First you're gonna have to buy the game
(not the fun part, I know!)
You can do so here.
Currently, the game itself costs $19.99 which will allow you
to progress to level 90, and the current expansion (as well
as the next coming out in August 2016) are separate. You
will also need to purchase game time. You will have the
option to use in-game gold to pay for game time once you
start playing, but it's not cheap!
Now, first you will need to pick a server.
You can look up what time zone each US server is in before
picking, or go for a non-US server if you live somewhere
else or have strange sleep schedules! You will only be
able to join a guild on a character from the server it is
on. But fear not, you can create up to 50 characters per
account, and for a fee you can server transfer later if
you so choose. Many activities are cross-server nowadays
as well. Consider that servers can be PVE, PVP, RP, or a
combination of these.
Next decision shall be: HORDE
or ALLIANCE
As far as gameplay goes, this doesn't
make a huge difference, but the races you can play are
different, and you will only be able to join groups
with members of the same faction.
Now, pick a class!
This decision matters, as each class has different
specializations that are unique.
You will want to consider whether you'd like to tank,
dps, or heal. Some classes allow to switch between
multiple roles, whereas others are strictly dps
classes. Some classes/specs are melee and some are
ranged.
Races
 |
Classes
|
Pick a character name and
you're good to go!
Pagetop
