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'''''World of Warcraft''''' is easily the most popular subscription-based [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game]] in the world today. It's based on [[Blizzard Entertainment]]'s popular ''[[
''World of Warcraft'' is based in the world of Azeroth, on three main continents: Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, and Northrend; as well as Outland, whence the [[Our Orcs Are Different|Orcs]] originate. There are two factions: the Alliance and the Horde (though neither is automatically good or evil -- and in trope terms, ''both'' are [[The Alliance]]), twelve races - split evenly per faction, ten classes, ten primary professions, and four secondary professions. The game is casual-friendly to a point, being designed so that those who prefer to play solo can still achieve maximum level. It should be noted that, like most MMORPGs, about half of '''WoW'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s content can only be accessed after you reached maximum level, and cooperative play is required to earn the best gear and other rewards. Guilds are a major part of the game's community, with the majority of players belonging to one. Benefits of guild membership are both social and material -- most endgame raid content is done by guilds and they can share a pool of resources much greater than that available to the solo player. The Cataclysm expansion added more benefits to being in a guild, ranging from faster movement speed, extra gold from killing monsters, and in some cases, [[Bragging Rights Reward|mounts]] - should your guild attain a high enough rank.
''WoW''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Fantasy Character Classes|classes]] follow the [[An Adventurer Is You|standard RPG archetypes]]. The three core roles are tanking (taking damage so others don't have to), healing (patching others up), and DPS (optimizing the '''D'''amage you deal to the enemy '''P'''er '''S'''econd, sometimes pronounced "deeps" for fun). These roles are further refined by the talents each character chooses to specialize in. There are "pure" classes that can only fill a DPS role, and "hybrid" classes which may either specialize in one role or fill multiple roles at the cost of utility.
* Death Knight (added in ''Wrath of the Lich King'') -- A tank or melee DPS class that utilizes the power of death and disease, and may summon undead minions to aid it. Formerly servants of the Lich King, they broke free of his control and now seek to [[Pay Evil Unto Evil]]. Unlike other classes, new Death Knights start at level 55, but before a Death Knight can be created on an account, another character on that account of any class must be leveled to 55.
* Demon Hunter (added in ''Legion'') — Based on the demon hunters of Warcraft lore, they utilize demonic magics and transform into demon-like forms to fight in melee. They are the second "hero class" after Death Knights. Unlike other classes, they only have two specializations: Vengeance for tanking, and Havoc for damage. For lore reasons, they are the most restricted class in terms of race; they are only available to Night Elves and Blood Elves.
* Druid -- Servants of nature, Druids are the most versatile class, relying on talents and shapeshifting to specialize in melee DPS (cat), ranged DPS (Moonkin), tank (bear), or healer (tree). Additional forms allow them to breathe underwater, increase foot traveling speed, and fly without a special mount.
* Hunter -- A ranged DPS class that tames beasts to use as pets in combat. The Hunter can specialize in improving his pet or his ranged combat skills, and is a master of traps and controlling monsters. Notably the only class that deals primarily physical ranged damage.
* Mage -- A ranged DPS class that excels at dishing out magical damage. Talent choices focus on specific types of magic: Arcane, Fire, and Frost. Mages are also versatile in managing large numbers of enemies and controlling monsters.
* Monk --
* Paladin -- A hybrid melee class that can specialize as tank, melee DPS, or healer. Paladins wield their faith in the Light as sword, shield, and bandage, incorporating holy magic into their martial abilities as well as their spellcasting.
* Priest -- A hybrid caster, Priests channel their faith into spellcasting. The archetypal and most versatile of healers, they're the only ones to have two skilltrees dedicated to healing and protecting. Priests may also specialize as ranged DPS, destroying their enemies with shadow magic and psychic assaults.
* Rogue -- A melee DPS class that attacks from stealth for incredible damage, then vanishes into the shadows when the advantage is lost. Rogues may specialize in the use of poisons, toe-to-toe combat, or trickery and deceit.
* Shaman -- A caster/melee hybrid that draws on the power of elemental and ancestral spirits. Shaman may specialize in melee DPS, ranged DPS, or healing, and utilize mystical totems to buff allies and attack their foes.
* Warlock -- A ranged DPS class that employs demons and attacks with shadow and fire magic. Warlocks may specialize in summoning demonic minions to cause damage and bolster their party, withering their targets with curses, or battering them with direct power. Warlocks also have the ability to utilize fragments of their past victims' souls to a gambit of group-supportive ends.
* Warrior -- A melee hybrid, warriors are the pinnacle of martial prowess. Besides tanking, they may specialize in two forms of melee combat; either skillfully wielding a single [[BFS|heavy weapon]], or relentlessly striking with [[Dual-Wielding|two]]. Warriors utilize specialized combat stances to access and enhance various sets of offensive or defense abilities in the heat of battle.
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The third expansion, ''Cataclysm'', was released in December 2010. It returns players to a redesigned Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms (devastated after the titular Cataclysm), raised the level cap to 85, and revisits a great deal of old and unfinished content while continuing the story lines of Azshara, Deathwing, and the Guardians of Tirisfal. The expansion also saw upsets in the leadership of several player races and a resurgence in the Alliance/Horde conflict storyline throughout Azeroth. New possible races are the bestial Worgen of Gilneas for the Alliance, and the cunning Goblins of Kezan for the Horde. A patch released shortly before the expansion also added a large number of new race/class combinations, explained in the lore as races attempting new things in order to survive the Cataclysm.
The fourth expansion,
The fifth expansion, released in November 2014, is ''Warlords of Draenor'', raising the level cap to 100 and sending players to an [[Alternate Timeline]] version of Draenor in which Garrosh Hellscream travels through time to stop the Old Horde from drinking the blood of Mannoroth. His Iron Horde, equipped with modern technology, now threatens to storm through the Dark Portal to conquer present-day Azeroth. While exploring Draenor, players build and customize their own Garrisons and interact with legendary characters such as Grommash Hellscream and Ner'zhul. The expansion also features redesigned models for all the classic character races.
Well-known for its depth of interaction, WoW has also spawned a collectible card game, a pen-and-paper RPG, comic books, and many other merchandising peripherals. The game is currently the largest MMO in the world by a huge margin, currently having around 10 million players and at one point nearly 60% of the total market share, and a film is in the works. <ref>For reference, the largest US MMORPG before this was ''[[Ever Quest (Video Game)|Ever Quest]]'' at half a million during its height; the largest worldwide was ''[[Lineage]]'' at 2-3 million -- although Asian MMORPG numbers such as ''Lineage'' can be considered inflated, as they have a different pricing structure in Asian markets that revolve around cybercafes. Note that ''World of Warcraft'' is played in the same cybercafes on the same terms.</ref>▼
The sixth expansion, ''Legion'', was released in August 2016, raising the level cap to 110, and sending players to the Broken Isles in the Great Sea to do battle with the Burning Legion, which is attempting its third invasion of Azeroth. Features of this expansion include the new Demon Hunter hero class, a revamped honor system, class-based orders headed by players, and a specialization-based Artifact-quality weapon, which has its own plotline and scales along with the player over the course of the expansion.
See also the [[Warcraft Expanded Universe]], which contains write-ups for works set in the Warcraft universe. The character sheet (for the entire Warcraft universe) is [[Warcraft (Video Game)/Characters|here]].▼
▲Well-known for its depth of interaction, WoW has also spawned a collectible card game, a pen-and-paper RPG, comic books, and many other merchandising peripherals. The game is currently the largest MMO in the world by a huge margin, currently having around 10 million players and at one point nearly 60% of the total market share, and a film is in the works. <ref>For reference, the largest US MMORPG before this was ''[[
▲See also the [[Warcraft Expanded Universe]], which contains write-ups for works set in the Warcraft universe. The character sheet (for the entire Warcraft universe) is [[Warcraft
* [[World of Warcraft (Video Game)/Tropes A-H|Tropes A-H]]▼
* [[World of Warcraft (Video Game)/Tropes I-P|Tropes I-P]]▼
{{tropelist}}
* [[World of Warcraft (Video Game)/Tropes Q-Z|Tropes Q-Z]]▼
{{reflist}}
{{World Video Game Hall of Fame}}
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[[Category:Fantasy Video Games]]
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▲[[Category:Video Game]]
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