Hunters are difficult in Classic because of the pet training, feeding not to mention getting ammo, etc. I’d go with a druid. They are simple and fun classes. My granddaughter, who is six, always plays my druids when I let her play WOW. Feral druid would probably be the easiest.
I’d say a Mage as they are in high demand, very easy to play in dungeons and raids, relatively easy to level, and arguably the best gold farming class in the game. The last one will take a lot of practice and research to get down though as it involves kiting and killing mobs in dungeons.
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For solo content, I agree with hunter. For group content… could be troublesome.
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Having had both sons grow up with the game in the house and playing from a young age, it’s important to have the conversation about and know how they’ll react to dying in the game.
Druid is a great place to start as you can do anything with the class and still ‘pitch in’, be a ‘good helper’
Plus the shapeshifter piece is exciting!
They and Paladins are easiest to start with because they’re just so robust and adaptable-good luck and have fun!
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Paladin, shaman, or mage. Very simple to play.
My youngest brother is 11 years younger than me and started at 10 years old in 2005. He played a mage and managed to be part of a guild that made it most the way through AQ40 and naxx, he was never at the top of the damage charts, but was always middle of the pack or at worst slightly below average.
Be prepared to farm pots, elixirs, buffs, etc for him.
I think a mage is a great choice for a young kid based on my past experience.
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Hunter is really easy to get into, but has a LOT of room to grow… None of the Vanilla classes really play for you no matter how much we like to make fun…
Truth is if you’re not johnny on the spot, people will be able to tell.
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It was a very hard class to play well. Hunters got a bad rap because it was popular, but very few could actually play it well. People who say Hunter have got to be trolling.
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Warlock.
Send pet in, dot, and then wand damage.
Perhaps you haven’t been around 9-year-olds, but they aren’t braindead vegetables. A 9-year-old will be incredibly adept at technology and video games – they will be absolutely fine, if not teaching their parent a thing or two once they get into the game. They won’t be leading 40-man raid strategy, but they can pilot any WoW character.
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TBH, at this age, I think that his perception of the class in term of lore/esthetic is a bigger deal. Just make him pick the one he thinks sounds/looks the coolest. If he sticks to it until level 15-20, he’ll surely be into the game enough to keep playing until the end.
It also depends on what kind of player he is in other games.
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Honestly, I think this depends a lot on your kid.
My dad got me into games at 7 by having me farm mats and cast portals in Asheron’s Call. I, however, just wanted to wack things with a big stick. I’m not really sure any class is off limits persay, so much as some classes have high skill ceilings and that could be a little frustrating, especially if he lacks a little patience.
Really though, if your kid enjoys himself, that’s all the matters imho.
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Warrior or Rogue. Anything that doesn’t have a cast time in combat, and can be spammed by tiny little meat fists.
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And when they make mistakes, how well do you think they can take the coming hate? Hunters back then had a skill floor in both PvP and in Group Play.
kids are bright af these days with games, I too recommend hunter.
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This is exactly the type of thing my kids excelled at. They love pets, love them. Give them a pet, let them feed it, look for new ones to train etc. This is the best part of Warcraft for younger children in my opinion.
Live Warcraft cheapens the entire pet experience for hunters. In Classic, hunter pets were their own mini-game. You had to play for so long even before training your first at level ten. It was earned and felt awesome to do the three pet training quests before you could start taming your own.
That being said, I would let them pick anything they want.
As for the rest of the folks here who might have never played WoW with kids, keep in mind that kids have incredible imaginations and the story of their character is likely the central part of their experience. Who cares if they only press a couple of spells at first? Who cares if they don’t put out optimal damage? It is the story of that character that will make the game magical.
Play the story along with them (and maybe play a class that can heal so you can bail them out every now and again), and it will be even more magical.
My youngest is 9 and my eldest 12, we are really looking forward to Classic.
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Depends on the kid. My boys always pick their own class and they learn to play it faster than most adults.
The only thing I recommend against is healing… Kids are impatient and much better at tunneling targets to death.
They’re all under the age of 10.
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This, imo, is the right answer…
Ask him what he thinks would be “the coolest” to play… (assuming children still use that word the way I did growing up, I apparently speak less and less of their language over time)
Does he want to be a
strong fighter? (warrior)
A sneaky ninja? (Rogue)
Turn into animals? (Druid)
A wizard? (Mage)
A noble knight? (Paladin)
An archer/marksman? (Hunter)
Let him kind look around and pick for himself…
Warlock (via similarity in a general sense, to mages as a “wizard” type), priest (via having healing trees and a shadow tree), and Shaman (via kind of being all over the place) might be a bit more difficult to describe in more simplistic terms, but I’m sure you’d be able to find a way to sales pitch those as well.
my friend’s kid loved his ‘hammer man’.
big 2-handed weapon, click to swing and kill things works just fine at that age.
also, show him how to ‘dance’.
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Because you said youngsters, leaves me to believe youre older than dirt but want an easy class. I will also assume you will not play at a too tier level, so i will say hunter for grinding ease or paladin.