My wife and I are returning having took a break in 2022 after playing since 2004 beta. Looking for some help on addon to use and any additional things we should know. We are “elderly” players.
Welcome back!
2022? So end of Shadowlands, maybe started Dragonflight?
You won’t have all that much to catch up on. Nothing much happened with the game in Dragonflight except Dragonriding, now called Skyriding, an optional new way to fly that is much faster but requires attention, disallows hovering, and gives some people motion sickness.
If you want any pointers on that, just ask!
Addons are about to undergo huge changes. My theory is that Blizzard have been given orders to make WoW playable on consoles, as some sort of XBox Game Pass thing, but whether that is accurate or not, they have announced that they have immediate plans to disable combat addons and replace them with UI features.
So the combat addons that we use today may not be with us for long.
Non-combat addons, like maps and quest helpers, and Auction/Money addons, are not going to be affected.
You will get your addons from Curseforge.com
Since getting addons and keeping them up to date is a chore, you might want to use an addon manager to install and update. I use WoWUp from WoWUp.io but Curseforge also has their own Addon Manager, that they call the “Curseforge App” and allow you to download from the top of their site.
If you use an Addon Manager from Curseforge, get the Standalone version, NOT the Overwolf version.
So what addons do you want? It depends a lot on your playstyle.
TomTom is something that everyone needs, to find zone co-ordinates.
Hekili, for rotation helper, still exists, but is now effectively replaced by turning Rotation Helper on. There is now a one-button UI element that will play your abilities for you. Here is the Wowhead guide for it
DBM, Deadly Boss Mods, and its modules for previous expansions still exists to call out boss moves in dungeons and raids.
You can now edit your bars on screen in ways you never could before, but personally I still use Bartender4 addon as being more flexible. Some people prefer Dominoes, which does the same thing.
Postal is great for mail.
Prat gives you more control of your chat box.
Auctionator is what I use at the AH. The goblins use TSM, TradeSkillMaster, and its modules, but only worth the learning curve if you are doing a LOT of trading.
BTWQuests is a quest helper/finder.
GTFO sounds off when you are standing in bad.
Altoholic and AllTheThings keep track of all your alts and things you may want to collect.
Pawn shows a green arrow on an item in your bag if it is an upgrade, but what an upgrade may be depends on you entering your stat weights.
Details! (or Recount or Skada) is your DPS meter.
There are several addons that allow you to change nameplate appearance. Plater is a popular one.
World Quest List shows you a better view and list of WQs and rewards on the map.
WeakAuras has modules to do huge arrays of things, but an awful lot of those are going to be on the coming Bonfire of the Addons, so unless you used to use it and specifically want it back for as long as it lasts, I wouldn’t get attached to it now.
That should be more than enough to get you functional!
Just as memory refreshers, your main bookmarks are
Wowhead: https://www.wowhead.com/wow/retail
Icy Veins: https://www.icy-veins.com/wow/class-guides
Curseforge: https://www.curseforge.com/wow
You can find anything you need on YouTube, ofc.
This is a HUGE guide for beginners, but has llinks to one- or two-minute chapters of you expand its Description that summarise subjects quite well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnzdeoSMkvM
If you have any more questions, do please ask! 
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Thanks so very much for your response. We left after starting Dragonflight. I just couldn’t get my hands and brain to work together to figure out dragon flying. 
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I’m sorry to say that it’s still with us.
But you can switch back to normal flying
- in expansions below The War Within
- in The War Within zones AFTER you get Pathfinder
For TWW Pathfinder, you need to complete the levelling campaigns in all the zones, and Explore all ofthem
To switch between Skyriding and Steady Flight, pull up your Mounts list, and hit the button at the top middle right “Switch Flight Styles”.
That will keep you Steady until you get to Khaz Algar, and from there you just have to do the best you can until you have jumped through the required hoops.
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One more thing, if you’re still watching.
I belatedly checked out your character and see you are in Springrain 463s.
You are in a Gear Trap.
This is very bad of Blizzard.
A 70 in 463s is very weak. If you are having trouble killing things, that is why. A 70 should be above ilevel 500, at the very least.
When you hit 71, you should be able to source some more suitable cheap gear from the AH.
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Thanks for the info. Still trying to get our addon’s updated and trying to figure out how our keys were mapped before we took a break. I figured that we would have to farm or go to the AH for better gear. Have been reading the post on “oldest” play discussion, if it hasn/t been said, wife and I appreciate all your help and info.
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Hi…im returning as well…but ive been away longer. played end game BC and some of WoLK. now i see im a level 47 and no idea where to start questing etc.
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Welcome back, Carasbearas!
OK, you are about to get overwhelmed and confused for a while. That happens. It is to be expected. Be patient with yourself, and with the game. A LOT has changed since Wrath, and I’m sure your memory isn’t perfect either.
Levels were “squished” three expansions ago. But a 47 would have been squished from something about level 100, so that would have happened in Legion or BfA. Maybe you resubbed briefly back then?
What do you do now? You go talk to Chromie, standing under a tree in front of the Stormwind Embassy beside Stormwind Lake.
Chromie will offer you any expansion you like, to go to level in.
If you do not have a strong preference, Dragonflight/The Dragon Isles is a safe choice. She will give you a starting quest to get you on your way, to collect a party of adventurers to sail there.
LEVELLING IS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH FASTER THAN YOU REMEMBER!
You will get from 47 to 70 in no time.
At 70 you need to decide whether you want to keep levelling into the current expansion The War Within, or maybe raise some more alts and go see more expansions with them. If you want to level to 80 in TWW, you will need to buy the expansion in the Shop.
Everything I said to Wynelf above holds for you as well, and especially
This is a HUGE guide for beginners, but has llinks to one- or two-minute chapters of you expand its Description that summarise subjects quite well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnzdeoSMkvM
If you have any questions, do please ask! 
2 Likes
Your right i got to 80 very very quickly…now its about gearing up…got a guild thats on alot and active in discord?
“A guild” is very easy to find. Remember that these days guilds are cross-realm and even cross faction, so there is a lot of choice.
You need to first decide what you want to do in the game, how hard you want to go, and what direction? M+ up to 10s? Higher M+? Raids - Normal or Heroic? or even Mythic?
What times are you on, in what time zones? How many hours a week do you want to commit to guild progression?
Or do you juts want to do your own thing, but have people to chat with? Do you want them to be nearer 15 or 50?
That’s what determines where you go to look for a guild.
I’m glad you mentioned Discord, because that’s where the action is these days.
Rather than trying to find A guild and join it immediately, I’d suggest you join more general Discords, where you can get vibes from many people, maybe make some friends and get some individual recommendations.
Here are a couple to start with:
The Wownoob Discord has a NA Find-A-Friend channel, as well as lots of other resources
discord.gg/wownoob
The Recruitment & Community [NA/OC] [World of Warcraft] Discord Server is specifically tailored to people shopping for a guild
https://discordbotlist.com/servers/recruitment-community-na-oc-246097056958119944
WoW Made Easy is said to be a community that takes civility seriously
https://discord.com/invite/wowmadeeasy
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Gosh youve been so helpful
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