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Try going on a higher population server. You sound like you are suffering from low pop syndrome.

+1
I initially started on a low population server
and it felt horribly boring. Find a high population server (world pvp ones are more exciting IMO).
 
In my opinion, your're wasting a lot more time in a MMORPG world because it's truly that: a world. It's incredibly deep and huge in a really good MMORPG! And more interesting than the average person's life, making it appealing and addicting. WoW will pull you in avatar a few weeks if you play it for a good amount of time daily, and is the most addicting and polished MMORPG I've ever tried. If you're looking for a game with much more modern graphics and that gives you your own story to play through, try Age of Conan. Its like the "modern, most innovative MMORPG since WoW that nevee caught on."
 
rasmasyean and Huntn, thanks for the guild info.

Try going on a higher population server. You sound like you are suffering from low pop syndrome.

Once you've created a character, you can play it on any server? You never have to start anew whether it's a normal or PvP server?

(I wasn't supposed to be this curious about WOW, but these threads are messing with me.)
 
I was (and to some degree still am) a Diablo fan, though not of WoW or Warcraft in general. I think what drew me to Diablo was the fact that it put a morbid twist on RPGs overall. WoW seemed too involved and I had to pay for it whereas Diablo was free.
 
Yes and no. You can pay to transfer a character to another server ($25 USD, restrictions apply).

I don't know what the norm is for MMORPGs, but that appears very inflexible and expensive to me.

(Is this the server list?: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/realmstatus/)

So if you choose one of the Normal servers on that list, but decide later on you'd like to play some PvP, you'd have to create and level up an all new character for a PvP server?

Why would someone choose a Low Population server on that list instead of a High one? Besides the problem of a Low pop. server being a bit boring, as mentioned by some others, and the possibility the population will decrease over time as this game's long since reached saturation point, there's apparently also this steep fee.

Lastly, if you find a guild in the WOW forums you're interested in joining, then it would have to be a guild that happens to be on the server you're playing, as guild presence wouldn't expand across more than one server? Thanks.
 
I don't know what the norm is for MMORPGs, but that appears very inflexible and expensive to me.

(Is this the server list?: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/realmstatus/)

So if you choose one of the Normal servers on that list, but decide later on you'd like to play some PvP, you'd have to create and level up an all new character for a PvP server?

Why would someone choose a Low Population server on that list instead of a High one? Besides the problem of a Low pop. server being a bit boring, as mentioned by some others, and the possibility the population will decrease over time as this game's long since reached saturation point, there's apparently also this steep fee.

Lastly, if you find a guild in the WOW forums you're interested in joining, then it would have to be a guild that happens to be on the server you're playing, as guild presence wouldn't expand across more than one server? Thanks.

rofl! Damn that server list is HUGE now! :eek:
 
For me the fun with Wow only really starts after hitting 80. People say that hitting 80 is the "end-game" but to be honest for me its more like a long long warmup. 80 is where things get interesting/boring.

I do have a lot of fun in Wow, I am in a raiding guild where I do know some people in real life. Coordinating and being organised and succeeding is quite satisfying, not to mention the loot ofcourse.

However after a while u do start to feel empty coz basically ur stats just improve ONLY by acquiring new gear and pretty much GEAR is what matters in wow, not really skill although PVP is abit different.

When u start thinking about that, its just Whats my next upgrade, how many badges, etcetc
 
I don't know what the norm is for MMORPGs, but that appears very inflexible and expensive to me.

(Is this the server list?: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/realmstatus/)

Yep.

So if you choose one of the Normal servers on that list, but decide later on you'd like to play some PvP, you'd have to create and level up an all new character for a PvP server?

Nope, you can PvP all you like on any server. PvP servers force you into PvP mode when out in the wild; PvE servers are consensual-PvP-only in the general world. Both types have Battlegrounds, Arenas, and designated PvP areas. There's not that much difference in the server types anymore.

Why would someone choose a Low Population server on that list instead of a High one? Besides the problem of a Low pop. server being a bit boring, as mentioned by some others, and the possibility the population will decrease over time as this game's long since reached saturation point, there's apparently also this steep fee.

Possibly to find a server with a younger economy, or more people playing lower level characters, if it's a newer server. Maybe to be a big fish in a smaller pond. Dunno, I like my high-pop server. :)

Lastly, if you find a guild in the WOW forums you're interested in joining, then it would have to be a guild that happens to be on the server you're playing, as guild presence wouldn't expand across more than one server? Thanks.

I don't know of many cross-server guilds. If you're interested in a guild, you'd probably want to roll on that server, or look for one on the server you're already on.
 
If you're looking for a game with much more modern graphics and that gives you your own story to play through, try Age of Conan. Its like the "modern, most innovative MMORPG since WoW that nevee caught on."

This is one I did not play, but my understanding is that it did not catch on for a reason. My impression: It could not compete with WoW's entertainment value. No hard feelings if you disagree.

For me the fun with Wow only really starts after hitting 80. People say that hitting 80 is the "end-game" but to be honest for me its more like a long long warmup. 80 is where things get interesting/boring.

For me it was boring. ;) I'm not disputing what you are saying. From my perspective, the journey was the most fun, exploring great new zones. I'm always amazed that Blizzard keeps them coming. :) I don't like 25p dungeons so after finishing up most of the 5/10 man, things started getting repetitive, the pressure to improve gear became all important and that is not pulled me in.
 
I don't know what the norm is for MMORPGs, but that appears very inflexible and expensive to me.

You used to not be able to move your character at all after you picked a server. $25.00 / character is not too unreasonable since Blizzard really doesn't want the millions of players to constantly switch servers on a whim. It's there to allow you to move to a server if you discover a friend or family member is playing there.

Note - In general, you never want to move a character to another server if you have multiple characters. WoW lets you move money and some equipment between characters if they are on the same server but you can not exchange between characters on different servers.


Yes and I highly recommend picking a PvP server.

So if you choose one of the Normal servers on that list, but decide later on you'd like to play some PvP, you'd have to create and level up an all new character for a PvP server?

Or pay $25.00 / character to change servers. As I mentioned above, start your character on a PvP server.

Why would someone choose a Low Population server on that list instead of a High one? Besides the problem of a Low pop. server being a bit boring, as mentioned by some others, and the possibility the population will decrease over time as this game's long since reached saturation point, there's apparently also this steep fee.

High population servers can have server issues and Blizzard periodically offers free character transfers from high population server to low population server. My preference is for a medium population server although I like a high population server over a low population server.

Lastly, if you find a guild in the WOW forums you're interested in joining, then it would have to be a guild that happens to be on the server you're playing, as guild presence wouldn't expand across more than one server? Thanks.

Don't look at guild names but look at the actual people in the guild (i.e. if a guild was on two servers, each guild would have different people playing and would not look like the same guild). Find some people you enjoy doing instances / gaming / chatting with and that play when you are on. As a plus, look for a vent server (voice chat), and a guild bank. With the millions of people playing WoW, you should easily be able to find a good guild and make some new friends.
 
Pick a PVP server if you like the potential of being jumped at any time by higher level players who will kill you for fun. It's called ganking. It gives questing a whole new shade of danger. Yes when you hit 80, there won't be higher players, but there will roaming groups and danger still awaits brave souls. :)

However if you prefer to focus on PVE- player vs environment, also known as questing, go with a PVE server. Those allow you to PVP when you want to.
 
Pick a PVP server if you like the potential of jumping lower level players who you will kill for fun. It's called ganking.

I corrected Huntn's statement to what he really meant. Because you will want revenge and it will be satisfying! ;)
 
There's not that much difference in the server types anymore.

Pick a PVP server if you like the potential of being jumped at any time by higher level players who will kill you for fun.

So I did some reading before replying and read this about the PvP servers:

"Such disruptive practices like corpse camping, griefing, ganking can be exceedingly prevalent on PvP realms, many high level players may repeatedly and incessantly engage in these behaviors for no obvious reason other than that they can."

I suspect there's plenty of troublemakers and infuriating people, so going with what little I know and read here, I think the Normal servers would be better for me. And hopefully I won't be missing out on whatever the advantages are to the PvP servers, as DMJG says the differences aren't so great anymore.

Huntn said:
However if you prefer to focus on PVE- player vs environment, also known as questing, go with a PVE server. Those allow you to PVP when you want to.

I intend to try out both, but have no idea which I'll like more. Hopefully the PvP in the Normal servers are no less epic than the PvP servers. All I can tell from reading a few pages of the WOWWiki is that there are many more zones for PvPing, otherwise it doesn't appear too different--just more variety of scenery.

DMJG said:
Possibly to find a server with a younger economy, or more people playing lower level characters, if it's a newer server. Dunno, I like my high-pop server. :)

My thinking was that it would feel much more alive and vibrant to be in cities where there's tons of people--and the fear that a low population server would feel uninhabited, like a traditional RPG.

If I extrapolate on what you said, would it mean medium pop. servers tend to have higher level players than low pop. ones, and high pop. servers tend to have highest level players? I don't necessarily mean in skill level, but just the average level (1-80).

And do those server population states usually remain the same size over time? For example, will a low pop. server ever become medium pop., or is it relatively stable in spite of Blizzard wooing people from high pop. to low pop. servers because WOW's already peaked its subscription base?

High population servers can have server issues... My preference is for a medium population server although I like a high population server over a low population server.

How frequent are those server issues? Maybe a medium server would be a good choice, if it's a middle ground between the concerns I expressed above, liveliness and player level.

Is there some site that shows the average level of players on the servers and a rough estimation of the population size, rather than just Blizzard's Low/Medium/High?

Thanks again for all the great info.
 
I corrected Huntn's statement to what he really meant. Because you will want revenge and it will be satisfying! ;)

Rasmasyean, you skaliwag! :p

Libertine, just for emphasis, there is a very big difference between PVP and PVE, just like what you quoted.

PVP= be attacked by other players at any time. No requirements for fairness. As evidenced in this thread, some people love it. You may too! :)
PVE= primarily focus on quests, PVP only when you feel like it by flagging yourself for PVP or going into Battlegrounds.

IMO, the PVP environment can interfere with questing big time. Say you fight your way into a cave to take on a boss (not an instance), you've taken down the underlings and as you prepare to fight the boss, your party is jumped and killed by opposing players. In the mean time the underlings have respawned so you have more work to do. And there is more trouble if the opposing players hang out waiting for you come back again. You can either run back to your corpse to respawn with them waiting for you or you can rez at the cemetery and take a temporary stats hit on your abilities. The real big problem with PVP is being in a sparsely populated area and a horde of enemy players descend on you. There won't be anyone to come to the rescue.

On PVE servers, sometimes opposing players invade large cities. What they do is start killing NPCs (merchants and such). At some point, opposing players will attack them and you will see PVP action on a PVE server. :) I forget though if the opposing players must flag themselves for PVP or if killing a local NPC is enough to flag them?

The primary server issue with a heavy population server are wait times to get in. I was on a fairly full server last fall and every so often had to wait 5-20 min, but most times not. Wait times will get longer when the expansion gets close.
 
I feel you... You just have to push through the lower levels. It was the worst part of the. Game when I first started after burning crusade. It also was so boring I couldn't really level another characters. Everyone is right it's about end game. Alsoits about dungeons and instances. Once you level up enough you will be able to do five man group instances.

The best way is with friends in real life. That's what pushed me through the start. Nohings more boring then running around collecting boars tusks that drop 10% of the time.

By the way... Once at endgame. It's highly addicting. I still wished I played.... But hey I have a girlfriend and a life. :) started my fresh year of high school. Quit by junior year... I racked up almost 3 months online log in time.

So be warned,when you can still have a life!
 
It is a huge game and the only one I play although I am taking a break from the game atm. One person's bore is another person's joy. All I do are quests and that is the only way I level up. Slow and methodical but for me it is fun since doing it with different races and classes results in a totally different experience. I am not as zealous as most players--I only have one 80-level character--an Orc Shaman--and I'm working on a 60-level Blood Elf Warlock. I am not much of a gamer but I enjoy WoW.
 
I would recommend finding another outlet for your energy. If you don't find Wow entertaining then maybe your mind is telling you to find something else besides gaming to fill your time.

In my youth, I logged a gazillion hours gaming. Why? Primarily the social aspect, hanging with friends that played the game, talking about the game at lunch, blah blah. Reality was i was never very good and could have found other outlets for myself that i would have probably enjoyed more.

In hindsight I wish I would have picked up a guitar or learned the drums, developed a hobby.

Do you really want to be hanging out at gaming conventions when you are 30? Maybe so, but then you probably wouldn't be struggling so hard to find WoW to be fun.

If you are interested in WoW because your friends are or a partner interest of yours is into the game, that isn't a very good reason, if you ask me.
 
People say at level 80 it's the most fun. Yet, having a level 80, level 67, and 72. I'd say that 65-75 and between 25-45 were the most fun. I had almost no fun in the 50's for some reason. Too low of level to get the quests and dungeons I wanted, and to high of level to do tons of questing as there seemed to be almost no quests during that time. Once you get to 60 and start getting to the Outland it's alright, but Northrend is 1000x better.
 
On PVE servers, sometimes opposing players invade large cities. What they do is start killing NPCs (merchants and such). At some point, opposing players will attack them and you will see PVP action on a PVE server. :) I forget though if the opposing players must flag themselves for PVP or if killing a local NPC is enough to flag them?

That sounds really fun!

The primary server issue with a heavy population server are wait times to get in. I was on a fairly full server last fall and every so often had to wait 5-20 min, but most times not. Wait times will get longer when the expansion gets close.

I'm using this alongside WOW's official list to find, most likely, a medium population server: http://www.warcraftrealms.com WoWWiki and WOW say it's not actually so accurate, but in the absence of anything else out there, I'll use it.

Thanks again for the great info.
 
I played WoW a lot, like a lot a lot, two summers ago. I thought the same way you did at first, but after just getting into it and questing and banging out the levels, it was infinite amounts of fun. I spent most of my time going through the Burning Crusade endgame, which was incredible. WotLK was great while I was there also, but I didn't have the pleasure of spending as much time with that endgame.

And it doesn't stop when you get to 80 either, it gets much much better than the already awesome buildup to 80. And PvP in WoW is some of the most fun I've had in any game. And if you're planning on playing WoW, do it now and get to a high level, so you can have appreciation for it when they change it all in Cataclysm. It's really sad that they're changing it =(
 
I liked WoW, but stopped playing around level 40 out of boredom of repetition, which usually happens when I play a MMORPG and feel like it would be a waste to put another hundred hours in. I haven't played for years. I'd like to play after Catacylsm is released mainly due to graphic enhancements, but I don't have much to do for the next week. Which MMORPG should I try this week? I got a laptop cooling "stand" for my lap from Logotech so I can play games without worrying about my MacBook Pro getting too hot on my lap, (didn't sound right :p) which is nice for MMORPG's and games like Portal.

I'm debating between going back to WoW or Age of Conan for the week. WoW has the big plus of having a Mac client.
 
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