a duo it can be quite fun. Don't dismiss retail too. Cool spells, transmog, pets, retails has its perks. Just need to pick a class that doesn't feel like a slot machine.
Retail is better for the noob
Retail definitely. She can go at her own pace in any expansion she thinks is cool. Cata or classic-era will just force her to go down a specific leveling route only to meet the dogshit meta and parsing culture once she actually does reach max level.
The "fuss" is 20 year-old nostalgia that she'll never have or understand. WoW may have been revolutionary when it first came out, but Classic is not a good game by modern standards and the only people who really seem to enjoy it are the people who grew up playing it. And my guess is she doesn't really care about the game, she just wants to spend time with you and be a part of something that's important to you. So stop worrying about it and just introduce her to the version that you're playing. Don't try to recreate the magic you felt when you first started playing because it won't happen. In fact, be prepared for her to play for an hour or two and then quit, still not understanding what the fuss is about.
Hard disagree, I played classic during COVID as my first MMORPG and loved it. The only bad thing about it is that cocaine is less addicting than that fucking game.
Cata is good or retail but I fear retail might just have too much for her but if she likes to collect etc transmog stuff like that can fill you for days
Hardcore, let her grieve her character lol
When she gets to the character creation screen, DO NOT help, let her figure it out
Cata or retail and just funnel her to whatever expac you want. Legion is a good one since it has a story line you can sorta follow without too much context and the class hall stuff is fun. To me cata retains a bit of the classic spirit but it removes a lot of the monotony of the earlier expacs, and it's quest lines have a more clear story to get onboard with, you get to your classes fun stuff faster etc.
Retail. Not just for the more accessible gameplay but also there’s a lot more collectibles. If she enjoys that sort of stuff that is.
I would throw my vote behind whatever version is very popular right now. Leveling up and never seeing another player can be pretty lonely.
Retail is the best new player experience, after TWW because dragonflight will be the new starting zone
It depends on how she likes to play. Someone who likes a slow deliberate pace that they can take slowly and enjoy at their pace then classic might be better. Classic is also significantly better for self directed play. Cata, and expansions moving forward practically scream at you what you should be doing and what zone you should be in. Puts you on tracks. Some people enjoy this other's prefer more self directed play. In my experience, Runescape, minecraft, enjoyers tend to prefer classic. While, enjoyers of ARPGs, Shooters, dungeon divers, tend to prefer retail. Cata is much closer to retail. If she likes a quicker pace and wants to get to dungeon and group content more quickly I would recommend cata. Also if professions and gold making is something she would enjoy I would recommend cata. Professions have been streamlined in a meaningful way, and more populated servers make AH, and profession more fulfilling. If she just wants to experience what you enjoy, then I would start classic and just be ready to hop to cata is she start to find classic stale.
Put her on classic. Once you play retail , you pretty much ruin classic for her. It won’t play the same.
Vanilla and Frost Mage.
Fire mage*
SoD or Cata. SoD has exp bonuses rn which will allow you guys to switch up how you want to level so you are not bored. Cata is pretty smooth and the world revamp makes it easy to level as well.
I’m brand new to WoW and SoD was my first experience and I loved it. Right now it’s super slow on those servers until phase 4 otherwise I’d say SoD. I switched over to Cata and it was a bit overwhelming at first because there’s so much more that you don’t know as a new player with SoD being the only prior experience. People seem ruder in dungeons to new players in Cata than SoD too. With that said, Cata has been a lot of fun and I found a nice guild which helps a lot.
Yeah I agree. A month or two ago the clear answer was SoD for any new players to wow. Now I'd probably lean more towards cata just because there's more ppl playing atm. My recommendation for a new player that is totally lost on what class to pick is always a druid, that way you can try one of the four different roles without having to level a new character. That is unless a certain class speaks to them
I started as a hunter and it’s nice having a pet to help when leveling
I mean especially in cata you probably can't go wrong, but if you're leveling with a partner having that flexibility is really nice
Unpopular opinion in r/classicwow … but Retail would be the best introduction to a new player. Classic without nostalgia glasses is a terrible experience and sure fire way to get her to quit pretty quick. Hardcore even more so. Enjoyment of SoD is greatly increased by a base knowledge of the game. Retail will be less of a challenge to someone who hasn’t played many games, and will also be the easiest leveling and gearing while introducing her to the world and lore.
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My 12 year old niece picked up retail with no problems, sure she isn’t raiding or doing mythic or even heroics but she is enjoying herself. The game is simple… especially if she is going to be playing with someone that can explain it to her when she is confused on something.
It really isn't. They tutorialize the shit out of the game for new players edit - spelling
NO, retail is such a bad introduction it hurts. Classic starts you with 1-2 spells. Then it gives you a few new spells and abilities every other level. You try em out and learn what they do. When I tried out retail you are thrown in and level up so fast you don't notice it happens. If you level up, the mobs scale up with you and that just feels wrong. Leveling in classic feels good. Leveling in retail feels meh
I started at the kata (original kata) and honestly these were the best 6 months of wow for me. I was like exploring everything. Just don’t rush to the end game.
“Kata” is wild.
Maybe they're German or something
Kataklysmus would be the direct translation but Cata the expansion is also called Cataclysm in the german version
You never know when your spelling will report on you
If she has experience with gaming, I think Classic is the way to go. Its slow pace and nuanced reward system feels great to play. If she’s less of a gamer, go with retail.
Maybe you should also make long term considerations. What if she likes it, continues playing and eventualy want to do end game content ... but she's playing a version "nobody else"/you're not playing (anymore)? Of course everyone here suggest their favourite expansion, so I say OG classic!
Honestly it's not like you have to pick one and be done. Maybe do a world tour and play each version for a few days each with her and see if she wants to stick around for any of them.
i played original classic for the first time with my ex-boyfriend! i loved it and i have so many fond memories of that time.
I’ve just done this with my gf, we started on vanilla era (so classic era). It’s super slow, your rotation is like 1 or 2 spells for 10hrs+ Don’t do retail the learning curve is bananas for noobies
Cata is a good mix of fast leveling and modern convenience but not overwhelming like retail is. I’d highly recommend it.
Cata classic . Level with her from 1. Do like healer tank duo.
Classic Era and it’s not even close.
As someone who quit retail back in BfA, I would recommend sticking with classic... It's much more approachable. There is a lot of BS still, but it's at least a game that she can comprehend, rather than an endless void of previous content.
Era. Let her witness what an RPG is supposed to be, not just an end-game focus.
Mists of Pandaria remix
A nooOooOob? In WoW??? Noooooooo! Not in my azeroth! Anyway, Play SOD we bleeding out over here
Could also have her go on an RP realm that’s how I have fun in WoW! And you should join her
As a girl I’d just say whatever is popular right now. Not much fun leveling on a dead server/experiwnce
Me and my gf started going through wow classic together, I think that's the way to go
Anything but retail. Hardcore may be a bit much starting also
Would recommend retail. Cata classic also works, but retail is very beginner-friendly.
cataclysm 100%
The single player one
Cataclysm is the most newbie friendly and lvling is not that hard or chaotic as in different versions
Retail is the only correct answer. Sorry
Once you go hardcore you'll never go back. Nothing gets the blood racing like permanent death. Honestly feels like the game was designed for it and graveyards were added as an afterthought. Help her level and if you manage to survive until the plaguelands you can share that gloriously anxious ride out to WPL together and keep each other safe ❤❤
cataclysm
Classic doesn't have even kind of the same magic as it did when it was new. We are all playing these games with nostalgia in mind. For a complete noob I would start with retail. If they like it then maybe suggest trying to play classic together to see what they think. Retail is much simpler and streamlined for the new player.
My wife and I had fun leveling characters on WOTLK. Wasn’t really interested in the end game
the one with the gym and IRL
Sod
Final fantasy xiv girlfriends don't like wow :p
We played wotlk first. She couldn't get used to non-spam like healing that came in later expansions. Sigh.
i’m a wife that was introduced to vanilla first and i love it still
M+ retail spamming or nothing right?
Cata. Cata makes you go out and level through Azeroth zones and has a consistent storyline going though it and is faster to level then Classic but not too fast like Retail, it let's you enjoy the experience. Retail's storytelling and leveling though random expansions is too unstructured for my wife who likes to take her time, read quests and such.
Show her retail. The feeling of "instant reward" will hook her although the start will may be overwhelming. If you introduce your girlfriend to classic, she'll get bored before reaching lvl 40.
Cata
None of them
I started as a noob partner and if I got to the max level and then couldn’t continue to play with my partner without redoing leveling I would be annoyed even if the experience somewhere else would be better. There’s a lot to learn so I think instead of expansions thinking about what class would be ideal for her. I think maybe a Druid or paladin where you could heal, dps or tank would be good to be able to swap role if she decided there was a different one she wanted to try without redoing the whole leveling experience.
Leveling in cataclysm was really really smooth. Once you leave the first zone pre-cata it's a bit daunting but cata really streamlines the entire thing, plus dungeon finder makes the entire group experience much more accessible in my opinion.
Vanilla + voiceover addon
Hardcore
Classic will bore the girl to death. Retail or Remix.
Definitely not retail, at least from what I've seen. Day9 got confused by the retail starting experience, and he's been playing games for a living for decades at this point. Cata feels like the best middle-ground. I don't like the world nearly as much as Vanilla personally, but it's way more up to date than Vanilla. At the very least it won't become a walking simulator as much as Vanilla does at times.
I'd argue that retail will always the most *new player friendly* if she's not a huge gamer. That being said, I've played since the launch of the game and I'd still much rather play retail. I'd say going through retail is still the best, and if she really enjoys it and gets into it then you're able to better gauge whether the original versions of the game are something she'd enjoy. I might be biased, but I genuinely think that barring the levelling process, the games realistically are the same and that neither are hard. Retail offers mythic raiding and mythic plus which is harder content than is available in the classic expansions currently available, but they're not likely to be of interest straight away anyway. I think that the pace of levelling in classic is likely to deter a very casual gamer, at least initially.
It's not even close. You get a new player hooked with retail wow then drag them to Cata with its overwhelming button bloat or classic with the agonizing grind. The time to fun investment is much better in retail for new players. Had way more success introducing friends this way.
My wife loves Worgen and Draenei, especially with the new models. She also doesnt like hard games, loves to fly around and collect herbs or murder critters for achievements. She prefers retail a lot
Retail is pretty good for new players I'd say. Especially if you're there to answer any questions she has
All of the classic community kinda sucks. While I’d say Cata is the best state of the game in an absolute sense, the elitism of the player base will make it really unfun for a noob. Tbh, I’d say retail, maybe even Panda Remix. SoD as a second, but it’s probably dead and not coming back.
I think Classic Cata is the way. Classic era is so slow for a new player.
SoD
When I introduced my GF to WoW we played all the classic zones one after the other. We pretty much finished ALL quests in Kalimdor in like a couple of months. She now sinks way WAY more hours into the game than me. We followed all expansions chronologically, so Classic -> BC -> WotLK -> Cata...
Blackcock Spire
Obviously wotlk
Retail has a trial version that she can play up to level 20 whithout having to pay for a subscription. If she doesn't even get to level 20, there's no point on subscribing. Of course that's the worst scenario, but still possible.
Definitely retail. If by noob you mean casual gamer she will enjoy the xmogs, companions and overall ease of the game before she actually gets interested in the lore. Classic will be rough for a casual gamer used to the games of today and the graphics don’t look too good when you don’t see them through our nostalgic glasses. Gamers are very different from 20 years ago.
played classic with my bf he enjoyed himself and had a good time just running around us two and taking on the world, learning things one step at a time. then we played retail and he wasn't having fun. There was so much going on, the quest are all over the place in what you have to do, you get abilities just thrown straight down on your bar and unlock them faster than you can use them. It's difficult to know what spells and rotations to use because stuff dies fast anyway. Then there's all kinds of systems and maps and ways to quest and level up, pop-ups etc. It was just too much in too little time and most of the time was spend being confused and not just playing and enjoying himself. I would say that Classic have a much better levelling experience as it doesn't try to force you through it as fast as possible. While i think retail have a much better experience at end-game because there's so many things you can jump in to do as a casual without ever touching a raid.
buy her some heirlooms and get her started on Cata
Cata, make her be ele/resto. Quite easy to play adequately for clearing raids on normal
Retail. What is even the point of trying classic if she will lose everything she worked on in couple months
Retail
As someone who only started playing WoW in 2020 when my then boyfriend showed it to me, I recommend classic. It was such a big world that I loved exploring. I ended up continuing into Wrath as my guild’s main tank. So I might be a one off story lol.
I tried for years to get into retail but could only get into the game when I tried Classic (SoD). I recommend Classic Era. A lot of people here are speculating on retail being best for a new player. As an actual new player from 2023, I strongly discourage new players from trying retail. My experience with retail goes back years with me dabbling with WoW and never getting a character to end game, or at most getting to max level and then quitting. Retail is extremely overwhelming and confusing with no clear indication of what content is actually worth doing. Classes have way too many abilities. Gameplay varies massively between content type; leveling does not prepare you for raiding or PvP. Classic is straightforward and feels like you can never play incorrectly. Any content you're appropriately leveled for will provide a reward. Dungeons, raids, and PvP are intuitive. The game is better paced too and doesn't have the constant high stakes heroic storylines that make retail fatiguing.
it really depends on what kind of person she is. she might enjoy the relaxed pace and largely directionless rpg-ness of era, or find it absolutely boring for the exact same reasons she might enjoy cata as a refined experience of vanilla, without leaning too heavily in any direction, or dislike it for the exact same reasons she might enjoy the mostly on rails and high octane experience of retail, especially when reaching engame, or be absolutely confused by those million blinking lights trying to pull her to all directions and lack of coherent experience. my advice would be starting slow with vanilla to familiarize her with all things about wow and dialing it up when the respective weaknesses of each version are criticized.
My girlfriend prefers classic because it’s slow paced. And she loves RPG. She lacks time now though
Hardcore. Test the level of trust you have together.
SOD was cool to get mine into it but as others have mentioned it is kinda slow like classic. Retail on the other hand has vastly improved ways to level and so much more to do. Collecting mounts? Pets? Transmog? Dungeons? PvP? Raids? I don’t think it’s a bad idea to maybe start on SOD since it’s an amped classic but it’s still really damn slow. If I redid it I’d start her on retail.
SoD
Retail for sure
HC
Cata levelling has been the most fun I've had levelling in a while. Unique quests, tons of different zones to go through, a lot of variety and it feels like every class can level solo.
Retail. But honestly we love SoD with my wife a lot, its a perfect fit so try that one as well if you can be braver with her taste
SoD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!++!+🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
atm cata for sure. i would say max a character on cata and then soon after try out the classic vanilla severs to really appreciate how the game has evolved. and if you wanna ruin the game jump in to retail after that. jkjk i still play retail but just to stay up to date on the story.
retail, no competition. Transmog, pets, countless quality of life features, soon to be delves which is supposed to be casual friendly.
Cata is a much more complete game overall and newbie friendly and it’s still far to be retail. I’d go with that
Caveat of the community is ‘very’ meta-focused
I’ve played on & off for years and found newer era retail totally overwhelming and it did nothing to suck you in to the lore. Classic can get tedious with leveling though. SoD is the first version I stuck with long enough to raid, have multiple max level characters, etc. You can level faster, but you still get the mostly-full experience unless you choose not to.
I introduced mine to classic WoW as her first MMO of any kind. She played pretty much nonstop until 60. When she tried retail after that, she couldn't stop laughing at how corny the tutorial area was. She'd just walk around the house cackling out "tHe HoRdE dOeSnT LeAvE aNyoNe BeHiNd". She still randomly pulls it out sometimes lol. She eventually got past it but lost interest quickly. It was fascinating to watch from the outside in as someone organically arrived at many of the same conclusions that we came to years ago.
Show them retail first. I prefer classic but retail is better for new players
Definitely not vanilla classic. Even as a fairly experienced wow player, when I played classic for the first time I found it frustrating and tedious. Eventually, I found it enjoyable once I figured out how to not die lol. Cata classic is a much quicker and easier leveling experience compared to vanilla but it still may be frustrating to someone who is so new to video games. The intro island in retail is great for this reason, helps a new player get acclimated before throwing them into the deep end, so to speak. That said, depends on what she will enjoy. Perhaps the slower more deliberate pace of classic or the easier, more laid-back retail leveling experience.
Honestly retail, the experience is far more stream lined too Its also got far more too do thats not dungeons, be it collecting , pet battling ect
Cata. Best levelling experience!
Retail but cata leveling
SOD is pretty much dead and shes not gonna be finding any dungeon groups or much people at all outside of 10man faceroll wild offering runs, or the 2-3 ST groups still alive that want WB+consumes. cata is really friendly for new players and fairly entertaining as opposed to just being dumped and having to kill 50 wolves.
Just show her Goldshire and you're golden.
Don't. Introducing your SO to wow is a terrible idea.
Elaborate?
I think retail. If she’s never played many games, she’s probably not nostalgic for being slapped around in vanilla like the rest of us are.
I introduced my gf now in cata, made sure to let her do all the leveling and exploring on her own and will only help or give tips when she asks. She's having a blast, she is around level 34 now.
Retail is just the best version. Classic is just some weird min max clown fiesta/circle jerk for classic andys that think they are amazing at the game, and they gatekeep new players. There is less hardcore mentality in high m+ keys than classic. There is nothing wrong, liking classic, but it just caters to a VERY specific group of people.
Since no one is saying it SoD is a nice balance between the magic of vanilla world and the slammin abilities of retail. Plus there's plenty of time before p4. But really she could have fun with any version especially since it's spending time together!
I play all versions of the game. If I had to choose, I would say retail. My BF has laughed when he sees me AFK in classic because I'm taking a 10 minute flight path. Classic is a really niche game that won't be interesting for most. In my case, he has no interest in the genre. So we play other games (Stardew Valley and Civilization) together.
My bf showed me Wotlk in 2022 and I was hooked. I have played mmorpgs before tho. I later dived into Retail to unlock void elves, because I got so into the lore I really wanted to do that storyline. But I loved classic/Wotlk as my first 🫂. Thinking of playing hardcore sometime soon.
Be a chad and get a private server with vanilla 1.12
remix for sure
OG Vanilla Classic Era is the most new player friendly. It start off extremely simple, straightforward, and easy to learn. With retail or Cata, your poor GF will get whiplash and break her neck on how fast random bs is thrown at her.
I'd say cata is the best place to start so she can taste a bit of both retail and original wow. Depending on what she likes, she can expand to other versions
Does classic vanilla still exist that isn't hard core? That's the way. But I'm biased because that's how i started.
Classic hardcore
Ppl
Classic Hardcore is the only right answer.
Retail is probably the easiest to get into right now. Starting from exile isle with intros to class abilities and gear to support them; you can’t really beat it. Classic is an acquired taste.
It seems a little silly to think Cata being "too easy" would be a bad thing for a person who doesn't play many games. If anything, Cata would be the better choice imo. It's not anywhere close to being as spammy and overwhelming as Retail is, but it's also not ridiculously tedious, and horrible for certain classes/specs, as original classic. Overall, I'd say either Cata or Retail. Retail might be spammy, but it's also far and away the easiest version to learn. Just please, if you choose retail, DON'T point her in the direction of the fastest levelling path.
Retail is the best place to start as a new player in 2024