Don't know what version to play as a newbie

Hey all,

I’m a veteran WoW player that started playing at the end of Wrath. Lately I’ve been wanting to get into a version of classic but don’t prefer to play Cata again.

I started playing a little bit of SoD but found it was really hard to find groups these days for lower level dungeons and it kind of killed my momentum, which I was ok with because I knew direct was coming up.

I was really hoping for a more eternal version of classic to be announced but still find Anniversary fresh and the SoD announcements very cool and exciting to try and hop into.

But now I’m torn because the LFG integrations in Anniversary classic sound like a great thing for me, plus other QoL but also a little wary because I know it’s for all intents and purposes the same game as it was before.

But also I feel like SoD is in this weird thing for me where I’m kinda at the mercy of the phases and it almost feel like it’s “too late” to play how I’d get to play in classic anniversary.

What do? I’d love to hear opinions to help me decide if I should play Classic Anni, SoD or just stick all my WoW time to retail (but I’m getting close to bored)

Thanks and good luck out there!

Hey, im pretty sure the lfg tool is like the one in wotlk classic where its player ran and soley a visual tool and window to find a group. Still allows for community but makes a tad more convenient. Unlike retails current click n go dungeon finder

Well right now with all the announcements, it is the best time to get back in to WoW. From what you’re saying is you currently play retail but there’s a bunch of other gamemodes to play and are looking at other options.

If you want to jump in to classic I think the fresh realms next week is where you should start. Hasn’t been real fresh classic realms in 5 years. You’ll get probably the best classic experience you can there. And later on you can transfer your characters to Era instead of progressing to TBC if that’s what you want. Era is popping right now in certain clusters, but they’re existing servers with hella inflated economies/tons of decked 60s/gdkpers.

Personally I couldn’t get into SoD. Seems very sweaty/meta based. And easy to fall behind. Just from what I’ve seen.

OP, If you’re used to Wrath+ WoW, you should definitely play the original (closest we can get). So Vanilla Classic Progression starting next week; play to 60, then switch ERA (transfer your toon(s) if they offer it). No TBC. No question about it. My guess is, once you Vanilla, you’ll never want any other version of WoW after that.

That’s just me, though.

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Classic Era; its super chill. If you want EZ mode PvE play allies. If you want EZ mode PvP play horde.

Whitemane Server cluster for PvP server.
Mankirk server cluster for PvE server.
Grobbulus for RP PvP (very small but tight community)

I would recommend the Classic Anniversary servers.

  • You’ll have a lot of new and returning players trying it out at the same time.
  • The classic content is stated to last at least a year before going to tbc, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide if its something you are into and make friends to discuss further.
  • You can quickly see if the new integrations are an issue for you or not, along with the community that is playing at the time. Overall, making friends keeps the longevity in any mode you decide to play.

There is some mystery as to what may happen after a year or with tbc, so if that bothers you, you’ll want to go to one of the era servers recommended by the above post for a more certain commitment.

The fresh hype on any server is always fun though and a great way to meet new people trying stuff out from different backgrounds of play. Just feels like a bit more energy to me, which is why I recommend it over the others.

Thanks to all the replies above! Seems like the resounding consensus is to play some form of Classic and proceed with Era over SoD. Super helpful!

Fixed it for u.

Roll on Era(Whitemane cluster) or wait for Fresh next thursday.