Incoming: WoW Noobs? - Blue Tracker

#0 - Nov. 5, 2009, 7:26 p.m.

Friends, something strange is going on in Azeroth, and I'm not talking about all the weirdsmobiles /bowing to their pandas.

It seems that the powers that be are making some rather progressive changes to some of our favorite starting zones. Among these changes we see: a brand new tutorial system, better initial health and mana regeneration, and getting rid of the complexity that is low-level eating and drinking.

Call me disillusioned, but up until now I thought that the new subscribers were few and far between. I thought the Recruit-a-Zhevra program corroborated this gut feeling. Last summer, I rolled a new Night Elf Priest during peak hours, and the starting zones were as empty as a theater during a Pauly Shore film. The few people I did see were practically guilded before they accepted their first quest, had BoA gear on, and put me on /ignore as soon as I asked a question about how their day was going. Sure, my guild recruits a WoW noob from time to time, but it is quite rare. And seldom does he not know about how to quest, how to drink water, or which part of the wand is the "shooty part."

It seems like a lot of preparation for a new caliber of player: the type of player who has never set foot in an RPG, let alone an MMORPG. So where are all these new players coming from? Are they here yet? Are they on their way? Will we have time to tidy up before they get here?

I wonder if Cataclysm is going to bring these players to WoW.

I wonder if Sam Raimi is.

Nethaera

#30 - Nov. 5, 2009, 8:48 p.m.

New players mean more people for you to play alongside. Changes that make being a new player a more friendly undertaking make it easier for you to introduce it to friends and family that may have been reticent to try it before. These are good things. Also, making things a bit more friendly for leveling makes the creation of new characters easier on experienced World of Warcraft players and returning World of Warcraft players alike.

So, while you dubbed this "Incoming: WoW Noobs", remember everyone was a "noob" once in their life and an influx of new people as well as keeping things interesting for you and other current players is a good thing.

Right now, it may seem a little empty in the starting areas because many people either create a new character and move quickly on (due to prior experience of leveling a character or a desire to catch up with friends quickly (with their help)) or many others are spending a lot of time at the upper levels taking on the challenges there.

I would appreciate it if you all could help do a little dusting, vacuum under the couches, and pick up your areas so that we can properly welcome any new players to our community. Also be sure to straighten yourself up a little so you look presentable. Friendly welcoming smiles only please! ;)

Also, there's no telling the "caliber" of any new players since it is all based on the individual. Fresh faces, with fresh insights to supplement the great community we have (yeah, I still think it's pretty great despite what some may say) is fantastic.

Nethaera

#39 - Nov. 5, 2009, 9:01 p.m.

Q u o t e:

Well now I'm curious about two things.

First, being a noob myself (feel free to armory me -- yes, this is my main!), I was unaware until making this post that "noob" is a derogatory word. I guess I should have said "newcomers."

Second, had I said "newcomers" I wonder how the responses to my OP would have been different.

Aside from that, my only reason for making this post was conveyed most in the last two sentences of it and not in using the third word of the title.

There are subtle differences in the way the term is used.

Generally a "noob" is someone with little skill. An alternate spelling of this is "newb".

A "newbie" is just someone new to the game.

Had you said "newcomers" it might have come off a little different, it's true. ;)

I knew what you were getting at but thought I'd head off the negative that can come from some word choices you made in your post.