New players interested in the idea of playingWorld of Warcraftcan feel a bit lost when looking at this game that already has twenty years of history, particularly with so many different varieties of servers and game styles to choose from. Even people who have played in the past but stepped away for a while may be overwhelmed when trying to decide where they should jump in. Between the modern, retail version ofWoWand the numerousWoW Classicrealms, there is a wide selection of very different versions of this same game available.
AsWorld of Warcraftcelebrates its 20th year anniversary, there has been a lot of excitement around this long-running game. The epicWorldsoul Sagawith itstrilogy of expansions has started in the modern version ofWoW, while theWoW Classiccommunity is enjoying new Anniversary Realms and anticipating the upcomingMists of Pandaria Classicexpansion. In truth, there are numerous versions of the game available, each with some striking differences for players to try to choose from. In a game that can be as much of a time commitment as this MMORPG is, it is good to do a little research and decide what sounds best on a personal, case-by-case basis.
Modern (Also Known As Retail) World Of Warcraft
Currently In The War Within Expansion
For many people,World of Warcraftmeans the modern/retail version of the game. This includes all the growth, content, and lore from expansions from its original release in 2004 up to the current day. At the time of writing, this means the servers that are inThe War Withinexpansion, which are looking forward to theupcomingMidnightexpansion that is teasing player housing. It is the main version of the game and is constantly evolving and adding to its twenty years of content.
As the main version ofWorld of Warcraft, this can be where a lot of players want to begin playing. While it can still be a truly enjoyable experience,there is a lot going on in this massive world and so many expansions have muddied the waters a bit for story progression. However, beginning at level one, players can still find their way and uncover the secrets of Azeroth at their own pace, even in this landscape rich with history.
Classic Progression Servers
Cataclysym Classic, Soon To Enter The Mists Of Pandaria Classic Expansion
When logging into Battle.net to begin playingWoW, players have a choice between downloadingWorld of Warcraft, which is the version detailed above, orWorld of Warcraft Classic. Clicking onWoW Classiccan then bring up a menu for “Game Version” where players choose betweenWorld of Warcraft Classicor what is currentlyCataclysm Classic.
Sometime in 2025, theCataclysm Classicservers will move on to being theMists of Pandaria Classicservers.
TheCataclysm Classicservers are what developers often refer to as the progression realms. This is the version of the game that began in 2019 as a fresh, vanilla form of the game, returning toWoW’s 2004 story and world, but with some quality-of-life upgrades for modern technology.Through the years since 2019, this version of the game has slowly been progressing through the expansionsas they had been released more than a decade earlier.
AlthoughCataclysm Classicis less of an overload of lore than modernWoW, it still offers quite a bit of change that players need to catch up on and can feel as though one is jumping into the middle of a story. Particularly as it is set in the timeline after the world-changing cataclysm thatCataclysm Classicgets its name from.
Classic Era WoW Realms Have Been Around A While, And Need A Fresh Start
Available As Either Regular Or Hardcore
If a person was to chooseWorld of Warcraft Classicfrom the Game Version menu, rather thanCataclysm Classic, then there is yet another menu that appears to let people choose which set of servers to launch. Two of the choices on this menu include the Classic Era and Hardcore.
Both Classic Era and Hardcore are servers set in the original 2004 iteration ofWorld of Warcraft, with some very minor quality-of-life tweaks to them. Content here does not progress beyond the vanilla game, not even toThe Burning Crusadeexpansion. These servers would be a good version to start with, if not for the fact that these realms have been around for quite a while. The strange nature of these long-running servers is that they are simultaneously overcrowded and can feel like a bit of a ghost town, particularly in the starting areas.
World Of Warcraft Classic Hardcore Developer Interview: “This Challenge Isn’t Necessarily For Everybody”
World of Warcraft Classic devs talks to Screen Rant about the new Hardcore realms based on community-made rules, where death equals delete.
World of Warcraft Classic Hardcoreis the same as Classic Era, although withHardcore rules, which means a character only has one life. Upon death, they have a choice of being able to transfer their character to a non-Hardcore realm, or letting the character truly be dead and gone, only existing as a ghost.
Classic Season Of Discovery Offers A Twist On WoW Mechanics
Not The Best For Newcomers To Start With
Further in the drop-down menu forWorld of Warcraft Classicis the option of “Season of Discovery”. Season of Discovery is essentiallyWoW Classicwith unique tweaks. With rotating seasons that introduce some new focused content and fresh rewards, it can include new mechanics such as unique class-altering abilities and a rune engraving system.
The Season of Discovery content was created as a way to allowWoW Classicplayers to engage with new content that varies frequently to keep things from becoming too stagnant.This could prove to be confusing for anyone who is new to the game, however, as some features inWarcraft’s SoD do not carry over to the main game.
Why The Anniversary Realm Is The Best Version Of WoW To Start With
As part of theWarcraft 30th Anniversary Direct eventin November 2024, developers announced fresh, new Anniversary Realm servers coming toWoW Classic. These Anniversary Realms are already active, and are currently similar to the Classic Era realms, only as a brand-new start.
Unlike the Classic Era realms, however,these new Anniversary servers will progress intoThe Burning Crusadeand possibly on into other expansions, giving a fully fresh start to the “classic"Classicexperience, but even better. When designing these servers, developers added in a couple of additional quality-of-life extras such as removing the debuff limit, adding dual spec, and more.
Hardcore Anniversary Realms will not move forward intoThe Burning Crusadebut offer a clean, fresh start for players who wish to have the Hardcore experience of Classic Era. After a character’s death, these characters can then be transferred to the Anniversary Realms.
Whether someone wants the nail-biting experience of Hardcore or not, these two Anniversary Realm options are the ideal place to start for a newcomer to the game. As new servers, there aremore players who are also going to be starting around the same level, and the market values for the auction house is still fluctuating.
Anniversary Realms start players out at the beginning of the story and over time will begin to take them through the expansions, at leastThe Burning Crusade.Newcomers will be able to learn the story at a slower rate, similar to how players who beganplaying 20 years agoexperienced it. This offers a much less confusing and overwhelming experience of jumping intoWorld of Warcraftfor the first time.
