World Of Warcraft F.A.Q

Find the answers to your most frequently asked questions by accessing one of the different topics from the list above. The newest questions are listed in Blue .

The In-Game support site has answers to many in-game questions.

Make sure you also check out our World of Warcraft Guide for more detailed game information.

What is World of Warcraft?
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). In World of Warcraft, thousands of players will have the opportunity to adventure together in an enormous, persistent game world, forming friendships, slaying monsters, and engaging in epic quests that can span days or weeks.

What is an MMORPG?
MMORPG stands for massively multiplayer online role-playing game. In an MMORPG, thousands of players exist in the same game world at the same time. This creates an incredibly rich and active environment in which interesting things are constantly taking place. MMORPGs provide thousands of hours of game play, with a nearly infinite variety of goals to achieve across a vast world covering miles of land and sea. For World of Warcraft, we will also be adding new content on a regular basis, thus ensuring that there will always be new adventures, new locations, new creatures, and new items to discover.

How will World of Warcraft differ from other MMORPGs?
World of Warcraft will differ from other MMORPGs in many ways. Players will be able to complete quests and experience the world at their own pace, whether it be a few hours here and there or entire weeks at a time. Additionally, our quest system will provide an enormous variety of captivating quests with story elements, dynamic events, and flexible reward systems. World of Warcraft will also feature a faster style of play, with less downtime and an emphasis on combat and tactics against multiple opponents. We also plan to incorporate several unique features, which we'll disclose throughout the course of development.

Will there be a monthly fee to play the game?
Yes. After the end of the free month included with the game, you will need a subscription in order to continue playing the game. You have three options, as you will see when you create your account: a month-to-month package at $14.99 per month, a three-month plan at $13.99 per month, or a six-month plan at $12.99 per month. Please be aware that the subscription fees for three-month plan and the six-month plan must be paid in full.

Why isn't World of Warcraft free?
World of Warcraft will require a fee to play. This fee will be used to support the costs associated with the high-quality levels of service, support, and ongoing content creation that we are planning for World of Warcraft.

Will there be multiple methods of payment besides just credit cards?
Yes, we plan to support a range of payment methods. In the initial launch regions of North America, Australia, and New Zealand, customers will be able to pay their subscription fees by major credit card, PayPal, and pre-paid game cards. Payment methods in other regions will be announced at a later date.

Note: We are still working with PayPal to allow customers to subscribe using PayPal accounts. Please keep an eye on the main World of Warcraft website for any news on this option once it becomes available.

How will the game be distributed or sold?
Gamers will be able to purchase World of Warcraft at retail outlets, online sites, or directly from Blizzard Entertainment. However, in order to play you will need to sign up for a monthly account.

Will World of Warcraft be playable on a Mac and are people currently testing it on Macs?
Yes, to both. The game will be available on a Mac and there are people currently playing on Macs.

Will I be able to use my World of Warcraft discs on my Mac and PC?
Yes, the discs will be compatible on both Mac and PC.

Can you alt-tab in and out of the game?
Yes, you can also run the game in a window.

What forms of currency will there be?
Currently there is gold, silver, and copper. And in case you were wondering, there are a lot of things you can buy with your money, including training, equipment, profession recipes, profession components, extra space at your bank, and more.

How do the World of Warcraft gameplay servers relate to Battle.net and/or the Diablo Realms?
The World of Warcraft servers utilize an entirely new network architecture that has been designed from the ground up specifically for this style of gameplay. We created this next-generation architecture by incorporating our knowledge of multiplayer gaming with our numerous Battle.net and Diablo experiences.

Where are servers located?
World of Warcraft servers are located around the globe in order to support our worldwide gaming community.

How many players will you support?
Players are divided into several Realms, with each Realm comprising a complete version of the game world.

How many Realms will there be when World of Warcraft is released?
We will have as many Realms online as necessary. As the population within the game grows, we will add more Realms to the initial base. Others will be held in reserve and will be set up the moment they are needed.

Will there be a limit to the number of players on a Realm?
Based on our experiences in the beta test, we now have established an optimal number of players per Realm. This number is in the thousands, but manageable enough to foster a sense of community and to prevent overcrowding.

Can players select what Realm they play on?
Yes. However, you must choose a Realm that is located within your geographical region. For example, North American players must select a North American server, and European players must select European servers. Some exceptions will exist. Australian and New Zealand players, for example, will connect to servers on the U.S. West Coast. The regionally specific servers are there to improve game performance and provide the best online experience possible.

Are player names unique on each Realm?
Yes. In order to promote individuality, World of Warcraft features an advanced naming system allowing players to create a unique name for their characters on each Realm.

Are there player-vs.-player (PvP) servers where players can fight other players from anywhere in the world?
Yes. In fact, all servers allow some sort of player-vs.-player combat in varying degrees. There are normal servers, where player-vs.-player combat is mostly consensual; you do not have to engage in PvP gameplay if you do not want to, but it does exist for consenting individuals. Then there are devoted player-vs.-player servers where the excitement of PvP combat is always possible and players can be plunged into PvP battle without warning. Visit our online guide on Realms type for more information.

Are there Realms specifically for role-playing?
Yes. We want to ensure that role-players have the best experience possible in World of Warcraft. To that end, we also offer role-playing servers with special rules that promote role-playing and staying in-character. See our Realms type page for more details.

Can players have characters on more than one server without paying additional fees?
You are billed by account, not by character. There is one monthly fee to play World of Warcraft and it allows you to create multiple characters on multiple servers.

Will players be able to host small (8 players max), temporary servers on their own machine?
We do not allow players to run their own servers for World of Warcraft. A massively multiplayer online role-playing game demands a high level of server security and a well-connected community to flourish and evolve. We are focusing all of our networking efforts on creating such an environment.

What are your plans for this site?
This will be the ultimate resource for World of Warcraft players for all sorts of information and fun. This will take some time to build, so please be patient.

Can you add a more complete listing of spells?
We plan to do that once the database section is active. We will add the spells and complete stats and likely tips as well.

I submitted some errors, add me to the Credits!
The Credits are a gift, not a right. If you are deemed worthy, you will be added. They are a list of the ultimate error reporters. Please do not be offended if you are not in the credits yet. Your contributions are still valuable. If you ask to be added to the credits you will not be added.

How do you Level up in the Credits?
It's a secret. =]

I sent in a ton of error corrections and I wasn't added!
Perhaps you didn't submit them in the correct format. Also all emails sent prior to 5/4/2004 were not recorded as part of the credits. Sorry! Perhaps you angered the site Ogre by asking to be added to the credits

When in the Warcraft timeline does World of Warcraft take place?
World of Warcraft takes place three years following the aftermath of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne , when a great tension has settled over the ravaged world of Azeroth.

Some screenshots show that the Dark Portal has been rebuilt (after having been destroyed in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal). Can you give us any background on why it's back or what role it'll play in the game?
The foundation of the Dark Portal was never destroyed, even though the connection between the worlds was severed. While it is no longer active, legends speak of a ritual contained within Medivh's spellbook that might one day allow powerful Warlocks to open the portal.

Will World of Warcraft mix with Warcraft IIIX? If there are new foes, do they include the Undead Scourge or Burning Legion?
World of Warcraft will be set in lands both familiar and new to long-time players of the series. It is difficult to discuss the World of Warcraft story without giving away the plot for Warcraft III. We can say that Azeroth has experienced significant changes and is now a very different world from what Warcraft fans know today. And while there will be plenty of recognizable characters and places to explore, we think that the balance between discovering what is known and what is different is something that players will really enjoy.

As for the inclusion of the Scourge or Burning Legion, you will just have to wait and see...

What continents are in World of Warcraft? Will they be familiar to fans of the Warcraft RTS series?
Currently, players will be able to explore the lands of Azeroth, Khaz Modan, Lordaeron, and the newly discovered continent of Kalimdor. Players familiar with the Warcraft series will find that we have depicted nearly every location from the Warcraft universe in World of Warcraft.

How many continents/islands will there be? How big will the world be?
World of Warcraft will have more area to explore than any other previous Blizzard games. In World of Warcraft, players can expect to journey through the familiar lands of Azeroth, Khaz Modan, and Lordaeron, to name a few. The game will also feature several uncharted and exotic new lands. We are expanding the Warcraft universe because we believe that a critical part of the MMORPG experience is the ability to journey through robust new regions. Our goal is to create a vast new world filled with adventure and excitement, while keeping the game fully populated to support a strong sense of community.

Will there be "zones" in World of Warcraft?
World of Warcraft will not feature "zones" in the traditional sense, with loading screens between each area of gameplay. Our plan is to introduce different regions of the world for players to explore, each with their own distinct look and theme. Questing through the majority of these regions will be seamless, although certain regions may require a short load time.

Will you be able to visit the familiar locations from Warcraft, Warcraft II, and so on?
Most definitely. Players will explore the ruins of old battles, interact with legendary heroes, and visit many of the locations that have made the Warcraft series so memorable.

Will there be secret locations or Easter eggs?
There are plenty of special locations for players to discover. The level designers have gone all out.

Will there be water-based, interactive environments?
Yes.

What is the time cycle in World of Warcraft?
Currently, the game is set to run on a 24-hour time cycle, which is dependant on where each server is located.

Will there be monsters that randomly roam in packs from time to time?
Yes, and we call this dynamic gameplay. The plan is to have numerous dynamic encounters in the game that will be randomly timed and placed.

Will there be dragons in the game?
Yes.

Will there be "named" or "unique" monsters in the World of Warcraft?
Yes, there are many unique monsters in World of Warcraft. Some will appear randomly, while others will only spawn when certain conditions have been met.

In other games, problems have resulted from players being able to attack monsters without retaliation. What are the solutions to these problems in World of Warcraft?
The creatures in World of Warcraft have special AI to prevent them from being exploited. Creatures recognize when they're being exploited, and when this happens, they go into "evade" mode and return to their spawn points.

Can you explain a little about how the dungeons work in World of Warcraft?
Players will come across two types of dungeons while playing the game: smaller dungeons, which we call places of interest, and larger dungeons, which we call instance dungeons. There are more than a hundred places of interest throughout the world of Azeroth, ranging in relative size from small to quite big. Places of interest will include tombs, haunted mines, ice caves, and sunken ships to name a few. The transition into and out of these places is will be seamless, and you'll be able to run into other players anywhere within them.

Instance dungeons, which are grander in scale than places of interest, are specifically designed for more epic encounters. World dungeons include places such as Medivh's Tower, the Westfall Deadmines, and the Scarlet Monastery. All these locations have common areas where players can meet up and fight together. These world dungeons are called "instance" dungeons because deeper within them are areas set up specifically for more private group adventures. Each time a group enters one of these private areas, an instance of that area is created just for that group. No one else can enter it except for the group that created it. Two groups that enter the same private area will each get their own copy, or instance, of the dungeon. This allows you and a group of friends to have a more personal experience, exploring, adventuring, or completing quests in your own private dungeon. You also have the ability to invite others into your instance to join you. This relieves many of the camping, kill-stealing, and farming issues that MMORPGs sometimes face. The monsters in instances are typically more powerful, so groups of players will have to work together to defeat them, but with greater dangers come greater rewards!

If a group of people enter an instanced dungeon, how does a new player join that group or enter their dungeon?
The group leader can add a new player to the group without actually being near that player. Once the new player is added, he or she can enter the same instance that the rest of the group is in.

Will there be advanced areas or dungeons for high-level players?
Yes. The game will feature a wide range of content suitable for all levels and types of players, allowing both casual and hardcore gamers to enjoy their gameplay experience.

Will there be maps in dungeons?
Yes, the mini-map will display your immediate surroundings and it will function just like it does anywhere else in the world.

Are there areas that must be unlocked by a key?
Yes, but if you have a Rogue in your party, it can use its lockpicking skill in case you find yourself without the proper key. There are also puzzles that require players to locate the proper key to open a dungeon.

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