Wow leveling up: World of Warcraft beginner’s guide 2020: How to get into the king of MMOs — Mitspielen — Vampire Live in München

World of Warcraft beginner’s guide 2020: How to get into the king of MMOs

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World of Warcraft is an iconic, ground-breaking MMO that continues to dominate countless evenings and weekends more than 15 years after its release. Where some of the best MMOs tend to excel at just a few things, World of Warcraft is a jack of all trades: It has ultra-difficult raids, varied, fun quests, and big, experimental expansions that take bold risks.

But after years of additions and so much history to catch up on, getting into World of Warcraft can be intimidating—even for lapsed players. Fortunately the process just got streamlined. Anyway, this World of Warcraft beginners guide will help you take your first steps in Classic or retail.

WoW beginner’s guide: Everything new and returning players need to know

There’s a lot to be mindful of as you jump into playing in WoW, but not all of it has to be tackled right away. Take your time and enjoy the process; World of Warcraft isn’t just about the destination. It’s a hobby that, if you really enjoy it, you may well end up returning to for hundreds of hours over the course of years. Don’t rush.

Blizzard made big changes—as part of the October 2020 WoW: Shadowlands pre-patch —to how leveling characters works that made leveling new characters faster and more fun. Blizzard estimated it will take roughly 30% less time to hit max under the new systems.

Here’s a quick summary of what changed:

A new zone for new characters called Exile’s Reach has been added, which provides a much more fun and comprehensive introduction from levels 1-10, primarily for new players.
Character levels have been squished down to a new level cap of 60. This has significantly shortened the time it takes to progress a new character to max level while also making the whole experience feel more satisfying, since you get skills throughout.
There’s a new process for how you level your characters. You start in Exile’s Reach until level tem (or choose between the new leveling island and their race’s existing starting area, if you’re experienced) and then move onto the Battle for Azeroth expansion by default if you’re new. This expansion will take your character from level 10 to level 50, where you’ll then jump into Shadowlands. Players who have already completed Battle for Azeroth on one character will instead get to choose between BfA and one of the previous seven expansions to level through to 50. Shadowlands will then take your character to level 60.

Making your first character

It’s a bit cruel that most of World of Warcraft’s toughest decisions are the first ones you’ll have to make. Before you can do anything, you’ll need to choose a server, faction, race, and class to play. Sadly, it can take dozens of hours before you realize one or the other isn’t a good fit.

Want to roleplay?

World of Warcraft also has some very popular roleplay servers where players are expected to speak and behave as their character would. It’s a very different experience, as you’ll treat World of Warcraft more like a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. If you’re creative and like the idea of taking your immersion in the world to the next level, RP servers are a great deal of fun. You can select them when you’re first choosing a server.

With servers, pick one that has a medium or high population during the times you’ll normally be playing each day. Avoid ‘New Player’ servers and those with ‘Maximum’ population; You want a server with a healthy, established population, not stuck in login queues. If you’re playing with any friends, just make a character on whatever server they’re on or be sure to all agree on a server in advance, but be sure to make a character on the same faction they are: Alliance and Horde characters can’t speak or quest with each other in game. Which faction you choose will determine the races you have to choose from for your characters

Don’t worry about the Alliance/Horde ratio of players on any given server if you’re keen on PvPing. It used to matter back when there were dedicated PvP servers, but nowadays, open-world PvP is an option you can toggle on and, along with an older feature called cross-realm play that lets you play alongside characters from other servers, a good balance of Horde and Alliance players isn’t as important.

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Once you’ve decided your server and faction, you have to answer an even bigger question: What class and race are you going to play?

Each race in World of Warcraft comes with special bonuses towards certain crafting professions and a unique skill only they can use, but that skill varies between Classic and retail. For example, in modern WoW, humans can break out of stun effects while blood elves can strip a positive buff off nearby mobs or players. It’s a lot to take in if you like theorycrafting, but don’t sweat these differences too much. Above all else, pick a race of which you enjoy the fantasy and aesthetic—that’ll be the one you’re most likely to stick with.

Picking a class, however, is a much more intimidating problem. World of Warcraft has 12 classes, each having between two and four specializations (called specs) that determine what abilities they have and what role they play in a group. Do you want to lead the party and soak enemy damage as a tank? Want to keep players alive as a healer? Or do you want to pull off insane damage as a damage-dealer (DPS)?

This can be a daunting decision before you’ve even set foot in the game. The good news is that any class can freely switch between specializations outside of combat, so even within a given class you can have up to four wildly different playstyles. Again, I’d recommend first-time players not sweat these details and pick a class that appeals to them. Many classes have specializations that also change their role in combat—like monks that can be either tanks, healers, or DPS. The mage, warlock, hunter, and rogue are the only classes where all of their specializations are DPS-focused, so keep that in mind if you want to experiment being a tank or healer.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each class:

Warrior: Savage melee class with one tank and two DPS specs. Pick them if you like charging head first into combat.
Paladin: Wielders of holy magic channeled in melee combat. Can be either tank, healer, or DPS.
Hunter: Can be either melee DPS or ranged DPS. Can also tame wild animals to fight beside them.
Rogue: Purebred melee DPS with a knack for trickery, stealth, and insane bursts of damage.
Priest: Has two very different healing specs. Or they can tap into their powers of shadow to deal damage as a ranged DPS class.
Shaman: Master of the elements, calling down lightning and fire upon their enemies. Can be ranged DPS, melee DPS, and healers.
Mage: Master spellcasters that use fire, frost, or arcane energy to attack enemies as ranged DPS.
Warlock: Channel fire and shadow magics as a pure ranged DPS class. Can summon demons to fight for them.
Monk: Unparalleled pugilists who call upon the Mists to aid them in battle as healers, melee DPS, and tanks.
Druid: Shapeshift into different animal forms. The most versatile class with four separate specs: melee DPS, ranged DPS, tanks, and healers.
Demon Hunter: Highly mobile melee specialists that channel demonic energy to power their attacks. Can be either melee DPS or tanks.
Death Knight: Freed servants of the Lich King and wield powerful runeblades as either melee DPS or tanks.

Whatever gets you playing the quickest is the right decision. Starting over isn’t a big deal.

Ultimately, whatever gets you playing the quickest is the right decision. Starting over isn’t a big deal—it just requires a little extra time. Leveling new characters from scratch is time-intensive, but it can be a good side project. What’s more, most hardcore WoW players don’t just play as one class—we both have several max-level characters on rotation as each brings their own flavor to combat. Depending on the version of the Shadowlands expansion you buy in modern WoW, you may get one character boosted to level 50 for free to give you a leg up when starting fresh.

For returning or current players, choosing a class comes with more consideration as you’re more aware of how important subtle differences can be. Not all DPS classes are made equal. Feral druids, for example, are all about managing two energy resources to cast abilities while applying bleeding over time effects on enemies. Good feral druids have an internal clock that helps them remember when to refresh those bleed abilities.

That’s a stark difference from frost mages, who freeze enemies in place while dealing consistent and reliable damage. Though these videos won’t be as up to date due to more recent patches, we really recommend BellularGaming’s fun breakdown videos for each class and their specializations. More than anything, BellularGaming focuses on which specs are fun to play rather than the current flavor of the month.

Your first steps

Once your character is made, you can log in and start playing. If you elected to use your free boost token that comes with the purchase of some versions of Shadowlands, you’ll start at level 50 and have an introductory chain of quests that get you up to speed with your current specialization and then rolling into Shadowlands’ main questing experience.

Brand new level one players start in a zone corresponding with their chosen race (in Classic) or Exile’s Reach (in retail). Fortunately, World of Warcraft is so intuitive and accessible these days that you don’t really need a guide on how to level up or what to do next. All the information you could need is provided to you through in-game tutorials. All you really need to do is set out and talk to people with yellow exclamation points above their heads to pick up quests that’ll grant you experience points and help you explore the world.

Take time to read the quest text. We can’t stress this enough. Yes, it’s very tempting to just skip through all that dialogue and head off into the woods to murder gnolls, but World of Warcraft has rich lore and a detailed story woven through each of its dozens of zones. The story is frequently funny, and it’s worth having that extra bit of context for why you need to kill a specific person or find a rare item. All of those quests coalesce to form an entertaining tale of adventure.

Once you reach level ten you should be most of the way, if not completely, finished with your starting zone. From there, several new expansion zones become available to you. A few years ago, Blizzard introduced limited dynamic level scaling for all of WoW’s old zones and expansions. Instead of having a strict level requirement, now zones have level ranges that always adapt to suit your character’s level. What’s fantastic about this new system is that quests and monsters will always match your level so you can focus more on the story of each zone. Your choice of which expansion to level in (Battle for Azeroth is the default for new players, for good reason—as the most recent expansion before Shadowlands, it’s the most modern) will take you from level 10 to 50, when you’ll start in the Shadowlands.

When choosing which expansion and zone to head to, there’s no wrong answer. Each zone has a self-contained storyline, so there’s no proper path to max level—just do whatever zone sounds coolest.

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To level boost or not to level boost…

If you’re new to World of Warcraft and just bought Shadowlands, you may receive a level 50 boost token that can be applied to any character you create, depending on the version of Shadowlands you purchased. The upside is that this lets you immediately hop in and enjoy the expansion’s content right away—which is awesome because the most recent additions to World of Warcraft are usually its most fun.

Equally, you’ll be skipping out on 15 years’ worth of quests and zones, and there’s something to be said for seeing a character all the way from a lowly level-one scrub to a mighty hero. Our advice? Play through the free class trial with a few classes you’re most drawn to and then pick one of those to boost. Play that character for a bit and enjoy the new expansion and then, when you’ve got a good feel for the game, start a new character and level them the old-fashioned way. It’s the best of both worlds. Trust us, both are worth experiencing.

Connect with other players

Almost the entirety of World of Warcraft’s quests can be done on your own, but everything is better with friends.

MMOs are inherently social games, but over the years, World of Warcraft has become increasingly friendly to solo-minded players. A ‘Looking for Group’ tool automatically places you into parties for everything but the most challenging group content, and almost the entirety of World of Warcraft’s quests can be done on your own. But everything is better with friends, and you’re doing yourself a massive disservice by not participating in a community.

While playing, there are several ways to make friends. The simplest is just talking in the in-game General Chat channel which can be accessed by typing ‘/1’ and then whatever you want to say. Trade chat, though intended for exchanging goods and services, also ends up being a pretty lively channel and can be accessed by typing ‘/2’.

Saying hello to strangers isn’t a bad start, but don’t be surprised if no one acknowledges your presence. You may have better luck in dungeons you run using the LFG tool, particularly if you fall into a group that elects to run several in a row. A far better method is getting involved with communities both in and out of the game. For one, the World of Warcraft subreddit is a fun place to hang out. They have a great list of Discord servers you can join for specific classes or interests related to WoW, as well as an official Discord server of their own. WoW communities for various populations exist on most major social media as well, including Facebook.

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Patch 8.0 also added a new feature called Communities. Separate from guilds, these in-game groups can be focused around anything and are a great way to meet like-minded players. The official forums has a recruitment channel where people can advertise their communities in the US and EU, and you can find all sorts ranging from parents who play, lore nerds who want to gush over the story, or LGBTQ communities. These are less popular than when they launched, but still a way to make connections with players who share your interests.

Finally, there’s the age-old way of making friends: Joining a guild. Finding the right people to play with isn’t always easy, but it’s worth trying, as a good guild makes all the difference. The in-game Guild Finder lets you browse the recruitment messages posted by guilds who keep them updated. You can also check out the r/wowguilds subreddit . Here you can make a post or respond to others in order to find a guild. Finally, most major guild progress sites, including WoW Progress , allow guilds to post basic information about themselves, including what they’re recruiting for, and show in-game progress. Browse the guilds on your server to learn more.

Before joining, it’s worth talking with someone in the guild and getting some idea of what the culture is like. Are they hardcore raiders? Do they have hundreds of members or just a few? Do people mostly stick to themselves or are there lots of group activities?

If you join a guild and end up hating it, you can quit by right-clicking your name in the roster and selecting leave. There’s usually not much consequence to quietly abandoning ship. Don’t hesitate to bail if a guild just isn’t right for you.

Add-ons will make your life a lot easier

One of the great things about World of Warcraft is how customizable its user interface is. Using addons, you can completely tailor it to your liking or add useful functions like interactive boss guides for dungeons. It can be an intimidating process, though: There are a lot of addons to choose from.

Our list of the best WoW add-ons is a great place to start.

While the basic World of Warcraft UI is usable, taking the time to install a full overhaul like ElvUI is a smart idea that will help you during difficult dungeons and raids. For one, the basic UI spreads necessary elements like your action bar, health, and monster health all over the screen. When you’re desperately trying to attack, dodge fatal abilities, and see the status of the monster you’re fighting all at the same time, it can get overwhelming. ElvUI will let you rearrange all of those elements so instead of being on the edges of the screen they’re closer to the action, allowing you to see everything more easily.

Become a lore master

World of Warcraft’s story and mythology are daunting and dense, but are worth immersing yourself in if you love high fantasy with a little bit of campiness to it. Still, unless you played the earlier real-time strategy games and read their manuals like the gospel, you probably don’t really know what’s happening and why. For that, YouTuber Nobbel87 is the person to turn to. His 41-minute long video covers the entirety of World of Warcraft’s lore and is a lot of fun to watch. It’s the best place to start if you want a sense of what the world is about.

You can also check out our lore primer , which condenses everything up to the Battle for Azeroth expansion into an even-easier-to-digest read with helpful TL;DR sections that really give you a quick overview of what’s happening and why. You can also check out WoWpedia and read up on specific characters or areas you’re not familiar with. Over time, all that knowledge will start to form a comprehensive understanding of Azeroth and its history.

If you really want to go deep, though, then the many and various World of Warcraft books are what you want. These highly detailed compendiums tell the entire story of Warcraft from the very beginning of the cosmos all the way up to Shadowlands. They are well worth it if you fancy taking your World of Warcraft knowledge to the next level. Doing so really helps contextualize all of the characters, quests, and events in the game.

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Take your time

If you follow the above steps you’ll have everything you need to get started in World of Warcraft. Fortunately, it’s not all that complicated and you can safely just jump in and figure things out as you go without making some irreversible mistake. Take your time and just enjoy the world. Some zones haven’t aged all that well, but World of Warcraft is still the most expansive MMOs out there. It’s not a world that you can experience fully in just a week, so prepare yourself for a journey that you’ll slowly advance through over the course of months and, quite possibly, years.

What about World of Warcraft Classic?

It’s also important to talk about World of Warcaft Classic, which emulates Blizzard’s MMO as it was back in 2006.

Though the two versions share some similarities, World of Warcraft Classic is a decidedly more hardcore, slower, and (some players say) much more epic version of World of Warcraft. It’s automatically included in your subscription fee, too: You won’t have to pay anything extra to try it out if you’re new.

WoW Classic guides

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WoW Classic class : Which to choose
WoW Classic races : How to pair it with your class
WoW Classic professions : Make some serious cash

That said, we highly recommend that new players give both versions of the game a chance, since each has its strengths. Modern WoW is more accessible with its up-to-date game systems and graphics, but Classic feels more like a grand, nostalgic, grindy adventure, albeit at a lower resolution.

One of the biggest differences to consider with WoW Classic is that the servers are structured differently. In Classic, there are PvP and PvE servers. Once you start a character on one of them, they’ll be stuck there unless you pay for a character transfer. Consider carefully whether you want to get involved in open-world PvP before playing on a PvP server. It’ll mean you’ll often get attacked, which can be really frustrating when you just want a relaxing evening of questing. On the other hand, that extra element of danger can make the world more fun and offers more opportunities for social interaction with other players.

On modern World of Warcraft servers, you can toggle between PvP and PvE in any capitol city by turning War Mode on or off. You receive additional talents, a bonus to the experience you gain as you kill things and additional rewards from max-level World Quests if you have War Mode on.

The other big difference is that classes are fundamentally different in WoW Classic. The whole skill and combat system is much more old-school, and you can’t change between different ‘specs’ as easily. Still, our advice remains the same: In either game, pick a race and class based on what you think is coolest.

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World of Warcraft class guide

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There are many classes in World of Warcraft and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you’re thinking about jumping into Azeroth for the WoW: Dragonflight expansion. While the core of each class’s playstyle has largely remained the same over the years, the choice can still be daunting for new or lapsed players.

The Dragonflight expansion adds the evoker too, so there’s a brand new class to consider, along with its two specialisations. If you’re ready to get started in Blizzard’s long-running MMO, read on for an overview of all the World of Warcraft classes that are available, as well as their individual specs.

If you’re new to Azeroth

While most players will be fine playing any of the classes that World of Warcraft has to offer, if you’re planning on levelling solo there are certain classes and specs that are much easier to learn—especially if you’re new to MMOs. For example, ranged caster classes generally do a lot of damage, but will require you to kite enemies or use crowd-control to survive, whereas a plate-wearing Paladin can take on half the zone without worrying too much about his or her health.

This is by no means a comprehensive guide on all the classes in World of Warcraft—there are plenty of sites out there that break down each class in far more detail. Think of this more as an overview to give newcomers and returning players an idea of how each class and spec plays.

It’s also worth noting that you can change specialisation at any time at no cost, so it’s worth playing around to see which you like best.

Evoker (ranged damage/healer)

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Evokers were added during the Dragonflight pre-patch and start at level 58. They wear mail armor—though this won’t show up in Dracthyr form—and use daggers, fist weapons, and one-handed swords, axes and maces as weapons. Like demon hunters, evokers can use their wings to glide, though they also have a racial «Soar» ability that works similarly to dragonriding. Evokers also sit at a strange spot between ranged and melee when dealing damage or healing so may be better suited for more advanced players.

Devastation is the evoker’s damage-dealing spec. It focuses on casting a variety of spells from either the Red or Blue Dragonflight schools of magic. Most spells have a 25-yard maximum range—just short of other ranged classes—and some spells will need to be empowered before being unleashed to get the most out of them. They bring a lot of utility to any group situation, including defensive and movement abilities, and can throw in healing to help out in tricky situations. Devastation is the best class for leveling unless you plan on working your way through dungeons.

Preservation is the healing spec for evokers. This specialisation also has empowered spells which deal more healing when charged and most have the 25-yard range you’ll need to consider. Preservation favours AoE healing and really shines when groups are stacked. It also has high mobility, plenty of defensive abilities and can deal a fair amount of damage if needed too.

Warrior (melee damage/tank)

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If you like smacking things around with swords, the warrior may well be the class for you. All three specs are melee-oriented and wearing plate armour means that even the damage specs can take a hit or two. It’s a highly mobile class with a leap and a charge at its disposal and you’ll be a welcome addition to group content, thanks to the warrior’s Battle Shout buff which provides a party or raid-wide attack power increase.

Arms is a damage spec that uses a two-handed weapon, has high damage in both single-target and AoE situations—though not at the same time—and gains its first self-healing abilities at later levels. It also has a number of defensive options available so it’s unlikely that you’ll struggle too much due to its high damage output.

Fury is a fast warrior spec and can dual-wield two-handed weapons and early on has access to a skill that will restore health as well as deal damage. They deal high damage, but lack any solid AoE skills at lower levels.

Protection, as the name might suggest, is the warrior’s tanking specialisation and it uses a one-handed weapon and a shield. It has great damage reduction abilities and is incredibly mobile but lacks any self-heals and its defensive abilities rely on good resource management.

Paladin (melee damage/tank/healer)

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Paladins also wear plate armour and can cover any of three group roles, making them a flexible class to play. They also have a lot of utility while levelling and in group situations with a choice of one of three Auras, an eight-second immunity to all damage as well as a powerful heal that can restore the target’s health to full.

Retribution is the damage-dealing spec and uses two-handed swords, maces or axes. They rely on Holy Power as their main resource and fair equally well in both solo and group content with good single-target and AoE damage. Thanks to their high damage, heals, and defensive abilities, they’re an easy spec to level.

Holy is the paladin’s healing spec and wields a one-handed sword or mace and a shield. It has high single-target healing making it a good tank healer and their utility is generally sought after in most group content. They have high survivability thanks to their defensive abilities and plate armour but, as with other healing specs, you would generally avoid levelling as Holy due to their low damage—unless you’re planning on levelling solely through dungeons.

Protection is the tanking spec and uses a sword and shield. It is potentially a very strong tank with access to immunities, self-heals, and damage reduction abilities though it can suffer if the latter is poorly timed. This is a good option to level with if you want to play it safe.

Hunter (ranged and melee damage)

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Hunters are the main pet class in World of Warcraft. They wear mail armour and have great survivability due to their tanking pets and their Feign Death ability, making them appear dead to enemies and dropping all threat. At level five, hunters gain the Tame Beast ability, allowing them to capture any tameable animals they come across and keep them as pets. All three specs have a good deal of utility, with various traps and interrupts.

Beast Mastery is the first ranged damage dealing spec and uses a bow, crossbow, or gun. It relies heavily on the pet to deal damage and it’s a highly mobile spec, able to deal full damage even while moving. It has high damage in most situations and fairs well in both dungeon and raid environments. Out of all the classes in the game, this is probably one of the easiest specs to level.

Marksmanship is also a ranged damage spec and like Beast Mastery, uses a bow, crossbow, or gun but otherwise differs quite dramatically. The Lone Wolf passive ability means you’ll deal less damage if you have a pet summoned and a lot of the skills have a lengthy cast time, losing a lot of the mobility that Beast Mastery offers. However, the Marksmanship hunter is capable of high burst damage. It’s viable to level with but you’ll need to rely more on traps and kiting enemies to avoid damage.

Survival is the melee damage dealing hunter spec and wields a polearm or a staff. It was originally ranged but was reworked to its current form at the beginning of the Legion expansion. It has high single-target damage and a good degree of mobility for a melee class with its Harpoon ability. Survival is a solid levelling choice and has a good deal of survivability, though Beast Mastery is safer.

Rogue (melee damage)

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Rogues are sneaky and best known for their Stealth ability. They wear leather armour and use Energy as their main resource and spend Combo Points to deal big damage to their enemies. They have a good deal of utility including a number of interrupts and stuns and a self-heal on a 30-second cooldown. Their Shroud of Concealment ability allows a whole group to move undetected for a short time. While rogues are fun to play and elements of levelling can be made much easier with stealth, there are much easier classes to choose from if you’re just starting out.

Outlaw dual-wields one-handed weapons and relies heavily on good resource management to deal direct damage to enemies. It has strong AoE damage but the overall output can vary because of the RNG element of the Roll the Bones ability which grants a random buff.

Assassination dual-wields daggers to deal damage. It favours the use of poisons and bleeds to take down enemies and you’ll need to keep these up for maximum damage. This spec has high, sustained single-target damage and its defensive abilities give a good amount of survivability.

Subtlety also uses daggers and relies more on moving in and out of stealth and positioning behind the enemy to maximise its damage. Of the three rogue specs, this one is the most complicated to master, making it suited to more experienced players.

Priest (healer/ranged damage)

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The priest is World of Warcraft’s quintessential healer class. It wears cloth armour and uses a staff or one-handed weapon with an off-hand. It has some pretty dazzling spell effects along with quite a bit of utility, including Leap of Faith which pulls a friendly target to the priest’s location. It has two very different healing specs to choose from as well as a third, ranged damage spec. It also brings a significant stamina boost to party or raid members with the Power Word: Fortitude buff.

Holy is a pure healing class with a number of tools that can help out and buff other healers in group content. It shines as a raid healer and has good single-target healing for dungeons or tank healing. This is probably one of the easier healing specialisations to learn, though it’s better to level as either of the other two specs as Holy has relatively low damage.

Discipline primarily uses the Atonement buff to heal players with the damage it deals. The priest must manually apply Atonement to party or raid members which allows a percentage of damage done (by the priest) to heal those players. The Discipline priest also has on-demand healing and absorb shields and can perform well in most situations though it takes considerable practice to play well.

Shadow is the priest’s damage spec and relies on multi-dotting and generating and spending the Insanity resource. As a cloth wearer, you’ll need to be careful when engaging groups of enemies but this is countered by some decent self-healing. One potential issue while levelling as Shadow is the splash-effect of Void Eruption—if talented—meaning you will hit all enemies within 10 yards, as well as any neutral mobs that happen to wander past, so you could easily become overwhelmed.

Shaman (melee and ranged damage/healer)

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Shamans are element-focused mail armour wearers and have some of the best utility spells in the game. They can use totems to deal damage, immobilise enemies, or heal group members and all three specs have an interrupt on a short cooldown. Additionally, if the shaman dies, they can resurrect themselves and they can transform into a Ghost Wolf which increases movement speed. The sheer number of spells and abilities that the Shaman has may overwhelm newer players.

Enhancement is the melee damage spec that dual-wields one-handed weapons and relies on generating and spending their primary resource, Maelstrom. They have high sustained single-target damage and perform well in both dungeon and raid situations. With a tanking pet that can be summoned on a five-minute cooldown and access to healing, they are generally the best choice for levelling if you want to play a Shaman.

Elemental shaman is the ranged damage dealer and uses a one-handed mace or dagger and a shield, though it can also use a staff. It does well with both single target and AoE situations but, depending on your talent set-up, this could come at the cost of some fairly lengthy spell cast times. It’s capable of dealing a lot of damage and has access to a short duration tanking and damage pets. This spec is more than viable for levelling but the long cast times of spells may be off-putting for some.

Restoration is the shaman’s healing spec and uses the same weapon types as Elemental. It does well in both dungeon and raid content. It has a huge amount of utility to bring to a group and has a number of strong healing cooldowns, making them appealing for most raid groups. While they can do significant damage for a healer, you’re better off levelling as Elemental, especially as it shares the same weapon types.

Mage (ranged damage)

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Mages are a cloth wearing, high damage ranged class and all three specs use a staff or wands, daggers, or one-handed swords. They are easily punished if they are caught in melee range but they have Ice Block as an immunity to help increase their survivability. They have good utility such as Teleport, Polymorph, and Invisibility but have no self-heals so are one of the harder classes to level. They can conjure food when out of combat though, so you can heal up between fights if needed. Mages also bring the Arcane Intellect buff, granting an increased intellect stat to all party and raid members.

Frost mages have the greatest ability to slow enemies, allowing for easier kiting, making this the easiest spec to level. They have high sustained single-target damage and are fairly mobile for a caster class, thanks to the Icy Floes ability that allows the mage to cast while moving. The Frost mage can also choose to use a pet to help deal damage.

Arcane has high mobility and strong all-around damage. The playstyle revolves around two phases: the conserve phase sees the mage conserving mana while the burn phase expends it, lining up with offensive cooldowns. However, their damage suffers if they’re forced to move unexpectedly during a cooldown window.

Fire has incredibly strong burst damage and performs well with most encounter types. It has high mobility and relies heavily on procs from critical strikes. One possible downside is that they cleave damage onto multiple targets automatically so you could end up being overwhelmed.

Warlock (ranged damage)

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Warlocks are a ranged, cloth wearing damage dealing class that use staffs as their preferred weapon choice. They rely heavily on generating Soul Shards—a secondary resource—as well as having access to a number of demonic pets that deal varying degrees of damage. Warlocks also bring a lot of utility to a group situation with a pre-castable battle resurrection, Demonic Gateways that can allow instant movement between two points and a portable summoning stone that allows players to summon group members to the warlock’s location.

Demonology relies heavily on the use of various types of demons to deal damage. It has high mobility but requires some ramp up time to deal the most damage. In addition to your short-term summonable demons which are part of the rotation, you’ll also have a permanent pet summoned which will help to deal damage and tank enemies for you.

Affliction is a multi-DoT spec and you’ll need to be comfortable monitoring and maintaining DoTs on multiple targets to get the most out of it. It has high single-target and AoE damage though due to its multi-DoT nature, it can take some time for damage to ramp up. You’ll also be able to summon a permanent pet to help you deal damage though this can be switched to a tanking pet if needed for levelling.

Destruction has the least ramp-up time of all warlock specs but it has the lowest mobility with some lengthy cast times. You’ll be generating Soul Shards through a variety of different abilities and spending them on the hard-hitting Chaos Bolt or Rain of Fire in AoE situations. Like other warlock specs, you’ll be able to keep a permanent demon pet with you to deal damage or tank enemies, depending on your needs.

Monk (melee damage/tank/healer)

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The monk class was added with the Mists of Pandaria expansion and is one of the most mobile classes in the game, thanks to the Roll ability. They wear leather armour and are highly versatile, having access to all three roles. They automatically apply a debuff to targets, making enemies take higher physical damage from all sources so they are useful in group situations for that alone.

Windwalker is the monk’s damage-dealing spec and wields one-handed weapons. It uses Energy as a primary resource and must generate Chi to be spent on harder-hitting abilities. It has good AoE damage and a fun rotation with a lot of utility in the form of interrupts and other crowd control. Its high mobility and access to a healing spell make it a relatively safe spec to level.

Brewmaster is a tanking spec and uses a polearm or a staff as a weapon. It is one of the most mobile tanks in the game and deals with incoming damage by ‘staggering’ it over a short period. Because of this and their self-healing, they can take fairly large hits and are the safest of the monk specs for levelling.

Mistweaver is the monk’s healing spec and uses a staff, mace or sword. They have high mobility for a healer and fair well with both single-target and group healing. Their defensive cooldowns give them high survivability in group content and they can do a reasonable amount of damage which allows them to help out when healing requirements are low. They’re certainly viable as a levelling spec but you would do better to choose one of the other two specs unless you plan on levelling through dungeons.

Druid (melee and ranged damage/tank/healer)

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The Druid is one of the most versatile classes in the World of Warcraft; with four specialisations, it gives you the option to play all three roles as well as both a melee and a ranged damage role. Druids are shapeshifters and can take on different forms and switch between them with ease. Shapeshifting can also be used to escape roots and snares and Travel Form will replace the need for mounts or any kind. Druids are highly mobile thanks to Cat Form which increases movement speed and can be used anywhere.

Feral is the Druid’s melee damage spec. It uses a staff or a polearm and requires Cat Form to play. It relies on keeping up multiple DoTs on your target as well as the management of two separate resources and is good on both single-target and AoE damage. It also has a stealth ability and this, along with its damage and access to healing spells, makes Feral a solid choice for levelling—though it’s one of the more complicated specialisations to master if you want to get the most out of it in end-game content.

Balance is Druid’s ranged damage spec and uses a staff, dagger or a mace. It requires Moonkin Form and is a multi-DoT spec that performs well in both single-target and AOE situations. You’ll need to manage your Astral Power resource as well as Solar and Lunar Empowerment charges, making this a fairly difficult class to master. And while Balance isn’t as squishy as other ranged classes, Feral is generally easier to level with.

Guardian is the Druid’s tanking spec, uses a staff or polearm, and requires Bear Form to use. It relies on its large health pool, passive abilities that give damage reduction and additional healing, and has an active damage mitigation ability (with no cooldown) which can be stacked but uses its primary resource, Rage. Guardian is a viable option for levelling, especially if you’re looking to do a lot of dungeons—tank = faster queue time.

Restoration is the Druid’s healing spec uses a staff, dagger, or a mace. It is a very strong and versatile healer and works well as a raid healer or where damage is consistent. It relies on various HoTs (heal over time) spells but has a number of cooldowns for emergency situations and burst healing.

Demon Hunter (melee damage/tank)

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Demon hunters were added at the beginning of the Legion expansion and start at level eight in Shadowlands⁠. They wear leather armour and use warglaives, swords, axes, or fist weapons. Demon hunters have what is probably the highest mobility in the game and their Glide ability means you’ll never have to take fall damage. They also debuff targets to take more magic damage from all sources, making them sought after for group content. Demon hunters only have two specs to choose from but they are both incredibly fun to play, not least because of the Metamorphosis ability which transforms your character into a demon for a short time.

Havoc is the damage class of demon hunters. It can deal a huge amount of damage and can take on large packs of enemies with ease. It has very powerful offensive cooldowns to deal high damage. Killing enemies also has a high chance of producing Soul Fragments which heal the demon hunter when picked up, making levelling incredibly easy.

Vengeance is the demon hunter tanking spec and works with a combination of damage reduction and healing abilities. They have high mobility and high damage output for a tank and have a number of crowd-control abilities to help lock enemies down. They shine in both dungeon and raid environments.

Death Knight (melee damage/tank)

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Death knights were introduced with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. They are a plate armour wearing melee class and start at level eight in Shadowlands.⁠ They use Runes and Runic Power as resources. They have a good amount of utility including Death Grip which pull the enemy target to the player as well as a number of interrupts and slows. They are also one of the few classes to have a combat resurrection.

Unholy is a damage spec and uses two handed axes, maces, or swords. It relies on spreading disease to enemies with their abilites as well as summoning undead minions to come to their add for additional damage. Unholy performs well with both single-target and AoE situations though it has some ramp up time. For this reason, it may not be the ideal spec for levelling.

Frost is the second damage spec and is arguably the easiest death knight spec to learn. It dual-wields one-handed weapons and deals good burst AoE damage but is probably one of the slower specs in terms of mobility. It has good utility and some self-healing with the Death Strike ability.

Blood is a tanking spec and has great self-sustain with the use of Death Strike and Marrowrend, which applies stacks of Bone Shield. It has a number of defensive cooldowns but generally keeps itself alive by healing back up after taking damage, rather than preventing the incoming damage. It has great utility with Gorefiend’s Grasp which pulls hostile targets to one spot, making it easy for groups of enemies to be damaged together. Blood is the safest spec to level as if you’re thinking of playing a death knight.

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Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she’s quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.

What exercises increase testosterone?

Can sports exercise increase testosterone levels? And what loads are best suited for this?

Vera Ermakova

Tags:

Workout

What to do, if

Hormones

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One of the most effective methods to increase testosterone without pills is sports training. Strength exercises are suitable if you need to dramatically increase the level of the hormone (but the effect will not be long-lasting), and cardio training, although it does not provide a wow effect, but allows you to get a lasting result. We tell you what exercises are best for increasing testosterone levels in the blood and how to do it right.

Contents of the article

How to train to increase testosterone?

If you’re looking for a quick effect and decide to prioritize strength training, remember two main rules:

Choose exercises that develop the muscles of the lower body. Workouts that focus on the muscles of the arms, shoulders, and chest can be helpful, but the effect of them will not be as impressive as those that involve the muscles of the legs, lower back, and abs;
Focus on developing muscle strength. Let there be a few repetitions, but at the same time the maximum weight.

What is the best strength training exercise to increase testosterone?

If you follow the above rules, then almost any workout will give a good effect. But the following exercises are considered the most suitable for increasing testosterone levels.

Deadlift

Aimed at strengthening the muscles of the legs and lower back — just the muscles of the lower body. The deadlift is considered one of the most effective exercises for increasing muscle strength, and therefore is best suited for a short-term, but significant increase in testosterone levels.

Barbell Squat

Another very effective exercise that helps develop almost all muscle groups in our body. If you can only choose one exercise, give preference to weighted squats (however, if your muscles are not developed, just doing a few squats is enough — you are guaranteed a testosterone surge).

Snatch and Clean and Jerk

This exercise requires good preparation, as the technique for its correct execution is rather complicated. But if you learn to do everything right, the effect will not be long in coming: all muscle groups receive the load, and it is high enough for the body to “respond” to it, including with an increased release of the male hormone.

What cardio exercises increase testosterone?

Cardio training, as mentioned above, has one advantage over strength training: they provide a longer effect. Therefore, the best strategy for those who want to raise testosterone levels through physical training is to combine both types of activity. What types of cardio do you prefer?

Sprint

Just running, walking or cycling won’t give you enough exercise to trigger an increased testosterone release. The body must experience serious stress, which means that the intensity of the training must be high. Try adding sprints to it: the leg muscles will get a serious load, and more active testosterone production will begin.

High Intensity Training

One of the most useful sets of cardio exercises is interval training, when loads of different intensity are combined in one complex. A few minutes of really intense exercise is enough to get a great effect. Studies confirm that this type of training helps lower blood sugar levels, protect the heart, increase life expectancy, and ensure a testosterone surge.

Kolyada without quadruple jumps destroyed everyone at the Grand Prix in Moscow

Kolyada without quadruple jumps destroyed everyone at the Grand Prix in Moscow — Gazeta.ru

October 21, 2022, 21:24
Sport

Mikhail Kolyada became the first in the short program at the 1st stage of the Russian Grand Prix «Golden Skate of Moscow», although he did not perform a single quadruple jump and left the cascade of two triple sheepskin coats badly. Gazeta.Ru conducted a text online broadcast of the rentals .