If you are a beginner who wants to play World of Warcraft, you may face the problem of what version of the game to choose. There are three versions of WoW. This article will help you understand the difference between them.
The paradox of Warcraft is that many players return to the classic version of the game. Why? Some are tormented by nostalgia, while others consider the classic WoW the gold standard of MMORPGs and say its game design was revolutionary. In order not to swing from scratch, players often order wow classic boost. This is useful for those who want to skip the first levels and get to the most interesting parts as quickly as possible. Game boosting services are safe and legal, but you should always contact only proven, reliable companies where professional players will quickly complete your order. The support team is eager to help 27/7.
The plot of the game
Imagine someone advised you of a series that has been coming out for 17 years. Moreover, a series in which all seasons are connected by end-to-end plots and characters and are not complete and self-sufficient. What season will you start watching it from? Logic suggests that it is better to begin from the first part because, in another case, you will be unlikely to understand what is happening here.
World of Warcraft is just such a case. Over the 17 years of development of the project, the setting of the games has grown, and the plot is so expanded that it will be difficult to understand everything quickly. The situation is made worse because Blizzard constructed the story in such zigzags that one can only admire the developers’ creativity.
Needless to mention, the earliest events in the current version of the game are held in Draenor, which refers to the content of the first supplement. Why? Because in the third edition, the developers have remade the Old World, the continents of Kalimdor, and the Eastern Kingdoms, changing some locations beyond recognition and redesigning quests. So now the events in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms occur in Outland and Northrend.
The Shadowlands expansion is, in a sense, the beginning of a new big chapter in the history of the world of Warcraft. The previous “big chapter” began in RTS Warcraft III with the invasion of the army of demons of the Burning Legion in Azeroth. It ended in the Legion supplement with a victory over this very Legion. The Battle for Azeroth add-on was a kind of transitional add-on. In Shadowlands, the developers moved the main events to the Dark Lands to depict the afterlife of the Warcraft universe. Before this addition, the Dark Lands occupied very little space in the setting, so veterans and newcomers find themselves on equal terms concerning knowledge about the game world.
Dimensions of the game world and character development
The main difference between the Classic Era / The Burning Crusade Classic and the current version is the size of the game world and the place and time when the action takes place. WoW, Shadowlands is the eighth addition to the game. Each addition brought a new continent or a group of large locations to the game. For example, in the second addition, Wrath of the Lich King — the northern continent, Northrend, in the fourth — Pandaria.
However, the content was not only added but also removed. For example, the Naxxramas raid was initially held in the Eastern Plaguelands, and in the second addition, it moved to Northrend. In later additions, developers introduced the ability to “transfer” to old versions of locations and instances. Still, some details have disappeared forever in the current version and are available only in the classics.
In terms of the game world’s size, there are major differences between the three versions.
Classic Era
In the classic game, three locations are available: Azeroth, Kalimdor, and the Eastern Kingdoms, also called the “Old World.” The limit of levels is 60, pumping takes a considerable time – about four months. This does not mean pure time. But if you play for an hour or two a day and do not speed up, you may spend almost half the year boosting your character to the highest level. Pumping in the classics is long and complicated because you don’t have money, prices are high for everything, and a mount becomes available only by the 40th level, even if you save up for it. Classic WoW became available again in 2019.
The Burning Crusade Classic
Players have access to Outland, the planet Draenor fragments that died due to a global cataclysm. The size of the Outland is comparable to one of the continents of the original game. The maximum level was raised to 70, and the experience required to achieve it was significantly lowered. However, leveling up a character still takes a considerable amount of time. The first mounts are already available at level 30.
WoW, Shadowlands
This is the current version of the Warcraft game. In the interval between The Burning Crusade and Shadowlands, the game got three new continents, two large islands, access to the planet Draenor and additional zones in the Old World opened, as well as a lot of instances. There is much more content than in previous versions. At the same time, pumping has been greatly simplified. Before the Shadowlands expansion, the maximum level was 120, and the player had to go through all continents and islands. In SL, the leveling was reworked; now everything does not need to be passed, and the maximum level was lowered to 60.
Conclusion
Should a beginner play classic Warcraft or go straight to Shadowlands? Everything depends on you. If you start with the classic version, you will immerse yourself in a series about the development of events in the Warcraft universe and discover all the plot twists and turns. The original WoW takes place four years after the end of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. If you want to move to Shadowlands as quickly as possible, you can read a summary of the events of the game series. It will not take much time, and it will be easier for you to deal with everything.