Next stop…. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft has been around since 1994. However, the game didn’t become such a huge success until November 2004, when it was released online as a mass-multiplayer online role playing game, or MMORPG. Since then, it has grown so rapidly that it’s now become the biggest game in the world, with 9.6 million subscribers and counting. World of Warcraft is not just an online game, but a social gathering as well, bringing like-minded people together to create bonds and friendships that often carry on outside the Warcraft world as well. There are thousands of sites out there dedicated to World of Warcraft, but here are ten of the top ranking sites to get you started.
1. Battle.net – http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/
Battle.net is the home of World of Warcraft. This is where you get the game from, keep up to date with your subscriptions, join the community forums, get the downloadable add-ons or extensions for the game, shop for Warcraft related items and get good solid guides on the game to help you along. It’s also the place to be if you’re looking for the latest in World of Warcraft news, as the developers often update users with exciting news about updates, add ons in the works or competitions.
2. WoW Wiki – http://www.wowwiki.com/
As a site developed, maintained, controlled and updated by community users, the WoW Wiki is constantly up to date with everything to do with World of Warcraft, from hints and tips to complete guides on how to complete certain quests or missions. Here is where you can learn about hidden easter eggs in the game, treasures, rare items, or simply just the latest developments in terms of gameplay and what other users are doing.
3. Joystiq – http://wow.joystiq.com/
Joystiq is a community-based website based around a blog that various writers update on a daily basis. The great thing about this site is that they don’t only deal with what the creators of WoW say or do, but they answer questions from users as well, endeavouring to find the answers within the game itself. They also have fun segments such as the ‘Drama Mamas’ who are essentially agony aunts for the problems that gamers face in the World of Warcraft realms!
4. Allakhazam – http://wow.allakhazam.com/
Offering a complete database of everything World of Warcraft related, there is probably nothing in the game that you can’t find on Allakhazam. Boasting a full blown guide, alongside a community-driven wiki page and numerous guest posts on their blog, keeping up to date with the game has never been easier.
5. Wowvault – http://www.wowtcgvault.com/
Possibly one of the most information-loaded sites available when it comes to World of Warcraft, Wowvault offers you everything from screenshots and information on dungeons, to daily movies and a talent calculator, letting you see if you’re really as good as you think you are! They also have contests and competitions on a regular basis, as well as complete guides to all the different classes and races available in the game.
6. Mapwow – http://mapwow.com/
Stuck on a location? Don’t know where you are? Need to know your next move? Want to find out where you friends are? That’s where Mapwow comes in. It’s a complete map of all the different places in World of Warcraft that you could possibly go to, including showing the terrain type. It’s based on the Google Maps API, so it works in the exact same way – you can zoom in and out, and show different things on the map. It doesn’t get much more useful than that!
7. WoW MMOsite – http://wow.mmosite.com/
Complete with guides, gallery, game info, and a fully fledged community forum dedicated to players who are serious about the game, this site brings everything you need to your PC, and then some. They even offer an RSS feed so that any updates or news gets delivered straight to your browser or RSS feed receiver.
8. Wowhead – http://www.wowhead.com/
A very simplistic site that holds an awful lot of useful information for any World of Warcraft player. Simply type into the search box pretty much anything to do with the game – an item, a skill, a place, a character, anything at all – and it will bring up all the information on that search. So if you find a weapon and want to know exactly what it can do, just pop the name of it into Wowhead and it’ll tell you straight away!
9. Wowprogress – http://www.wowprogress.com/
In World of Warcraft, you can join a guild. This is basically a group of people who help each other, raid together, do dungeons together, and have a standing within the community. For a lot of people, it’s important to them to know their guild rank, which is where their guild stands in terms of the overall online game itself. This site will tell you all the latest updates with regards to guilds, including which guilds are ranking at the top of the guild board.
10. WoW Professions – http://www.wow-professions.com/
When you create a new character in World of Warcraft, you can choose two professions you’d like to explore, including alchemy, herbalism and engineering. However, these can be quite difficult to level, especially alongside levelling your overall character and playing the storyline, so WoW Professions has put it all together for you in one place to help you level up your professions without sitting at the computer scratching your head wondering how best to go about it!
