Casually Classic：帮你选择 WoW Forever 主角色的六个问题

This week marks a transition for the gestation of World of Warcraft Forever, as we’ll see the arrival of the stress test and the end of the beta run. Following that is a little less than two weeks of thumb-twiddling waiting for launch, interrupted only by the early name reservation rush. With all of that forced downtime, it’s the perfect opportunity to solidify plans, including finding a guild and mapping out your future character.

However, I’ve seen a lot of anxiety and flip-flopping on the subject of a main character in WoW Forever, especially for those who want to make the right selection out of the gate so there’s no wasted time in the first week or so rerolling. So today, I’m going to help you indecisive folk narrow down your options and hopefully arrive at the right conclusion by asking you six simple questions. Don’t worry, there won’t be a test at the end.

What playstyle do you most enjoy in MMORPGs?

We’ll start out with a fairly broad question, because I think it lays the best foundation for a solid pick. What’s your preferred playstyle? Are you someone who likes melee or ranged? Physical combat or magical? Being an indestructible tank, a helpful healer, a jack-of-all-trades Swiss army knife, or a DPS-above-all-else specialist? Do you like toting around a pet, employing a lot of crowd control, mixing magic and melee together, firing off flashy spells, or being of the most use to a group? Is mobility the most important to you? What about sheer survival?

Without thinking of any specific class, try to outline your general playstyle preferences as a quick list. Chances are, you’ll see the outline of a class that already exists in this game emerge.

Which race vibes with you the best?

Because there are limitations between classes and races, I think it’s best to figure out your race first. And without falling into the weeds of obsessing over racials (which matter but not as much as you think they do), taking a “vibes check” on races is a good way to go. World of Warcraft has a lot of very distinct races with their own personalities, and you may easily gravitate toward one over the others. Do you like taller races or shorter ones? How do you feel about the hunchbacks of Notre Horde? Are you all about the FOMO of the new elves? Which race matches your own personality that you want to project to the game world as you move through it?

Are you eager to try out one of the new class/race combos?

If you’ve been playing Classic for years, you may be itching to try something different. The good news is that Forever stocked up on new choices, including everything that the Skyborne offers, Undead Paladins, Gnome Priests, Dwarf Shamans, Human Hunters, Orc Mages, and Troll Warlocks (let’s light a candle of sympathy for Night Elves and Tauren, who don’t get squat here). Those are a lot of possibilities if you simply want something you haven’t played before in Classic.

What role do you want to fulfill in a group setting?

Sooner or later, chances are that you’re going to join a group in this game, whether it be to tackle difficult world content or dive into a dungeon or raid. That’s when your class and build’s role comes into play, and it’s important that you not be pressured into a role you dislike. Generally, you’ll want to know if you’re comfortable with tanking, healing, or DPS, with a side question of how much extra utility do you want to bring to groups. Some classes offer hybrid flexibility between roles, so you can quest with one build and dungeon dive with another. Answering the role question first will guide you to a class that fits that specification.

How do you like the general look of that class’ armor type?

We’re going to be completely shallow and vain here, but looks do matter in an MMO to many of us. Personally, I have a hard time playing characters running around in dresses, so either I skip the Mages, Priests, and Warlocks altogether, or I lean a little harder on some transmog that isn’t a ballroom gown.

In any case, your class’ armor type — cloth, leather, mail, plate — will affect your general school of transmog. If you don’t like the feel of heavy armor, you probably shouldn’t be a Warrior or Paladin. If you groove with leather, you saucy minx, then Rogue or Druid are there for you. Endgame tier sets also have a voice at this table, although I’d say that they aren’t as important to the majority of the gameplay experience.

What core rotations and mechanics do you enjoy the most?

Since you’ll be fighting a LOT in this game, the feel, rotation, and mechanics of that combat matter very highly. Players who want a more laid-back approach with ranged fighting and pets are going to gravitate to the Warlock or Hunter. Quick, fluid combat with combos? That’s a Rogue or even a Druid thing. Each class and build is built around a rotation, some snappier than others, some requiring more setup, some more flashy, and some focusing on your weapons.

This is where you examine the candidates in front of you and drill down into that moment-to-moment gameplay. You have to acknowledge that there’s a great amount of difference between how a Paladin approaches combat and how a Warrior does it, even though both use heavy armor and melee attacks.

Conclusion

Obviously, this isn’t the most critical choice you’ll ever make, nor is it one you can’t simply fix by playing something else. But with little to do in the meantime, it’s fun to figure out what will make for the best main for you. My only other piece of advice is not to let others influence your decision through tier lists, reddit rants, or beta statistics. Play what suits you best, and you’ll have a great time.

Stepping back into the MMO time machine of WoW Forever, Justin Olivetti offers up observations and ground-level analysis as a Gnome with a view. Casually Classic is a more laid-back look at this legacy ruleset for those of us who’ve never stepped into a raid or seen more than 200 gold to our names.