Originally posted on September 13, 2021
World of Warcraft is constantly evolving and has brand new storylines to play through all the time. With so much content to explore, it can be hard to choose a character to start your adventure with. First, you’ll need to choose a side - The Alliance or The Horde.
The Alliance
World of Warcraft’s Alliance are typically the good folk - they fight valiant battles for the sake of Azeroth and uphold the noble traditions of the various lands.
Human
Descended from giants, the humans of Azeroth are fierce warriors of the realm. Humans have suffered many tragedies in World of Warcraft history, such as plague, the Worgens, and the Lich King wars. As a Human, you’ll have a wealth of story content to play through and all manner of enemies to defeat. The starter zone for Humans is the beautiful Elwynn Forest, which is right next to the stunning Stormwind City, a handy portal for the rest of Azeroth.
If you’re looking for a way to explore the classic storylines from WoW’s early days, then the Human is perfect.
Dwarf
Like their Human cousins, Dwarves are descended from mighty titans, but in their case, stone entities rather than giants. The titans lost their stone skin in an outbreak of disease and became Azeroth’s dwarves instead. Their home zone is Dun Morogh, where you can explore Ironforge, the labyrinthine cavern city in the mountains. It’s a gorgeous, snowy place to play, and the Frostmane Trolls are a fun, sometimes challenging enemy.
If you fancy exploring the icy landscapes of Dun Morogh and fighting off trolls, try starting out your World of Warcraft adventure as a Dwarf.
Worgen
As a Worgen, you’ll play through the Gilneas storyline in one of the Human realms of Azeroth. When you first spawn, you’ll be Human, but as you play through the first few levels, you’ll come across the curse and become Worgen. You’ll fight for Gilneas and King Greymane and discover the surrounding wastelands in an epic adventure.
If you love all things werewolf, I highly recommend starting out as a Worgen.
Pandaren
The Pandaren race comes with the Shadowlands expansion pack, but it’s well worth the cost. The starter story follows a spiritual path through simple Buddhist lands, where you conquer elemental spirits and help free the island’s dragon turtle. It’s a brilliant story, one of the best in WoW’s canon, and your Pandaren character makes a mean fighter for the rest of the game, too.
If you want to experience a Buddhist-inspired battle against the elements across the Wandering Isle, then the Pandaren is the race for you.
Gnome
If you love spunky, fun characters, the Gnomes are perfect for you. With their tendency to invent things, and tinker in general, they make a great, light relief character to play as. The Gnomes live right next door to the Dwarves in the Dun Morogh mountains in the city of Gnomeregan. They do love their machines and gadgets, and you’ll get to ride around on a Mechanostrider, fighting off rogue cockroaches.
If the typical high fantasy life isn’t for you, try joining World of Warcraft as a Gnome instead.
The Horde
Despite being given a bad reputation, the Horde are not your stereotypical bad guys. They’re a pretty decent bunch, and they value their freedom, which sets them against organizations with stricter rules, like the Alliance.
Orc
As staples of the high fantasy genre, you can’t go wrong with an Orc. With their menacing stature and impressive armor, the Orcs of Durotar are not known for being shy. As an Orc, you’ll start out in Durotar, where you’ll roam the town of Orgrimmar and fight off all manner of creepy crawlies and bloodthirsty creatures.
If you fancy playing as a ferocious warrior, try thinking outside the box and picking an Orc to journey through Azeroth with.
Undead
For fans of the paranormal, an Undead WoW character is the perfect combination of high fantasy and more traditional paranormal. You can roam the graveyards on a Skeletal Horse, laying waste to your enemies in the Tirisfal Glades. Explore the Undercity and earn respect as an Undead warrior to Queen Sylvanas, leader of Azeroth’s Forsaken.
If you can’t get enough of that creepy graveyard aesthetic, try taking on an Undead WoW character.
Tauren
One of my favorite starter stories on World of Warcraft is the Tauren storyline. With saber tooth cats and tribal culture, playing as a Tauren is an excellent way to while away the time. The home city of Thunder Bluff is magnificent too. Playing as a Tauren gives you a unique mix of spiritual powers and sheer brawn.
If you love mythology or fancy a more tribal battle character, try choosing a Tauren to wander through Azeroth with.
Troll
Located in the vacation-worthy Echo Isles, the Troll characters are odd-looking WoW companions but come with ferocity and dinosaurs. As soon as you’ve learned to ride, grab yourself a Raptor and run wild across the plains. Azeroth’s Trolls refer to themselves as Darkspear Trolls, so you know they can find their way around a weapon.
If you’re a fan of all things prehistoric, create a Troll character, and fight your way through Orgrimmar.
Blood Elf
Despite their captivating beauty, Blood Elves make fierce warriors and skilled mages. They dwell in the beautiful Silvermoon City, an unusually pretty area of the Horde Lands. With multicolored Hawkstriders running free across the grasses, you’ll find it easy to lose yourself in the Blood Elf storyline.
If you’re a fan of deadly beauty, I recommend selecting a Blood Elf as your WoW character.
Whichever race you choose to play as most of Azeroth is open for you to explore. If you’re like me and just have to see everything, create two characters - one an Alliance Race and one from the Horde. Remember, if you can’t get into the storyline you’re playing, you can always choose another race.
