Guide to Character Creation in World of Warcraft

Written by: Benjamin Sell • Edited by: Michael Hartman
Updated May 18, 2011 • Related Guides: Horde And Alliance | Wow Character | World Of Warcraft

While not the most robust in the world of MMOs, the World of Warcraft character creation process certainly has its ins and outs. Our guide will help you get the most out of your new WoW Character.

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The World of Warcraft character creation process is certainly not the most complicated or robust in the MMO world (that distinction goes to the character creation process in City of Heroes), but there are steps one can take to streamline the process and get the most out of their newly-created WoW character. Our guide will walk you through the entire process, hopefully providing helpful hints and tips for new players and veterans alike.

Do Your Homework

It’s generally a good plan to do a little thinking beforehand to determine what class and race you think you will enjoy most. There are a number of useful WoW websites that can provide you with information on which classes are available to which races, racial bonuses and attributes, and the advantages of Horde vs. Alliance characters.

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n the end, though, you should really plan on creating a character that you will enjoy playing. So what if Night Elf Rogues get a bonus to stealth? If you really, really enjoy the thought of dealing insane amounts of damage as a diminutive Gnome, then by all means make one. The character that you think you will have the most fun with is always the best choice.

If you’re not sure which class you’d like to play, the individual class forums on the official World of Warcraft website are a great place to do a little research or even ask a questions of veterans of your chosen class. If you’re not sure about the soloing ability of a Warlock, for example, the official forums are a great place to ask about it (FYI, Warlocks are amazing soloers).

Server Selection

Once you’ve got a general idea of the character you want to create, it’s time to actually do so. Fire up your WoW client and log into your account. If this is your first foray into the World of Warcraft, the game will invite you to choose a server. Initially you will be asked some basic questions and then assigned to a server, but you can always change by clicking the “Change Realm” button in the top right corner of the character select screen.

If you’re hoping to play with friends in the game, it’s important to find out what server they’re playing on beforehand. It’s no fun to level up a character before finding that you’re on the wrong server and having to start all over again. It is possible to pay to transfer a character to another server, but the $25 price tag is a little steep for anything but a fairly high-level character that you’ve put a lot of time into.

Once you’ve chosen a server, click on one of the “Create New Character” buttons to begin.

Racial Selection

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It’s also important to find out which faction your friends play before creating a character. Your new Gnome will find it hard to communicate with a buddy’s Tauren, so make sure you’re both on the same team. Racial choices are separated into Horde and Alliance columns at the top left of the screen, so choose wisely.

Click on the different races to get detailed descriptions of racial abilities and a smattering of backstory in the center box on the right side of the screen. Once you’ve found a suitable choice, choose a gender for your character below the racial columns on the right side of the screen.

Class Selection

Below the gender selection boxes are the class options for your character. These choices will change depending on your chosen race, so if you don’t see the class you want, you may want to consider a different race. As you click on each class, a detailed description will appear in the bottom box on the screen’s right side. These descriptions will give you a taste for each of the available classes, so you have some idea what you’re getting into.

Character Customization

Below the class choices are the character customization options. These are fairly limited, but you can choose a skin color, face, hair color, facial hair style (piercings for female characters), and hair style that suit your preferences.

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These choices used to be fairly important, but with the introduction of barber shops in capital cities, players can now change these features at will. So don’t sweat it if you can’t find a style that fits you exactly, you can always change it up later on.

The final hurdle in character creation is choosing a name. Hopefully you had something in mind already, but if not, there’s always the “Randomize” button located beneath the name field.

Press the “Accept” button in the lower right corner to continue. If your name has been taken already, the system will let you know and ask you to enter a new one. Keep trying until you get a suitable name that isn’t already taken, then press the “Accept” button in the lower right corner to continue.

Once your name has been accepted (finding a suitable one can be quite an achievement), you’ll be taken back to the character selection screen. Now you can simply select your new character, press the giant “Enter World” button located beneath his feet, and you’re on your way into the amazing world of Azeroth.