When choosing an alt…
Do you choose a class or a specific spec to play?
100% spec.
I have a very simple mantra, I must have one of every class at least on both factions
I must have at least one of every race on both factions
After that it’s a case of can it Paladin (always Ret)
If no then Hunter (in their current state always BM)
However for my Mechagnome I’m going Warrior, not decided yet with Vulpera. It will come to me eventually.
I do sometime experiment with other classes and will try a different spec.
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I choose a Race and a Class, Spec comes later, Whatever plays nice.
The Racials are trivial at best, 2K extra dps whooptiedo.
I wont ever play a race that isnt cool in my eyes( Humans, Vul’pera, Trolls( not zandalari cuz they are awsome) Any elf really.
I pick something cool like Mag’Har Orc, Goblin Gnome or Worgen( Worgen best) and then go for a class then the spec
I picked Class first… but if I would have to play something else then it would be 100% about spec.
Still~ I tried to play Spriest and gave up because of high class influence (and Shadowlands promised even more). Priest should be totally split into two classes: Light and Shadow.
(Even more now since we have Void Elves and Lightforged Draenei)
Class. But over time each of my minions develop their style and stay more or less true to their core ‘characteristic’ like spec is. Sometimes Blizzard tuning disagrees though and I am forced to be something else than character itself prefers.
Depends on the class, for classes where each spec feels very different I go by spec, like warlock, DK, druid, priest.
For classes where the specs are kinda samey like mage, warrior and rogue I go by class and then find the spec later.
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Mostly spec; there are very very few classes where I don’t prefer 1 spec greatly over the other(s).
My top 5 specs:
1: Beastmaster
and then with a big distance we get to the rest:
2: Mistweaver
3: Survival
4: Unholy
5: Outlaw
Why a top 5 and not a top 10? Simple; I don’t enjoy 10 specs. 
Besides the above specs, I don’t really enjoy any other spec in the game; I don’t totally hate all others but my fun-factor goes down by a LOT playing any of the remaining specs in the game (even though I do enjoy several of the class fantasies like mage, paladin or shaman; I just don’t like how any of them play).
I picked class first, spec after.
DK is always best don’t @ me.
Since i play tanks i go for class as there ismt much options, if they made a class with 2 tanks specs then it would be spec based
Not sure what Vulperas can be but why not priest? Keeps the holy theme from Paladin going
I pick class -> race -> faction -> spec.
I need at least 1 of every class, and I need all the races that feel right, which is most. And I need characters on both Horde and Alliance.
For my first ever character, I picked faction first, then race, then class. I was going for Nightelf Mage, but that didn’t exist I quickly realized, but heavily decided on race, I had to pick a class that nightelves could be. I landed on hunter based on advice from other players. One year later I mained a druid instead, but I remain a nightelf to this day as main choice.
Typically it’s Class first, Specialization later, as it sounds the most nornal way of doing it.
Although sometimes it may happen that you like a Class but hate the specializations in it. Just ask the Death Knights in my Graveyard (Character restoration screen)
I decided to make a Night Elf Warrior a little while back because it was a combo I never had before. I don’t like that character at all. Male Night Elves have an issue where their weapons change size depending on if they’re sheathed or not, it’s mostly noticeable with 1h weapons I think.
I only play female characters, so can’t say i’ve noticed. I do have a huge issue with nightelf females wearing pants though, so I will never make a nightelf melee class.
Edit:
…I said and realized I have a nightelf DH.
Not until Night Elf Paladins are a thing anyway right? 
Plate dresses are all Paladins need.
I am not a huge paladin person quite honestly. Only paladin spec I enjoy is protection, but I have zero interest in tanking these days, and haven’t had since before Legion. My poor paladin with her awesome mage tower flail is going to waste 
. I’ve been holy a bit in Legion and now, but can’t use the apperance for that, and I honestly do not want to tank atm. I just like how the tank spec feels when using the abilities. Big shame I don’t like it up front anymore.
The classes/specs I tend to end up with multiples of are;
Druid, warlock, priest and mage. Oh, and shaman.
Spec
I play all 12 classes but i prefer tanking & healing so i avoid dps specs outside of openworld
And i would never play demo lock in my life, i made one for destro, changed to affli so plans can change atleast
What is meta in myth raiding/m+
Or simply what mine guilds needs in the roster
These days, I go for spec first.
That’s because spec is so defining for the fantasy of a toon these days. Survival hunter might as well be a completely different class to Marksman hunter. Outlaw is basically a pirate stereotype, sublety a ninja. Frost DK feels more like a spellsword than a death knight.
It’s less pronounced on something like, say, Paladin, where everything at least carries the same light theme. But yeah, I generally have a certain spec in mind when making a character these days.