Introduction:
As with all game guides most of the information contained within it's pages has already been published, discected and analysed on any number of flavours of fan sites. But unless you have a wireless network and a laptop you can carry it to a bubble bath and soak up World of Warcraft on those cold Wintry evenings. This is a definite advantage and helps explain why I decided to buy it originally.
The book in my hands:
In terms of quality the book has the typical feel of a BradyGames publication. The pages are thin enough to feel as if it has been slightly glossy recycled junkmail paper, yet it has a comforting weight to it. The book itself can be rolled like a newspaper and I found it necessary to use some of the CE toys cluttering my desk to wedge it open as it had the annoying tendency to flop closed when I left it open. It does not handle as well as I would have wanted, but the tab based indexing system makes finding information as you thumb through the pages very easy. It does make the book nicely portable though because you can roll it up like a magazine and carry it easily when wandering from the train station to the office and so forth.
So what does it contain:
It opens with an introduction to the World of Warcraft. The first section on common terminology the BoP and DW acronymns will suddenly seem more understandable and less like a foreign language before launching you straight into the character creation process. This covers basics of the different classes, races and what roles each one plays in the game. From an initial reading the author focusses on in-game etiquette and introduces newcomers to the basic concepts we've all come to know and ignore. Such as groups, etiquette, commands and macros, not training mobs, not stealing nodes or chest and asking for whacks off ore or herbs for skill ups from other users. This is well complemented by a quick walkthrough of the starting areas, first town and the journey to the capital for each race along with some coverage of the important NPCs, locations and quests. This serves as a wonderful introduction to the game for a new player.
As a beginning - moderately experienced player I found the overviews of the capital cities to be sketchy but enjoyed reading the lore and history sections associated with each. The capital cities leads into the cartography section with explored maps of the major areas. These maps list all the NPCs and mobs found in given areas. This makes it very easy to find those 10 elusive "Hulking Mountain Lions" in the Hillsbrad Foothills. Well. Alterac actually. Which is why I almost kissed the manual as it serves as a further confirmation that your quest log is indeed accurate. They then go on about the factions, races and classes and cover all those topics in finer detail.
The next section of the guide goes into more detail with an overview of tactics, group roles, professions, transportation, the mail system, auction houses and how Guilds work. I'm particularly impressed with this section because although it is not a complete tome of all things Azerothian it does cover some tricky scenarios and offers useful advice for new players. Of particular note was a note in the Auction House section that explained why players would want to twink alts and which instances could be useful to farm for equipment that you, as a starting character, can resell at the Auction House to help fund your progress to level 60. It is little handy hints which veterans will know, but which are invaluable to new players that really made this section shine for me.
The shaman resurrection Ankh and it's proper useage as well as the erratic Goblin Jumper cables are two examples that spring to mind, and that is perhaps one of it's stronger features. In a way, this section - and indeed the entire guide - serves as an introduction to the game for new players - to make them appear less n00bish and more experienced.
Section 5 examines classes in detail. With the upcoming Burning Crusade release and the recent 2.0.1 patch these talent and skill trees are slightly out of date, but the basic principles are well covered. In the section on Druids, for example, they cover Moonfire Spam and when it is useful (Runners, PvP flag carriers) and when it is useless (Grinding, as it affects overall kill rate). General statements are often followed by a one or two word qualifier which will help a new player build on their knowledge-base. They also investigate appropriate profession choices and have lists of trainers to accompany their tables. This is particularly useful when you are in a new city and need to know if the trainer you seek can be located there. Apart from offering a fair amount of knowledge about your chosen class it also presents you with the same depth of information on other classes. Those you are likely to face in PvP. Forewarned is four armed.
I do not want to discuss the entire book in detail - I've only read this far anyway
- but the rest of it covers raiding, crafting with some handy location guides for finding materials and a fairly impressive list of quests, equipment and beasts.
It is fair to be dissapointed with the charts and tables though. With MMORPGs keeping an accurate database of items, armour and beasts is an impossible task given the fluid nature of the genre. With this in mind though, there are tables that I found to be useful such as the complete pet list that includes the mobs they drop off. And I think that is where it's true strength lies - unless you are kcma it is something you can pick up, flip through and find some new little snippet of WoW you were not 100% sure of. Or had never bothered to find out about. I now know what to kill to get my Siamese cat.
The writing itself is clear, concise and is aimed at an almost snippet based reading style. Perfect for the modern gamer's attention span and just long enough to read through a section while you're on Griphon back.
Conclusion:
If you've spent any length of time actually playing the game and visiting fansites this book would be largely wasted on you unless you purchased it from a collector's perspective. As a newcomer though, it will give you a useful introduction into the game that will hopefully turn you into the kind of player that people enjoy grouping with. If you have the money to spare I'd consider this a reasonable addition to your gaming library. If you do consider getting it - flip through it in the shop first though.
6/10 overall.
I got the first edition of this guide before I actually joined the game, and I was sort of curious about what they'd changed in the second edition. From the sounds of things it offers a better perspective on the player community (by explaining the acronyms, tricks such as Moonfire spam, etc., depths that the original never went to) and not just the very basics of the game. I might have to bundle a copy in with my Burning Crusade order, just out of curiosity.
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