Noob

Nublet, newb, newbie, nub, n00b, seedy underbelly growth, all of these apply to you.  Because, you see, you want to start playing an MMO.

Don’t deny it…mightier men than you have tried and failed, but EVENTUALLY everyone dips their toes in the water and your old buddy Jason is here to tell you what to expect , what to avoid, and how to get started.

What to Expect

You will get ganked…if you’re on a PVP game, some ass-hat is going to swoop down and stab you in the face.  It’s life…just get up and keep going.

You will be called bad names…or sometimes you’ll hear a racial slur, or be informed about the sexual deviance of your mother.  Every MMO I’ve ever played has a built in “Ignore” feature.  Use it.

You will get frustrated…You’ll drive yourself bat-shit crazy trying to figure out exactly where to find the Scepter of Something Awesome so you can finish the quest.  You’ll click on everything, jump up and down, even call in your buddies to help…only to realize you already have the Scepter of Something Awesome in your character’s backpack.

You will get lost…You’ll wander in circles, you’ll frolic into a camp of way-bigger-than-you-ogres and you may even die.  A Lot.  But eventually you’ll be a regular Magellan and navigate the hell out of your MMO world.

And perhaps most importantly – You will become a helpless slave to your first MMO…It always happens…the first time anyone gets into an MMO, it sucks their soul straight from their face and for the first few months you have no choice in the matter, your brain won’t allow you to NOT log in and guest and grind and experience the greatness of this new world.

As far as the more negative aspects of being a noob, I highly recommend finding a buddy; either someone who’s already in the game or willing to start a new game with you.   That is, after all, the entire point of MMORPGs; the social aspect and communal gaming experience.  Having a real life friend join you in the virtual world is the best way to face the challenges.  Do it.  Safety in numbers.

What to Avoid

Regardless of the game you eventually choose to play, there are a few universal rules to avoid…most of this is common sense which you’ll find is all too rare in the MMO world.

Don’t Beg…for money, for muscle, or information.

Don’t steal…everyone is after the same quests you are.  Wait your turn.

Don’t buy gold…y’know what’s a good idea?  To give your credit card information to some shady Chinese website all for some fake currency.  I know you want the new shiney…save your money and It’ll come.

Don’t be ignorant…The internet is for porn! And sometimes when you’re not using the internet for it’s true intended purpose, cruise on over to one of the kajillion websites dedicated to the game you’re playing. Remember….everything has a wiki and just a few seconds of research can make your play time far more valuable.

Don’t give up…Some MMOs are very accessible to new players and some are more punishing.  Either way, make sure you take your choice to at least ¼ of the level cap before deciding to give up, most of the best stuff happens at later levels.

There’s a lot of social etiquette that one must learn, and these can vary from game to game, or even from server to server within the same game.  Pay attention, play nice, you’ll be OK.

How to Get Started

There are a plethora/cornucopia/multitude/lot of MMOs out there, saturating the market like a greasy slice of pizza…all soggy and falling apart and spilling that orange oil on your nice shirt.  Step one is to decide WHICH game you wish to try.

Obviously, my initial indicators point to World of Warcraft.  There’s a reason it’s the most popular, and with the new changes, it’s more inviting than ever.

After that, well, it all depends on your genre.  Sci-Fi fans could lean towards Star Wars Galaxies, Star Trek Online, EVE Online, or the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic.

For you fantasy lovers, if WoW isn’t your style, there’s also Warhammer Online, Final Fantasy 11 or 14, or even Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons online (both of which are free to play.)

You dig the comic books?  I do to, I mean…who doesn’t?  Comic fans have a couple of GREAT choices!  Most notably City of Heroes/City of Villains, I’ve spent many a moon leveling my superhero.  The in-beta DC Universe is incredibly promising (Yes, you CAN play as a green lantern!)  Champions Online is another good choice, and eventually…some day…there are still plans to release a Marvel MMO.

Please note that there are TONS of MMOs that I left off this very short starter list.  The important thing is the find one that sounds fun and give it a whirl.

As for giving it a whirl…DO NOT GO OUT AND BUY A BRAND NEW MMO OFF THE SHELF!!!!!1!  Almost every MMO out there is a subscription-based plan…you pay $x.99 a month and play as much as you want!  As you can imagine, the developers of said MMO want your $x.99 a month…they want your $x.99 a month SO BAD that they’re willing to give you a taste…just one hit of everCrack in order to coax you out of your hard earned money.  Might as well let them.  Most games have a free trial period, usually a week to 10 days, so use this time to get your feet wet and enjoy it a little bit.  I personally have about 15 codes for a 10-day WoW trial just lying about, leave a comment below if you would like one!

So that’s it, young adventurer, the time has come for you to go out on your own and start Dinging all the way to the top!  Are there any great MMOs that I missed?  Leave some love in the comments.

Stay tuned for my NEXT post: Mr. Manners