Troubles with understanding buying "game", subscription and game time

Guides New/Returning Player Questions & Guides
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Hello there,
just a day or two ago I downloaded WoW for the first time and I really like it, I managed to make maybe 10 levels yesterday and I read that I can play only to level 20, so I started to reading how to continue… The first thing I have seen (or haven’t seen) is that nowhere I could see what exactly I get if I buy something from these 3 “paid things”. :smiley:

So, could you please write me here in points what I can exactly get?

  1. Buying a WoW game - Standard/Deluxe edition.
  • Here, I saw that it’s just something like a boost to level 110 (not interested in this) + 1 “free” month of subscription. Anything else?
  1. Susbscriptions and Game Time.
  • I imagine something just like Netflix susbscription, so I get nothing, but I can play the game. But after that I saw that there are some expansions (or whatever) - is it in that, do I even need it when I am only about to reach lvl 20?

Thanks for your help, guys!

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In order to continue all you need is a subscription or a game time. I wouldn’t advise investing in Battle for Azeroth unless you sure you’re gonna stick around, you can’t play it till level 110 so you always might buy it later. If you are absolutely sure you’re gonna get there you might go for complete collection, Deluxe version give you also a mount. Any version gives level 110 boost so you can hop right into BfA and 30 days of game time.

Now game time is one time purchase of 30, 90 or 180 days. You pay upfront and it adds that many days to your account so you can play for that long(it doesn’t matter if you actualy play, the time is ticking). The more days you buy upfront the less you pay per day.

Subscription on the other hand requires attaching a credit card or debit card. You choose if you want to be billed once every month, 3 or 6 then your card will be charged every chosen period of time. Longer periods are cheaper per day.

Now the difference is in length, sub is in months while gametime is in 30s od days. So 12 30 game times doesn’t add up to a year while 12 1-month subs does. Also you don’t have to worry about buying another gametime with active sub, next month or more will be bouhgt automaticly using your card unless you can’t afford it.

Now when you cancel your sub or gametime expires your accont will go back to starter limitations. This means you won’t be able to play above level 20.

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Welcome to Azeroth! Glad you’re enjoying it!

Yes, it’s a subscription model.

To play characters above level 20, you must have gametime. You can buy gametime either a month at at time, or by signing up to a subscription.

If you have gametime, you can do everything in the game up to level 110.

The current expansion, Battle for Azeroth, covers the levels 111-120. To level past 110, you must have bought that. Battle for Azeroth is a one-off purchase.

I would normally recommend: buy a month of gametime, or start a subscription for a month. When you reach level 110, you can then decide whether you want to continue to 120 and buy BfA.

If you are already sure you will want to continue longer than a month and get to 120, then buy BfA and get your free month with it.

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Okay, thanks bros, I felt so lost in the pool of a bilion informations from all sites, forums, etc. :weight_lifting_man:

So, these few days I lost with game time isn’t a problem, I would prefer this. Thank you for that explanation of whole “buying a game” thing. I will probably buy 1/3 month/s game time and try it and then I maybe will know my next steps.

And it’s really calming to know that a lot of veterans can help me out with my adventure. :slight_smile:

Once more thanks!

//edit:
And maybe I would like to know if there is an add-on which can help me out with items - if is worth to take “this exact” item or if I can use it on my character, cause that’s something that I am not sure while playing.

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Also, don’t worry about expansions. All of the previous ones are included in the base game and you get them when you activate gametime or sub. The same will happen with BfA when new one will be out. Everyone with activated account will get it for free. So there’s always only one expansion to buy, the newest one.

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Okay, thanks.

And if you know any add-on(s) which I described above, you can send me the name too. :smiley:

Thank you!

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If you are dead, there is a button Return to Graveyard.

Press that.

Beside you is a Spirit Healer, like an angel - actually a Val’kyr. Talk to the Spirit Healer and they will resurrect you.

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Yeah, did that, I’m alive now. :smiley: :smiley: Oh my… I’m probably stupid in this game. :smiley:

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There’s a LOT to learn! It takes time.

I’ve been playing 8 years, and still have barely touched some areas.

External websites help:

wowhead.com for all about quests and items

icy-veins.com for all about how to build and play classes

If it’s in WoW, it’s on YouTube somewhere.

One thing that I would draw to your attention as a new player, now I notice, is realm choice. Choosing your realm is perhaps the hardest thing for a new player to do, because you have no grasp of how you will want to play the game later, and no understanding of how your realm will affect that.

Realms are all identical in terms of their geography and characters and monsters, but they have different numbers of people, split between Alliance and Horde.

You were directed to Doomhammer by the “New Players” tag. Doomhammer is not specially made for New Players; there’s nothing different about it, it’s just another realm, and Blizzard rotates the New Players tag around them from time to time.

Different realms have different populations, and different ratios of factions.

https://realmpop.com/eu.html shows you the character count by faction on each realm. Look at Silvermoon and Draenor, the most popular realms. Silvermoon is almost all Alliance. Draenor is almost all Horde. There are good reasons for that; it’s better to be on a realm where your faction is in a massive majority. Of course, some people like a quiet game, with few others around, but most people tend to gravitate to “where the action is”, on one of the big realms.

It’s Saturday, so people will be around. If you’re interested in the consequences of this, and have an hour to experiment, make a Human character on Silvermoon realm, get a level or two if you like, and run to the centre of Stormwind. Or make an Orc or Troll on Draenor and run to the centre of Orgrimmar. You might be interested in the difference.

How populated, and which factions, doesn’t matter much when you’re levelling, but once you hit 120, it can make a difference to your joining of guilds and raid teams. It also matters for trade.

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Yeah, thanks, I am already using wowhead.com, it’s really great site. That’s good, if even you don’t know everything… It seems there’s a lot of things and even more to explore, what is something I simply want from this game. So, nice to hear that. :slight_smile:

I have one more thing… I searched (the wowhead) and found that I can start riding since level 20 and learn it, but I can see some guys riding and they’re only levels like 13. Is there any way to do it sooner or is there another “way” or “type” of riding, which I don’t know?

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Ah, well, technically, they’re not riding; they’re being chauffeured. :stuck_out_tongue:

There is special gear called Heirlooms, which you can buy, and levels with you. When you buy enough of these heirlooms, you get The Chauffeuerd Chopper, which works from level 1, available on all your characters:

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I saw bunch of these, but right now I saw character level 15 riding something like horse (like I imagined ground mounts). :smiley: So, I don’t know, but I feel like I am missing something and my travels take so much time.

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Well, cheer up!

At level 20 you can get your own mount … and then find that the distances you have to travel become much greater, so it still takes the same amount of time! :stuck_out_tongue:

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Same amount of time? So, I won’t go faster with mount? :confused:

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You’ll go faster, sure. :slight_smile:

It’s just that you’ll be moving over bigger distances. I remember when I first hit 20, I was so pleased to be travelling faster. Then I began to undertstand how big the zones were. :slight_smile:

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16

The gear you want depends on which class, like rogue, you choose. One thing this doesn’t mention is that some specialisations or specs need a certain type of weapon, Rogues for instance as Subtlety some attacks require you to have daggers.

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Okay, I’ll look at this site, but for now I just put the Best thing in my inventory… :smiley:

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You are better using the right stat and armour type, leather for a rogue with agility on it. When you hit 50 you lose some of the stat if you have the wrong armour type equipped.

Also before you get too high a level you might want to change realms. Your realm has a lot more Alliance than horde. The site below gives approximate populations.

https://realmpop.com/eu.html

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Good to know, I thought that I can change it anytime. Also, if I go with Draenor - will all my future characters be there? Or can I choose different realms for every character?

//edit:
I see, I can’t change it with my character, I have to create a new one, don’t I?
I know that I didn’t play it too long, but that’s sad that I can just discard my whole progress.

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Each character stays on the realm it was created. You can create all characters on the same realm, or different ones on different realms. You can move a character between realms, if you pay Blizzard for a Character Transfer service:

I know. I remember how I would have felt about it when I was first level 18 :cry:

You don’t have to delete your character to create a new one somewhere else.

1 Like