I'm sure I am not alone when it comes to choosing which character to main in video games, be it full-fledged MMOs or even single-player games where you can make your own avatar, and World of Warcraft perfectly encapsulates this. Not only does World of Warcraft have 12 classes, but each class typically has three specializations, and then each specialization also comes with different Hero Talents. Then, there are 26 unique races with their various bonuses, but wait, there's more - they are divided between Alliance and Horde factions, and not all races can be all classes. In my many, many hours playing games like Path of Exile 2, I spend a good amount of time rerolling characters, and the same is happening with WoW.
Why I Make a Ton of Alts in World of Warcraft and Other Games
This happens for a few reasons. These are:
- I LOVE buildcrafting and coming up with interesting or unique ways to play a character, so each new idea I have is something I want to test
- I want to make sure my main character is the perfect one for me
- I like versatile characters who can do multiple things so that I don't have to roll another character for all the things there are to do in a game (though I end up doing it anyway SMH), like going for a 100% full playthrough in Oblivion Remastered on a single character
- My main character shouldn't be horrible in the meta, even if the meta changes with every patch
- My main shouldn't be easy to play, otherwise I will rapidly lose interest once I feel like I am mastering it, even before it reaches its full potential. Yes, I realize I'm shooting myself in the foot with this specific requirement
These are all pretty hard requirements already, but with World of Warcraft's classes and races, I feel like I'm in hell. Too. Many. Options. It doesn't help at all that I just started playing WoW for the very first time about 10 days ago, and I already have 15 characters.
World Of Warcraft: Best Races For Hunters
World of Warcraft has many class options, and one of the oldest and most beloved is the Hunter role, which certain races are best suited towards.
World of Warcraft's 11.1.7 Patch May Help, But Ever So Slightly
In just a few days, World of Warcraft's one-button DPS and combat assistant will be released alongside patch 11.1.7, which could help me grow accustomed to all the various classes, specs, and their rotations. It's something I'm excited about, but I fear it may not move the needle much because the feel of the character is more important to me than rotation, as I will eventually get the hang of it anyway. Instead, the power fantasy of a given class, race, and spec combo is what truly matters to me.
Which World of Warcraft Characters I'm Considering For My Main
I have a few ideas about what my main could be, though. Broadly speaking, I would like my main to:
- Have a melee spec or be mainly melee-focused, but with ranged options (I tried World of Warcraft's Assassination Rogue and I love it, but I had to kill a lava worm near the Obsidian Citadel, and I just couldn't be in melee range because of lava, which was VERY frustrating)
- Have at least two different playstyles available, so melee DPS, ranged DPS, healer, or tank
- Have exciting/cool/unique attack animations
- Have some form of self-sustain for whenever I'm solo or just leveling
- Be any race but Human
- Have many cool transmog options
The problem is that all this should also meet the requirements from above, which is pure pain. Right now, the main candidates -pun intended- are: Night Elf Monk, Dwarf Hunter, Night Elf Druid, Dwarf Shaman, and Mechagnome Death Knight.
How I Narrowed Down My Possible Main Characters in WoW
I really like all three specs for Monk, primarily Windwalker and Brewmaster, so I could see myself maining Monk and then switching between all specs once I master them, having different roles available. I absolutely love the fact you can go around Azeroth and get World of Warcraft pets for a Hunter, with Beast Mastery even allowing the use of two different pets at once, and I like the fact that two specs are ranged, but one is melee - even though WoW's Survival Hunter is apparently at the bottom of DPS charts, sigh.
The Druid is theoretically perfect because it has all four possible playstyles in the game, and I am a big nature and animal lover. The only problem is that Druid plays most of the time in its spec's form, and I want to see my character and transmogs.
I am aware there is a Glyph to appear as your character so that you can showcase your World of Warcraft Druid transmog even when shapeshifting, but I'm new, and I have no idea when or if I might be able to acquire it.
I find the Shaman to be very cool, and I enjoy both Elemental and Enhancement for DPS, with the Hero Talent for Elemental Shaman being one of my favorite animations in the game. I don't love Restoration Shaman from what I've seen so far, but I haven't even played it yet.
Finally, I think Death Knights have very unique animations and some of my favorites in the game overall, plus I am a big fan of Mechagnomes because of their super funky looks. Yes, I know WoW's Mechagnomes have limited transmog options, and it hurts my heart every time. Still, I like all three specs for DK, with Frost being the one I enjoy the most... For now.
World of Warcraft: Best Races For Warriors
World of Warcraft is filled with options for races to play as, and some of them are particularly great for building warrior characters.
The Main-Selecting Process in World of Warcraft is Dark and Full of Terrors
You might think that narrowing down my possible main to five options is a great starting point, and for other people, it might be true. But oh no, not for me. I am 100% sure I will try out yet another character and consider switching to it, only to level it to 30 or 40 and realize I like others more, or come up with a different idea. Plus, of the five classes I selected, I am not fully on board with most of them, and settling on a given spec over others is much easier said than done.
The fact that there are so many videos on YouTube about picking a main in World of Warcraft, which can also depend on the current patch, shows that it's probably a common conundrum to be in. Yet, I can't help but feel that every time I feel closer to figuring it out, I get pulled back in the loop by some new shiny thing or past glory, so I never really feel "attuned" to any specific class and spend my time in alt limbo. And I promise, I've spent too many hours in alt limbo in my gaming career to think it'll be easier any time soon in WoW.
If anything, I think it might be the worst possible situation for me, and WoW's Midnight expansion might make things even harder if it adds a new race and/or class. Where will the tidings take me? I have no clue, but I'll stick around even if it means taking all characters to max level. In which case, see you all in a couple of years, I guess.
- Released
- August 26, 2024
- Base Game
- World of Warcraft
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard
WHERE TO PLAY
