[timverbesselt]

Hi all,

Last week I joined the magical world of WoW.
Now I am still a level 7 paladin so I am still on the learning curve but I was wondering in buying a game card to fully experience the game.
Now, I have no idea if this is a good idea because I can do this free too so who can convince me?
The most important thing I know is that free only gets you to level 20 …

[Heyallo]

If you're on the EU Servers, we have a guild run by Mentioned User Rattlehead. He'd be best to talk to.

You could catch me in discord but I haven't played in years and am playing catch up heh (also, I'm NA/OCE because Australia hehe)

[timverbesselt]

If you're on the EU Servers, we have a guild run by Mentioned User Rattlehead. He'd be best to talk to.

You could catch me in discord but I haven't played in years and am playing catch up heh (also, I'm NA/OCE because Australia hehe)

Hi,

All very good off course but there is no statement on whether to do the subscription or not

Mentioned User Rattlehead, do you have any comment on this? Or help or hints?

[Sunfire]

If you are still below level 20 there are very few reasons to buy right now unless you run into problems (like whispering/chatting, using the AH, etc.). Gameply- and content-wise there are no restrictions up until the end of the free trial.

I would look at the Dragonflight special offer too, if you enjoy the game. Currently (unless it's already over) you get a free 30 day gametime for every edition of Dragonflight (the current expansion) you buy, you will need Dragonflight to level from 60 to 70 and get to current endgame.

If you don't want that and take your time catching up on 18 years of content you obviously don't need DF right now and can just get a prepaid card or a sub to play up to 60.

[Heyallo]

That Special Offer ended on the 2nd

[timverbesselt]

If you are still below level 20 there are very few reasons to buy right now unless you run into problems (like whispering/chatting, using the AH, etc.). Gameply- and content-wise there are no restrictions up until the end of the free trial.

I would look at the Dragonflight special offer too, if you enjoy the game. Currently (unless it's already over) you get a free 30 day gametime for every edition of Dragonflight (the current expansion) you buy, you will need Dragonflight to level from 60 to 70 and get to current endgame.

If you don't want that and take your time catching up on 18 years of content you obviously don't need DF right now and can just get a prepaid card or a sub to play up to 60.

Thanks for the tips.
Just a question. I saw the addons on their website but I also see that when an addon offer has been expired, it will eventually become a part of the original game as part of the weekly/monthly updates.
Is this how that happens right now too? That the base game I have now, is a combination of all older add ons from the past and that the latest will be added on a later date?

[Heyallo]

eventually yeah, the old expansions become apart of the game, only the newer/latest expansions have to be purchased

[Sunfire]

Thanks for the tips.
Just a question. I saw the addons on their website but I also see that when an addon offer has been expired, it will eventually become a part of the original game as part of the weekly/monthly updates.
Is this how that happens right now too? That the base game I have now, is a combination of all older add ons from the past and that the latest will be added on a later date?

Just to make sure, the content updates are called "expansions", because "addons" are little (or bigger) modifications of the UI ingame

And yes, like Heyallo said, only the newest expansion (currently Drafonflight or DF) needs to be purchased seperately, everything else is part of the standard subscription. The latest expansion usually gets added to the standard sub a couple of weeks before the new expansion releases. Shadowlands was the expansion before DF and it got added to the sub in November.

[timverbesselt]

Yes this is what I ment with that.
Then it is not needed to purchase the expansions when it comes available later for free. For me right now it is not needed. Maybe when I am further in it and all is played, then it would be maybe interesting.

Thanks all for the info.

Also are there benefits in joining the guild?

Just to make sure, the content updates are called "expansions", because "addons" are little (or bigger) modifications of the UI ingame

And yes, like Heyallo said, only the newest expansion (currently Drafonflight or DF) needs to be purchased seperately, everything else is part of the standard subscription. The latest expansion usually gets added to the standard sub a couple of weeks before the new expansion releases. Shadowlands was the expansion before DF and it got added to the sub in November.

[Sunfire]

Also are there benefits in joining the guild?

Yes, there are very minor gameplay benefits in joining a guild but they are hardly worth mentioning (except maybe the movement speed buff but that generally doesn't stack with any other buff doing the same). The real benefit of joining a guild are the social aspects.

[darthnovawave]

eventually yeah, the old expansions become apart of the game, only the newer/latest expansions have to be purchased

They still make you buy new expansions on top of the subscription? I gave up on WOW like 12 or 13 years ago now over the costs to play. At the time I quit I had every class in game maxed out and could end-game tank, heal, or dps with the best of them, but dropping $13-15 USD a month to keep playing, plus at least $50 additional every other year to snag the latest expansion and stay in the "endgame" part of the game was a rat race I got burned out on. Still kind of depressing to think about all those hours sunk into a game that are now locked behind a paywall, but then I remember I've probably saved enough to build a couple of halfway decent gaming rigs by now by not playing and it isn't so depressing.

[timverbesselt]

What I was thinking on doing was when I reach lvl 20 to buy pre paid cards so I can stop paying when I don’t need it. Maybe then it would be better for these costs.

They still make you buy new expansions on top of the subscription? I gave up on WOW like 12 or 13 years ago now over the costs to play. At the time I quit I had every class in game maxed out and could end-game tank, heal, or dps with the best of them, but dropping $13-15 USD a month to keep playing, plus at least $50 additional every other year to snag the latest expansion and stay in the "endgame" part of the game was a rat race I got burned out on. Still kind of depressing to think about all those hours sunk into a game that are now locked behind a paywall, but then I remember I've probably saved enough to build a couple of halfway decent gaming rigs by now by not playing and it isn't so depressing.

[Heyallo]

What I was thinking on doing was when I reach lvl 20 to buy pre paid cards so I can stop paying when I don’t need it. Maybe then it would be better for these costs.

Yeah except pre-paid cards come in 60 day lots. so you're really losing money if you decide you're done any time between the start and end of the time given by that card. So paying month to month may be worth it more to you,

[Rattlehead]

Hi Tim,

Sorry for the late reply.

As mentioned here, we do indeed run a World of Warcraft guild. We are a casual raiding guild, but we also engage in all sorts of other activities, and always welcome new players regardless of experience. Therefore, you are very welcome to join us anytime. Just send me your battle tag and I will happily send you an invite!

As for your question about subscribing and/or buying the current expansion, I must say that I disagree with some of the replies above.

With the risk of repeating what was already said here, I want to make clear and summarize the differences between playing the free trial, simply being subscribed, and being both subscribed and owning the current expansion.

Playing the free trial will only give you access to a tiny amount of what WoW has to offer in terms of gameplay, and you will exhaust it in a matter of days. Moreover, you will not have access to social features which are a core part of any MMO. The free trial will only give you an idea about how the combat and the different classes work and feel, but even that is limited. You will also not even get a good idea about what the current game looks like and what the questing experience is like, since you will be playing through 18 year old content. Choosing to start your experience in Exile's Reach (a new starting area that was introduced with the previous expansion) will mitigate this somewhat, but then you will be left with what I would consider a rather confusing experience.

Subscribing (be it through pre-paid cards, purchasing 60 days of gametime directly from the battle.net app, or setting up a recurring payment) will allow you access to everything the game has to offer, save for the current expansion content. That means you will be able to level up until level 60 and get access to all basic features of the game. Because of the way leveling has been reworked, you will be able to choose which of the expansions to level through, and you will be able to skip a lot of dated content, giving you a much better experience overall. With the leveling rework you no longer have to go through all previous content in order to reach max level. This is in my opinion a much better option than the free trial.

If you choose to purchase the current expansion, Dragonflight, you will unlock all features of the game. This is in my opinion your best experience.

Now, in addressing my disagreements with some of the other replies I hope that I can convince you otherwise.

• There are obviously restrictions on content and gameplay during the free trial. They consist in simply not having access to the vast majority of content and gameplay.
  
• There are also restrictions on the social features of the game, like not being able to whisper, trade, or join a guild. These are in my opinion fundamental features that make an MMORPG. The benefits of joining a guild are not 'minor' in terms of gameplay. Just to give you an example, you gain 10% increased mounted speed by joining a guild, which will save you a massive amount of time in the long run. However it is not because of the gameplay benefits that you should want to join a guild. The real benefits of joining a guild are that you join a community of more or less experienced players who will always be there to help you out if you have questions, do content with you, and generally just chat about the game or whatever else. This is in my experience the single most important reason why people keep playing or keep coming back to World of Warcraft, and is one of the very first things you should do when you start playing the game.
  
• Purchasing the latest expansion, especially now that we are still in the early days of Dragonflight will allow you to experience what I consider to be the best WoW has been in years, once you reach level 60 and start going through new content. And, again, you will reach level 60 in no time. After that, you will gain access to WoW's endgame content, which I would argue is really where the game starts. Leveling through Dragonflight and then participating in endgame content (causal or less so), you will discover a very active open world, see and interact with players at every corner. This expansion in particular is very focused on open world group content. The experience of leveling through old content, although it can be relaxing and fun, will feel very empty in comparison.

Having said all this, I would suggest the following: Exhaust your free trial content by reaching level 20, then purchase 60 days of game time, join our guild and continue leveling up to level 60. If by the time you reach that level you feel like you are ready for an even better, more interactive and social experience, purchase Dragonflight. I would only add that in my opinion it would be best for a new player to level through the more current expansions (Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands). You will experience more modern content, level faster, and generally have a less boring experience if you're doing it all on your own. I only suggest this because you will have a more streamlined leveling experience, and not because I don't enjoy the old expansions myself.

To conclude, the way the system is set up allows you to take your time and, as others have said, you can take it step by step. However, I believe the best the game has to offer, especially for a new player, lies with the current expansion and the endgame content, but even the leveling experience of Dragonflight has been some of the most fun I've had in WoW recently. Everyone else in the guild shares the same opinion. So, if I've managed to convince you to at least purchase 60 days of game time and join Lunarfall, let me know. You can generally find us on TeamSpeak in the evenings.

[Heyallo]

Once more, I feel it important to mention, the Guild is EU Region only, so you won't be able to play with anyone on the NA/OCE region (which means separate game/sub) for anyone else thinking about jumping in from NA/OCE.